$15
weeklyor $75 for all content
Timed Essay Writing Skills
New class
Ages 10-13
Self-Paced Course
5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks of teacher support
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1 year of access to the content
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Your learner can start learning when they want and progress at the speed that works best for them.Start when you want.
Learn at your own pace
Access course material for a full year.
Get hands-on support from teacher.
What's included
5 pre-recorded lessons
5 weeks
of teacher support1 year access
to the contentAssignments
1-2 hours per week. Weekly assignments will be given. I will give detailed feedback on all written assignments.Assessment
Feedback will be given on each written assignment.Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
This class has no live meetings. The class is designed to help beginning writers learn how to approach essay exams, timed essays, benchmark writing tests, and state writing testing. These types of essay tests can be intimidating even for more advanced writers because the topic is a surprise, there is a time limit, and there is no opportunity to receive any support or help while writing. To overcome these challenges, the lessons in this class will help learners break down the writing process and deal with the pressures and constraints of essay exams. This class specifically deals with essay exams where the learner is required to read multiple sources and refer to them in the essay. In addition, there is one prompt (not a choice). These constraints create challenges, and those are the challenges this class will address. The first four lessons break down the process and help the learner go through the process step by step. The final lesson gives the learner the opportunity to put into practice the skills they have been learning in an actual timed writing situation. I will be supporting your learner throughout the entire process, reading their responses and offering specific, timely feedback that they can put into practice immediately as they continue the writing process step by step. Each video lesson is around ten minutes. Depending on the lesson, handouts may be given to accompany the material in the video lesson. Articles to read may also be assigned. If the learner does the recommended one lesson per week, they can finish the course in about five weeks. To be transparent, the sources used for references in this class are AI-generated (which I have personally vetted and edited) to protect the copyright of published authors.
Learning Goals
improve reading comprehension and retention by annotating texts
learn to plan an essay based on a given prompt
learn how to integrate quotes from given sources
practice writing essays with references to sources
Syllabus
5 Lessons
over 5 WeeksLesson 1:
Writing with Texts: How Annotating Will Save You
In lesson 1, we learn about the importance of reading, annotating, and processing the written texts that will form the basis for the essay you will write.
1 assignment
7 mins of video lessons
Lesson 2:
Planning Your Essay
In lesson 2, you will learn how to maximize your time during the test by spending a limited amount of time planning and outlining your essay before you start writing.
1 assignment
10 mins of video lessons
Lesson 3:
Choosing, Using, and Citing Sources
In lesson 3, you will look back at your annotations and make decisions about what you want to quote in your essay. Learn how to choose appropriate quotes, integrate them into your essay, and cite them properly.
1 assignment
11 mins of video lessons
Lesson 4:
Writing the Essay
In lesson 4, you will take all your prewriting and turn it into an essay. Even though you have spent three weeks preparing for this moment, you are still going through the process you will use on the timed essay.
1 assignment
15 mins of video lessons
Other Details
Pre-Requisites
There is no prerequisite for this class, but learners should be confident readers.
Supply List
Several articles will be provided for the learner to read. The class will work best if the learner is able to print the articles provided, so they can highlight and annotate the sources. This will improve reading skills, study skills, note taking skills, and, ultimately, will help them be better writers. However, it is possible to complete the course by reading the given articles on a screen, so printing capability is not a requirement for the class. Learners my do their writing on paper and scan or photograph their papers and submit them, or they may choose to use a google doc and send me the link or a pdf copy. I am also able to receive Word documents.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Four articles will be provided.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in English from California State University
I have been an English teacher since 1997, and I have experience with elementary school, middle school, dual enrollment, and college, and currently I homeschool my lovely children, who are 12 and 14 years old. I have taught mainstream, remedial, and GATE (gifted and talented) classes.
I have bachelor's and master's degrees in English from California State Universities.
I believe that everyone can learn and that how much you learn often depends much on the amount of effort you're willing to invest. To that end, I try to encourage and motivate my students to have a can-do attitude and a growth mindset. In part, that means that both the learner and the instructor may have to look for outside-the-box ways to approach a topic in order to make it more accessible.
For fun, I enjoy being outdoors. I love nature, wildlife, and hiking. I also enjoy spending time at home reading and sewing. Every so often I take a class in something I've never done before just to remind myself what it feels like to be new to a topic. This helps me feel compassion for my learners who are not yet experts in my content area, and it keeps me humble and helps me think of creative ways to reach my learners.
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