Category Archives: 2019-20 Classes

Writing Workshop for 7th–10th grades

Posted on by Jen

ENROLLMENT UPDATE: This class has met the minimum enrollment and is a go! Please contact us regarding late applications if interested in joining the class.

Coming this fall: School-year classes for homeschoolers grades 4 through 10!

This post describes the 7th–10th grade Writing Workshop class. (Information regarding the 4th–6th grade class is available here.)

Who: Students entering grades 7–10 in fall ’19 

When: 2:15–3:15 p.m., Tuesdays, August 27, 2019 to May 13, 2020, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Sugar Land, Texas

This workshop class is designed to help students who have mastered the basics take their writing to the next level. The class will combine the advantages of private tutoring with the benefits of a group of peers. Families can work with the teacher to personalize each student’s learning experience. For example, students can bring in writing projects they’re working on for other classes, and/or the teacher can assign writing assignments to maximize the student’s progress as a developing author. Teacher and peer critique will help each student develop an editor’s eye along with habits of revision—both essential elements of the craft of writing. In-class writing activities will help students find their voice, master grammar, hone structure and organization, and refine their writing style. Students will be expected to carefully and thoroughly follow through on revision assignment instructions and to make diligent progress on assigned grammar work as arranged with parent and teacher.

To receive the full benefit of the writing class, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to weekly class sessions, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each week completing assignments at home. Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

Students will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

The teacher will supply the following course materials:

  • 3-ring notebook binder with tab dividers, course handouts, and reinforced lined notebook paper
  • Composition book
  • Graphing notebook
  • Grammar curriculum
  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—classroom copies to share
  • Classroom colored pencil sets

Supplies fee: $55/student—or $100 w/late fee if registering after August 16

Tuition is on a sliding scale and will be collected quarterly. Pay what you can within the following range: $500 to $800/student/year ($125-$200/quarter)

This class will be offered if a minimum of six students is enrolled by August 15. Full refunds will be made if the class is cancelled due to low enrollment.

Writing with the Masters 4th-6th Homeschool class

Posted on by Jen

ENROLLMENT UPDATE: This class has met the minimum enrollment and is a go! Please contact us regarding late applications if interested in joining the class.

Coming this fall: School-year classes for homeschoolers grades 4 through 10!

This post describes the class, Writing with the Masters, for grades 4 through 6. (Information about the 7th-10th grade class is available here.)

Who: Students entering grades 4–6 in fall ’19

When: 1:00–2:00 p.m., Tuesdays, August 27, 2019 to May 13, 2020, with holidays (See Academic Calendar.)

Where: Sugar Land, Texas

Along with Louis, the young trumpeter swan in E. B. White’s book, Trumpet of the Swan, students will journey to find their voice as they study and enjoy the writing of master author, E. B. White, co-author of the classic writer’s handbook, The Elements of Style. With White and other master authors as models, students will gain a higher level of stylistic mastery through imitation. Students will also develop narrating and outlining skills as they summarize and tell back passages from the novel and other sources. Throughout the school year, students will learn how to incorporate style and literary devices into their writing while also increasing their awareness of sentence structure and grammar. When imitation, narration, and syntax are combined with the IEW structure and style syllabus in this high-flying course, students will find their own writing voice resonant with new-found stylistic prowess.

To receive the full benefit of the writing class, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to weekly class sessions, students should plan to spend another half an hour to 1.5 hours each week completing assignments at home. Families will need to secure the following supplies before the start of class: (Linked brands are suggestions.)

Students will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

The teacher will supply the following course materials:

  • The Trumpet of the Swan, by E. B. White
  • 3-ring notebook binder with tab dividers, course handouts, and reinforced lined notebook paper
  • Composition book
  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—classroom copies to share
  • Classroom colored pencil sets

Supplies fee: $45/student—or $100 w/late fee if registering after August 16

Tuition is on a sliding scale and will be collected quarterly. Pay what you can within the following range: $500 to $800/student/year ($125-$200/quarter)

This class will be offered if a minimum of six students is enrolled by August 15. Full refunds will be made if the class is cancelled due to low enrollment.