Summer Never Felt So Good
I spent the last two-and-a-half months of the school year writing math literacy text books for second, fourth, and sixth grades. It was…a lot. I was researching and writing articles and stories at unsustainable speeds that only increased as the grade levels (and math concepts) got higher. I was absolute toast by the time the last day of school rolled around.
My days are equally busy this summer at The Wordshop, but they’re filled with exponentially more joy. My week starts at Over the Rainbow day camp at South Broadland Presbyterian Church in KCMO, where I’m the reading concierge and writing teacher for the rising fifth and sixth graders. I learned a lot during my time there last summer, namely that summer is supposed to be fun. So instead of assigning the kids books to read, I help them find books they might enjoy and teach them how to set up their own book clubs. We’ve made our own characters and written some fan fiction. This week, we’ll jump into world building. In July, we’ll tackle poetry, fairy tales, and more.
The rest of the week is back-to-back writing classes and book clubs at The Wordshop.
So far, our book clubbers have given a thumbs up to Harriet the Spy (Spy School), Dealing with Dragons (Fantasy Land), and Not a Drop to Drink (Dystopi-YA). Elliott and Claire were so-so on Garlic and the Vampire because they thought it wasn’t long enough. (Mrs. Kristin thinks a) it’s a perfect book and b) her Graphic Novel book clubbers are growing out of graphic novels. It happens to the best—and all—of us.)
The Fracturing Fairy Tales gang was finally all in the same room this week for our session on magic systems. The writers brainstormed as a group, then continued helping one another refine the details of how their particular magic worked. We had crystals, natural elements, and an underwater tree that grows bubbles.
Andrei has been working hard on his Common App essay so he can start applying to colleges in the fall. I’m really impressed with how much he’s gotten done in such a short amount of time. I love getting to spend one-on-one time with seniors during this process. There’s a moment when I’m interviewing them when they get this little smile on their face and their eyes start to shine. That’s when I know we’ve found their story.
Madison, Addison and I had our first AP English Prep session. This is a confidence building class that helps high schoolers prepare for either AP English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition. I provide lessons on areas in which the kids may feel shaky, such as identifying themes, symbols, motifs, and author’s intent. Meanwhile, the kids select their own summer reading titles (if they haven’t been assigned any), then share what they read with the group. Together, we discuss how themes are represented across titles and genres. I’ll also give them some practice writing prompts. When they get to class in August, they should be able to tackle any assignment with (relative) ease. It’s not too late to enroll for this class; give me a shout and I’ll prorate the rest of the sessions for you.
June is my only Story Scribbler in June, so she’s been getting private intro-to-writing classes. We’ve done some sensory work and neighborhood espionage, played with story dice, done blackout poetry, and eaten freeze dried Skittles (so good!).
Swiftie Stories has an entirely new set of songs to tackle this session. So far, we’ve analyzed tracks from The Tortured Poet’s Department (thanks for the new album, Tay!) and Fearless, as well as the 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” Our Swifties have become experts in identifying similes, metaphors, allusions, imagery, and, as of yesterday, idioms. I’m saving time during next week’s final class for—what else?—making friendship bracelets.
Write the Adventure with Us!
Sloane and I have been hard at work on The Wordshop’s first novel, a choose-your-own-adventure story. We’ve outlined the plot, its possible twists and turns, and its cast of zany characters. Soon, we’ll be handing the reins to our middle school writers, who will use our blueprint to bring each of the story’s choices to life.
A band of inland pirates (no boat, no water; just a minivan, a mom, an octogenarian, a Zumba instructor, and a guy name Brody with a hankering for NFTs) steals a priceless painting from a tiny Midwestern art gallery. You’re the security guard on duty who sees it all go down. Will you be the reluctant hero, the FBI’s greatest asset, or the criminal mastermind who planned the heist?
We have space for a few more people on our writing team. (That session starts on July 7; don’t worry if you have to miss a week for vacation!) Initially only open to middle schoolers, we’d love to have high schoolers join the gang, too. Our self-published book will be sold at local bookstores and there will definitely be a book release party.
Keep your eyes peeled for a copy editing/editorial class this fall, which will be perfect for high school students interested in a career in publishing.
July Classes Are On Sale!
We still have plenty of room in all of July’s classes (and all of them are on sale!)
Swiftie Stories is on Monday afternoons. This session is open to middle schoolers and high schoolers, so come one, come all!
Telling Tall Tales, a collaborative class for middle schoolers, is on Tuesday afternoons. This is a great class for kids who love to tell stories but maybe aren’t sure about the actual act of writing. It’s going to be, uh, boisterous.
A Deed Most Foul, Wednesday afternoons, is for all the kids who love to write about murder. I figure that if they’re going to write about it, they should at least write about it well. We’re going to explore detective stories, locked-room mysteries, and unsympathetic narrators.
Mr. Justin will be teaching Songwriting for Beginners on Wednesday nights. It’s currently open to 9th grade and up, but if you have a middle schooler who is interested, just let me know!
There are a few seats left in Story Scribblers, the writing class for rising 5th and 6th graders on Thursday afternoons. Any 5th grader who takes this is eligible to take any middle school class they like during the school year.
Thursday afternoon is also another session of my college essay workshop. I have plenty of room for more students. Get those essays done before the school year starts!
Friday afternoons are the home of the inaugural Cursive & Commas classes. My mom will be teaching the cursive and I’ll be teaching the commas. There’s tons of research out there about why cursive is better for classroom use than printing or typing; I like it because it’s fast, beautiful, and it makes me feel fancy. We have plenty of space left, and I promise it will be a lot of fun.
I’m also hosting the Novel Start-Up class on Friday afternoons. This is a workshop/writing session for writers who either want to start a novel or are already well on their way. If the kids are amenable, we’ll be sharing our work and providing feedback to one another. But as always, sharing, even with me, is completely optional.