Kids Writing Class

Our approach to curriculum is highly individualized, shaped by each student’s needs and goals.

Sample skill areas we teach:

  • Writing process. Practice writing as two separate steps: open-ended drafting and careful revising.

    Mechanics. Work on spelling, punctuation, etc., in the context of publishing well-liked pieces.

    Topic sentences. Summarize a paragraph’s details in a broader “big idea” sentence.

  • Organization. Outline paragraphs by grouping related evidence.

    Inference. Move from “book report” summary to subtler inferences.

    Getting unstuck. Use freewriting to generate longer responses.

    Applications. Plan and revise essays to get into middle/high school; strategize for timed prompts (including ISEE).

  • Insight in analysis. Gain a fuller understanding of what depth really means as a reader, writer, and critical thinker.

    Close reading. Identify rich evidence and what authors imply in their specific choices.

    Structure. Build elegant multi-part arguments with clear relationships between ideas.

    Sophistication. Develop more complex sentence structures to express more complex ideas.

  • Personal statement. Develop concepts which will set student apart, outline, draft, and revise.

    Supplemental essays. Manage a variety of school-specific prompts on diversity, community, academic interest, etc.

  • Character design. Create vivid characters with specific wants, flaws, and voice.

    Story design. Design stories with character goals, stakes, and obstacles.

    Screenwriting. Craft scenes and learn conventions of screenplay format.

One-on-One

Working with students individually means we customize to their specific needs and goals.

Private Groups

Upon request, we offer small private classes to your child and their classmates.

Zoom / IRL

We primarily work with students remotely; in-person is also available in some areas.

Year-round

We work with students throughout the school-year, as well as during the summer break.

LEARN MORE HERE

  • Sacred.

    “My daughter regards her weekly writing lessons as sacred.  No matter how much homework she has, or competing activities, she prioritizes that meeting over almost everything else.”

    - Danya B, 12th grade parent

  • Mission accomplished.

    “My son was earning B's in English during 7th grade. Other parents highly recommended Insight Writing. My son took several classes last summer and is now in 8th grade, earning all A's. Mission accomplished.”

    –Ali Z, 8th grade parent

  • More than in school.

    “Nick makes writing enjoyable for my daughters. They look forward to sessions and have learned many new writing skills. They say they have learned more from Insight Writing than in their school class.”

    – Julie L, 8th/9th/11th parent

  • Notable improvement.

    “The improvement is visible, and we know things are working well when our kid looks forward to the sessions. His writing has shown notable improvement in elaboration. It also comes off very natural, which may sound obvious but feels important in this AI-prevalent age.”

    — Derick W, 5th parent

  • Instrumental.

    “We have been working with Nick weekly for over two years, and I cannot recommend him highly enough. Nick has been instrumental in helping navigate the rigors of an academic school. Not only have my son’s grades improved significantly, but he has gone from viewing writing as a chore to truly loving it.”

    — Julia C, 9th/6th grade parent

  • Writing with ease.

    “For the first time, our son actually looks forward to writing assignments, which was something we hadn’t seen before. He approaches his writing homework with ease these days. He handles the assignments more smoothly and with less stress. He doesn't struggle with starting assignments, generating ideas, and elaborating on those ideas with more detail.”

    — Madhavi R, 5th grade parent

  • Improvement after only a few lessons.

    “My daughter took to her tutor Emma right away, which was wonderful because she doesn't always warm up to teachers quickly. It's great to have her working with someone she can relate to who clearly understands how to explain things in a way that make sense to her. I could see an improvement in both her classwork and her confidence after only the first few lessons. My daughter seems much less stressed about English class. It's obvious that she loves having Emma in her corner and her grades reflect that as well.”

    — Anna A, 10th grade parent

  • An enormous difference.

    “Working with Insight Writing has made an enormous difference for our teen. Writing used to be stressful especially since he is normally disorganized and struggles to share. But his sessions have taught him to break the process into clear, manageable steps—how to structure ideas, stay focused, and improve vocabulary.”

    — Adam G, 7th grade parent

  • The perfect balance.

    “Insight Writing combines the perfect balance of rigor and encouragement. Our boys never complained before any of the sessions, which is a huge win for preteen boys!”

    - Courtney F, 4th/8th grade parent

  • Kindness and enthusiasm.

    “Insight Writing has been a wonderful asset to my daughter’s writing process, and it has all been done with such kindness and enthusiasm that my daughter did not feel as though it was a chore for her. Instead she looked forward to writing and now approaches it in high school with confidence.”

    - Kathy G, 11th grade parent