This class is intended for younger students who want to develop their fundamental writing skills. 

Students who know what they want to say but sometimes struggle to write it down will learn to express their ideas with confidence. 

Students will learn the fundamentals of paragraph writing, including topic sentences, supporting details, and conclusions. They will also develop their skills by learning to write for different purposes and with various intents. Upon completing this course, students will be able to compose effective and compelling paragraphs, building their confidence and empowering them with skills needed for written self-expression.

Each lesson, students will learn a new structural element or specific skill about writing paragraphs. We will either watch a short video, discuss a topic, or brainstorm ideas based on a prompt, and then write a paragraph.

Google Docs proficiency strongly preferred for optimal feedback; handwritten work is acceptable for verbal feedback.

Here is the schedule subject to change based on the needs of the students in a given section:

Week 1: The Hamburger Paragraph — Structural Fundamentals
Week 2: What Do I Write About? — Brainstorming & Collecting Your Thoughts
Week 3: Expressing Your Ideas — Supporting Sentences
Week 4: Wrapping It All Up — Conclusion Sentences
Week 5: I Want You to Know — Writing Informative Paragraphs
Week 6: I Want You to Feel — Writing Narrative Paragraphs
Week 7: I Want You to Agree — Writing Persuasive Paragraphs
Week 8: I Want You to Do — Writing Procedural Paragraphs
Week 9: Stay on Target — How to Keep Your Ideas On-Topic
Week 10: From One Idea to the Next — Linking Related Ideas Together
Week 11: All Ideas, Both Big & Small — Paragraph Variation



ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
📓 DERRICK HEISEY, Writer and Teacher: Since 2015, Derrick has taught every grade level from Kindergarten to 12th. He is a licensed Special Education teacher with a degree in English Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico and a minor in Philosophy. He's published short stories and poetry, and produces a podcast where he reads his original fiction. According to him, mastering the written word is one of the most empowering journeys a person can pursue, and nothing brings him as much joy as sharing that passion with students. Everyone has something important to say; they just need to find the right words, and Derrick can’t wait to help his students discover their voices. When he isn’t teaching, you can find him in his garden inspecting tomatoes, scribbling in a notebook, or reading a book with his dachshund Charlie Marlow curled up on his lap.