You asked for it!
Many of you
have expressed an interest in summer writing support for your child with the
following in mind:
∙ the 5th Grade TCAP Writing Assessment;
∙ the transition from elementary to middle
school writing;
∙ the transition from middle school to high
school writing; or
∙ simply getting the ideas of out of your child's head and on to the page.
You’re
concerned about sentence and paragraph structure, grammar, punctuation, and
overall writing ability. Basically, you
want to be sure your child has the writing skills it takes to be successful at
the next level. But we know that most
kids do not want to spend their summers being tutored or completing boring,
tedious writing exercises. HELLO, it’s
summer! Do you blame them?
Try our
solution! Here’s how it works:
∙ Sign up and attend our Summer Start on June 6
at Firstlight Arts Academy at 6pm. Out of town that week? Let us know and we'll work it out.
∙ On June 6, every family will receive a packet of
instructions and the first of 4 writing activities. Each activity contains at least 2 writing
prompt options for your kiddo. At least 1 of the 2 options includes writing
prompts based on popular music, movies, sports, or a tv show. This "popular culture" option draws in even reluctant kids. You can focus on creative writing or
composition. It's up to you, and a different focus yields different
results.
∙ Students write at whatever pace works for your
family. No deadlines.
∙ Once your kiddo is done with the first writing
activity, you email it or snail mail it to your instructor, who will then review
it and provide specific and helpful comments in writing for you and your kiddo
to review.
∙ After a student finishes #1, he or she moves
to #2. The process repeats.
∙ During the summer, you will schedule at least
one face-to-face meeting with your kid’s instructor for feedback and suggestions
at your convenience. You have the option
of scheduling more than one face-to-face meeting. No trying to fit something else in on a
certain day that doesn’t work for you!
Students may meet with the instructor with or without a parent present.
∙ Ideally, your child will finish 4 writing
pieces and receive 4 written evaluations including a summary evaluation at the
conclusion of #4. But, if your child
doesn’t get them to all, it’s not the end of the world. This is supposed to be helpful to you and to
your child--not be a burden. However, we
can only help if we’re given something to review, so do encourage your child to
write so you don’t waste your money. The end of the summer ends the
program.
If, any at
point, your instructor feels that your child needs support on a particular skill
(let's say, grammar or punctuation), you may elect additional support for an
added fee but it is not required even if suggested by the instructor.
Who will be
working with your child? Jennifer Stockdale, the owner of Spark READiness,
who has a degree in English from Emory & Henry College, where she was the
valedictorian of her class and the Outstanding Junior and Senior in English, and
a law degree from The University of Tennessee College of Law, where she was an
editor of The Tennessee Law Review, a member of the Constitutional Law
Moot Court Team, Chair of UT’s Undergraduate and Graduate Judicial Board, and in
the top 20% of her graduating class. Her
legal position requires detailed, complex, and accurate writing and editing
every day, and she has been doing it for 14 years. She has taught and tutored college level and college remedial Composition
I and II, as well as Legal Writing, in addition to teaching book clubs and creative writing
Spark workshops. Her resume and recommendations are
available upon request.
What is the
cost? $100 for information session, 4
writing activities with 2 prompts each (to be given in sequence, #2 after the
completion of #1, #3 after the completion of #2, etc.), written evaluations of
all completed activities, and at least one face-to-face meeting with instructor.
Limited spots are available to ensure the quality instruction you deserve. Once all spots fill, we will establish a waiting list.
