The Power in Your Hands

Disclaimer: We received The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, 2nd Edition, from Writing with Sharon Watson in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

I know, I know, I KNOW! I’m the lady that raised and educated a freelance writer without using writing curricula and even had a magazine article published on that exact topic, and here I am reviewing yet another curriculum to teach your students how to write. It’s ironic, isn’t it?

Not really. First of all, I’m a professional writer with a BA in English, so I know what I like to see in quality writing. Second, I’ve raised writers, so I know what works (with them, anyway). Third, I’m tired, so why not rely on curriculum now and then, eh? (We just left the North Woods of Wisconsin on our travels, so I’m throwing “eh” in at the end of my sentences. It’ll fade.)

The program that my fifteen-year-old daughter, Elisabeth, and I are reviewing is called The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School. Because high school homeschool purchases seem to carry more weight with parents than the grade school decisions, I’m going to leave my cheesy sense of humor behind and give you a straightforward look at what this program entails.

You’re welcome.

Features of The Power in Your Hands:

1. What does Mom or Dad need to do?

The lessons are student-directed. It is written to the student, so Elisabeth can do the lesson with minimal involvement from me. I do have the job of “grading” her or at least checking over her work. Relax. There is a teacher’s guide that explains the entire grading process so you know what you’re looking for and how to help your student improve.

Ms. Watson also includes grading grids or rubrics at the end of each chapter in the teacher’s guide so you know very specifically what to look for in each assignment. This is particularly helpful in the case where your child is working independently. For example, you don’t want to be tearing a paper apart based on something they haven’t learned yet.

2. Who is this for?

While it is advertised for high schoolers, it could potentially be used with a very advanced 7th-8th grader. It’s the other end I’m interested in. I see many, many adult writers (hello blogging world) that really aren’t and truly can’t. This would be a great resource for them, whether to polish up their skills (I’m doing a little polishing myself) or prep for college level essays.

It would also be ideal for the high schooler or college prep student who needs to write essays for scholarships or who doesn’t feel adequately prepared for the required writing in college.

The sections offer dual-level instruction to meet the needs of the beginner to the advanced.

3. What does the program teach?

Part 1

The student begins at the very beginning with the thinking and planning process, which writers know often takes more time than the writing itself. Ms. Watson then works through the structure of an essay and helps students get over common writing hurdles.

Part 2

The student then moves on to persuasive writing in many, many, many forms.

Part 3

The next section discusses proofreading. If I were a poet, I would expound in epic verse on the value of a solid proofreader and woefully lament the hours I spent in my college years editing papers that had obviously not been proofread before they reached me in the writing center. My eyes are still burning. Don’t skip this section! I’m begging.

Part 4

Part 4 teaches a variety of expository writing styles for all the common genres, such as newspaper, as well as the less common writing assignments which most curricula don’t touch, such as devotional writing and emails.

Part 5

Part 5 is the descriptive section, which is small. I’m glad it’s small, because so many other programs we’ve looked at beat that section to death, and that’s annoying. How many ways can you describe your dog before you want to take it out to the back 40 and shoot it–the writing book, not the dog. (You thought I meant the dog didn’t you. You also thought I was serious when I said I was going to leave my cheesy sense of humor behind.)

Part 6

This section address narration. A pet peeve of mine is what Ms. Watson calls Christianese, and here she cautions against it. That means when we get to this section, I get to drag out the red pen and go to town on all the Christianese…except Elisabeth doesn’t write that way, so my red pen will remain untouched.

That brings up another aspect of this program that I really like. Sharon Watson encourages parents to find something positive about each piece of writing, no matter how lame it may be. I’m completely opposed to empty flattery and rewards for merely showing up, but I’m a firm believer in praising the effort (if it was real effort) and applauding the improvement.

Part 7

Here the author gives the students an entire reference section of the many writer’s tools she has helped them build through this program. Similarly, she gives parents their own toolbox in the parent’s guide. This is definitely helpful and saves Elisabeth and me from flipping back and hunting things down.

4. Is this a Christian program?

Yes. You won’t be held under the baptismal water until you confess, though. It does use examples of Christian writing and also includes pieces on tough issues, such as embryonic stem cell research. She asks you to focus on the writing, and not on whether or not you agree with the essay.

Additional Thoughts for my Fellow Roadschoolers:

If you need a writing curriculum for your high schoolers, particularly if they need to hone their essay skills, this is it. While the teacher’s guide isn’t all that enormous, the student book is pretty thick–sorry. You could go digital on this and get the ebook version. I’m not big on ebooks–you can’t smell them. Maybe you like that, though.

There’s no need to worry about internet connections or data usage for this baby, so we’re all good there.

Personally, I think this program is worth the space it takes up. I really do. And from me, that says a lot.

There are several other aspects of this program that I really enjoy as a writer. I won’t go into them all here, but feel free to drop me a question in the comment section below or read what other Schoolhouse Reviewers have to say by clicking right here or on the banner below: