Build Writing Skills and Confidence with Sonlight High School Writing
Sonlight High School Research Paper Writing
Your student deserves a writing coach who believes they have something worth saying.
This research paper workshop is designed specifically for Sonlight high school students, who are used to engaging deeply with ideas through reading, discussion, and thoughtful analysis. In this workshop, students learn how to plan and write an informational or persuasive research paper—an important academic skill that will serve them well in college and beyond. Research writing is more than just putting words on paper; it requires careful thinking, organization, and preparation, with strong research at its core.
As you might expect, a successful research paper begins long before the first draft. Students will need to gather sources, evaluate information, take notes, and think critically about what they’re learning. This process takes time, so they should plan to set aside several hours each week. One of the most common pitfalls is procrastination—rushing through research almost always leads to weaker results.
Over the course of eight weeks, students will move step-by-step through the entire writing process: planning, researching, outlining, drafting, revising, and proofreading. The structure is designed to guide them clearly through each stage while still allowing them to think independently. Their writing coach will support them along the way—offering feedback, direction, and encouragement as they develop their paper.
$199 per workshop session
We offer five workshop sessions per school year.
Visit the Calendar for session dates.
Teaching writing is hard. Knowing how to evaluate a paper, what feedback will help, and how to coach a student toward real improvement takes expertise and experience.
When your student takes a Sonlight High School Writing course from WriteAtHome, they will work one-on-one with a dedicated writing coach who will provide personal, helpful feedback on each assignment.
Here’s How It Works
You and your student can choose the topic, and your student’s coach will take over from there, leading them through the thesis creation, the note-taking process, writing an outline, putting together a works cited page, and then moving through three drafts of the paper, focusing on content for the first draft and more specific grammatical and editorial edits for the revision. WriteAtHome provides writing lessons and assignments, and our coaches give feedback that encourages, corrects, connects, and summarizes on every draft.
✓ What It IS
An online, asynchronous writing course with a personal writing coach assigned to your student.
An opportunity for your student to move through the research-paper process with personalized guidance.
✗ What It ISN’T
A live class with scheduled meeting times.
Extra planning or grading for you. (We handle all the writing instruction in the WriteAtHome course.)
What to Expect Each Week
Each week, your student logs on to their WriteAtHome Canvas account, reads a short writing lesson, takes a brief quiz, and accesses their Sonlight High School Research Paper writing assignment. Your student has a week to complete their writing assignment and will submit it to their coach through Canvas.
Your student’s writing coach responds to each assignment with detailed, personal feedback. Your student will use that feedback to revise and move on to the next element/assignment, which will ultimately lead to the paper itself. The three drafts of the paper will be the first/rough draft, the revision, and then the final draft, which receives a rubric score. Click here to learn more about how we teach writing.
Are These Courses Right for You?
These courses are designed for families who want their students to experience writing instruction and feedback from an outside source. They are right for you if:
you find it hard to evaluate your student’s writing.
your student needs consistent deadlines to make progress.
writing has become a struggle at home.
you want your student to get objective, encouraging feedback from a writing coach who takes their writing seriously.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This course is aimed for high school aged students who are interested in doing research and learning more analytical writing styles.
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WriteAtHome writing coaches are trained to meet students at their current skill level. Whether your student is struggling or an accomplished writer, this process is designed for them. The three-draft structure with personal feedback helps students improve steadily, and coaches are experienced at offering encouragement alongside honest guidance.
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It depends on the assignment and where your student is in the process. Most students spend anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours per week on writing assignments, less when working on a revision or final draft, more when tackling a first draft and doing the research.
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Yes. In addition to the auto-graded, weekly quizzes, each paper’s final draft receives a rubric score from the writing coach. This gives you something concrete for your records and gives your student a clear sense of how their work has improved over three drafts.