🗓️ Looking for more schedule options? Check out our slightly condensed 14-week version of this course: https://bit.ly/46xMt9H

➡️ Don't see a time that works for you? Take our Flex on-demand version of this and still get personalized feedback every week!: https://bit.ly/essayflex

➡️ Not ready to learn essays? Still need help with paragraphs? Join Paragraph Writing Essentials: https://bit.ly/paragraphwritingessentials

➡️ Already mastered essays? Ready for more advanced academic writing? Join Academic Writing Essentials: https://bit.ly/academicwritingessentials
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We have taught these essential writing techniques to students of all backgrounds and ability levels in grades 6-12 in classrooms to help them write master essays with confidence. Students will find the class directly applicable to their middle school and high school writing assignments. 

This is a great class for students who are either highly creative or reluctant writers (or both!). 

If students stay for multiple weeks, they will walk away with tried and true writing techniques that help them write essays with confidence. If students stick around, they will be writing excellent high school level essays. 

This class demystifies the writing process and makes essay writing easy, fun, and accessible. We will cover mostly argumentative/persuasive and literary analysis essays, as these make up most assignments in high school writing programs.

The focus of this class is the writing process, ideation, organization, structure, and logical coherence. When these skills are learned, students no longer say, "I don't know what to write next."

We do not address much grammar, and grammar is only corrected when it interferes with the student's writing or communication. 

We begin class with a short reading, prompt, discussion, or model essay for inspiration. Every week, I teach a certain writing strategy and students have time to write from scratch, revise their writing, or add on to it, using the day's strategy. 

Students should be ready to share their writing, in small groups or with the class. We create a relaxed, encouraging, and affirming class to help students feel comfortable sharing. 

Students should have access to Google Docs and know how to use it before joining this class. We will leave personalized feedback in their documents.

The following is a schedule of our weekly focus, subject to change:
Week 1: Outlines for Essays
Week 2: Essay Structure
Week 3: Putting It All Together
Week 4: Thesis Statements
Week 5: More on Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences
Week 6: Gathering and Incorporating Evidence
Week 7: Citing Evidence
Week 8: Analyzing Evidence
Week 9: More on Analysis and Reasoning
Week 10: Introductions
Week 11: Conclusions
Week 12: Literary Essay Introduction
Week 13: Literary Essay Writing
Week 14: Literary Essay Revisions
Week 15: Final Round of Essays
Week 16: Recap and Review

If you want one-on-one help looking at an essay, check out my private tutoring class: https://outschool.com/classes/private-one-on-one-writing-tutoring-ongoing-class-6f8DQvwo

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

📓 DERRICK HEISEY, Writer and Teacher: Since 2015, Derrick has taught every grade level from Kindergarten to 12th. He is a licensed Special Education teacher with a degree in English Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico and a minor in Philosophy. He's published short stories and poetry, and produces a podcast where he reads his original fiction. According to him, mastering the written word is one of the most empowering journeys a person can pursue, and nothing brings him as much joy as sharing that passion with students. Everyone has something important to say; they just need to find the right words, and Derrick can’t wait to help his students discover their voices. When he isn’t teaching, you can find him in his garden inspecting tomatoes, scribbling in a notebook, or reading a book with his dachshund Charlie Marlow curled up on his lap.