Online writing courses
from You-Can-Teach-Writing.com

Two types of online writing courses are offered teens and adults students through this website:

• Independent study courses formatted as online writing lessons on various narrowly-focused writing topics.

• Instructor-facilitated writing courses described below that deal with larger topics over a longer period of time.

Both types of writing courses focus on nonfiction writing skills. I teach only the flat-footed stuff: ordinary expository nonfiction for people who want to become morticians, engineers, or Navy seals. If you want to write poetry or science fiction, you'll have to find someone else to teach them those skills.

Below is an overview the online writing courses I offer.

Zucchini in Zero Gravity:

A silly way to solid academic writing skills

Kids who think English is just a bunch of dumb rules love Zucchini in Zero Gravity. Don't tell them the subtitle: A silly way to solid academic writing skills.

Following in the best traditions of writers from Jonathan Swift to Dave Berry, students present outrageous material as if it were perfectly sensible.

Students can let their imaginations run wild, but they must observe the conventions of a source paper: their invented experts, sources, and facts must be carefully documented and presented with a straight face. The papers can be hilarious.

Although originally aimed at eighth graders, this makes a good introductory unit for most students ages 13-18 who haven't written research papers.

This instructor-facilitated course combines asynchronous online learning with synchronous (live) class sessions with audio and video. Click for details. Dates for the course and times for the live sesions are shown on the calendar.

Zucchini in Zero Gravity can be offered a homeschool cooperative, afterschool program or other group. Groups get a discount if I don't have to mess with individual enrollments and collect individual fees. Contact me about your needs.

The You-Can-Teach-Writing calendar lists sessions of Zucchini in Zero Gravity that are open to the public.

Writing Ready

Currently in development, the Writing Ready course will replace the discontinued Preparatory College Composition course. The new instructor-facilitated course will offer more scheduling flexibility by replacing fixed-time classes with asynchronous study, while retaining opportunities for live feedback.

Instructor's teaching credentials

If you want to check the instructor's qualifications, they are available on the about thread on this site. You'll find some general information about Linda Aragoni, a detailed resume, and a statement of her educational philosophy.