English Language Arts
ELA TK/K
Instructor: Jennifer Soto
$56/month ($224/semester); 80 minutes/week
This class is intended to give your child the experience of a basic TK/Kindergarten class once a week. We will have a 'letter of the week' which will include learning the sound the letter makes through songs, activities, and stories, learning the correct way to write the letter, and a 'show and tell' opportunity for students to take turns sharing things that start with that letter that they will bring from home. Students will also learn about calendars, dates, and days of the week as well holidays and other level appropriate lessons.
ELA 1st (2nd) Grade
Instructor: Kristin Welch
$56/month ($224/semester); 80 minutes/week
Using a variety of manipulatives, graphs, and other fun aids, students will learn the parts of speech and how to use them to write, proof, and edit strong sentences. They will have a brief exposure to using reference tools (dictionary and thesaurus) to help them improve their sentences. An oral report (assigned as homework) will be presented in class, along with a project, allowing students to engage in public speaking and learn how to be respectful members of an audience. Fictional and fact-based literature, followed up with text-dependent questions, will be discussed to develop listening and critical thinking skills. Woven into each class will be opportunities to learn important “life skills” such as following oral and written directions, demonstrating time management skills, and practicing organizational techniques. Students enrolled in the class must have a firm grip of the names and letter sounds of the alphabet and be able to write those letters, their name, and several high-frequency words.
ELA 2nd (3rd) Grade
Instructor: Kristin Welch
$56/month ($224/semester); 80 minutes/week
Using a variety of manipulatives, graphs, and other fun aids, students will review the parts of speech and how to use them to write, proof, and edit strong sentences. They will have a brief exposure to using reference tools (dictionary and thesaurus) to help them improve their sentences. They will also learn how to take several different styles of notes and write a paragraph. An oral report (assigned as homework) will be presented in class, along with a project, allowing students to engage in public speaking and learn how to be respectful members of an audience. Fictional and fact-based literature, followed up with text-dependent questions, will be discussed to develop listening and critical thinking skills. Woven into each class will be opportunities to learn important “life skills” such as following oral and written directions, demonstrating time management skills, and practicing organizational techniques. Students enrolled in the class must have a firm grip of basic phonics and how to write sentences.
Science & Literature TK/K
Instructor: Abigail Soto
$53/month ($212/semester); 50 minutes/week
Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners will all benefit from this course that will toggle between hands-on science and hands-on literature.
The science portion will use Mystery Science which introduces a concept in a two minute video presented in the form of a mystery. That leads to discussion questions where they further explore the concept and then a hands-on science experiment that solves the mystery in a way students can understand and remember.
For literature lessons, the course will feature an illustrated classic children's storybook and include a variety of hands-on activities centered around the story. Using the unit study model, topics covered could include history, geography, art or science.
SEL Novel Study: Exploring Empathy & Kindness through Out Of My Mind
Instructor: Nikki Williams
Paperback copy of Out of My Mind is included for students to keep
$46/month ($184/semester) 50 min/week
This is a one-semester course. We will cover a different book in the spring semester for those who would like to continue.
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In this engaging and thoughtful novel study, students will explore Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, the powerful story of Melody, a brilliant girl with cerebral palsy who cannot speak or walk but has so much to say. As students journey through Melody’s challenges and triumphs, they’ll dive into key SEL themes such as empathy, self-awareness, resilience, and inclusion.
Through guided reading, group discussions, writing activities, and creative projects, students will:
Build empathy by exploring different perspectives
Discuss the power of kindness, respect, and friendship
Identify and reflect on their own strengths and challenges
Understand the importance of perseverance and advocacy
Strengthen comprehension and vocabulary skills through rich text engagement
This course creates a space for meaningful conversations about differences, equity, and the power of finding your voice. Students will leave with a deeper appreciation for others and a stronger connection to their own emotional intelligence.
Each week, we’ll read select passages together in class and engage in lively discussions and activities.
Students should also expect to read assigned chapters at home to keep up with our pace.
Engaging English: Grammar & Mechanics 3rd-5th
Instructor: Nicole Nyborg
$46/month; $184/semester
This English Grammar and Mechanics course will engage 3rd-5th grade students using strategies and techniques pulled from a variety of popular publishers. Students will learn capitalization, punctuation, parts of speech, usage and more using classroom activities and games in addition to printed worksheets and proven mnemonic devices. This course will include suggested homework activities to reinforce the learning done in class.
