WELCOME

Welcome to my middle school writing course. The course provides full curriculum instruction on writing and grammar for grades 7-9. Thank you for visiting! Please read the below information carefully to determine if this is is the correct course for your learner. In my course, I combine teaching and writing instruction from my experience and professional developments with The National Writing Project and Harkness Methods. Here are the pillars of writing instruction that I follow: 

1. I work to foster and celebrate the authentic voices of students.

2. I encourage students to write, share, and reflect together through fostering a sense of community and comfort. I will never publicly read a student's writing without their permission, nor will I ever for a student to publicly share their writing. However, it is my hope that they volunteer to do so as they gain confidence in the course.

3. Above all, I seek to foster critical thinking through reading and writing. Good writers read often and write about what they read. My class may often include readings to model good writing or to serve as catalysts for ideas/writing topics.

ABOUT THE COURSE

This course is designed for on-pace writers in grades 6-8. In our class, writing assignments are creative and student-centered. Students will engage in intellectual journeys that will challenge them and promote higher-level thinking and writing. 

Although the focus of the course is writing instruction and practice, grammar, spelling, and mechanics are included in the course as an important aspect of writing. Each class also begins with a structured warmup.

In order to get the most out of the course, student need to keep up with writing assignments and be an active participant in the class.

The weekly cost of this course covers the live video meetings as well as personalized and detailed feedback. I'm also committed to responding to both student and parent private messages within 24 hours seven days a week. Graded assignments receive feedback within 48 hours. If you do not hear a response from me within this time, please send me another message; it may have gotten lost in my inbox!


STUDENT REQUIREMENTS
⌛ This class requires strong time management skills and self-motivation. Students will be expected to complete reading and writing assignments outside of class on their own time. The amount of time students spend on these assignments may vary among students, but on average students will spend 30-45 minutes per week outside of class on course work. While students work on their assignments, I'm always available through private messages to answer questions and check work. 

My Refund Policy: Classes are billed each Sunday. If you need to pause/withdraw, please do so before Sunday morning. Refunds are not typically provided (all learners have access to slides, video recordings, and assignments). However, I may refund for certain emergency circumstances.

Please be aware that if there are no students after the first 10 minutes of the live online class, that day's class will be canceled. Our live meetings are scheduled for 45 minutes, but the duration may vary SLIGHTLY based on the number of students and their participation. 

TOPICS/ASSIGNMENTS

Formal writing projects may include…
• Introduction Letter
• Independent Essay
• Multiple Intelligences Essay
• Sales Pitch Essay
• Business Proposal Essay
• Tabloid Article
• Superhero Essay
• A Picture in a Paragraph Essay
• Product Comparison Essay
• Neighborhood Narrative Essay
• Timed Practice Essays
• Guided Research Paper
• Memoir Writing
• Conspiracy Theory/Urban Legend Research
• Fear-mongering Writing
• PSA (Public Service Announcement)
• Character Sweater
• Procedural Writing
• Register in Writing
• Writing Figuratively
• Writing Critiques and Reviews
• Modern Biographies
• The Best Solution
• Fairy Tales & Retellings
• Paragraph Writing Skills: Paragraph Types, Summarizing, Paraphrasing, Topic Sentences, Supporting Details, Concluding/Closing Sentences, Main Idea, Hooks, Transition Words and Phrases to Use in Writing, Evidence and Citing, Avoiding Plagiarism, Writing a Rebuttal, Strong Verbs, Show Don't Tell Strategies, Paragraph Structures

GRAMMAR/MECHANICS:
Faulty Idioms
Fragments & Run Ons
Compound Sentences
Subject Verb Agreement
Appositives
Apostrophes
Dangling/Misplaced Modifiers
Adjectives v. Adverbs
Comparatives & Superlatives
Punctuation Marks
Parallel Structure
Semi-Colons & Colons
Commas & Coordination
Ellipses
Dashes
Punctuating Titles
Homophones
Pronoun Agreement
Parts of Speech
Singular Plural Irregularities
Capitalization


SCHEDULE:

JUNE: Filling Up Your Writing Toolkit 

Week of 6/6: Writing Characterization (STEAL Acronym ) and The Writing Process/ How to Provide Constructive Peer Feedback

Week of 6/13: Word Choice Lesson 

Week of 6/20: Register and Drafting Professional Emails

Week of 6/27: Summary vs. Criticism

No Class Week of July 4th

Week of 7/11: Basic Paragraph Essay Structure, Topic Sentences, Types of Essay Structures

Week of 7/17: Introductions, Avoiding Plagiarism, and Intro to Evidence-Based Writing: Essay 1: Why Learn Grammar? 

Week of 7/24: Draft Due, Conclusion Paragraphs, Editing vs. Revising and Strategies

More Lessons TBA!