Imagine a world under the sea.  We'll each pick a part of a watery land and people it with whomever we like:  Octopus kings, mermaid clans, or strange creatures that lurk in the darkest part of the sea.  

There's no homework--just fun, as students improve their writing skills and practice their presentation skills by reading their work aloud to others.

FOR PARENTS: 
We will start by creating a map of our new world together so students can visualize an underwater kingdom to help them dive into writing.  In every workshop class we start with brainstorming exercises, then students write fiction or poetry for twenty-five minutes.  Afterwards, anyone can volunteer to read her writing out loud. Everyone in the workshop will say what they like about the story and/or recall details they remember about the writing. 

As the class goes on students will get practice in:
•	Organizing their thoughts with pre-writing exercises
•	Reading their work out loud
•	Listening to their peers in an engaged and respectful way
•	Giving articulate, respectful, and helpful feedback to their peers
•	Developing focus and concentration on a task
•	Letting their creative ideas flourish
•	Exciting collaborative engagement with other students

The class is so much fun students won’t even realize they are learning to create sustained works of fiction at a more sophisticated level of thought, organization, and writing skill level than before.  They will start to develop their characters, themes, and plots at lightening speed as our under water adventures build.  Many children have so much fun they are eager to keep writing even after the workshop is over.