ONLINE CLASSES

PERSONAL NARRATIVE WRITING
Target group: 5-6 graders
Instructor Karen
​
Students learn how to write their stories with different approaches, like writing from within the moment, including tensions in your writing, how to craft moves, how to use ‘small moments’ to bring depth to your story.
​
Total sessions: 14
Class size: up to 6
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30pm Tuesday in Fall
FOUNDATIONS OF ANALYTICAL WRITING I
Target group: 6-7 graders
Instructor: Karen
​
Based on 3 award-winning class fiction, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle (Leslie Connor), The Someday Birds (Sally J. Pla), The Green Glass Sea (Ellen Klages), Karen will lead students to dig deeper to find out motives behind all those stories. Students will fit into authors’ shoes to learn how to write stories and present ideas.
​
Total sessions: 10
Class size: up to 6
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30pm Tuesday in winter


EXPOSITORY WRITING
Target group: 6-7 graders
Instructor: Karen
​
Definition of Expository Writing
Expository Paragraphs Focusing on Effective Use of Transition Words
Comma Usage in Complex Sentences
Paragraph Editing
Literary Analysis- Writing a Book Review
Plagiarism
Effective Open Ended Responses including introduction of evidence and in-text citations
Researched-Based Information Writing
​
Total sessions: 10
Class size: up to 6
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30pm Tuesday in Spring
​
CREATIVE WRITING
Target group: 5-6 graders
Instructor: Grace
The creative writing class focuses on and develops the building blocks of strong written, expression: descriptive writing and an understanding of figurative language and imagery, sentence structure and style, and vocabulary development. Each class session begins with an original prompt, such as a question, a picture, a short poem, or even a piece of music. These ‘warm up’ exercises will help students ease into a class of writing and sharing as they discover
the joy of a variety of genres. The fifteen sessions will include writing original stories, poems, and personal anecdotes, as well as working with partners in creative assignments.
​
Sessions: 15
Class size: up to 6
Schedule: 5:30-6:30 Monday in Fall


HISTORY & ANALYTICAL WRITING
Teacher: Martha Van Nuis
Target Group: 6th Grade
10 Sessions
​
In this class, students will study:
-
Primary v. secondary sources in the study of history
-
History research
-
Understanding bias/lens/point of view – developing the skill of content evaluation
-
Developing critical thinking skills
-
Thesis development for a history essay
-
Compare & contrast
DEEP DIVE INTO POETRY
Target group: 7-8 grader
Instructor: Sara
​
Studying poetry as an art form can help students learn in many ways. Poetry teaches students the impact of conveying meaning in a few words. In our modern world of social media and tweets, it encourages students to consider the impact of every word. Poets reflect the world we live in and are relatable to students’ questions of identity and self-expression. As Andrew Simmons writes in The Atlantic, “Poetry enables teachers to teach their students how to write, read, and understand any text. Poetry can give students a healthy outlet for surging emotions.” Finally, writing poetry has been proven to positively impact mental health by enabling students to express their emotions and find their voices in a controlled way. In this course, students will study classical and modern poetry and write their own poetry in every class. Classes will include both lively discussions and individualized writing conferences with the instructor. By the end of the course, students will submit their best poems to national poetry competitions.
​
Total sessions: 11
Class size: up to 8
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30 pm Tuesday in Spring


DEEP DIVE INTO DRAMA
Target group: 7-8 grader
Instructor: Sara
Teaching style: crystal clear, precise and thorough
​
Following the successful completion of “Foundations to Analytical Writing” (either taught as a two-week summer camp or a ten-week class), students may opt to dive deeper into the study of literature through exploring the genre of drama. In this class, students will learn about the origins of theater and the history of the tragedy by studying Sophocles’ Antigone, written in or before 441 BC. Next, students will study Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1949. By comparing and contrasting these classic tragedies, students will connect history to literature and recognize how both the form and content of the tragedy has changed over time. Prior to class, students will be expected to complete both reading and writing assignments. Students will be offered individualized feedback on their writing and will revise their work based on this feedback. Weekly classes will be lively and fast-paced, with time allocated to reading and writing instruction, discussion and debate, and writing workshop.
​
Total sessions: 11
Class size: up to 8
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30 pm Tuesday in Fall
ADVANCED GRAMMAR IN CREATIVE WRITING
Target group: 7-8 grader
Instructor: Sara
​
In this course, grammar and creative writing instruction will be combined to motivate students to tell their stories as effectively as possible. Students will master eight sophisticated sentence patterns and practice these patterns by responding to creative writing prompts. Students will strengthen their grammatical skills through drill to master sentence structure and to avoid associated grammatical errors. The first half of each class will be devoted to direct instruction and practice, and the second half of the class will be conducted with a writing-workshop approach. The goal is for students to diversify their sentence structure and to evaluate which grammatical construction best communicates their ideas and narrative voice.
​
Total sessions: 11
Class size: up to 8
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30 pm Tuesday in Winter


RESEARCH WRITING
RESEARCH WRITING
Target group: 8-9 grader
Instructor: Andrew
​
The first step in constructing the research project is selection of the topic. After identifying a possible subject, students will find sources to explore the subject. After becoming informed about the general subject, students decide on an appropriate focus- “the topic.” Further research leads to the generation of a thesis statement that can be proven, through support from reliable sources. As sources and ideas, associated with the topic’s provable thesis statement develop, a pattern of the discussion will be arranged. Then, the writing process continues in the form of editing, deleting and compression. New sources will be added to the project to solidify the validity of the thesis statement. Throughout the course, the class will begin with shorter exercises in the research process and eventually progress to longer activities. By the conclusion of the course, students will complete a three-page research project.
​
Total sessions: 12
Class size: up to 8
Class schedule: 5:30pm- 6:30 pm Tuesday in Spring
SAT PREP
​​
-
12 classes of 2.5 hrs each
-
Instructor: Yuko Zhang
-
Class size: 8-10 students
-
20 sets of SAT exams
-
Covers vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills
-
Unique “3k” comprehension skills (key word - key sentence - key structure)
-
Unique “Catch-30” methodology facilitates understanding of grammar rules
-
Trains students to better identify the critical parts of questions to improve comprehension efficiency
-
Analyzes frequently missed questions
-
The instructor uses"3k" comprehension skills (key word - key sentence - key structure) and "Catch-30" training rules for SAT grammar. Some students in her class scored perfectly on SAT reading section.


ADVANCED PERSONAL NARRATIVE WRITING
Target group: 8-9 grader
Instructor: Grace
​
The focus of this course is to provide solid skills for students who want to develop a personal and authentic style through descriptive writing of their unique stories. By responding daily to creative prompts, doing style exercises, and getting assistance with grammar and vocabulary, students will gain confidence and fluidity in their writing. One on one time with the instructor for feedback, doing occasional pair work, and reading strong personal narratives which serve as models are also essential aspects of the class. By the completion of the ten-session course, participants will have written several finished pieces of their choice. Topics include but are not
restricted to: a story of a meaningful event, description of a significant person or place, bringing to life an important object or activity, and the development of an important relationship.
​
Total Sessions: 10
Class size: up to 8
Schedule: 7:00-8:15 Sunday in Fall