Writing an excellent college application essay is more than just another Language Arts assignment. Your teen’s essay should be as unique as your teen is! It should reflect personality, passions, strengths, and even weaknesses in a way that makes admissions counselors take notice in the midst of the thousands of essays they are reading. Sound like a tall order?

Help is here in this 10-page downloadable ebook text! Homeschooling seniors applying to colleges need to be able to communicate their thoughts in a clear and persuasive manner, paying close attention to the details that are uniquely effective in a college application essay. Marilyn Groop’s Guide to Writing a College Application Essay builds confidence in high school juniors and seniors through a conversational style of instruction that will help them write those essays with excellence and gain positive attention from college admissions offices.

The Guide to Writing a College Application Essay

includes topics to help build real-world understanding in teens, answering questions such as:

• How important is the admissions essay?
• What are typical college application essay prompts?
• What are the must-include pieces of this process?
• What are common mistakes, and how can I avoid them?

With helpful examples and no-busywork, Guide to Writing a College Application Essay equips your homeschooler for this important task!

Click here to view an excerpt from Guide to Writing a College Application Essay.

10-Day No-Questions-Asked Money-Back Guarantee on all 7 Sisters EBook curriculum.

For helpful blog posts on making good use of our high school essay writing curriculum:

English/Language Arts for a Homeschool High School

What We’re Doing for 12th Grade

College Application Essay

Short story writing, plus project planning, plus media and computer skill development in a senior year curriculum? Yes!

Are you looking for a unique writing assignment for your student’s senior year or as an additional assignment for a student who is creative and loves to write? Maybe you’d like to equip your student to create a group yearbook, or a written gift to commemorate a special event or milestone in your family. High School Guide to Creative Chronicling offers all of this and more. This high school guide does more than just teach writing. It encourages students to combine writing with computer skills and photography to create a chronicle of lasting memories.

High School Guide to Creative Chronicling is a 38-page downloadable pdf guide, written by Marilyn Groop and Sabrina Justison collaboratively to encourage upperclassmen to capture memories with excellent short-story writing, photography and photo editing, formatting, and creative presentation that results in a true keepsake book.

High School Guide to Creative Chronicling is a blend of creative-academic-meets-real-world-writing that is perfect for seniors who already have built strong writing skills with essays, research papers, short stories, poetry in the earlier years of high school.

Beginning with instruction in project planning, the High School Guide to Creative Chronicling walks your student writer through a multi-step process:

• decide on a purpose for the chronicle,
• select the number of stories to include,
• choose whether or not to work collaboratively with other writers,
• develop a timeline to ensure that deadlines are met,
• delegate duties if working with a group,
• plan a visual look for the finished book,
• edit photos, graphics and text for a professional appearance,
• and designate a printing and binding style for powerful presentation.

As with all 7Sisters’ curriculum, the friendly, conversational tone of the text helps students learn while having fun, and all with NO-busywork. A grading rubric is included for the short story portion of the project, and suggested evaluation points are included for the Creative Chronicle as a whole.

Designed for independent learning for mature students, or learning with a bit of guidance from an adult for slightly less confident students or for co-ops, youth groups, or extended family groups, upperclassmen will really enjoy themselves AND gain a number of writing and real-life skills as they complete the High School Guide to Creative Chronicling.

Click here to view an excerpt from High School Guide to Creative Chronicling.

10-Day No-Questions-Asked Money-Back Guarantee on all 7 Sisters EBook curriculum.

High School Guide to Creative Chronicling

High School students need to practice writing for various real-world scenarios before they graduate. Excellent writing skills are not only for academic settings. A High School Guide to Professional Writing equips senior-year students (or other accomplished high school writers) for 11 types of writing commonly applied in workplace or community scenarios.

High School Guide to Professional Writing by Sabrina Justison offers 13 weeks of instruction in a step-by-step, conversational style that refuses busywork and reassures students that this schoolwork will be of use to them in REAL LIFE after graduation.

