Summer – 2017
Registration opens on April 17th!
Registration will close on May 13th.
Summer Session dates: May 22nd – July 5th
Pricing: $85 per class, per student. Please note there are no family discounts for the summer session classes.
Time required: Between 2 and 4 hours a week depending on the class
Writing Sample: If you feel your student’s punctuation, grammar, sentence development and structure are beyond the beginning classes, please feel free to have your student submit a writing sample here.
If you are looking for our Session 1 schedule which begins the week of August 7th, please click here.
PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to register for Summer AND Session 1, you must complete registration and payment separately (i.e. register and pay for Summer session, and once that transaction is complete, return and register for Session 1)
Classes
Please feel free to browse our classes available for registration. Click the class name to view a summary of information. To view the days and times we offer for each class, and to register, you may click the “view more information” link. If you have any questions or troubles with enrolling, please feel free to contact us.
Beginning Creative Writing | Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will learn the basics of creative writing, including the study of specific settings, plots, and characters. Emphasis is placed on descriptive writing, varied sentence structure, thesaurus use, and learning to self-edit.
Time required: Approximately 3-4 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Book Project | Ages: 11 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 11 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Do you love to read? Summer is the best time to choose a book and curl up and read it! Now you can learn how to create MORE than a book report by learning about the different elements of fiction: plot, character, setting, as well as how to write a book review and how to do an author biography. This class is appropriate for all ages and levels of expertise, as you will choose a book for your age level, and your project as complex as you wish. Edits will be required as needed to help ensure your project is in the proper form.
Descriptive Writing | Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will learn to write interesting and inviting paragraphs using different types of figurative language and literary devices. Using these methods, students will use words to paint a picture of images and events in the mind of their reader. Students will write a paragraph describing a moment in time in addition to other paragraphs that create clear pictures of images, people, and other places important to the writer. Working on focus and specific word use will be emphasized while students continue to work on vocabulary, parts of speech, and sentence structure.
Time required: Approximately 2 to 3 hours per lesson, plus up to 1 hour online class times as indicated.
Comparative Writing | Ages:11-18 | Length of Class: 6 week
Fundamentals of Writing 1 | Ages: 9 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 9 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will gain the ability to develop purpose, consider audience, and write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. This class will also help the student to become knowledgeable and comfortable with using their computer so that it may be used as a valuable tool in their education. Students will be learning spelling rules, vocabulary skills and how to use reference materials, sentence structure and parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, basic grammar, writing a complete, coherent, and interesting paragraph that has purpose and considers audience.
Time Required: Approximately 2-3 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Fundamentals of Writing 2 | Ages: 9 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 9 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: A continuation of Fundamentals of Writing 1. Students will gain the ability to develop purpose, consider audience, and write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. This class will also help the student to become knowledgeable and comfortable with using their computer so that it may be used as a valuable tool in their education. Students will continue to expand their abilities with spelling rules, vocabulary skills and how to use reference materials, sentence structure and parts of speech, punctuation, capitalization, basic grammar, writing a complete, coherent, and interesting paragraph that has purpose and considers audience.
Time Required: Approximately 2-3 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Let's Write Sentences | Ages: 8 + | Length of Class: 6 Weeks
Ages: 8 + | Length of Class: 6 Weeks
Description: Students will learn to recognize a complete sentence. Students will use correct punctuation and capitalization for complete sentences as well as use appropriate grammar and punctuation in their writing. Students will be able to distinguish between a telling sentence and an asking sentence. Students will learn to recognize nouns and verbs and their purposes. Students will make a sentence more elaborate by adding details and describing words. Students will recognize and construct compound sentences using FANBOYS coordinating conjunctions and appropriate punctuation. Students will go from writing simple, simple sentences to super sentences.
Time Required: Approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Let's Write More Sentences | Ages: 9 + | Length of Class: 6 Weeks
Ages: 9 + | Length of Class 6 Weeks
Description: Students will be introduced to compound subjects and verbs, direct objects, and dictionary skills. Students will learn the parts of a paragraph including a topic sentence, detail sentences, and a closing sentence. Students will have specific practice with writing each of these parts before writing their own paragraph at the end of class. Students will learn about run-on sentences, using specific words, and homophones. Students will learn how to use a graphic organizer to gather thoughts and write a paragraph on their own. Finally, students will be introduced to using an editing checklist to self-edit their work.
Time Required: Approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Narrative Writing | Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will learn personal event journaling techniques which will generate ideas for writing a short autobiographical account of an event. They will also learn how to write simple interview questions, conduct a short interview, and write a short biographical account of their interviewee. Included will also be instruction on how to write a friendly letter and address a letter. Journaling of daily reading of a book of the student’s choice will be an ongoing part of the class. Focus will continue to be on setting up a paragraph, including topic sentences, details, and closing sentences, as well as basic grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Time Required: Approximately 2-3 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Paragraph Writing | Ages: 13 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 13 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will develop the ability to write using different patterns of development, as well as strengthening topic sentences and organizing details within the paragraph. We will focus on sentence structure, transitions, cue words, grammar, and action verb usage, all of which will contribute to developing maturity in writing. Students will learn to write a descriptive paragraph, compare-contrast paragraph, characterization paragraph, narrative paragraph, process paragraph, and expository paragraph. Class is usually recommended to be repeated more than once, with more complex assignments each time. This challenging class is highly suitable for all ages from 13 through high school.
