This academic year-long writing course will consist of three consecutive sessions to be held virtually from August 2024 – May 2025 by a credentialed English teacher with over 20 years of experience. Lessons will be based upon Common Core State Standards.
Students will be reading many thought-provoking nonfiction topics (literature, history, science, current events, technology) as they practice their writing across the curriculum. We will brainstorm, organize, and begin writing their essay together. Then they will complete the essay for homework.
In my classes, students will be given a new writing assignment each week. All their writing will be edited for grammar and sentence structure. In order for a student to learn how to write they must be taught how to improve their writing properly, otherwise, it is a useless exercise. At that time, students will be required to make the necessary changes to their essays.
Learning new vocabulary is essential for good writing. Many students can memorize a list of new words, but will then forget the meaning long-term. I will not only teach students new vocabulary, but they will learn how to appropriately use the new words to elevate their writing.
In their schools’ classrooms, students have to move quickly from one writing style to another. This can be confusing as the template for each is very different. However, during my classes, students will work on one type of writing consistently for a few weeks before beginning another writing style. This approach gives students the additional repetitive practice necessary to succeed with confidence.
Students will see improvements in their abilities and grades.
The course will offer the following:
Informational/Analytical Writing
Analytical writing is clearly the most challenging area of writing as students are asked to interpret the author’s meaning. Students will learn how to find appropriate quotes to support the writing prompt or thesis. They will develop their critical thinking and analytical writing skills. It will improve their ability to articulate and support complex ideas, construct and evaluate arguments. Students will learn to write texts to examine a topic. They will convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. Students will use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. They will establish and maintain a formal style.
Opinion Writing
Students will write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Students will introduce claims and organize the reasons and evidence logically. They will support claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. They will learn how to write counter-arguments and rebuttals. They will learn how to use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claims, reasons, and evidence. They will establish and maintain a formal style.
Timed Writes
Students will be introduced to writing timed essays which are highly tested. This is a great way for them to practice writing and critical thinking skills. They will learn the various techniques necessary to succeed in developing a coherent and well-organized essay within a limited time period.
Thematic Essays
Students will read renowned short stories. They will learn how to plan and then write 5 paragraph thematic essays. They will develop the central theme and identify characterization or figurative language employed by the author. This type of essay is highly test beginning in middle school through high school.
Course Schedule
This course will be offered weekly for 90 minutes on the following days:
Sundays at 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. from August 17, 2025 to May 24, 2026.
Saturdays at 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. from August 16, 2025 to May 23, 2026.
Parents will have an opportunity to create their own groups. Please contact me for more details.
“Ellie said she’s learning a lot from this course, so I’m very grateful for that. Currently, she is getting an A in English 8 Honors. Thank you!” Lauren Tran
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