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Writing Coaches
Shu-Hsien & Royd
Fall 2023 Classes
The following classes are currently available for enrollment.
Please note that we also teach small private classes that are not listed here.
If the offerings below do not fit your schedule, feel free to email us, and perhaps we can find a class for your young writer.
To register, please send an email to [email protected].
Please provide:
- The title of the course
- Your child's name
- Your child's age as of September 5th
- A daytime phone number for us to reach you.
Either Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho or Royd Hatta will respond as soon as possible.
For the safety of all, we require masks during our in-person sessions.
Ages 7 to 9
WED 4 PM • Fantastic Beasts - An Afterschool Fun Class
An Online (Zoom) Adventure Story Workshop
For Children Ages 8-9 (Rising 3rd-4th Graders)
Taught by Writing Coach Royd Hatta
Joyce Adams from unsplash
Sept. 20 – Nov. 29, 2023 (10 lessons)
No session on Thanksgiving Week
WED. 4PM - 5PM Pacific Time
Minimum 3 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition:
3 students: $425 per student
4-8 students: $395 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, and detailed feedback on written assignments.)
Towering dinosaurs, roaring tigers, mythical birds - humans have been fascinated by the animal kingdom, both real and imagined, since the beginning of time.
This course will tap into the imaginations of students to brainstorm, sketch, and write about their own fantastic beasts in their unique habitats. Our workshop will experiment with inventing tall tales and legends.
As always, we'll walk through all steps in the creative process:
- understanding the structure of a great story
- generating and organizing ideas
- writing with momentum
- revising for clarity and logic
- editing toward a final draft
Each student will be invited to present a reading on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
THURS 8:30AM • Fantastic Beasts
An Online (Zoom) Adventure Story Workshop
For Children Ages 8-9 (Rising 3rd-4th Graders)
Taught by Writing Coach Royd Hatta
Joyce Adams from unsplash
Sept. 14 – Nov. 16, 2023 (10 lessons)
Thursdays, 8:30AM - 9:30AM Pacific Time
Minimum 3 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition:
3 students: $425 per student
4-8 students: $395 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, and detailed feedback on written assignments.)
Towering dinosaurs, roaring tigers, mythical birds - humans have been fascinated by the animal kingdom, both real and imagined, since the beginning of time.
This course will tap into the imaginations of students to brainstorm, sketch, and write about their own fantastic beasts in their unique habitats. Our workshop will experiment with inventing tall tales and legends.
As always, we'll walk through all steps in the creative process:
- understanding the structure of a great story
- generating and organizing ideas
- writing with momentum
- revising for clarity and logic
- editing toward a final draft
Each student will be invited to present a reading on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Ages 9 to 11
NEW START DATE: 9/21!
THURS 4PM • Scoundrels and Schemes
An After-School Online Story Writing Course for Students Ages 9-11
Taught by Writing Coach Royd Hatta
SEPT 21 - NOV 30, 2023 (10 lessons)
(No Session on 9/23 for Thanksgiving Week.)
Thursdays 4pm - 5pm Pacific Time
Minimum 3 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition: $350 per student
(Includes lesson prep & detailed feedback on written assignments)
This ongoing after-school course will be open for students who want time to continue to dive into their short story, novella, or novel.
We'll review aspects of story we've covered before and introduce more advanced techniques to keep us writing towards the end.
This is a place to unwind from school and immerse ourselves into the shoes of our hero or heroes. If you're returning, "Welcome back!" And if you're joining us for the first time, you'll be warmly greeted into this small community of future published writers.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Fuu J from unsplash
TUES 1pm • Globetrotter News: Strange Stories from A Strange Planet
An In-Person Writing Workshop for Ages 10-11
Fact-Driven Articles, Fun Persuasive Essays, and More.
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Mountain View CA: Hosted by Parent Liz L. in her backyard
SEPT 12 - NOV 14, 2023 (10 Lessons)
Tuesdays 1pm-2pm PST
Minimum 5 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition:
5 Students: $450 per student
6-8 students: $405 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, detailed feedback on written assignments & travel fee.)
Did you know that glow-in-the-dark dolphins were seen leaping through the waters off the Southern California coast, or that Australian scientists discovered a 150-foot-long silly-string shaped creature in a deep-sea canyon? Believe it or not, these are true events found in the news!
This workshop will tap into the curiosity, wonder, and imagination of your child. Students will be invited to become reporters who share exciting current events based on surprising facts, numbers, colorful details, and interviews with experts. These stories may include science, social studies, art, music, sports, spotlight interviews, and opinion sections. We’ll use dogonews.com, a website that provides fascinating news articles for children, as our inspiration.
