Class Descriptions:

3rd Grade Develop & Support a Claim

An inviting, informative and just plain fun writing course designed to support your child in developing and supporting a claim.  Students will learn to craft paragraphs, state a clear claim, choose relevant evidence, add details (analysis) to support the claim, and develop a conclusion.  Students will be provided with tools to evaluate the flow of their paragraphs and the consistency of their information and details within their claim. It will be taught using a road-tested writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with engaging and high-interest content. Writing will become easier for them, and the quality of their writing will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: Pick Information, Organize and then Write - POW

• Organization - Topic, Information, Details, Ending - TIDE

• Close reading strategies to identify evidence

• Outlining technique structured to articulate and prove a claim

• Make and develop a claim

• Prove your claim

• Endings that wrap-up

• Figurative language techniques, show don’t tell

• Word choice & transitions

Class Descriptions:

4th Grade Develop, Support and Strengthen a Claim

An inviting, informative and just plain fun writing course designed to support your child in developing and supporting an argument.  Students will learn to craft paragraphs that state a clear claim, choose best evidence to support the claim, develop analysis that proves the claim, and state a conclusion that synthesizes the point they aim to make.  Students will be provided with tools to help evaluate the coherence of their paragraphs, improve the organization of their writing, and clarify the relationships of their ideas. It will be taught using a road-tested, proven, writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with engaging and high-interest content. Writing will become easier for them, and the quality of their writing will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: Pick Information, Organize and then Write - POW

• Organization - Topic, Information, Details, Ending - TIDE

• Close reading strategies to choose best evidence

• Outlining technique structured to articulate and prove a claim

• Make and develop a claim

• Prove your claim

• Endings that synthesize the argument

• Figurative language techniques, show don’t tell

• Word choice & transitions

Class Descriptions:

5th Grade Argument & Literary Analysis Paragraphs

An informative and inviting writing course designed to support your child in developing and supporting a strong argument, and introducing him or her to literary analysis techniques.  Students will learn to craft paragraphs that state a clear claim, choose best evidence to support the claim, develop analysis that proves the claim, and state a conclusion that synthesizes his/her argument.  Students will be provided with tools to help evaluate the coherence of their paragraphs, improve the organization of their writing, and clarify the relationships of their ideas.  It will be taught using a proven, writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with engaging and high-interest content.  Writing will become easier for them, and quality will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: Pick Information, Organize, Write, Revise & Edit - POWRE

• Establish an insightful thesis/claim

• Organize and outline the argument

• Select best evidence

• Prove the argument

• Interrogate argument for strength & depth

• Revision and editing strategies

• Fine tune word choice, transitions, sentence variety and coherenc

Class Descriptions:

6th Grade Argument, Literary & Expository Writing Methods

An informative and inviting writing course designed to help your child develop and support an argument with clarity and depth, and strengthen his/her literary analysis techniques.  Students will learn to craft paragraphs that state a meaningful claim, choose best evidence to support the claim, develop analysis that proves the claim, and state a conclusion that synthesizes his/her argument.  Students will be provided with tools to help evaluate the coherence of their paragraphs, improve the organization of their writing, and clarify the relationships of their ideas. It will be taught using a road-tested writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with engaging and high-interest content. Writing will become easier for them, and quality will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: Pick Information, Organize, Write, Revise & Edit - POWRE

• Develop an insightful thesis

• Organize & outline the argument

• Select best evidence to support claims

• Craft analysis to prove the thesis

• Interrogate argument for strength & depth

• Analyze literary characters and point-of-view

• Revision and editing strategies

• Fine tune word choice, transitions, sentence variety and coherence

Class Descriptions:

7th Grade Argument & Literary Analysis Fine Tuning

An informative and inviting writing course designed to support your child in developing and supporting an argument with clarity and depth, and strengthening his/her literary analysis techniques.  Students will learn to craft essays that state a meaningful and insightful claim, choose best evidence to support the claim, develop analysis that proves the claim, and state a conclusion that synthesizes his/her argument.  Students will be provided with tools to help evaluate the depth of their argument, coherence of their paragraphs, the logic of their organization, and clarity of the relationships of their ideas. It will be taught using a road-tested, proven, writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with engaging and high-interest content. Writing will become easier for them, and quality will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: plan, organize (outline), write, revise, edit - POWRE

• Develop an insightful thesis

• Organization & outlining techniques

• Select best evidence to support claims

• Craft analysis to prove the thesis

• Interrogate argument for strength & depth

• Literary character and point-of-view analysis

• Revision and editing strategies

• Fine tune word choice, transitions, sentence variety and coherence

Class Descriptions:

8th Grade Persuasive Essay & Literary Analysis Strategies

An informative and inviting writing course designed to help your child develop and support an argument with clarity and depth, and strengthen his/her literary and historical analysis techniques.  Students will learn to craft essays that state a meaningful and insightful claim, choose best evidence to support the claim, develop analysis that proves the claim, and state a conclusion that synthesizes his/her argument.  Students will be provided with tools to help evaluate the depth of their argument, the coherence of their paragraphs, the logic of their organization, and the clarity of the relationships among their ideas. It will be taught using a  proven, writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with engaging and high-interest content. Writing will become easier for them, and quality will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: Pick Information, Organize, Write, Revise & Edit - POWRE

• Develop an insightful thesis

• Organization and outlining techniques

• Select best evidence to support claims

• Craft analysis to prove the thesis

• Interrogate argument for strength & depth

• Analyze literary character and point-of-view

• Revision and editing strategies

• Fine tune word choice, transitions, sentence variety and coherence

Class Descriptions:

9th & 10th Grade Advanced Argument Essay & Literary Analysis

An informative and enticing course designed to support your child in developing powerful arguments with persuasive writing, and historical and literary analysis capabilities.  Students will learn to craft essays with a meaningful and insightful thesis, choose best evidence to support the claim, develop analysis that proves the claim, and craft a conclusion that synthesizes and extends his/her argument.  Students will be provided with tools to help evaluate the depth of their argument, the coherence of their paragraphs, the logic of their organization, and the clarity of the relationships of their ideas. It will be taught using a road-tested writing instruction methodology.  Techniques will be practiced with excerpts from literature and history topics likely to be encountered in school. Writing will become easier for them, and quality will improve.

Curriculum:

• The writing process: Pick Information, Organize, Write, Revise & Edit - POWRE

• Develop an insightful thesis

• Organization & outlining techniques

• Select best evidence to support claims

• Craft analysis to prove the thesis

• Interrogate argument for strength & depth

• Introduce and address counterclaims

• Revision and editing strategies

• Literary character and point-of-view analysis

• Fine tune word choice, transitions, sentence variety and coherence

Class Descriptions:

ISEE & SSAT Test Preparation

A comprehensive test-prep class covering math, verbal, reading comprehension, and writing.  Classes will cycle through presenting strategies for approaching different types of problems, practicing problems, and reviewing concepts missed.  Progress will be measured by comparing a pre-class test to scores on sections and practice tests throughout the class. Students will have homework plus be asked to learn new vocabulary words each day.  Max of 8 students per class.  Note, the practice sections and essay prompts assigned will be tailored/matched to the test each students plans on taking for those who know if they will be sitting for the SSAT or the ISEE.