A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Around here, we love snuggling up with blankets and books, building forts, pouring tea, and fingerpainting. But your teen needs more than homemade cookies and read-alouds to thrive academically. 

Scary thought?

Deep breath. 

Brave Writer online classes offer warm fuzzies and MORE. Each class is designed to meet Common Core and academic standards. And among those classes, we offer both Essay Prep and Essay Writing courses. Check them out below.

Essay Prep

• Dynamic Thinking
• Reading the Essay
• Research and Citation

Essay Writing: First Year

• 101: Analytic Essay
• 102: Persuasive Essay

Essay Writing: Second Year

• 201: Critical Response Essay
• 202: Timed Essay

Essay Writing: Third Year

• 301: Advanced Composition
• 302: MLA Research Essay
  • Independent Study
  • Reader Response

In an era of rapid-fire information and high academic stakes, the most radical thing a teen can do is become a master of the message—no matter the medium.

That’s why Brave Writer created our online Independent Study Courses. These are:

• self-paced,
• instructor-free,
• and designed to let your student lead their own learning.

Our current courses are designed for teens ages 13-18.

Let’s dive in!

MLA Research Essay

Designed for older teens

Think: “No-stress” college prep. The Modern Language Association (MLA) sets the gold standard for scholarly writing. We don’t just teach your teen how to follow MLA rules to write a properly formatted essay; we teach them how to join a global conversation.

This course empowers your teen to take a stand on an issue they care about and back it up with the authority of expert evidence. We teach a repeatable, high-level process your teen can use to thrive in academic writing courses for years to come.

• The Skills: Analyzing credible sources, using research to enhance thinking, crafting and proving a persuasive thesis, and mastering citations
• The Outcome: A 1,500–2,000-word argumentative paper that fits any academic purpose

Media Literacy

Designed for ages 13-18

Think: “Safety goggles” for the internet. Our teens are swimming in a digital ocean of deepfakes and clickbait. They don’t need “internet rules” (which are obsolete by next Tuesday) to stay afloat. They need critical thinking muscles.

In this course, we turn your teens into media analyzers and then creators. With this approach, they will understand exactly how they are being influenced as consumers.

• The Skills: Analyzing creator bias, “reading” audio and visual inputs, and engaging in persuasive digital storytelling.
• The Outcome: An original Public Service Announcement (PSA) that uses imagery, sound, and scriptwriting to move an audience.

You might wonder how your middler is ever going to be a competent essay writer. They procrastinate. They lack organization. They can’t follow steps. They have zero motivation to write. Like, at all!

Well, we have a secret to share. 

Projects are the perfect stepping stone to academic writing for a middle grader. 

Projects offer:

• A gentle introduction to formats and writing within parameters
• A toe-dip into the world of academic research 
• A chance to move through concrete steps, like planning, revising, and editing
• And the opportunity to share all that hard work with others! 

Projects are also an opportunity for a deep dive.

In Brave Writer’s online class, Middle School Writing: History Projects, we look at the history of one of your child’s favorite things. That’s right, your child will choose their own topic—an ideal way to generate motivation! 

What will it be for your kids? 

• The origins of chess?
• The story of popcorn?
• A deep dive into Morse code? 

So sign up! You’ll find this course is the ideal pre-game academic experience for your middle grader! 

Let’s get real. The market is flooded with well-intentioned writing programs that don’t meet the complex needs of young writers. Perhaps you’ve tried—even tossed— a few? 

The truth is that writing is too big, too vulnerable, and too personal to thrive with a program that doesn’t address the whole child.

That’s where we come in! 

No one approaches writing like we do, and when you take Brave Writer 101, we’ll let you in on the secret.  

Here’s a quick peek at how class unfolds, with our writing coach, YOU, and your child working together to de-mystify writing. 

Brave Writer 101

Week One: Communication

Share your challenges and get individualized help from your coach. Then, play a game to learn about how writers communicate. 

“[My son] loved this. He said it really helped him see how important details are.” —Parent Laura

Week Two: Observation

Wish your kids would generate deeper insights? More vivid descriptions? We’ve got you! 

“I am seeing happiness around observing and selecting words, which is great!” —Parent Fabienne

Week Three: Freewriting

We introduce a magical process that liberates so many kids. 

“We’d agreed that he’d write for five minutes — but I didn’t see him again for over twenty.” —Parent Sonja

Week Four: Feedback for Revision

Watch our writing coach approach your child’s writing with constructive advice and gentle encouragement.

“By the end of Week Four… it became the first thing she wanted to do every day…” —Parent Jennifer

Week Five: Revision

Learn how to revise by doing it—with our help. 

“Our instructor was a terrific model of how to lavish my writer with feedback and how to ask questions to draw my writer out.” —Parent Allison

Week Six: Editing

Finish by making that priceless jewel shine!  

“I didn’t get resistance on this exercise at all… [He] seemed to enjoy this type of editing.” —Parent Amanda

Experience this unique writing approach with your kids!

Sign up for Brave Writer 101!

Here’s something your non-homeschooling friends probably don’t know. The term “homeschooling” is sometimes a misnomer.

My kid has chess on Tuesdays, co-op on Thursdays, and on Wednesdays my daughter meets up with her friends to do art after science class. This week there’s a fantastic exhibit at the gallery so…

That’s right! Many HOMEschoolers are often NOT at home! 

We know that, because we’re a company of homeschool parents. We know the value of flexibility. Who wants to skip an awesome workshop on animal physiology at the zoo because you have to watch a live video for a scheduled online class? 

With Brave Writer online classes, participate when it’s convenient for your family!

In our classes, you’ll find:

• Time—no need to type quickly in the text box while a teacher is talking
• Room—no pressure to jump on the microphone as a live teacher puts you on the spot
• Freedom—log into our classroom when it’s YOUR best time

You have time and room to think before writing. Now that’s homeschool freedom at its finest!

Brave Writer Online Writing Classes