The 11 Types of Writing covered in High School Guide to Professional Writing:

• Writing a Business Letter
• Writing a Letter of Complaint
• Writing an Organizational Newsletter (2 weeks recommended for this lesson)
• Taking and Formatting Meeting Minutes
• Writing Advertising Copy and Press Releases
• Writing a Product Review
• Writing a Book Review
• Writing a Set of How-To Instructions
• Writing a Professional Bio
• Writing an Expository Speech (2 weeks recommended for this lesson)
• Writing a Project Proposal and Abstract

Rubrics are included for grading each assignment.

Click here to view EXCERPTS from

High School Guide to Professional Writing

Give your homeschool senior a memorable, meaningful, life-prep writing curriculum with 7Sisters’ High School Guide to Senior Year Writing!

Homeschool high school seniors are busy. They need to make every academic moment worth their while. This special Senior Year Writing bundle will NOT waste your senior’s time! The 4 guides in this curriculum are actual preparation for college and life AND include a creative chronicling project that they will treasure for a lifetime. Included in this bundle are the following writing projects:

*High School Guide to Professional (Writing 11 writing projects they will ACTUALLY use in life!)
*Chicago Style Research Paper Writing Guide (User-friendly research paper style that is popular in many colleges.)
*Guide to Writing a College Application Essay (This may be the most important essay your teen writes in high school!) 
*High School Guide to Creative Chronicling (This powerful writing project produces an heirloom.)

This curriculum assumes some proficiency in writing. (For teens who struggle with writing, it is a good idea to have your senior work in a curriculum level that best meets their needs such as High School Guide to Introductory, Intermediate or Advance Writing.)

You may schedule the assignments in any order you choose.

If you purchased each of the included writing guides individually, your cost would be $39.96.

Purchasing this bundled High School Guide to Senior Year Writing curriculum gives you all of the same resources for $29.99! Download it today!

Click HERE to view EXCERPTS from High School Guide to Senior Year Writing.

Want more information on each of the guides included in High School Guide to Senior Year Writing? Click on the above links or read below.

High School Guide to Professional Writing

A High School Guide to Professional Writing equips senior-year students (or other accomplished high school writers) for 11 types of writing commonly applied in workplace or community scenarios.

High School Guide to Professional Writing offers 13 weeks of instruction in a step-by-step, conversational style that refuses busywork and reassures students that this schoolwork will be of use to them in REAL LIFE after graduation.

The 11 Types of Writing covered in High School Guide to Professional Writing:

• Writing a Business Letter
• Writing a Letter of Complaint
• Writing an Organizational Newsletter (2 weeks recommended for this lesson)
• Taking and Formatting Meeting Minutes
• Writing Advertising Copy and Press Releases
• Writing a Product Review
• Writing a Book Review
• Writing a Set of How-To Instructions
• Writing a Professional Bio
• Writing an Expository Speech (2 weeks recommended for this lesson)
• Writing a Project Proposal and Abstract

Rubrics are included for grading each assignment.

Click here to view EXCERPTS.

High School Guide to Chicago-Style Research Paper Writing

Chicago style NB research papers are popular these days on many campuses, so 7Sisters is bringing you our Chicago-Style Research Paper Writing Guide.

Chicago-Style Research Paper Writing Guide is a 5-week study aimed at high schoolers who already have some experience with research paper writing. It is self-guided, step-by-step, no-busywork guide that coaches a teen from start to finish through writing a Chicago-style research paper. Rubric for grading included.

What is Chicago style?

Chicago style is the creation of the University of Chicago Press. It is an old and successful format that has been re-popularized with several variations. Chicago style NB format (Note-Bibliography), Chicago-Style Research Paper Writing Guide follows that format. 

Click here to view EXCERPTS from Chicago Style Research Paper Writing Guide.

Guide to Writing a College Application Essay

High School Guide to Creative Chronicling

High School Guide to Senior Year Writing

Download this TEACHER’S Guide because Speech just may be the most useful course your teen takes in high school. That’s what lots of our former Speech students in our local homeschool community tell us after they have graduated and moved on to college and the work force. We’re so happy to introduce our level I Speech Curriculum for High School!

