Composing a paragraph is a foundational writing skill. Whether one is crafting a story or a research paper, without properly constructed paragraphs, the message is often lost in a maze of disconnected sentences.
Time4Writing offers 8-week courses for $99 that connect your student with a certified teacher for the one-on-one instruction that homeschoolers crave. Students are given writing assignments and work through each lesson at their own pace, submitting their work to their teacher and receiving immediate feedback. This is an excellent resource for the homeschool parent who 1) doesn’t feel qualified to critique their child’s writing 2) needs to delegate the task of assessing their child’s compositions.
Emma is working through Middle School Paragraphs, and has enjoyed the process thoroughly. As a parent, I can see that she has been challenged in ways neither one of us had anticipated. Her teacher, Ms. Rachael Burrows, has been incredibly patient and helpful every step of the way, quickly grading her work and offering very detailed feedback on needed improvements. At no time did her comments seem condescending or discouraging, and my daughter responded very well to all her suggestions.
Middle School Paragraphs is divided into 8 units. Topics covered are:
- The Topic Sentence
- Supporting Details
- Closing Sentence
- Writing in Chronological Order
- Narrative Paragraphs
- Descriptive Paragraphs
- Compare/Contrast Paragraphs
- Proofreading and Editing
Students log in to Time4Writing to receive their assignments and submit their completed work. The teacher sends their evaluations through the same interface, with comments written in red. Both parents and students are able to view all communications, 
contact the teacher with questions and comments, and receive an answer within 24 hours.
While kids are encouraged to work at their own pace, this is an 8-week course. Students will need to log in about 3-4 times per week, and the average student will spend about 2 hours per week reading and completing assignments, and processing the teacher’s observations and corrections. Parents receive reports at the mid-point and when the child has finished the course, and the student will receive a completion certificate.
Don’t know which course is right for your child’s skill level? Read instructions for choosing the right course. There are Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Courses for Elementary, Middle School, and High School that cover Writing Mechanics, Essays, Research Papers, and even Writing for the SAT. You can view samples pulled directly from Time4Writing’s courses by going to their Free Writing Resources page.
Time4Writing offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If the course you have chosen does not fit your student’s needs, you may choose another course, or cancel within the first 14 days.
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bailbrae
August 27, 2012 at 2:52 pm
I enjoyed your review! We used T4W for the first time this past spring when my oldest took the Middle School Basic Mechanics. He really learned a lot (he actually asked for creative writing help because he’s working on writing a story and we knew he needed a little more instruction), and ultimately enjoyed the course.
Since we are relaxed homeschoolers, it took a couple weeks before he really had it in his head that the T4W was something he had to log into every day, but after that there were no issues. There were a few occasions when he had questions or needed more instruction than what was given, but when that happened, he was easily able to contact the teacher and she provided answers/clarification.
It had been a long time since I added anything to our homeschool curricula and materials. Both of my boys have been using Time4Learning for several years, and we use other online sites like SpellingCity and BigIQKids, and I haven’t really *needed* to add anything. I’m glad that I took the chance with Time4Writing, and so is my son. He actually asked to take another course, lol!
Again, I enjoyed your review! Thanks so much for sharing!
Katie
Susan Raber
August 31, 2012 at 1:22 pm
We are relaxed homeschoolers, and had the same issue with regular scheduling at first.
Our daughter’s teacher has been so wonderful, and she has encouraged my daughter to really put forth some effort into making her writing interesting to the reader.