The Denim Beret Writing Program
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
HOW IT WORKS
AFTER THE DENIM BERET
Like many writing programs, The Denim Beret Writing Program progresses through beginning, middle, and advanced composition skills. Unlike most other writing programs, however, this one approaches writing much the way an author typically does. Along with teaching the skills necessary for academic success, it also prepares students for lifelong success in any writing activities they may do, from business letters to entire books.
The Denim Beret Writing Program is highly structured, and is focused primarily on the principles of non-fiction writing. It is designed to be used as one part of a core language arts program and does not integrate with either other subjects or other sub-disciplines of language arts. Although integration is highly valued by many home educators, my philosophy is that over the long run, a focused and separate study of non-fiction writing is both more efficient and more effective. After completing the three years required for The Denim Beret Writing Program, students will have the skills necessary to pursue other kinds of writing courses, such as creative writing.
The writing topics in The Denim Beret Writing Program are kept personal and/or familiar for the most part, and the few that are not are presented with options. This allows students to focus intensively on the development of their writing skills and personal voice without the added stress of intimidating topics. For that reason it can be an especially good fit for reluctant writers.
The Denim Beret Writing Program uses a mastery-learning approach. Students do not advance to the next lesson until they have sufficiently mastered the current lesson. Also, instead of receiving letter grades, students receive “grades” that state their level of mastery, along with constructive feedback that will help them develop their skills. Those who need letter grades for transcripts may receive them upon request at the end of each course.
The program uses a hybrid model of independent study and teacher interaction. Using the Google platform–including Gmail, Classroom, Meet, Hangout, and Drive–students read a lesson independently (usually about 2,000 words per lesson), complete assignments, and submit them for grading. They have unlimited teacher access through email and private comments in Classroom, and they have regular teacher-student video chats to ensure understanding and progress.
At the core of the program are the “Six Traits of Excellent Writing”. These are the qualities common to all excellent writing, no matter what the genre or reading level may be. The “Six Traits” are introduced in level 1 but remain in the background until level 3 as the students develop basic skills. Once these skills are in place, they are ready to think like authors do and pursue truly excellent, polished work of any kind, whether it be academic, business, or personal.
After level 3 is completed, students are ready for either higher-level writing courses, such as logic or rhetoric (which help students develop sound arguments and clear thinking), or for the application learning method that is commonly used by serious writers. I call this “mentoring” and offer it as a level 4 option.
Those who are interested in literature and creative writing may be interested in the following courses:
* Before Great Books Comes Groundwork– based on my book Before Austen Comes Aesop: The Children’s Great Books and How to Experience Them
*Inklings Too–a brand-new creative writing option for teens who are serious about writing professionally
*I am also thinking of offering a live poetry reading and/or writing course, as well as a novel study course. If you are interested in either of these, please contact me for more information.
ABOUT EACH LEVEL
LEVEL 1: Before Papers Come Paragraphs
LEVEL 2: Before Epics Come Essays
LEVEL 3: Before College Comes Craft
Praise for The Denim Beret
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Is The Denim Beret right for your student?
Because every student learns differently and has different needs and gifts, it is important to consider whether this program will help bring out the best in your student. To be successful with the correspondence courses, your student needs to meet all the qualifications below:
*be in the 6th grade or higher
* be able and willing to read instructional material of 2,000-3,000 words (similar to a textbook chapter) for every lesson and complete a written, usually typed assignment.
*understand basic grammar/mechanics concepts and be able to write grammatical sentences fluently.
*be able to follow written directions.
*be willing to interact with a teacher via email and video chat.
*be willing to accept constructive criticism and revise written work–possibly multiple times.
Once Upon a Pen 