A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or
more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two
months apart.
All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons
are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have
to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until
the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each
lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such,
we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final
exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work,
including the final exam.
Week One
Wednesday - Lesson 01
The first step toward passing the GED® Writing Test is understanding what's on the test. In our first lesson, I'll give you the inside scoop on the best way to prepare for the GED® Language Arts, Writing Test. You may be surprised at how different it is from the English you remember!
Friday - Lesson 02
When you build a house, you begin with the foundation. In this course, we'll approach writing the same way. If you think of the parts of speech as the foundation for building sentences, you'll see why we'll spend this lesson learning about nouns, verbs, pronouns, and more.
Week Two
Wednesday - Lesson 03
With the foundation in place, it's time to start building the house! With the solid knowledge of the parts of speech from our last lesson, you'll now see how to construct and identify the parts of sentences and the different types of sentences.
Friday - Lesson 04
Mechanics deals with those details like punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. They don't seem that important but if you don't use them correctly, your sentences will literally disappear! Commas aren't nearly as hard as you think they are. So today we'll go over a few simple rules, and you'll find out exactly what to do with those pesky punctuation marks.
Week Three
Wednesday - Lesson 05
It's not enough to write a complete sentence and punctuate it correctly. You must also organize your sentences, paragraphs, and essays effectively. In this lesson, we'll go over the tools you need and identify writing that isn't organized. At the same time, you'll learn the best way to create a well-organized sentence, paragraph, or essay.
Friday - Lesson 06
Today you'll get a chance to put your new skills to work. We'll go over the first of three types of questions that are used on the multiple choice part of the test. Seeing the questions isn't enough though. You'll also practice reading a sample passage and answering some GED® type questions.
Week Four
Wednesday - Lesson 07
In this lesson, we'll focus on the second type of question: Revisions. About 35 percent of the questions on the multiple-choice writing test will be revision questions. Today you'll get more practice, and I'll also show you how identifying the type of question you're answering will give you clues on how to answer it correctly.
Friday - Lesson 08
The last type of question you may encounter is the construction shift question. This type of question can be a tough one, so today we'll once again look at some strategies for identifying and then answering this particular type. Practice makes perfect, you know!
Week Five
Wednesday - Lesson 09
The most dreaded part of the GED® Language Arts, Writing Test is writing the essay. And first you need to know how the essay is scored. So in this lesson, we'll talk about what the GED® essay scorers are looking for and how they grade your essay. With that information, writing a passing essay becomes as easy as 1-2-3!
Friday - Lesson 10
The key to a successful essay is planning. So today, we'll look at some different techniques so you can discover the best way for you to plan your essay.
Week Six
Wednesday - Lesson 11
You'll soon find out that writing the essay is probably the easiest part of the whole essay process. Today, we'll talk about an easy step-by-step process you can use when you get to the writing stage of your essay.
Friday - Lesson 12
Many people overlook the last step in the writing process—proofreading and editing the essay. But don't make that mistake because it's one of the most critical steps. You'll find it easy to proofread and edit your essay using the checklist in this lesson. We'll also spend some time practicing in our last lesson. And you'll get a chance to proofread an actual essay written by a former student of mine.