5/6 Grade Reading & Writing (Elementary)

September 3rd- November 19th, 2025 2 hrs per class, once weekly

This class is typically for students in 5th-6th grade, often ages 10-12.

This fun, engaging story is set in the Rocky Mountain National park.  As the story begins, we meet Jake Evans and his family at the beginning of their two month summer vacation. Before Jake’s grandfather died, he was on the trail of a centuries-old mystery. He has entrusted that mystery to Jake, leaving behind a set of hidden codes, riddles, maps, and other clues that lead Jake and his friends on a scavenger hunt into the heart of Colorado’s wild and rugged Rocky Mountain National Park. Through twists and turns, the mystery unfolds while Jake, Amber, and Wes along with their parents learn about survival skills, natural history, integrity, character, and friendship.

For writing, the first semester will equip students to gather and organize their ideas, and then write them into simple sentences that they will be able to edit and revise to improve for a full 11-sentence expanded paragraph. Students will explore parts of speech as well as other applicable grammar elements. They will also learn the art of discussion and exploration through our 4-step writing process, all focused on literary response writing.
Skills Needed to Succeed in this Class

• Elementary Writing Foundations - prerequisite for this class for all new students (*summer class option is also available!)

• Able to read books independently and develop study skills such as annotating and charting while reading

• Writes neatly or uses the computer to complete writing assignments

• Listens carefully and follows instructions

• Has learned how to write a correct basic paragraph (as taught in our Primary Reading and Writing class)

• Willing to receive affirmation as well as correction on homework in order to grow as a writer

• Able to complete 2.5 to 3.5 hours of homework weekly

Skilled Learned in this Class

• Working towards mastery of TWJ basic writing steps and strategies for writing an expanded paragraph including brainstorming, outlining, writing a rough draft, rewriting for a final draft

• Creating quality expanded paragraphs with well developed “chunks”

• Providing specific examples from the novel to support assertions

• Explaining examples with insightful commentary

• Increased development of quality rewriting in the following ways:

  ○ Improving word choice through active verbs, concrete nouns, and well-placed adjectives and adverbs

  ○ Using sentence variety and transitional words and phrases

  ○ Learning to include complex punctuation in writing
  

Other Class Details

12 weeks

Class meets for 2 hours per week. 

Maximum class size 20 students.

Supplies: pencil, paper, class novel (see Study Book), TWJ Elementary Writing Foundations Handbook

Gmail account to access Google Classroom and communicate with instructor

Mystery In Rocky Mountain National Park

by Aaron Johnson

ISBN- 978-0989711654

Click here to purchase directly from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4iOr1Tm

This fun, engaging story is set in the Rocky mountain National park.  As the story begins we meet Jake Evans and his family at the beginning of their two month summer vacation. Before Jake’s grandfather died, he was on the trail of a centuries-old mystery. He has entrusted that mystery to Jake, leaving behind a set of hidden codes, riddles, maps, and other clues that lead Jake and his friends on a scavenger hunt into the heart of Colorado’s wild and rugged Rocky Mountain National Park. Through twists and turns, the mystery unfolds while Jake, Amber, and Wes along with their parents learn about survival skills, natural history, integrity, character, and friendship.

For families that pay out-of-pocket for homeschooling classes, The Write Journey, LLC offers a discount of 10% for those classes. Use code “PRIVATEPAY” during check out to apply discount. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts. The reduced rates for private-pay individuals may be used by students enrolled in charter schools, but only if the family chooses to pay for the goods or services out-of-pocket.

Venmo, PayPal, or Check? Use code “PERSONAL” during check out to change the class cost to $0. After you complete the registration process, please send us your payment. Venmo @TheWriteJourney-Cordell PayPal (Friends & Family) – info@thewritejourney.net

Paying with Charter School Funds? Use code “CHARTER” during check out to change the class cost to $0. After completing the registration process, contact your charter school to order vouchers/purchase orders in three one-month payments. Contact us for assistance if you plan to use charter funds and do not find The Write Journey (or Writing with Kris or Kris Cordell) on your charter school’s vendor list.

To pay with a check, contact us at 916.696.1759.

Cancellation Policy:

Due to the administrative costs and preparations of The Write Journey team to prepare classes and offer reasonable class sizes of 8-16 students, we must charge a cancellation fee. Teachers typically begin communication 2 weeks before classes begin, and class schedules must be finalized in order to offer the correct number of spots open for families. 

A $25 cancellation fee will be charged up to 2 weeks prior to the start of the ordered class. Any time after 2 weeks prior to the start of class, the cancellation fee is one full month’s charge. For private pay families with more than 2 children, a flat rate of $50 will be charged.