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EVERY CHILD NEEDS TO LEARN TO WRITE WELL.
"...writing is a display of a child's thought process, experts say. It also is becoming an even more critical issue for college bound students, with the SAT entrance exam adding a writing test by 2005."
—Chicago Tribune front page, August 4, 2002, "Poor scores for writing alarm state"
Our popular classes work for students who already love to write and want to learn more as well as students who find writing a challenge.
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Level
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Age/Grade of Students
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Duration of workshop
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3
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Entering 3rd grade students
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2 hours
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45
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Entering 4th & 5th grade students
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2:15 hours
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68
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Entering 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students
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2:30 hours
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3rd grade classes are limited to 15 students.
4th-8th grade classes are limited to
18 students Enrollment closes when the seats are filled.
Program Descriptions by Age
3rd grade program
Our 3rd graders use storytelling to learn the fundamentals that make writing easier and more fun. They read stories aloud, tell their own stories to the class, and write the stories that interest them. Activities and games build a solid base for developing usage, grammar, and vocabulary skills. Children who take this class feel more confident learning to write
and solidifying their reading
ability. They get a head start building a process they can use for years to come.
Parents are invited to participate with their child in this class.
4th-5th grade program
Our 4th
and 5th graders learn to complete a
range of writing assignments, from
schoolwork to stories written for
personal pleasure. They learn the
best ways to improve organization,
write with better-formed sentences,
and use paragraphs and punctuation
as tools that help them say what
they mean on the page. They learn
strategies to improve their reading
comprehension and vocabulary and
connecting what they read to what
they write. They also learn proven
rewriting techniques that work for
any writer, for any kind of writing.
By the end of the program, students
are often delighted at the amount of
writing they have completed and the
length and variety of their pieces.
Students who take this class write
and read with more confidence and
enthusiasm, and they make writing
and reading habits.
6th-8th grade program
Our 6th-8th graders write longer
pieces than ever before, and they do
it more easily. They learn how to
build meaningful essays and stories
and how to apply techniques from
their reading to any kind of writing
they do. In class, they learn and
practice proven strategies to begin
and revise work, sharpen usage
skills, and strengthen vocabulary.
Active feedback from the instructor
builds the creative problem-solving
abilities they need to complete any
writing assignment successfully.
Students also learn proven rewriting
techniques that work for any writer,
for any kind of writing. The stories
they write are more complete, the
essays more striking and
informative.
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"The way class was structured helped my daughter to conceptualize her thoughts on paper, which is something she was really struggling with..." —Parent of a 6th grader, Chicago, Illinois
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"I think students need to learn general techniques in school and basic formats to do essays and reports, but I also believe that each student needs to develop their own personal style and method of writing. They will use that for their whole lives."
—Parent of a 4th grader, Joliet, Illinois
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