Post-graduation, Speech class has helped students with:

• College class presentations
• Opportunities to speak at various community organizations
• Teaching
• Leading Sunday school classes and occasionally preaching at church
• Meeting new people
• Confidence with job interviews

Why study Speech with 7Sisters?

Our experience!

Vicki Tillman and Sabrina Justison have well over a decade of experience teaching Speech and Acting, including Vicki’s successful foundation of the Tri-State Homeschool Network Rhetoric League and Sabrina’s wildly popular Drama Camps. Both have served as judges for many years at the ACSI Regional Speech Meets that provide competition experience for teens from high schools in our area.

Many people rank Public Speaking as one of their greatest fears. Our Speech curriculum for high school is designed to remove the intimidation factor and provide so much FUN along the way that Speech becomes an opportunity for success instead of a recipe for disaster. Shy kids learn to find their voices and confident kids learn to hone their public speaking skills.

• College admissions officers are looking for Speech on the high school transcript.
• Employers are looking for confident, articulate job applicants to hire.
• You can help your teen acquire Public Speaking skills and make happy memories along the way.
• Only the teacher or group facilitator needs to purchase this .pdf TEACHER’S Guide; it includes the full curriculum and should be accompanied by the Speech I Student Workbook.

Each student in your group needs to purchase a copy of the Speech I Student Workbook — click here for the $4.99 workbook!

Speech I (Teacher’s Guide) includes 15 Lessons with Alternate Practice ideas included with each to make it easy to expand the curriculum for a FULL YEAR of weekly Speech classes. A second addendum .pdf file is also yours at purchase; it contains the Evaluation Sheets for each lesson formatted on individual pages to make it easier to print and distribute to your students and parent evaluators.

Topics included in Speech I (Teacher’s Guide):

Lesson 1: Presenting Kid Lit (Interpretation of Children’s Literature)

Lesson 2: Presenting a Bible Reading

Lesson 3: Presenting Spoken-Word Poetry

Lesson 4: Presenting a Humorous Monologue

Lesson 5: Organizing & Writing a “Visual Aid How-to” Speech (Expository Speech)

Lesson 6: Gathering Materials & Practicing a “Visual Aid How-to” Speech (Expository Speech)

Lesson 7: Presenting a “Visual Aid How-To” Speech (Expository Speech)

Lesson 8: Organizing & Researching a Biographical Report (Expository Speech)

Lesson 9: Writing & Practicing a Biographical Report (Expository Speech)

Lesson 10: Presenting a Biographical Report (Expository Speech)

Lesson 11: Creating & Presenting an Elevator Pitch

Lesson 12: Creating & Presenting a Sales Pitch

Lesson 13: Presenting an Infomercial (Group Project)

Lesson 14: Practicing Beginning Interview Skills

Lesson 15: Presenting a Children’s Bible Lesson

Speech is a part of a high school English/Language Arts credit. Along with Literature, Writing, Vocabulary and Grammar, Public Speaking creates a powerful entry on the homeschool transcript. Log the hours your student spends attending Speech class meetings and preparing presentations; 120-135 hours equals one credit using the Carnegie Unit model (for more on earning credits by logging hours, read this post, “5 Cool Ways to Earn Homeschool High School Credits” on the 7SistersHomeschool.com website). If you need more information on the components of the English/Language Arts high school credit, watch this short video we created to help you – “What to Include in a Homeschool High School English Credit”.

Click here to view an excerpt from Speech I – Public Speaking and Practical Life Skills (Teacher’s Guide)

Here’s what one homeschool mom had to say about Speech I- Public Speaking and Practical Life skills:

“The course is organized very logically, and with good skill progression throughout the term. What I like most about it for my daughter is that it is written in such a way that you can just about see the author smiling. The joy that comes forth while we are working together through the assignments and preparations is amazing.”  Here’s a link to the rest of her post at OneMom.com.

Speech Curriculum for High School

EACH STUDENT IN YOUR SPEECH GROUP NEEDS A COPY OF THIS SPEECH CURRICULUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WORKBOOK.

