Learn to Write Through Imitation: Stunning Sentences

Note: This course covers 10 lessons of the ongoing "Imitation Weekly" class, packaged as a single introductory course. It can be taken in any order with the other course titled "Learning to Write Through Imitation: Leveling up Your Sentences."
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It is difficult to craft a well-written sentence. Too often, students get caught up in a simple "subject--verb--object" sentence pattern and they find that their writing lacks variety and style. 

This class uses excellent literature as the foundation for the classical method of writing by imitation. 

In this method, we take a model sentence (or two) that is well written from a syntactical and stylistic point of view. We then examine the sentence and ask ourselves, "What makes this well-written?" This part of the discussion is powerful because it allows us to integrate concepts from a variety of language arts disciplines:
* grammar
* style and rhetoric
* literary analysis

After we discuss the sentence, we will learn how to use the author's style and/or sentence structure to craft our own sentences in imitation of the model. This is where the hard work and magic happens. 

Students learn that it can be difficult to wrangle with the words and ideas and fit them together just right. However, with the model sentence in front of them, it provides a framework for their own writing.  At the end, students are typically amazed at how polished their final sentences turn out! 

There are no prerequisites for this class except the ability to read fluently. 

Special Needs: Please send me a note in advance if your child has special needs I should be aware of. Students are free to type instead of hand-write their imitation sentences. 

Sample imitation exercise:

Original sentence from "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander:
"The gwythaint hung like a crumpled black rag, one wing upraised, the other folded awkwardly on its breast. No larger than a raven, it was young and barely out of its first moult; the head seemed a little too big for the body, the feathers thin and quilly."

Student imitation:
"The wolf hung like a grey cloud, his legs intertwined, his tongue drooping awkwardly. No larger than a raccoon, it was young and barely a summer old; the eyes seemed a little too big for the head, the fur matted and dry."

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Note: I make sure to stress to the students the concept that this technique is for writing practice, and that in published writing, care must be taken to develop one's own style without plagiarism. 
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I have had great success with teaching this writing method to students. Parent reviews of my imitation writing courses include:

"Excellent inspiration for budding writers that challenges them to write in the style of some of history's greatest authors and poets.  Not an easy task! My girls loved this class and are big fans of Ms. Khan."
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"What an amazingly creative way to teach and enhance writing skills by examining beautifully written language in classic literature!  Merium Khan challenges her students to take excerpts from a famed author and reinterpret them in their own words and style.  This not only broadens the student's writing skills and vocabulary but reinforces their comprehension and literary analysis skills."
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"She gave suggestions and direction, but also a lot of freedom for students to practice and experiment with their imitative writing. The original quotes were excellent and came from a wide variety of literature styles. My daughter found the teacher fun and  easy to understand..."