Our writing workshops are built on a solid routine of mini-lessons, independent writing, and sharing time. Children learn to write well when they write frequently, for extended periods of time, on topics that matter to them. From brain storming and drafting to revising and editing, children will receive ongoing support in our writing workshops.
A specific writing topic
To help learners find a topic of own, we use an expert list or a heart map.
Skills and strategies
Such as adding details through questioning; building content through show, not tell; crafting a lead and an ending.
Students learn from a variety of mentor text. Practicing one strategy at a time makes the learning process manageable.
Conventions
Such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization
Students learn by editing own pieces of writing.
Writing conference
In our mini writing conferences, ongoing support helps overcome writer's block.
Publishing
Students' writing examples, click here
Student's writing-Lunch room
Student's draft-Making dumplings
Student's draft-My mom
Student's writing-Computer rules
For the first session or two, we will be using student survey questions and an expert list to discover your child's interests as well as strengths and weaknesses.
Below you will see the structure of the tutoring hour. Sessions will include a variety of activities based on your child’s needs such as studying mentor text, brainstorming writing topics, leaning grammar etc. But above all, we will write. Research shows that struggling writers do not typically get much time to do “real” writing. We make it our goal that the most time allotted in our tutoring session is for your child to write.
ONE HOUR WRITING SESSION
1. Warm Up (5-10 minutes):
*Review the entry he/she did in last session
*Talk about the parts student has revised/edited since we were last together
2. Mentor text mini lesson (10-15 minutes):
*Read aloud together the mentor text I prepared for this session
*Discuss about the effective writing strategies the author uses in the mentor text
3. Brainstorming (5-10 minutes):
*Model how to choose a topic to write
*Discuss how to use the writing strategy learnt from the mentor text
4. Drafting (20-25 minutes):
*The student writes a topic of own choice and I assist when needed by doing things such as asking questions to help build content or encouraging use of new writing strategy
5. Revising and Editing (10-15 minutes):
*Revising--this is when we read together your child's writing and decide if he/she wants to add, remove, change part of the writing
*Editing-this is when we check capitalization, spelling, punctuation, grammar etc
Tutoring sessions are offered both in person and online. Online classes are delivered through Zoom Video Conference which is an app you can use on any of your devices for free. In online Zoom class, both teacher and students can annotate on shared screen and whiteboard.
Teacher-made videos will be sent for reviewing after each session.
Reference can be provided upon request.
Click here for English Writing online class demo video
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