Only the teacher or group facilitator needs to purchase the SPEECH I – PUBLIC SPEAKING AND PRACTICAL LIFE SKILLS full-curriculum Teacher’s Guide.

(This workbook is NOT a stand-alone curriculum; it should be used by students in a group whose teacher is using the SPEECH I – PUBLIC SPEAKING AND PRACTICAL LIFE SKILLS guide.)

Speech just may be the most useful course your teen takes in high school. That’s what lots of our former Speech students in our local homeschool community tell us after they have graduated and moved on to college and the work force. We’re so happy to introduce our level I Speech Curriculum for High School!

Post-graduation, Speech class has helped students with:

College class presentations
Opportunities to speak at various community organizations
Teaching
Leading Sunday school classes and occasionally preaching at church
Meeting new people
Confidence with job interviews
Why study Speech with 7Sisters?

Our experience!

Vicki Tillman and Sabrina Justison have well over a decade of experience teaching Speech and Acting, including Vicki’s successful foundation of the Tri-State Homeschool Network Rhetoric League and Sabrina’s wildly popular Drama Camps. Both have served as judges for many years at the ACSI Regional Speech Meets that provide competition experience for teens from high schools in our area.

Many people rank Public Speaking as one of their greatest fears. Our Speech curriculum for high school is designed to remove the intimidation factor and provide so much FUN along the way that Speech becomes an opportunity for success instead of a recipe for disaster. Shy kids learn to find their voices and confident kids learn to hone their public speaking skills.

College admissions officers are looking for Speech on the high school transcript.

Employers are looking for confident, articulate job applicants to hire.

You can help your teen acquire Public Speaking skills and make happy memories along the way.

Speech I (Teacher’s Guide) includes 15 Lessons with Alternate Practice ideas included with each to make it easy to expand the curriculum for a FULL YEAR of weekly Speech classes.

A cover letter introduces you and is intended to make you memorable to the human resources person who is screening applicants.

This 5-page step-by-step guide from Vicki Tillman,  MA, helps your teen write a successful cover letter to accompany a job application and resume. Help your teen make a fabulous first impression with a succesful cover letter!

Sample cover letter included.

Downloads immediately in convenient .pdf format.

For a comprehensive High School Career Exploration curriculum, download our 10-piece High School Career Exploration Curriculum BUNDLE. This $14.95 value is yours at a 10% savings — ONLY $13.45 — when you purchase the bundle here.

Cover Letters

A resume that highlights skills and experiences rather than job history is called an Experiential Resume.

Many teens possess special skills and have had great experiences that could secure them an interview for a paying job if only the hiring manager could learn about them. Introduce them to Experiential Resume Writing!

This practical 5-page, step-by-step resource from Vicki Tillman, MA, helps your teen create an Experiential Resume that will open doors for employment!

Sample resume included.

Downloads immediately in convenient .pdf format.

For a comprehensive High School Career Exploration curriculum, download our 10-piece High School Career Exploration Curriculum BUNDLE. This $14.95 value is yours at a 10% savings — ONLY $13.45 — when you purchase the bundle here.

Experiential Resume Writing

A personal mission statement is a piece of writing that captures what is most important to you in brief statements or paragraphs. Writing your personal mission statement can be a powerful exercise (and FUN, too!) no matter your age.

It is particularly helpful for teens to write a personal mission statement as a part of their career exploration in high school. It will help them make wise decisions with their time and resources as they move to the end of high school and on to life after graduation.

Sabrina Justison’s 14 page guide takes you step-by-step through the process of personal mission statement writing. She is passionate about the subject, and the conversational style of this guide shares her enthusiasm with the reader.

Follow-up enrichment exercises are also included.

Downloads immediately in convenient .pdf format.

For a comprehensive High School Career Exploration curriculum, download our 10-piece High School Career Exploration Curriculum BUNDLE.

Your teens will feel so much better about their future when they work through this bundle!

This $14.95 value is yours at a 10% savings — ONLY $13.45 — when you purchase the bundle here.

Writing a Personal Mission Statement