I have combined nearly 20 years of teaching experience in a classroom with my experience as a former riding coach and horse owner to design this engaging class.

Note: Students should feel comfortable writing basic sentences before taking this class, and some experience with horses is beneficial. Parents are provided with a short email (by the end of the day) after each class to provide some comments on students' writing and skill development.

This very small group class pairs students' interest in horses with developing formal and informal writing skills. Learners will work through a variety of writing tasks and formats in order to create solid foundational writing skills. As an experienced English teacher who fosters a love of writing in all her students, I am skilled at helping students progress at a pace that works for them within a group setting. 

Students are more successful writers when they are interested in the topic (horses!), can see samples/exemplars (so that they fully understand what they are aiming to write), plan before they write, and have guidance from an experienced teacher. Therefore, this class includes all of these elements.

This class teaches students to:
-write different types of writing (including paragraphs, stories, poetry and essays)
-write using different points of view and tense
-learn to use varied wording and transitional (linking) words
-understand formal vs. informal style and write appropriate topic/conclusion sentences for those styles
-learn to use the writing process (planning and revising)
-learn more about horses
-enjoy writing!

The agenda for each class is:
1. Greetings and introductions
2. Focusing activity OR learn horse information for writing task (depending on the format for the week)
3. Learn about (or review) writing format and style for the week
4. Examine a writing sample
5. Plan own writing
6. Write and revise
7. Share for feedback and to celebrate success 

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 and audio clips. Students will receive lots of verbal feedback, and there are many opportunities for students to participate throughout the class. I love talking about horses and watching students achieve success in their writing.

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 or handwrite their work. (Some classes will require students to print worksheets to use during the class.)

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

Schedule for Writing Formats for SEMESTER ONE (All writing is horse-themed)
(Students are welcome to join at any time, but it's best to join at the beginning of a unit.)

Paragraph Unit:
Week of August 27 – Informational Paragraph (Own Created Horse)
Week of September 3 – Informational Paragraph (Horse Breed -- decided by students)
Week of September 10 – Narrative Paragraph (Recent Ride)
Week of September 17 – Descriptive Paragraph(s) (Horses in Moonlight)

Short Story Unit:
Week of September 24 – Creative Writing Short Story (planning & begin writing)
Week of October 1 – Creative Writing Short Story (writing)
Week of October 8 – Creative Writing Short Story (writing/revising/sharing or descriptive)

Essay Unit: (Thesis: Horses are amazing animals.)
Week of October 15 – Persuasive Paragraph (essay body paragraph)
Week of October 22 – Persuasive Paragraph (essay body paragraph)
Week of October 29 – Persuasive Paragraph (essay body paragraph)
Week of November 5 – Introductory Paragraph (essay introduction)
Week of November 12 – Conclusion Paragraph (essay conclusion)
Week of November 19 – Putting the essay together/sharing and figurative language fun

Poetry & Descriptive Writing Unit:
Week of November 26 – Poetry (Choice of topics)
Week of December 3 – Poetry (Horses in snow)
Week of December 10 – Choice Writing
Week of December 17 – Choice Writing/Celebration of Writing