Our upcoming classes

Often, the task of writing anything starts with the question, “What is the purpose of this writing assignment?” Many think of creative writing or story-telling. Some think of poetry or journaling. Still others think of research papers and long essays. However, in most instances, students must learn how to address writing prompts, identifying whether the prompt asks a question of the student or tells the student to write about a specific topic.

Writing Foundations

Our Writing Foundations classes help students learn to respond to writing prompts in all situations. The size of the compositions grows with each level, but all levels address these needs:

•  Gather the ideas related to the prompt

•  Decide which ideas to use in their writing, or composition

•  Organize the ideas for flow

•  Put the ideas into complete sentences

•  Edit or correct the sentences for strength, correct grammar usage, and quality

•  Produce a final composition that the student knows is strong because all the steps are well addressed

Check out the various levels for students to learn our writing process!

Elementary Writing Foundations (typically 4th-6th grade) trains students to consider the prompt, decide their ideas or perspective, and then write a paragraph of either 8 or 11 sentences about that given prompt, or topic. 

Tuesday 11:30-12:30 PST/ 1:30-2:30 CST/2:30-3:30 EST

Thursday 11:30-12:30 PST/ 1:30-2:30 CST/2:30-3:30 EST

Intermediate Writing Foundations (typically 7th-8th grade) trains students to consider the prompt, decide their ideas or perspective, and then write more than one paragraph about that given prompt, or topic; they will also learn about thesis statements, transition sentences, and an overall conclusion.

Thursday 11-12 PST/1-2 CST/2-3 EST

Advanced Writing Foundations (typically 9th-12th grade) trains students to consider the prompt, decide their ideas or perspective, and then write a five-paragraph compositions about that given prompt, or topic, and teaches students to identify the type of essay required, such as expository, personal reflection, persuasive, argumentative, or research reporting, all while following MLA formatting rules. This class allows the advanced writer to grow in their ability to dig deeper for content about more challenging prompts.

Thursday 9:00-10:30 PST/12:00-1:30 EST

If your children have already taken a Writing Foundations class, we invite them to join one of our Reading & Writing classes to learn how to study literature deeply and write about it as they practice the writing methods they learned in their WF class.

Reading & Writing

If your student has already taken a Writing Foundations class with us, help them continue practicing the writing skills in a Reading & Writing class for the grade level! They will also learn the valuable skills to deeply study literature instead of simply reading to find out what happens in the story.

1/2 Grades - Wed. 11:30-1:30 PST/1:30-3:30 CST/2:30-4:30 EST

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett  

3/4 Grades -  Tues. 9-11 PST/11-1 CST/12-2 EST

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden 

5/6 Grades - Wed. 9-11 PST/11-1 CST/12-2 EST

Twenty- One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

7/8 Grades - Wed. 9-11 PST/ 11-1 CST/ 12-2 EST

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson 

High School Grades- Tues. 9-11 PST/11-1 CST/12-2 EST

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

The Write Tools

Time and again, The Write Journey hears comments from parents about the overwhelming expectations for their children when it comes to writing. They are expected to simply know how to write many words on any given topic. The expectation also demands that students find themselves naturally able to write because they read many books, or simply because they are older. These often misguided or unfair expectations may leave a student feeling as if they did something wrong, or as if they are not smart enough to complete the task. We come against this methodology with our Writing Foundations classes. Our goals aim to equip and empower the writer to address a writing assignment with specific skills to complete the task. The writer’s toolbox that we help students fill enables them to pull out the correct tool at the appropriate time.

Our focus for students is that they would gain mastery over the skills. This means that they need instruction, time, and practice. An athlete may begin with some natural abilities, but properly learning the fundamentals, plus hours of practice make a professional athlete stand out. The same is true with writing. A student may begin with some natural skills such as good ideas, eloquent phrases, and correct spelling. However, these are just parts of the whole. A student trained in the writer’s craft we teach will be able to pull all of their skills together to form a well-written, thoughtful, skillful composition. It simply takes the proper instruction, time, and practice.

NEW! AMAZON AFFILIATES

We are excited to announce that we now have joined the Amazon Affiliate program and happy to share our favorite educational items! We invite you to browse our instructors’ list of top literature picks. This is a compilation of all the classics we love to teach year after year. It’s easy:

1. Place your Amazon order for whatever you need.

2. View our list of top favorite picks.

3. Find a book that you need for a class, or one that you want for your family library. (NOTE: At the bottom of the list of our class titles, you will see the link for our complete “Reading List with Amazon “. Click on the link to see many more great books that we recommend, and that you will want to include in your family library.)

4. Click on the link for any one of the items listed. That will take you to Amazon where you will add that item to your order. 

5. Proceed as usual with your Amazon order.

When you do this, it helps The Write Journey on their mission to provide quality writing education to students. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but we are grateful for the opportunity to embrace the spirit of educators helping other educators!

Registration Open: Summer and Fall Classes

Summer 2024

As usual, we are offering a few summer classes in July for your students. These include: Elementary Writing Foundations, Creative Writing, and Fun with Grammar for younger and older students.

Elementary Writing Foundations

This class is the prerequisite class for all 5th/6th grade students that want to take a Reading & Writing class in the fall semester, but do not yet have any experience with our writing process and program. This class will span 3 weeks, meeting Monday-Thursday each week, for a total of 12 hours of instruction. Students will learn the writing process and the technology skills needed to take the 5th/6th grade reading and writing class. This class will also serve as a refresher course for any students that need a bit more practice before the next school year begins.

