Write About Dogs: Write About & Discuss Dogs (Paragraph/Creative Writing Skills)

This is an on-going class and no previous experience is needed; students are welcome to join at any time. Students should feel comfortable writing basic sentences before taking this class.  

This small group class pairs students' interest in dogs with developing writing skills (paragraph and creative writing). Students are more successful writers when they are interested in the topic (dogs!), can see samples (exemplars) so that they fully understand what they are aiming to write, plan before they write, and have a lot of guidance and support in a comfortable environment. Therefore, each class includes all of these elements. I have combined my nearly 20 years of teaching experience in a classroom with my love of dogs to design this engaging class.

Each week, students aim to write one paragraph. The goal of the class is to create confident writers who can produce a variety of paragraph types (including descriptive -- sometimes called informational, narrative and persuasive paragraphs) and can maintain one tense (past, present or future) and one point of view. While some paragraph types are more structured than others, students will focus on using topic sentences, supporting points, transitional (linking) words and conclusion sentences in their paragraphs.

Every class will begin with greetings and introductions. Then students will engage is some learning and discussion about dogs. Next, students will learn about (or review) the paragraph format and style for the week. Following this, students will examine a paragraph sample and then plan and write their own paragraphs. At the end of class students will share their work to receive helpful feedback and to celebrate their success!  

The same paragraph type or writing style will be used for two weeks in a row; however, students will receive a different topic or set of facts to write about for the second week. Repeating a style will reinforce students' learning. (Students joining on the repeat week of a paragraph type will learn the same as those in the first week, but will only have one week to practice it. They will be able to practice that skill again when we rotate back to that paragraph type).   

I am a very positive and encouraging teacher, and I use a variety of methods that appeal to both visual and linguistic learners. This class will use many approaches for learning, including discussion, slides, video clips, audio clips and worksheets. Students will receive lots of verbal feedback, and there are many opportunities for students to participate throughout the class. I love talking about dogs and watching students achieve success in their writing.

Students do not need to have any prior knowledge about dogs. Students taking this class are strongly encouraged to have their cameras on as it develops students' intrapersonal skills and I can more effectively teach and respond to students' non-verbal cues. Students can either type their work or use the worksheets provided. Some students benefit from using the structured planning sheets; however, I will provide these on slides during the class as well. I will post worksheets on the classroom the day before each class.

You are welcome to request another time or day for this class or you may request a private one-on-one class.

Dog learning/topics will change EVERY week and will be somewhat reflective of student interest. Sample paragraph topics include: informational paragraph describing a dog / a dog park, narrative paragraph about a dog's car ride / visiting a dog park, persuasive paragraph about dog world records / German shepherds.

Schedule for Paragraph Types:
April 11 – Persuasive Paragraph
April 18 – Persuasive Paragraph
April 25  – Descriptive/Informational Paragraph 
May 2  – Descriptive/Informational Paragraph 
May 9  – Narrative Paragraph 
May 16  – Narrative Paragraph 
May 23  – Persuasive Paragraph
May 30 – Persuasive Paragraph
June 6– Descriptive/Informational Paragraph 
June 13– Descriptive/Informational Paragraph