Level | Day | Time | Delivery Method |
G4-7 | Wednesday | 4:30-6:30PM | Online |
G8-12 | Sunday | 2:00-4:00 PM | Online |
In this Winter Camp, students will focus on improving their reading and writing skills. The term is usually divided into 3 separate units, largely contemporary: short stories, poetry, and non-fiction articles.
Students will improve their overall comprehension, as well as their ability to produce strong writing samples that make use of a variety of literary elements; at the end of the term, students will be able to think critically about passages, analyze content and writing style, and produce written responses.
Students will respond to the reading passages using different methods of writing, such as personal response, summary, and analysis.
In class activities, students will:
- read passages (short stories, poetry, non-fiction articles)
- complete comprehension questions
- review new vocabulary
- discuss reading passage content
- analyze reading passage content
- complete grammar exercises and/or literary device exercises
- write responses to the reading passages (reflection, reaction, analysis, short story, etc)
- check & edit homework
Creative writing classes are focused on creative and original output. Students will improve overall reading comprehension, as well as increase their creative production and writing skills; students will end the term with strong personal writing portfolios with a variety of content, including a long-term writing project.
Short stories, poems, and screenplays are all possible genres to be discussed; students will be encouraged to utilize a variety of literary devices to strengthen plotlines and imagery in their writing. Editing, grammar, and vocabulary will also be areas of focus to help students improve their skills.
In class activities, students will:
- read passages (short stories, poetry, plays)
- discuss literary elements
- discuss creative elements
- complete short writing exercises
- complete longer, evolved, complex creative works
- edit & peer-review writing homework
- lead workshops on their work (high level)
Writing classes are for students who want to focus on improving writing skills. While some reading is necessary, as students often need to answer a question analyzing a passage, the focus will be on students’ writing in the form of in-class and at-home assignments.
Lessons may address types of writing (essays, summaries, articles), or elements within writing (use of outlines, literary devices, or citations/quotations), as well as how to properly draft revisions, incorporate complex grammatical structures, and build connections.
Students will submit weekly assignments. Additionally, students will sometimes be asked to do live-editing/peer-editing exercises in class.
In class activities, students will:
- Lesson on a specific style/type/aspect of writing (summary writing, essay writing (persuasive, narrative, argumentative, expository), personal reflection, voice, tone, literary devices (imagery, metaphor, personification, etc), citations/paraphrasing, etc
- Review of HW
- Overview of writing samples as needed
- In-class edits (peer-editing, live-editing, independent draft workshops)
- Lesson on grammar
- Students submit writing assignments every week and are encouraged to do 3 drafts of each assignment
- Students will sometimes be asked to do live-editing and peer-editing exercises in class
Students in ESL Writing already possess strong overall skills, but often still have one or two areas of weakness that need additional focus. This class allows students to get the targeted help they need to improve their skills and advance further. Possible areas of focus include grammar, complex sentence structure, high level essay writing, citations and references, research skills, etc.
In class, students will participate in the following activities:
- homework review
- peer-review, editing, and suggestions for improvement
- discussion of new topics
- lesson on vocabulary/grammar
- brainstorming of main points and examples
- mindmapping or outlining for essays
- essay writing
Essay writing classes focus on a variety of writing skills. Students will learn both format and structure, work on critical thinking and argumentation skills, and learn different types of essays such as narrative, expository, and persuasive. Students will learn to edit and revise their work and review grammar points as needed.
In this class, students watch a variety of short films and film clips. Students will take notes and have the opportunity to ask questions and clarify points, answering comprehension questions and learning to write summaries and personal responses.
Students will complete assignments much in the same way as when in Reading&Writing class; after watching the film, the instructor will teach a lesson on a specific area before outlining a connected writing assignment.
Students in this class will gain valuable experience in self-reflection and analysis; students will also improve their vocabulary, discussion, and writing skills.
In class activities, students will:
- Watch film clips
- Discuss/clarify areas of confusion
- Learn new vocabulary
- Write summaries
- Write personal responses
- Analyze film
- Write analysis essays
- Explore areas of film production
In a Critical Thinking Class, students will be presented with common topics of debate in social, justice, environmental, economical, and health forums. They will discuss their opinions, examine the concepts of prejudice/bias, and work to formulate their own claims.
Students will improve vocabulary, build confidence in group discussion, and learn to think critically; they will also learn how to research effectively, by considering material source/bias, date, and relevance.
In addition, students will have to think creatively to create unique, yet workable, solutions to common issues in contemporary society. Students will then write and present their findings.
During class activities, students will:
- Discuss a variety of controversial contemporary topics
- Learn critical thinking skills
- Learn research and note-taking skills
- Improve creative problem solving skills
- Improve process, cause-effect, opinion, and argumentative essay writing skills
- Learn effective presentation and public speaking skills
- Learn self-evaluation and peer-review skills
In this class, we work to make reading a fun and interesting experience — too many students believe reading is a chore and only do so when required. Our mission in this class is to bring back the joy of reading. In class, throughout the term we will read between 1-3 novels depending on student age and ability, as well as novel length.
Novels selected will be age-appropriate and popular among contemporary young readers. For homework, students will read several chapters of the novel, and complete writing exercises. In class, students will review difficult portions of the text, read sections aloud for pronunciation and speaking practice, discuss story themes and literary elements, and produce creative writing projects dealing with the themes covered in class.
Class activities will include:
- read passages from the assigned novel
- complete comprehension questions
- review new vocabulary
- discuss reading passage content
- analyze reading passage content
- complete grammar exercises and/or literary device exercises
- write responses to the reading passages (reflection, reaction, analysis, short story, etc)
- check & edit homework
This class offers a unique opportunity for students to improve their English skills while simultaneously learning a variety of important skills. Students will discuss current events on global, national, and local levels; learn new vocabulary; discuss important events; and gain both self and world-awareness.
Students will also examine news articles for bias, debate ethics and solutions, and learn to write objective news on a variety of topics. To improve their writing, students will be required to learn research and editing skills, as well as how to cite references, and will present their work to the class for peer-review.
During class activities, students will:
- read news articles on a variety of topics
- learn new vocabulary
- discuss article content and answer comprehension questions
- examine articles for source, bias, tone, and intended audience
- research current events & learn note-taking and citation skills
- present their articles to the class
- learn to give constructive criticism and peer-review
The Literature class is structured in the same was as the Reading&Writing classes. The major difference is that the Literature class will focus on reading passages pulled from a variety of literary texts. Students may be asked to read literary excerpts, short stories, or entire novels; the literature chosen may be classical, modern, or a mixture of both.
Students will improve their overall comprehension, as well as their ability to produce strong writing samples that make use of a variety of literary elements; at the end of the term, students will be able to think critically about passages, analyze content and writing style, and produce written responses.
In class activities, students will:
- read passages
- complete comprehension questions
- review new vocabulary
- discuss and analyze reading passage content
- complete grammar and/or literary device exercises
- write responses to the reading passages (summary, analysis, personal response, essay)
- check & edit homework