What's included
5 live meetings
3 hrs 45 mins in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students will be expected to practice the strategies in their own writing for the following class.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
Intermediate Level
Students will work with a draft of their own writing and learn four main strategies to make their writing stronger and more effective They will read their writing and have conferences with me and with their peers. I will model the strategies for them first. At the beginning of each class, starting with Lesson Two, students will share what they have done to practice the strategy, and discuss how it made their writing sound stronger and more professional. Lesson plan: Week One: Questions to Ask While Writing: Students will learn basic questioning strategies that will help focus their writing on what's most interesting and important Week Two: Verbs, the Engines that Drive Writing: Students will learn various strategies to eliminate or replace weak verbs to make their writing stronger Week Three: Creating Sentence Variety: Students will learn sentence combining techniques, how to vary sentence beginnings, and how to create a variety of sentence lengths and styles. Week Four: Being Specific--Digging for Details: Students will focus on adding specific details to create images Week Five: Sharing final pieces of writing. Peer and teacher feedback. Self -reflection
Learning Goals
Students will learn four basic strategies to make their writing stronger and more effective.
Syllabus
5 Lessons
over 5 WeeksLesson 1:
Asking Good Questions
How asking meaningful questions leads to adding details and excitement
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Verbs- the engines that drive your writing
replacing weak verbs with vivid verbs
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Creating sentence variety
varying sentence beginnings and combining sentences
45 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Digging for details/ using figurative language
ways to add specific details and using sensory images and figurative language
45 mins online live lesson
Other Details
Pre-Requisites
Should know the basics of narrative writing
Supply List
Students will need to come to the first class with a 1-2 page rough draft written in pencil ( or typed) of an original piece of writing in any genre except poetry. This should be written on one side of the paper, skipping lines. They will need a pen for editing.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Wisconsin Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from University of Clear Lake- Houston
Bachelor's Degree in English from University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
I have taught English for 40 years, and am a trained writing project trainer.
Reviews
Live Group Course
$15
weekly or $75 for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
45 min
Completed by 20 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
1-6 learners per class