Weekly CLASSES

My weekly classes come in two sizes: Ages 5-7, and Ages 8 and above.

The Young...   With the young group, we focus on picture books, discussing how elements of story are introduced by the author. And…. they write!  Their stories may not always go from point A to point B, but they are always wildly entertaining and imaginative. Key to this younger group is a weekly bath of language and imagination.

Often  I read a story of my own. Kids really love this part.  And while it will be awhile before most of these kids produce a story of this length and depth, the nuances of a good story begin to stick over time.

And the Ancient ...   In a typical class for 8 and over, kids first read their assignments from the week before.  Some kids invariably take a pass initially. Then they sense the glow of satisfaction other kids experience when reading their stories and suddenly reluctance goes the way of Jujubees. These same kids soon have their arms straining out of sockets to read their stories first.  If kids want feedback on their stories, they can email them to me mid-week and incorporate any changes into the piece they read for class. Feedback ranges from general observations and caveats, to occasional line-edits.
 
After assignments are read,  I focus on one element of stories:  characters, description, observations, word usage, openers, endings – there are a ton.  This “teaching” segment often comes with an in-class exercise to bring the point home.