High School Writing 3 with Fuzz (Fall 2024)

Mary Roach is well-known for her unique take on science writing. Diving deep into often-overlooked subjects, she gives us a new way of looking at the world.

In Fuzz, Roach explores the intersections of humans and the natural world with a collecting of riveting stories about the ways humans have tried to manage conflicts with leopards, elephants, and trees.

We'll read the book with reading guides to help closely examine how Roach creates an impression about the ethics of human-nature interactions.

We'll also be writing four, multi draft papers to practice academic writing skills.

Gain Key Academic Writing Foundations

Students will learn foundational academic writing skills including brainstorming, organization, revision, formatting, and proofreading.

Meet Live Weekly

This is a live class, which means we meet weekly to discuss the reading and explore writing tips. Learners can also interact with each other and the instructor between class meetings on our class discussion boards.

Provided materials include reading guides and activities to help with vocabulary and comprehension as well as writing tips to apply to short, informal writing assignments.

Practice Writing as a Process

Most importantly, students will compose four multi-draft papers with individual video feedback on rough drafts and the opportunity to revise a final draft.

Class Details

Age Range: 13-18

Class Size: 3 - 10 learners

Dates: August 26-November 24 with Live Meetings on Thursdays from 11-11:45am Eastern/10-10:45am Central/9-9:45am Mountain/8-8:45am Pacific

Fall Break is the week of October 7 (no meeting on Thursday, October 10)

Supplies

A copy of Fuzz by Mary Roach (ISBN: 978-1-324-00193-5) (used copies are fine; borrowed/library copies are acceptable but it’s preferable for learners to have their own copy so they can take notes in it)
Microphone and camera for in-class participation
PDF Reader
Zoom (free account)
Learners will submit work through Google Drive (a Google (Gmail) account can be acquired for free)

Select a pricing plan and sign up

$408

Market Rate +25%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family. Choosing this option helps maintain accessibility and support additional projects aimed at economic inclusion.

$360

Market Rate +10%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family. Choosing this option helps maintain accessibility and support additional projects aimed at economic inclusion.

$324

Market Rate

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family.

$252

Market Rate -20%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family.

$156

Market Rate -50%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family.

Meet Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason

Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason is the founder of Dayla Learning. She has a PhD in rhetoric and composition, a passion for helping students find their writing voice, and two homeschooling children of her own.

Michelle has taught in a wide variety of settings including six years as a full-time college professor. She has been teaching virtual and in-person homeschool writing and humanities classes for more than five years.

Michelle believes in meeting students where they are and — as any of her previous students will tell you — believes deeply that there is no such thing as a bad rough draft!

Is this the right fit for your learner?

This class is the most challenging of the High School level writing classes (High School Writing Level 3). It’s designed for learners who have experience with academic writing and want to stretch their skills for college preparation. Learners will do best if they have the following skills:

Can write about 1500 words (about 5 pages double spaced) on a single topic
Confidently reads texts at or above 1200L on the Lexile rating
Has practice analyzing metaphorical language
Has practiced academic writing with citations

This class is a good fit for high school learners who want to expand their writing skills in a supportive environment that will address their individual writing needs through personal feedback.

Skills Gained

Students will read the entire book (with the assistance of reading guides and discussions) and complete four multi-draft papers themed around the topics.

All students will learn about the following:

Develop their own meaningful and productive writing process
Reflect on the connection between reading and writing practices
Practice strategies for approaching nonfiction text to discover meaning
Practice note-taking strategies that allow for productive learning
Write in a way that meets the needs and expectations of an academic audience
Produce cogent, organized writing in multiple paragraphs
Polish final drafts to meet Standard Academic English conventions

Individual Support

All students will receive individualized video feedback on all rough drafts that specifically addresses their rough draft submissions.

My teaching philosophy very much focuses on starting with students’ strengths to build confidence and using them to work on improvements over time.

Feedback is tailored to each student’s individual needs and goals. I also encourage a lot of self-reflection and provide opportunities for students to directly communicate their challenges so that facing them with strategies becomes a normal part of the writing process.

Content Note

This book discusses animal death and human cruelty toward animals.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to preview the text for sensitive learners to make sure it's a fit for your family.

Select a pricing plan and sign up

$408

Market Rate +25%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family. Choosing this option helps maintain accessibility and support additional projects aimed at economic inclusion.

$360

Market Rate +10%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family. Choosing this option helps maintain accessibility and support additional projects aimed at economic inclusion.

$324

Market Rate

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family.

$252

Market Rate -20%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family.

$156

Market Rate -50%

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities. You can read more about the plan and its goals here, but all options give access to the same classroom experience. Pay what works for your family.