In this ongoing class, students will hone their research and persuasive writing skills through weekly prompt topics.

A Google Doc will be used for each student to keep a log of their writings, and for the teacher and parents to have access to see their progress.  The documents are private and the students can choose which content they would like to share with other students.  Each week the learners will come to class and be presented with a topic for their writing prompt.  Prompts may be delivered via the whiteboard, an article, a short video, or short lecture.  They will be given the first 20 minutes of the class to conduct research on the topic.  We will focus on how to search for and recognize scholarly and reputable sources.  The next 20 minutes of class will be devoted to writing.  Learners will focus on using their sources in the right contexts and presenting their arguments clearly and concisely.  The learners will spend the remaining 20 minutes of class sharing what they've written and giving each other feedback.  Learners are not required to share every week but positively encouraged to do so when they feel comfortable.  

Weekly topics: session topics and themes are learner-directed and dictated depending on their interests in order to achieve more buy in from the students. The teacher may help guide them to appropriate topics that will help facilitate growth for that learner and their present levels.

I approach these classes with a collaborative Socratic style where I help each student find what they need without giving them the answers, but by engaging in meaningful conversation and posing questions in order to facilitate the use of higher-order thinking skills.  I will provide feedback to each student throughout the class and answer messages during the week as they come up.