Time required: Approximately 4+ hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Presentation | Ages: 12 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 12 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: High school and college classes require the ability to create presentation slide shows for various projects. The program is easy and very fun to use! Students will use the presentation software, Impress (which is the free equivalent of PowerPoint), to create a presentation slide show to display their understanding of the different patterns of development in writing, mainly compare-contrast and cause-effect. They will will also focus on the skills of writing paragraphs using the compare-contrast pattern of development and the cause-effect pattern of development, as well as simple research and MLA Format for a Works Referenced page.
Time Required: Approximately 3 hours per week, plus 1-hour weekly online class time.
Expository Writing (Research Essay) | Ages: 14 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 14 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
This course can be repeated more than once, since this is a skill that improves with practice.
Description: Students will learn to write a research essay. Concepts covered and learned through writing one essay include: punctuation and paragraphing; choosing and narrowing a topic; choosing, documenting and citing resources in parenthetical references; choosing 3 or more main points (subtopics); note taking; using and documenting quotes; writing a thesis statement; writing topic sentences; MLA Format; writing supporting paragraphs; transition sentences; writing an opening paragraph; and writing a closing paragraph. It is recommended that this class be repeated more than once, especially for high school level students.
Approximately 4 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time (as needed).
Students will be required to choose topic (from list provided by instructor) and gather resources prior to start of class.
Poetry Project | Ages: 11 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 11 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Are you a young, budding poet? Are you curious about the various kinds of poems and what poetry is? Or perhaps you need to learn some of the basics but are not ready for the upper-level Poetry class? If so, then Poetry Project is for you! This class will serve as an introductory overview unit of poetry and will teach some of the basic poetry forms. You also will read poems and write basic poetry. As you practice writing poems in these forms, you will be building your own booklet of poetry. By the end of the session, you will have created a poetry project portfolio. This class is appropriate for all ages and levels of expertise, as you will be required to include only the basics but can make your project as complex as you wish. Edits will be required as needed to help ensure poems are in the proper form. Since you will be compiling a portfolio for the poetry project, the final assignment will necessitate some layout (inclusion of pictures or clipart, formatting, etc.) as well.
Play Writing | Ages: 13+ | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 13+ | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will learn to write short plays for stage production using dialogue, stage directions, characterization, plot structure, conflict, audience, setting, mood, humor and emotion, plot twists, and editing.
Report Writing | Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will gain the ability to do simple research and develop purpose, consider audience, and write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs into a report that develops and supports a central topic. Students will continue to expand their abilities applying spelling rules, vocabulary skills, punctuation, capitalization, basic grammar, sentence structure, recognition of parts of speech, and use of reference materials.
Time Required: Approximately 3+ hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Summer Subordinates (punctuation) | Ages: 12+ | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 12+ | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Are you struggling with comma usage? Are you hoping to move forward in the classes we offer, but punctuation and grammar are holding you back? Recognizing subordinate and independent clauses will solve your problems! In this class we will focus on each type of clause and how to punctuate. We will overcome that punctuation problem which holds up so many students from progressing to further classes.
Wise Writers | Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 10 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will write for a variety of purposes and audiences, using paragraphs, articles, letters, and poems to express their ideas. Using these formats, students will practice the six traits of quality writing: conventions, sentence fluency, voice, word choice, organization, and ideas. Each week, students will focus on one writing trait, one example of comma usage, and one grammar goal. The class emphasizes the use of graphic organizers as helpful writing tools. The class also offers a review of writing basics and a weekly vocabulary journal.
Time required: Approximately 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 hours per lesson, plus up to 1 hour online class times as indicated.
Writing About Books | Ages: 14-18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 14-18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: This challenging class will entail recognizing and writing about the elements of fiction. Additionally, a very challenging grammar focus will be on verbs and conjugating all of the tenses (much more than just present, past and future), as well as understanding tricky verbs and the active and passive voice. Students will be required to complete a book from a specified list PRIOR to the start of class. This class is highly suitable for all ages from 14-18.
Time required: Approximately 4 hours per week, plus up to 1 hour weekly online class time.
Writing the Hero's Journey | Ages: 10+ | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 10+ | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will learn the basic elements of storytelling through the classic Hero’s Journey structure. Along with examining plot, character, and setting, the students will craft their own short story from an outline through the final draft. Emphasis is placed on organization of thoughts, bold and active writing, precision of grammar and punctuation, use of the thesaurus and dictionary, and learning to self-edit—skills that will transfer to all forms of writing.
ACT Preparation Class - Timed Essay | Ages: 15 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Ages: 15 -18 | Length of Class: 6 weeks
Description: Students will learn how to plan and write and essay in 25 minutes based on a typical ACT writing prompt. This class will teach students how to read the prompt and decide on a topic about which to write, how to cover the topic thoroughly, how to use examples and evidence to support their argument, and how organize their thoughts into a multi-paragraph essay. Grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and critical thinking skills will also be covered. Students will learn how to express their ideas clearly and effectively in the short time allotted in the stressful testing environment.