In case you missed yesterday’s post, Medieval Living is sponsoring a writing contest for New Mexico homeschoolers in the high school-age group. There are several reasons that we’re offering this contest. First, the most obvious, is that we are trying to promote the study of life in the Medieval era. We have held several classes now (with several more planned in the upcoming months) that teach some hands-on lessons about Medieval history; however, we also want to address the more scholarly aspects of studying the subject. Secondly, the majority of the students we have seen so far are in the elementary and middle school ages, with only a few high school-age students attending. We want to make sure we are addressing the needs and interests of everyone. Therefore, we are offering this writing contest to provide an outlet for the older, academically motivated homeschool students.
The third reason is closely connected to the second . . . we are interested in the writing abilities of our high school-aged students, especially those who are considering attending college. The essay serves two purposes aside from the actual competition: to offer an opportunity for students to produce an academically oriented research paper, and to allow students and parents alike a chance to evaluate the student’s writing abilities and preparedness for college.
In addition to the contest evaluation, we would also like to offer a critique of each student’s writing if agreed to by the student and parent. This also serves several functions: to provide an evaluation from an outside observer, and to provide us (Medieval Living) with a glimpse of the ability levels of our students. In turn, this will help us develop literacy strategies for all homeschool children. Although we enjoy the hands-on activities, we also want to help students develop their academic skill sets.
So . . . we look forward to reading your essays!!! If you have any questions, please contact scott@medieval-living.com. Oh, and we hope to offer more essay competitions throughout the year, involving the early age groups as well.
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