Pepper,
This and your other two posts are great encouragements. He seems to be a bright kid with a future.
These essay themes sound compelling. I wish I had time to read all his essays!
And it's good to hear from you again. we've had so many problems with this forum that the conversation has practically died.
thanks!
ajk
It's been a busy year. I apologize for not following through as promised on the essay topics my son chose last year. He decided to use the same title for all his practice essays so that he could track the progressive development of the topic. We talked about lots of possibilities, but what follows is a list of the essays in his notebook. One later essay on economic theory seems to be missing; no doubt I filed it in the wrong place after grading.
We worked on the practice essay at the same time that we worked through the modules. After the discussions and worksheets were completed and the practice essay had been updated to incorporate the new material, we completed an application essay before going on to a new lesson. I assigned general topics and specified the subject; history, literature, government, or economics. As a senior, my son was able and wanted to develop the specific issues on his own.
Persuasive Practice Essays: Vladimir Horowitz Was the Greatest Pianist of the 20th Century
(The first version was less than half a page; the final version was three pages.)
Comparison Practice Essays: A Comparison of the Styles of Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein
Application Essay Topic List:
J.S. Bach was the Greatest Composer of All Time
Unprincipled Thought Leads to Unprincipled Behavior in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.
Christopher Columbus Was a Successful Explorer
John Adams was an Outstanding President
Reconstruction's Failure
Senator Arlen Specter's Party Change and the Implications for American Conservatism
Natural Law and Prosperity
Comparison Application Essays: We ran out of time in our homeschool, but my son will have several chances to practice comparison later this semester.