Creative Writing

Do you have a writer on your hands? Do you have a child that cannot help but tell a story? Do you see the need to supply them with tools to develop their story-telling skills? This summer writing camp can help with that!

Young Writers (grades 3-7)

Older Writers (grades 8-12)

Fun With Grammar

If your students need some help with grammar skills, this 4-day camp will bring fun and games to the table! In order to help your student learn these concepts, we will teach the grammar rules in an active and enjoyable way. Laughter will lead the way!!

We have a time for younger grades, and a time for older grades. Check out the schedule for the details!

Young Writers (grades 3-7)

Older Writers (grades 8-12)

Fall 2024

Our fall class offerings are extensive, so be sure to use the filter to find the classes that are best for your children. We will be offering Writing Foundations at the Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. In addition, for students who have already completed a Writing Foundations class, we will be offering our favorite: Reading and Writing classes. In these classes, students will continue practicing the writing methods they learned in Writing Foundations as they explore timeless literature.

Here are the fun novels our students will be studying:

1/2 Grade - My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

3/4 Grade - The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

5/6 Grade - (Wed) (Thurs) - The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois

7/8 Grade (Wed) (Thurs) - Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

9-12 Grade -Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

NOTE: No Writing Foundations prerequisite class is required for our younger students. (1st/2nd grade and 3rd/4th grade.)

Click to view complete class catalog.

Spring 2024 Classes

Click to view Spring 2024 class schedule

1/2 Grade Novel: Harper and the Scarlet Umbrella 

Wednesday 9:30-11:30 PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST)

Jan 31-May 1 *no class Feb. 21, and March 27

This fantasy tale introduces children to many musical vocabulary terms and explores the make believe world of enchantment. Children will learn about friendship, teamwork, and problem solving. They will also work on writing 3-4 complete sentences related to a topic. They will be taught how to identify some parts-of-speech, how to choose great words in sentence writing, and how to follow a story from the very beginning to the final resolutions.

3/4 Grade Novel: Medallion

Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST)

Jan 31-May 1 *no class Feb. 21, and March 27

Medallion is a fantasy coming-of-age story reminiscent of medieval times. In it, our main character goes on a journey, initiated by his pride, and learns many character lessons along the way. Our class will focus on setting and mood, character qualities and character growth, conflict (internal and external), and what it means to be a good leader. These topics will be both discussed in class, and be the topic for their writing assignments. We'll start with the Basic Paragraph, and quickly move to the Expanded Paragraph, learning to add in some familiar stylistic elements toward the end of the semester.

5/6 Grade Novel: The Door in the Wall

Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST)

Jan 31-May 1 *no class Feb. 21, and March 27

Or

Thursdays  9:30-11:30 PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST)

Feb 1-May 2 *no class Feb. 22, and March 28

Robin, child of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin’s destiny is changed suddenly when he falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him, and Robin is left alone. A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin. When the great castle of Lindsay is in danger, Robin discovers that there is more than one way to serve his king. This class will focus on the themes of perseverance, kindness, friendship, and courage. Students will also continue learning and practicing the expanded paragraph writing process, specifically focusing on the editing and stylistic elements that make paragraphs excellent! 

7/8 Grade Novel: The Hobbit

Tuesdays 10:00 am- 12:00 pm PST (1:00-3:00 pm EST) 

Jan 30-Apr 30 *no class Feb. 20, and March 26

Or

Wednesdays 10:00 am- 12:00 pm PST (1:00-3:00 pm EST)

Jan 31-May 1 *no class Feb. 21, and March 27

This classic tale follows the story of an unlikely hero, warns of the dangers of greed, and discovers the wonders of exploration and adventures. Students will discuss loyalty, honor, and resourcefulness in class. Many students will discover the difference between a written tale and its movie! Hint: the book is not the same; it is better! Students will also continue to focus on multi-paragraph writing. They will delve deeper into the more advanced stylistic elements and grammatical layers that enhance writing at the middle school level. 

9-12 Grade Novel: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 am PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST) 

Jan 30-Apr 30 *no class Feb. 20, and March 26

Or

Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST)

Jan 31-May 1 *no class Feb. 21, and March 27

Join us for a romp in Sherwood Forest as we tag along with The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood! Howard Pyle adapts the timeless legends of England’s famed outlaw and not only provides exhilarating escapades, but also explores thoughtful themes of good vs. evil, legality vs. morality, and the bonds of friendship. Students will contemplate the challenge of sticking to their principles in the face of conflict while studying one of the most exciting models in English literature! Students will continue to write five-paragraph essays focused on literary response writing. They will hone their use of stylistic elements and perfect the advanced grammatical skills needed for high school writing.

College Prep Novel: The Count of Monte Cristo

Thursdays 9:30-11:30 PST (12:30-2:30 pm EST)

Feb 1-May 2 *no class Feb. 22, and March 28

For centuries, Alexandre Dumas’ classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, has defended its title as the pinnacle of revenge stories. While many people know of the name, students will dive deeper and study the surprisingly intimate exploration of the complex dynamics between revenge and justice. As they follow the exploits of the millionaire on a mission, they will also discover how the interplay between mercy, grace, and redemption affect the story of one man seeking justice in an unjust world. Students will continue to write more expansive five-paragraph essays focused on literary response writing. They will hone their use of stylistic elements and perfect the advanced grammatical skills needed for college level writing. They will also write in discussion-board posts to practice for their college class experiences.