Waldorf Kid Writing: Holiday Beginner Writing Class
In this beginning holiday writing class, we will listen to a story, draw from the story, and write a sentence about the story. We will use kid writing techniques that create a gentle supportive class on your child’s literacy journey.
Jodi Michelle, Master Linguist
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(113)
What's included
12 live meetings
6 in-class hoursClass Experience
US Grade 1 - 2
Beginner Level
Warm up with some beautifully warming holiday stories, drawing, and writing in this gentle, relaxed, whimsical writing class! Enter the world of Waldorf education, gifting your child with a relaxed, beautiful space to grow in writing skills while receiving an elite private school education at home! We will use beautiful fairy tales, animal and nature stories, and multi-cultural tales to make our work interesting and engaging. I will cater each class to my individual student's needs, strengths, and skill set. I provide all online writing materials, prompts, books, and resources that we use in class. This is a class set for 1-2 learners so each child is given the help that they need from the teacher. In Waldorf education, we use kid writing or talking on paper techniques to encourage beginner readers to begin their own decoding and phonemic awareness processes. Kid writing helps students to learn their letter sounds more quickly, identify sight words, lay a neural foundation for decoding, and have fun writing on their own! In this class, we will read a story together and draw a picture from the story (developing pre-writing skills and confidence in their success). Students will then "kid write" with prompts from the teacher to write their own sentence about the story. We will then work on proofing their work independently (sight words) and correcting spelling mistakes together. Parents, it is important in this beginning class that students are given the opportunity to first write on their own (without help from parents in our class) so they can begin to hear the sounds in words on their own. The teacher will guide and support and prompt when needed. I would encourage parents to build up to their learners that this is their very own class where they get to do their very own work! Please provide drawing paper (an 8.5x11 sketchpad is perfect) and Stockmar beeswax block/stick crayons, if possible. Research in neuroimaging and cognitive psychology (Gene Ouellette and others) shows that use of the Kid Writing technique “stretching through a word with a moving target,” which involves emphasizing through volume and elongation only those sounds the teacher thinks students can successfully encode, helps kids integrate phonological awareness, phonics, decoding, encoding, and sight word recognition in the brain. Class Structure: ~Story ~Drawing ~Kid Writing ~Proofing ~Spelling Corrections/Rewrite Week One: The Mitten by Jan Brett Week Two: Ollie's Ski Trip by Elsa Beskow Week Three: The Peterkins Christmas by Wendy Anderson Halperin Week Four: The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett Week Five: Winnie-The-Pooh Story by A.A. Milne Week Six: The Tomtens Christmas Porridge by Sven Nordqvist Week Seven: Findus at Christmas by Sven Nordqvist Week Eight: The Gingerbread Man by Louise Martin Week Nine: A Calf for Christmas by Astrid Lindgren Week Ten: Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root Week Eleven: Hanukkah Bear by Eric Kimmel Week Twelve: Little Fairy's Christmas by Daniela Drescher
Learning Goals
Students will work on decoding, phonemic and phonological awareness, sight word spelling, and beginning writing.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
I will use Epic Screenshare for some of my books. Parents do not need a subscription to Epic.
Supply List
Drawing paper/sketch pad (at least 9x12) or main lesson book Stockmar beeswax block and stick crayons (or regular crayons if not available to you)
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined May, 2020
4.9
113reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from University of Phoenix
B.S. Psychology
Yale University Overcoming Dyslexia Certificate
Master's work in Counseling and Library Science
Rapid Transformational Therapy Certified
I am a Waldorf educator having worked as a school librarian and library/research subject teacher for 6 years with grades K-12 as faculty at a Waldorf school in rural Pennsylvania. I also worked as the first grade rest time teacher bringing calm and beautiful stories to this grade every day for many years. I have trained, been mentored by, and served along with some of the most experienced and dedicated Waldorf class and subject teachers in the world, some of whom have passed on and given me the greatest gift possible...to see their joy in teaching young souls. I also served as the reading coach for our school Reading Olympics team with over 40 students per year voluntarily coming to my library for an extracurricular where students were excited to read over 45 books a school year!
I have been offering comprehensive and affordable private lessons for Waldorf and other students around the world for several years. I also offer special Waldorf grades classes where students can connect with other students around the world. Our comfort with zoom now allows me to come to you no matter where in the world you may be! From day one, my students notice the improvement in their abilities and overall comprehension but parents especially note the change in their confidence. I get letters every day from parents telling me how much they see the confidence in their student improving after working with me. Each student has a unique learning style, and it’s my duty to find out what that is and adapt my lessons accordingly. Contact me today to find out how I can help you achieve your academic goals. As both a Waldorf former homeschooling mom and a teacher at a Waldorf school, I offer a unique experience to wherever your student may be-at home or at school-while needing extra lessons.
I have also taken private courses in archetypes and studied the work of Carl Jung as a B.S. Psychology student. I am also a published writer in the Waldorf publication LILIPOH magazine. I lived on a Navajo reservation for several summers. I also have Masters classes in Library Science, Human Services, as well as diversity training. I ran a middle and high school library at the Waldorf school where I taught creative writing, library, and research classes for six years. I also worked in the Waldorf kindergarten and grades as an aftercare teacher.
I work with students at all levels, struggling to gifted. My expertise includes finding what makes kids successful so that they want to keep learning. I always work at the best pace for the individual students and cater all classes to their individual strengths and weaknesses. My goal is for students to feel successful so they want to keep reading and writing. I have worked with thousands of students around the world both in person and on online to help them to feel confident and peaceful in reading and to help them to chose books that they love. Reviews
Live Group Class
$38
weekly or $456 for 12 classes1x per week, 12 weeks
30 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 6-8
1-2 learners per class
