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Foundations of Writing and Beyond: Explore, Write and Have Fun!

In this course, learners will explore many different forms of writing through writing tasks, discussions, peer review and even games! The goal of this course is to have fun and build writing skills that will last a lifetime.
Teacher Kristin BA TEFL TESL
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(34)
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Learners will be given a writing task to complete each week. They will receive the details of the homework assignment at the end of class. Learners will also have the chance to ask questions about the assignment. This homework assignment is optional--I want the class to work for you! However, if learner's turn in assignments, I will be able to give them detailed feedback and guidance on how to improve their writing.

Class Experience

US Grade 4 - 7
Writing effectively is an essential skill for all students. This ongoing course is designed to help learners elevate their skills and master many different forms of writing. This course can act as supplemental help or a full writing composition course. 

My goal is to ensure learners develop skills that go above and beyond their current grade level. I ensure this by taking a personal approach, building lessons week-by-week so they are tailored to the unique needs of the class. 

Whether your learner is writing sentences or essays, I will always meet students where they’re at and build on their skills.

Each unit is six weeks long and covers a different topic at length. We will learn about essays, book reports, creative writing, writing for business, grammar, audience, purpose, strong arguments and much more. Learners will be instructed to write, revise and share what they write.

The structure of class will be similar each week. We will start with a warm up question, and then dive into a mini lecture with a follow-up discussion. From there, we will read and analyze writing samples from students and teachers. Classes may also include quizzes, games, worksheets and more. Each class will use a variety of teaching methods to engage every type of learner. 

Every class will end with a writing task. The goal of the weekly writing task is to give learners consistent practice and get them familiar with writing standards. There will be time to write during class, but learners may have to finish their assignments outside of class. Learners can share their completed work with me for detailed feedback and advice on next steps. 

If you have any questions about the content level, please don’t hesitate to reach out.


✏️ What’s taught in this course? ✏️


The Writer’s Tool Kit
Week beginning 30/9/24: The writing process
Week beginning 7/10/24: Let’s write a complex sentence
Week beginning 14/10/24: Writing a complete paragraph 
Week beginning 21/10/24: Linking and building paragraphs
Week beginning 28/10/24: Grammar skills check-in
Week beginning 4/11/24: How to critique someone's writing

Poetry
Week beginning 11/11/24: What is a poem?
Week beginning 18/11/24: Form poems: haikus
Week beginning 25/11/24: Art + poetry = picture poems
Week beginning 2/12/24: Poetic meter
Week beginning 9/12/24: Spoken word poetry
Week beginning 16/12/24: Poems throughout history

Persuasive Writing
Week beginning 23/12/24: Writing about our opinions 
Week beginning 30/12/24: How to build an argument
Week beginning 6/1/25: What is rhetoric? The Rhetorical Situation
Week beginning 13/1/25: Identifying rhetoric in advertisements 
Week beginning 20/1/25: Writing a persuasive letter 
Week beginning 27/1/25: Write an essay to persuade your principal

Myths Around the World
Week beginning 3/2/25: What are myths, legends, and folktales?
Week beginning 10/2/25: Greek vs. Roman myths
Week beginning 17/2/25: Creatures and animals in myths
Week beginning 24/2/25: Korean Myths
Week beginning 3/3/25: Native American myths and origin stories
Week beginning 10/3/25: African Myths

Essay Writing
Week beginning 17/3/25: What is an essay?
Week beginning 24/3/25: Informative essays
Week beginning 31/3/25: Compare and contrast essays
Week beginning 7/4/25: Persuasive essays
Week beginning 14/4/25: Descriptive essays
Week beginning 21/4/25: Process essays

Fiction Writing 
Week beginning 28/4/25: What is a story?
Week beginning 5/5/25: Characters in stories
Week beginning 12/5/25: All about settings 
Week beginning 19/5/25: Planning our stories
Week beginning 26/5/25: How to "stretch the moment" 
Week beginning 2/6/25: Types of fiction

Writing for Businesses
Week beginning 9/6/25: How to write a formal email
Week beginning 16/6/25: Writing a formal report
Week beginning 23/6/25: Writing a resume and cover letter
Week beginning 30/6/25: What is grant writing?
Week beginning 7/7/25: Newspaper articles 
Week beginning 14/7/25: Proposals and pitches 

Writing about Books
Week beginning 21/7/25: Writing a summary
Week beginning 28/7/25: What is a book review?
Week beginning 4/8/25: How to write book reports
Week beginning 11/8/25: Biographies
Week beginning 18/8/25: Autobiographies
Week beginning 25/8/25: Writing a blog

Further topics to be added.


✏️ About my Qualifications ✏️
I have been an English teacher and tutor for more than 7 years. I have two degrees in English and writing, and have spent 3 years as a children's librarian where I developed literacy programs for young learners. If you'd like to learn more about me and my qualifications, please feel free to visit my profile. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

Let’s get learning!

Other Details

External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined April, 2021
5.0
34reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hello! My name is Kristin, and I absolutely love teaching on Outschool. My goal is to build engaging classes centered around my two passions: writing and science. 

Although writing and science seem like two completely different topics, they can be taught simultaneously to build a deeper understanding of both subjects. For example, I offer an ‘Essay Writing Through Scientific Exploration’ course, in which students study fascinating science concepts, and then write structured essays about their findings. Whether your learner is a scientist or a writer, they will learn new skills while deepening others. 

I have been an English teacher and tutor for more than 7 years, and I have two university degrees in English and writing. This experience allows me to offer a variety of entirely writing-focused courses as well. I offer both ongoing classes and semester-long, full curriculum courses in writing and English language arts. 

I have to admit, some of my favorite classes are creative writing classes. I've been writing creatively since elementary school, and I think telling stories is so much fun! I’m a published author, and I love sharing my passion with learners.

In terms of science, I have been a STEM teacher for more than 3 years. I trained at the NASA Glenn Research center, where real engineers taught me the best principles for teaching STEM to young students. While working for my local library, I hosted a STEM summer-day camp, ran a weekly science club, taught students how to use 3D printers, and coached a LEGO League. 

My journey as an online teacher began as an ESL teacher with VIPKid and Magic Ears. This gave me essential skills to make virtual learning impactful. Ultimately, my varied experience allows me to make classes that are specific and unique, while simultaneously engaging and fun. There is a lot to cover, but my hope is to offer a curriculum that no other teacher has before.

When I'm not teaching, you can find me writing, reading, playing video games or baking. (Especially bread.) My favorite thing to do is hike with my best friend. (Who happens to be a 60-pound puppy named Gus.)

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$14

weekly
1x per week
45 min

Completed by 48 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
1-6 learners per class

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