Writing Papers in High School

My boys don't especially like to write papers for high school. (Same as other boys, right?!) But I'm always tickled to see how their individual styles come through when they do. I gave them an easier assignment than the syllabus listed ("Explain the characteristics of a Greek epic poem"), and I chose instead to have them write a report for the "Stewards of the Lewis & Clark Trail" in St. Louis. Since we  visited three historic sites last month with Fabian, each boy could write their impressions and new things they learned in order to mail off for a new Boy Scout patch. It sure feels like a good start to our academic year!