Middle School Writing: Multi-Paragraph/Five-Paragraph Essay Club

Tween learners can join their peers for brainstorming, using outlines, and exploring the different kinds of essays in this ongoing course. 

Each session will review (as needed) the 4 major essays (narrative, explanatory, persuasive, and research), brainstorming techniques, using outlines, the parts of the essay, the process of writing, and sharing (as desired).

Teacher-created material will be provided as needed to help learners with each of these concepts. These may be in the form of Google Slide Shows (to help understand/review concepts) and Google Docs (for brainstorming and outlining). PDF copies of everything seen and used in the class are available upon request. These may be screen shared by the teacher or accessed by the student via a link given by the teacher via the classroom or Zoom chat message.  No account is required to access Google Docs or Google Slides. 

Learners are encouraged to discuss with and motivate their peers in each session, as well as use the time for brainstorming, outlining, and writing a multi-paragraph or five-paragraph essay.  When they finish one essay, they can start another! They may bring writing assignments from other classes to work on and receive help if needed. 

There are no weekly themes: All essays will be learner choice from the type of essay to the topic, which empowers students to use their personal interests and helps them stay engaged in the writing process. 

As an ongoing class, learners can enroll and withdraw at any time.  Each session is a space for learners to collaborate, review, draw on teacher and peer help as needed, and work to complete their essays. Each learner will be allowed to work at their own pace and complete a multi paragraph or five paragraph essay according to their abilities. The teacher will offer extensive feedback, either in the sessions or in private.

A rough session outline is as follows:
5 minutes greeting and setting goals for the session
5 minutes reviewing essay types and choosing a type if needed
5 minutes reviewing the parts of an essay
10 minutes of brainstorming, working on outlines, and/or writing
5 minutes of check-ins/discussion with the teacher and peers (focus on the writing process and where learners are in it)
10 minutes of brainstorming, working on outlines, and/or writing
5 minutes of wrapping up/sharing

For English as a Second Language learners: 
Great for those preparing for Cambridge FCE Part 1 Essay and Part 2 Article/Letter writing sections
CEFT B2 and higher