Creative Writing: Write a Chapter Book or Book of Stories

Class
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Kim Purcell MFA
Popular
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(129)
Kids write a chapter book, a novel, or a book of stories, improving their confidence and their writing in every area. Great for kids interested in creative writing, publishing, filmmaking. Join anytime!

Class experience

US Grade 3 - 6
Intermediate Level
This class is taught in English.
The goal is to develop their storytelling and writing skills by writing a novel. See the specific weekly learning goals in the class description, but we will cover every element of storytelling including characters, setting, plot, tension, scene-building and literary devices. 
I'm a published young adult novelist and a writing teacher with over twenty years teaching experience, and I've designed award-winning writing curriculums based on multi-sensory writing prompts and positive feedback. The key to helping kids and teens grow as writers is to build their creative confidence and help them believe in themselves.

As a novelist, I've written two acclaimed young adult novels, Trafficked and This Is Not a Love Letter, published by Penguin and Disney-Hyperion, and I have another novel contracted with Little, Brown. This Is Not a Love Letter was one of NPR's top books of 2018 and Trafficked made several state lists for top books. They've both received starred reviews and made top lists for books. If you want to learn more about me as an author, you can always go to my author website, under my name. 

Besides writing my own books, my passion is helping kids, teens and adults write their books and achieve their dreams. I've been teaching ESL, essay-writing, and novel-writing classes for kids, teens and adults outside of Outschool for over twenty years. I currently run two successful in-person after-school programs for creative writing in Los Angeles. I've also taught homeschooled kids in both New York City and Los Angeles, and even homeschooled one of my kids. Furthermore, I was the first curriculum director of the famous non-profit, WriteGirl in Los Angeles, and I helped build it into the multi-sensory interactive writing program it is today. 

In terms of education, I have a BA in international Relations from the University of British Columbia, one of Canada's elite colleges, as well as a journalism degree from BCIT and a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing from VCFA, which qualifies me to teach at the college level. 

More importantly than my education and experience, I think, is that I have so much fun with my students and sincerely care for their well-being. My goal is to make them feel confident about their writing and inspired to write even more or go on to achieve any other creative goal in their lives. 
Homework Offered
Every week, students can write as much as they like on their own...or nothing. They can simply write in class if they prefer. Writing should be fun and not a chore. I suggest at least two double-spaced pages on their own if they'd like to finish a book. I provide a weekly guide to help them with this as well as many bonus videos for each week. I will read up to five double-spaced pages of their work each week and give them mostly positive feedback with something to work on.
2 - 4 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
No grade, but we celebrate each time a student adds another ten pages! I also give them feedback on up to five double-spaced typed pages each week.
Grades Offered
This class is good for kids with ADHD, anxiety, sensory needs, dyslexia. I decrease stress this way: no reading aloud or sharing (except with me) and mute for writing time. Not great for big talkers. Reach out if your kid has special needs.
No requirements. If they can write a paragraph, they can write a book, and they'll find a great deal of joy in doing it. 
I am attaching a PDF for the student to print out and brainstorm elements of their story before the class starts or while taking the class. They will also receive a weekly daily guide to writing a novel in each class for them to do the following week. They should bring a notebook and colored markers for side writing experiments. They can also write their story in a notebook or on a computer program. It's easier to share it with me through the Outschool platform if they are typing it in the computer. 
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
I will be sharing slides on Canva, sometimes using excerpts from kid and middle grade novels. For example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, or the first books in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  
We will use the Wonderstorming Workbook and Flying Fingers, a Kid's Daily Guide to Writing a Novel, which I wrote for students using hundreds of books on craft as well as my MFA and my experience as a novelist. 
Popular
Average rating:5.0Number of reviews:(129)
Profile
I love helping my students improve their writing and seeing their confidence grow. 

My classes are fun and inclusive. I have over twenty years of experience teaching in a multi-sensory and interactive way: English, literature, fiction,... 
Group Class

$20

weekly
1x per week
55 min

Completed by 351 learners
Live video meetings
Ages 7-11
5-12 learners per class

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