Institute for Excellence in Writing A 3rd-5th Grade
YEAR 1 IEW A (Binder/materials included)
Instructor: Nikki Williams
$56/month ($224/semester)
50 min/week
This is a two semester course but students are welcome to add at any time.
Students in grades 3-5 will learn how to write structurally from existing models of writing. Incoming students must be able to independently write sentences, confident readers, and have a general understanding of creating a paragraph.
Students add style to their writing using a checklist including dress-ups such as quality adjectives and strong verbs. This program moves methodically through a series of steps building as it goes and allowing both enthusiastic and reluctant writers to master the writing process. Students will have weekly homework. A binder with tabs and all course handouts will be included.
Please note that this class is from 3rd-5th grade. Please inquire before enrolling your student if they are outside of this grade range to ensure it will be a good fit. (This class is not likely to be appropriate for younger students). This class will have homework each week.
Institute for Excellence in Writing A 4th-6th Grade
YEAR 2 IEW A (Binder/materials included)
Instructor: Amy Carrington
$56/month ($224/semester)
50 min/week
This is a two semester course but students are welcome to add at any time.
Students in grades 4-6 who have completed IEW A Year 1 are ready for their second year of the Structure and Style for Students. This course will review and refine the seven previously learned IEW units, then press on to Essays and Formal Critiques.
It is highly encouraged that students enrolling in this class have either taken IEW A Year 1 or are strong readers and writers in order to succeed.
Students will learn how to outline, summarize, write narratives, research reports, and end with creative writing. They will add style to their writing using a checklist including dress ups and will add sentence openers to their paragraphs.
A binder with tabs will be provided for the course.
Students will have weekly homework.
IEW B Year 1 6th-8th Grade (Binder/materials included)
Instructor: Jennifer Wright
$56/month ($224/semester); 50 min/week
This is a two semester course but students are welcome to add at any time.
Students in grades 6-8 will learn how to write structurally from existing models of writing at a higher level than IEW A. Students do not need to take IEW A in order to be successful in IEW B. They will learn how to outline, summarize, write narratives, research reports, and end with creative writing. Students will add style to their writing using a checklist including dress ups and will add sentence openers to their paragraphs.
A binder with tabs will be provided for the course.
Students will have weekly homework.
IEW C Year 1 9th-12th (Binder/materials included)
Instructor: Jennifer Wright
$56/month ($224/semester); 50 min/week
This is a two-semester course but students are welcome to add at any time.
Students in grades 9-12 will learn how to effectively use a wide range of structural models and stylistic techniques in their compositions, as they write on a variety of enjoyable fiction and non-fiction topics. The course will cover outlining, summarizing, story sequencing, taking notes, report writing, and essay writing. The essay writing will include how to outline, introductions, thesis statements, transitions, and conclusions. Several different grammar concepts will also be covered. A binder with tabs will be provided for the course. Students will have weekly homework.
Cover Story: Mixed Genre Creative Writing (6th+)
Instructor: Jennifer Wright
50 minutes
$312 1st semester: tuition+curriculum
$184 2nd semester
Because we have to buy individual licenses for each student, the pricing for the first semester will be higher but does include all materials needed for the course. This course will have required homework.
Whether you have a student who loves to write, a reluctant writer, or a student who could just use a fun change of pace from traditional writing curriculum, Cover Story takes students on a guided tour through the universe of Story. Through the process of creating the content for their own magazine in a single school year, students are led, step by step, on a fun, thought-provoking journey of exploration and creation. They write poems, short stories, non-fiction articles, letters, and many other short pieces. Along the way, they study not just a story’s form, but its execution.
The question is not whether or not students should be required to write. The question is why they should care. Cover Story turns the question around and lets students discover the answer.
Students are far more motivated to write when they choose their own subject and goals. Rather than assign topics a student has no interest in, (“Today we’re going to write a five paragraph theme about mollusks! isn’t that great?”) Cover Story allows students the freedom of choosing a theme for their magazine, and a subject for each assignment. This approach gives the structure and guidance they need to understand the principles in each lesson, but allows them to create from passion rather than pressure.
Literary Analysis 8th+
Instructor: Dena Erickson
$53/month ($212/semester); 50 min/week
This high school literature course will give students the tools to analyze works from Seuss to Socrates and everything in between. The instructor will guide students through reading, analysis, and discussion of literature using a Socratic approach, equipping them with tools for literary study applicable to any work. Topics include identifying character, plot, theme; exploring literary analysis study tools; and learning to apply techniques to both short stories and longer works.
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