Miranda Writing Workshops: Jamie Miranda, A. A., B. A., M. A., founder and coordinator of Haven Home Educators, and her son Matthew Miranda, B. S., M. Ed., are offering several writing workshops.
Jamie’s credentials: I homeschooled my three sons for fifteen years. One is now a college graduate. A second attends the University of London, and the third attends Texas State University. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and a Master of English with an emphasis in writing, both from Our Lady of the Lake University. I currently work as an Instructional Skills Specialist/Adjunct Instructor at a local community college in the Developmental English Lab after working as an English tutor at the college for three years. I work with college students daily, teaching them to create outlines; develop strong theses; strengthen topic sentences; correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation; and much more with regard to their writing skills. In addition, I have taught high school students to Ph.D. candidates to improve their scores on the essay and English sections of the Accuplacer, SAT, GRE, TOEFFL, MCAT, and other admissions tests. Furthermore, I developed the curriculum for the essay, reading comprehension, and sentence skills sections of Accuplacer Boot Camps used at a local community college. Lastly, I am certified as a Master Developmental Education Specialist.
Matthew’s credentials: I have a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications and Journalism and a Master of Education in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, both from Texas A & M University, College Station. My previous teaching experiences include classes in Agricultural Communication through Texas A & M’s Big City/Big Country Road Show, Teaching Assistant in Leadership Methods, seminars in Sports Communications, and multiple non-traditional classroom experiences through Texas AgriLife Extension Service for the past six years. In addition, I have produced an agricultural awareness curriculum for Brazos County schools that was implemented in the fall of 2010. I currently work in the field of education and youth development.
Creative Writing I: focuses on poetry and short fiction; for grades 6-9.
Creative Writing II:focuses on more advanced poetry forms and short fiction; for grades 7-10. Pre-requisite:Creative Writing I
Jr. High Grammar I: covers parts of speech, sentence types by purpose, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, vocabulary, & more; for grades 6-8.
Composition I: mirrors college freshman composition with several essay forms; for grades 8-12.
Composition II: continues the writing process and various essay genres; introduces MLA formatting; for grades 9-12. Pre-requisite: Comp I
Composition III (Literary Analysis): covers critical, biocritical, & historical analyses of literature and MLA formatting; for grades 10-12. Pre-requisite:Comp I
Composition IV (Research Writing): covers the complete research process and APA formatting; for grades 9-12. Pre-requisite: Comp II
Composition V (Technical Writing): covers various forms of written communication from business letters to brochures; for grades 9-12. Pre-requisite: Comp IV
High School Grammar I: covers sentences types, antecedent agreement, run-ons, comma splices, vocabulary, & more; for grades 9-12.
All classes are online and consist of a series of weekly modules emailed to students and parents over the course of twelve weeks. We limit the number of students in these courses so that we may provide quality feedback on student work. Comments such as, “Great job” or “Nice work” do not give students any information concerning the improvement of their writing skills. We provide a combination of constructive criticism and praise to build confidence and enable students to hone their skills as writers. Registration for spring has begun. In developing these courses, we have combined expressivity, critical, and process teaching methods to impart skills to students in what we call a hybridized pedagogy. Even strong writers can benefit from detailed commentary to enable them to strengthen their writing further. We are firm believers in Lev Vygotsky’s Theory of Proximal Development that states different students learn at different levels and speeds, and therefore have designed our courses to be molded to each student’s individual needs.
The spring courses begin February 2, 2013. Space is limited. Course syllabi are attached. Each 12-week course is $150.00, a fee comparable to local co-ops, payable in one lump sum or three monthly payments of $50.00. Please contact us at 210-733-1757 or for further information. Space may be reserved on your word but is not guaranteed until the first payment is received. No courses will be offered this summer; however, we will have classes again in fall 2012 and will be offering two new courses at that time: Junior High Grammar and High School Grammar. Demand for these courses is expected to be high, so reserve your spot early. Spring 2013 registration deadline is Feb. 2, 2013. Improve your student’s writing with these innovative and easy to use workshops. Please feel free to pass this information along to other groups.
Jamie Miranda
Haven Home Educators Coordinator
Instructional Skills Specialist
Miranda Writing Workshops
