Lessons come in two tracks or flavors:

 

Flavor 1, Half and Half: Reading & Writing

• Discussions of readings connect the books to topics relevant to the students (examples include magic, ideas of what is fair, children going on adventures, and issues pertaining to diversity and justice)

• Genres include short stories, novels, plays, and poems

• Age-appropriate readings with Common Core standards--and much more--in mind. Students might read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; graphic novels such as New Kid; and/or selected poems by Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Jacqueline Woodson, Anna Akhmatova, and others

• Writing prompts and assignments target learning from our readings:

  • For example, for a younger student, an imitation of a feast magically appearing in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 

  • For a more mature student, this might entail a discussion about what we can learn about the world and about writing techniques from the short story "One Friday Morning" by Langston Hughes

• Engaging reading assignments keep the students accountable for reading; fun writing assignments keep the students responsible for writing

• Instructor provides feedback and opportunities for revision

• One-on-one lessons enable the instructor to give the student ample individual attention, active listening, and respect

• The instructor facilitates educational games, prompt writing, and improvisation 

• The use of Google Docs to help students learn or further develop typing skills, share work easily, and become more autonomous learners

• Even when the pandemic is over, have your child taught without having to drive somewhere for an activity  

45-60 minutes; a break in between for yoga with the instructor, a snack, or good old 5 minutes of quiet time is available as needed

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Flavor 2: Almost All Creative Writing 

This type of lesson focuses on harnessing the use of language to express our voices, expand our imagination, try out different genres, and getting feedback. We do occasional readings together to learn writing techniques, words, and images.

• Genres range from short stories and novels to poetry and plays, and are customized for the student based on their interests

• While the student does some imitation, as in Flavor 1, more time is spent mentoring and guiding the student about the various ways of writing narratives

• The instructor facilitates educational games, prompt writing, and improvisation 

• Emphasis on developing student's confidence and appreciation of their strengths, as well as the exploration of areas where they might learn and improve

• The goal is to help the students explore their range of voices, try out different techniques, and generate plenty of material 

• Extensive, regular feedback to the student helps the student develop writing and revision skills

• The instructor guides the student towards thinking about the implications of the creative choices they are making, helping them become more purposeful writers and better planners

• Writing leads to an increase in empathy as the student explores different characters, voices, and styles​

• One-on-one lessons enable the instructor to give the student ample individual attention, active listening, and respect

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45-60 minutes; a break in between for yoga with the instructor, a snack, or good old 5 minutes of quiet time is available as needed

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To start a conversation of how this might work for your child, please fill out the form below.