Description

KS3 English Grammar & Writing Basics

For January 2027

The Grammar basics portion of this class will introduce students to the 8 parts of speech in a fun and creative way. Creating an enjoyable learning experience about basic English grammar.

The Writing Basics portion of the class will take a gentle introduction to IEW. We will learn about and practice note taking, creating keyword outlines, and how to write original work from our notes/key word outlines along with learning the importance of following a writing checklist to create quality, original short essays/paragraphs.

Our goal is to prepare students for the basic grammar and essay writing requirements of KS3 Grammar & Writing Year 1 and beyond.  Upon completion of  Grammar & Writing Basics, most students will be prepared for successful learning in the KS3 Grammar & Writing Year 1 class. 

KS3 Grammar & Writing Basics Course Details:

In the class, we will use the grammar and writing curriculum over the course of 15 weeks in our live online sessions.

Pre-Requisites:

• Students should be able to write a simple paragraph by hand or typed.
• Best suited for students aged 10-12 needing basic English grammar and writing skills. Younger students will need tutor permission before registration.

Age: 10+

Day & Time: Wednesdays 9:15-10:45 am  (Two 40-minute sessions with a short break each week.)

Location: Zoom Meeting

Tutor: Shannan Swindler

Required Materials: Printouts of weekly resources, allowing students to handwrite homework.

In this course, students will:

This course is eligible for 0.5 Language Arts Credit in the USA Qualifications model.

This class is geared toward students aged 10+ or older students taking English grammar and writing a bit slower. Those following the US Qualifications model are able to put this course on a transcript as proof of their language arts education level as Language Arts/English (for upper elementary or middle school). 

Successful completion of this course will prepare students for:

• KS3 Grammar & Writing Year 1

What is IEW®?

The IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) curriculum is world-renowned for teaching students to write well and master much-needed concepts of grammar and vocabulary required in GCSE writing. Using a history-themed writing curriculum will allow your students to learn good writing habits whilst covering relevant and enjoyable material.

IEW’s Structure and Style® methodology trains students to write by teaching structure and style.

This video/podcast references KS3 Grammar & Writing Year 1 & Year 2. In our Basics class we will cover the same concepts based on M L Nesbitt’s ‘Grammar-land’ and various source texts for writing instruction and assignments..

Read more about it here.

According to the IEW website:

‘The more that grammar is rooted in the writing experience, the better it sticks.

The ultimate goal of teaching grammar should be to train students to be able to edit their own writing effectively. When a side benefit is improved performance on the SAT or ACT, so much the better. Fix It! Grammar (third edition) is a complete grammar program for these goals that truly matter, but it teaches students in the context of writing and through editing rather than through exercises focusing on specific rules. 

The early books in Fix It! Grammar begins with marking parts of speech and then identifying phrases (mainly prepositional phrases), main clauses, and dependent clauses. This is better than diagramming because it focuses on the structural parts of sentences that matter most and most affect punctuation, rather than getting students bogged down in labeling the parts of sentences that rarely become punctuation hurdles.

Gradually, the Fix It! Grammar stories incorporate usage, grammar, and punctuation concepts, taught by asking students to correct the mistakes in passages and then discuss with their teacher the reasons for corrections.’

Understanding Arise Home Education’s Approach to English Exam Prep.

Uniquely, our goal at Arise Home Education is to equip teens for an exam, but not to sacrifice the Christ-centred approach to education.

Arise Home Education offers excellent preparation courses for the Cambridge iGCSE English Language exam, which lays a strong foundation for Literature study and advanced study of English. They do so in a Christ-centred way, with world-class literature at its very heart. Read more.

 

 

Grammar & Writing Basics Live, Online Class

Classes will be interactive, and due to the live nature of the classes, they will be tailored to the individual needs of the students. We will use a number of interactive technologies.

For any inquiries about the course, please contact us at Arise@AriseHomeEducation.com

Spaces are limited, secure your spot today (payment options available), and prepare for an unforgettable home education experience. This class will run with a minimum of 4 students.

This course pairs well with:

• KS3 Science Year 1
• KS3 Maths Year 1

More Resources for the Early High School Years

So what do we mean by ‘early high school years’?  At Arise, we have home-educated students following a variety of education models.  Some terms indicate that high school starts as early as 12 years old, while others have high school starting at age 14, or so.  Since we teach to both the US Qualification and the UK Exam model, let’s break it down.

• Middle School = ages 11-13. In the USA, this is considered 7th grade and 8th grade. In Scotland, it is  S1 and S2, while in England, it is Year 8 and Year 9.
• High School = Ages 14 +. In the USA, it is ages 14-18 and is identified as 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade. Or, Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years, respectively.  In Scotland, it is ages 14-16 (when students work toward Scottish Highers or GCSEs before moving on to AS/A-levels for ages 17-18. In England, it is similar to Scotland, but the higher years are called ‘Sixth Form’.

So, by ‘early years’ we mean Middle School, S1 & S2,  or Year 8 or Year 9.  Students ages 11-14.  If your student is younger or older than this, please feel free to contact us to confirm that this class will be a good fit for their academic level.

Resources

• • High School English Language | How to Build Confident Teens
  • British Literature & Composition Year 1 and Year 2
  • World Languages for Homeschoolers
  • Pre-iGCSE Maths