Essay Writing Essentials: Intro to Essay Writing for Middle School (CEFR: B2)
In this 6 week course students will learn to write strong essays.
Choreography by Rae
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(619)
What's included
6 live meetings
5 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Each class concludes with a written homework assignment to be completed outside of class. Assignments are submitted via Google Drive. Homework is sent directly to students via the Outschool student inbox (all messages sent to this area are automatically copied to parents as well). Students who do not do the homework on time or skip steps, tend to spend a lot of time trying to catch up. To get the most out of this class we asks that students do the homework (1-2 hours a week), participate in class, and ask questions when in doubt. Students who do not want homework should consider private lessons.Assessment
Students may be asked to revise their written work before the next in person meeting. Teacher comments are placed in the document's comment section. In some cases the teacher may remit a short video to the student to demonstrate what changes are recommended. The final essay will be reviewed during the final class. Feedback to parents is sent after the last class and may take up to two weeks.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
In this 55-minute class, students will complete 2 essays. This class focuses on writing an Explanatory Essay and a Compare & Contrast Essay. This class introduces the 5 paragraph essay. Previous essay writing experience is not required. Some knowledge of grammar is helpful even if the student is unclear about the difference between a noun and a verb. For the first three weeks students will focus on how to organize their work, what are the requirements of the essay, and how to review their work. Students will then be asked to take what they know and apply it to writing their second essay. Students should expect to do some light research for their second essay. Unlike many writing classes this is not a lecture course! Less than half of our time in class is spent on instruction. Students will have about 30 minutes of in class writing time and are encouraged to use their time wisely. This class is very hands on and the instructor provides individual feedback to students to help them better understand teacher feedback. Our goal is to help students feel more in control of their own writing process and more informed regarding teacher expectations. Please note: Students who do not do the homework on time or skip steps, tend to spend a lot of time trying to catch up. This can lead to unfinished essays or poorly written essays. This class is great for: - Students who are confused about writing a 5 paragraph essay - Students who are looking to expand their essay writing skills - Students who are new to essay writing - Students who are seeking a supportive in-class writing environment Class Overview: - Welcome & Share - Focus of the week - Putting the Writing Techniques into Practice Please note: Students must attend at least 50% of the classes in order to continue receiving homework and class feedback. Only watching the class video recording does not substitute for the in class experience. A Flex course is available for those who are unable to attend classes.
Learning Goals
Improve Essay writing skills including clarity of writing and the ability to sell edit written work.
Syllabus
6 Lessons
over 6 WeeksLesson 1:
Sentence Structure Review
Students will review parts of speech and basic grammar rules. 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Organizing Your Work & Parts of an Essay
Students will learn techniques to organizing ideas and drafting body paragraphs. 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Rough Draft Review
Students will review feedback on their paragraphs and learn to write compelling introductory paragraphs and conclusions. 55 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Introduction to the Compare & Contrast Essay
Students will review their previous essay and use the tools learned in the course to draft a compare and contrast essay. 55 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We are able to determine within the first two sessions if a student will benefit from additional support. Because this class is designed to take some of the fear out of essay writing, parents may receive an email from the instructor recommending additional support. Additional support may mean attending another class section for more help, joining our essay practice club, or taking a private lesson.
All homework assignments are broken up into 1-2 hour projects. Students receive about 30 minutes of in class time to work on their essay. Students who do not complete the homework generally end up with more work to do during the week.
The instructor will make 3 attempts to reach families when students either don't show up for class, don't do the homework, or don't participate in class. While this class does not offer a grade, students who do not do the homework will be advised to repeat the course. Families will not be given a discount for repeating the course due to lack of participation.
Attendance policy:
Live classes that are run with only 1 student require a commitment by both the teacher and the student. In the event that this class is not a good fit or that your child's availability changes, we would be happy to assist with providing a class coupon or redirecting to a flex course should we receive notification from the family by the third class. In the event that communication is not relayed or extenuating circumstances arise and your child stops attending class, we will attempt to contact the family. If the student misses 3 consecutive classes then as per Outschool policy, the student will be withdrawn from the course. A class credit will then only be given if the family has had extenuating circumstances and it is solely at the discretion of the organization.
Supply List
Students will share material with the instructor via Google Docs and Google Drive. If your child does not have access to Google Docs we will make arrangements for an alternate sharing source for your child.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
- Google Docs
- Nearpod
Joined March, 2020
4.9
619reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
This organization has approved the following educators to teach our studio created curriculum:
Ms. Rae has over 8 years of experience teaching creative writing to Middle School students. She holds a TEFL certification and has been teaching ESL learners online for 6 years. She likes demystifying essay writing and help students use writing as an effective communication tool. Reviews
Live Group Course
$150
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
55 min
Completed by 107 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
2-5 learners per class