We’ll begin with invented news stories (“Scientist Discovers a Strange New Species”) as a way to understand how to build fact-based articles and introduce a fun visual map for understanding essay structure. As always, we’ll walk through all steps in the creative writing process: brainstorming ideas, choosing a topic, organizing facts and details, writing first drafts, revising content, editing, and publishing final drafts. Students will be invited to share a reading at our celebration on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Victoria Rain from pexels.com
Ages 11-13
WED 8:30AM - When Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction
An Online Nonfiction Workshop focused on
Fact-Driven Articles, Fun Persuasive Essays, and More
Ages 11-12 or Grades 5-6-7
Taught by Writing Coach Royd Hatta
SEPT 13 - NOV 12, 2023 (10 lessons)
Wednesdays 8:30am-9:30am PST
Wednesdays 8:30am-9:30am PST
Minimum 4 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition:
4 Students: $450 per student
5-8 Students: $405 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, and detailed feedback on written assignments.)
What if we could write articles that were so fascinating and compelling that they were indistinguishable from fiction?
What if we could use the power of storytelling to bring the truth to life?
In this workshop, we will explore how to use the techniques of fiction writing to create articles that are both fact-based and engaging.
We will discuss how to choose and develop topics, how to conduct research, and how to craft characters and plots that will captivate readers.
By the end of the workshop, you will have the tools you need to write articles that are both true and unforgettable.
We'll read various articles to inspire our writing:
- Maya Angelou
- Malcolm Gladwell
- David Foster Wallace
- James Baldwin
- The New Yorker
- The Atlantic
- Outside
- and other high adventure magazines and other articles with a sense of forward drive.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
David Clode from pexels.com
THURS 11AM • Pigs & the Pendulum of Power
An In-Person Literature Discussion & Writing Course for Grades 6-7-8 • Ages 11 to 13
Taught by Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho
SEPT 7 - NOV 9, 2023 (10 lessons)
Thursdays 11am - 12 noon Pacific Time
Sunnyvale CA: Hosted by Parent Danielle R. in her backyard
Minimum 5 students
Maximum 10 students
Tuition:
5 Students: $450 per student
6-10 Students: $405 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, detailed feedback on written assignments & travel fee.)
Our topic is inspired by George Orwell's classic Animal Farm, a modern fable that warns citizens around the world to pay attention to the actions and choices of its leaders. In this story, when the pigs take over Mr. Jones's farm, the animals rejoice, only to discover that the new promises are not what they seem.
Students are invited to join our lively, interactive discussions of both this famous novella and relevant news articles. We'll ask deeper questions, including:
- What is the balance of power between government control and the individual rights of citizens?
- What is propaganda, and what policies actually serve the needs of the people?
- How can societies respond when politicians overstep the bounds of their positions?
- What parallels can be found in both historical and current events?
This course is an introduction to literary analysis through weekly readings and thought-provoking group discussions. We'll use a Socratic seminar approach to develop critical thinking and writing skills. Students will be asked to write journal entries and short thought pieces as a way to reflect and organize their ideas before sharing them in class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Laura Anderson from unsplash
Teens 13+
WED 1:30 PM • Chained Between Two Worlds
Literature on the American Revolution
An In-Person English Course for Grades 8 & 9
Mountain View: Hosted by a family in their backyard
(Rainy Days will be live sessions on Zoom.)
Taught by Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho
SEPT 13 - NOV 15, 2023 (10 lessons)
Wednesdays 1:30 pm-2:30 pm PST
Minimum 4 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition:
4 Students: $450 per student
5-8 Students: $405 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, detailed feedback on written assignments & travel fee.)
Readings will include:
- Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (Historical fiction set during the American Revolution)
- Excerpt from Common Sense by Thomas Paine and its impact on the U.S.
Students will be invited to visit this turning point in American history from the unique perspective of a slave girl. Isabel Gardner seeks freedom from her masters, and struggles to choose sides between British Loyalists and the Patriots.
Join us to discover how Thomas Paine's famous Common Sense treatise plays a central part in this thought-provoking story of a girl who must fight for her own independence in the midst of war.
As always, we will enter a “deep dive” to question and understand the layers of meaning in this historical novel.
How is the novel relevant to our current world?
Our exploration will include interactive discussions about the political, social, and cultural context of this time period, as well as the core story elements of character development, plot, conflict, themes, symbols, and other key literary devices.
Students will deepen their critical thinking skills and develop their academic voices while learning concrete steps for writing compelling literary analysis essays.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Ian Keragu from unsplash
WED 10AM • Orwell’s 1984 & the Politics of Language
An Online Literary Analysis Course for 10th - 12th Grade
Taught by Writing Coach Royd Hatta
SEPT 13 - NOV 15, 2023 (10 lessons)
Wednesdays 10:00am-11:15am PST
Minimum 3 students
Maximum 8 students
Tuition:
3 Students: $565 per student
4-8 Students: $505 per student
(Includes lesson prep, 1:1 sessions, detailed feedback on written assignments.)
In this course, students will read and explore George Orwell’s classic 1984. Each year, this novel astounds as we creep closer to its prophetic vision into our modern world. 1984 is both a love story like no other, and a warning about how citizens can be steered, forced, and eventually pressured to embrace the governments that control them. Given the world events that we are experiencing today, there never seems to be a better time to revisit and analyze this groundbreaking work. We will pair this reading with Orwell's own "Politics and the English Language" essay.
- 1984 by George Orwell - A Dystopian Classic
- "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
David Clode from pexels.com