Shelley Campbell

Course: Intro to Writing for Grades 3-5

Grade Range: 3-5

Instructor: Shelley Campbell

Email: campshelley@gmail.com

Price: $200  

Duration: 28 weeks

Course Description:  This class offers a smorgasbord of writing opportunities! Students will work on writing narrations, letters, stories, essays, poetry and more. My goal is to meet students where they are in their writing journeys and gently help them grow from there. I aim to create a warm and hospitable environment for writers of all levels! As a class, we will practice by reading high quality picture books and use them as a springboard to train our minds to read like writers. Students will then practice writing, employing the tactics used by the authors whose work we are enjoying. While we will work on strategies to strengthen the overall quality of students’ writing, the focus of this class will be on process over product. My goal is for students to come to enjoy writing and recognize its practical value as they develop increasing confidence in their abilities to express their own thoughts and ideas on paper!  

Course Prerequisites: *The student needs to be able to write a few sentences independently.

Curriculum:  Developed by the instructor, borrowing some from Mentor Texts 

Supplies: 3 ring binder, paper, pencils (estimated cost is less than $15)

Homework: Estimated 30 minutes to and hour each week

Duration: 28 weeks

Grading: The instructor will give personalized feedback but not numerical grades

Course Credit: NA

Teacher Bio: Intro to Writing is taught by Shelley Campbell. Shelley is a published writer and has a degree in middle grades education. She loves writing as well as working with kids! Shelley has been teaching her own children (ages 15, 13, 11, and 8) since the beginning of their schooling and has thoroughly enjoyed tutoring at FE for the past 5 years. 

Minimum/Maximum of students: Minimum 8, Maximum 17

Communication: I will send out weekly emails to ensure that parents know what their children are learning and students will have a clear record of expectations and assignments. 

Course:  Public Speaking and Oral Narration for Grades 3-5

Grade Range: 3-5

Instructor: Shelley Campbell

Email: campshelley@gmail.com

Price: $185  

Curriculum:  Developed by the instructor

Homework Description: Prepare and practice presentations (approximately 30 min per week)

Course Description: In Public Speaking and Oral Narration we will learn to show our nerves who’s boss!  This course is all about having students practice the invaluable life skills of public speaking and narrating. Each week, students will stand in front of the class and respond to an open-ended prompt that they receive in advance. Through the learning of some helpful hints (diaphragmatic breathing, body awareness, eye contact, enthusiasm, etc.) and repetitive practice, students will grow in composure and confidence in their abilities to speak publicly. Whether your child tends toward shyness or is exhilarated by the idea of being in front of a crowd, all personalities are welcome and able to thrive! 

For the narration portion of the class, students will listen to a story read aloud. Working in pairs or small groups, students will take turns retelling the story in their own words. By doing so, students will be learning to listen attentively, sequence logically and highlight relevant details. Students will improve their overall oral articulation. Learning to narrate well is also a powerful precursor to strong writing! This will be my fifth year teaching Public Speaking/Narration at FE and so far, the culture of each class has been remarkably supportive, safe and encouraging! 

Prerequisites: None

Curriculum: Instructor developed (using open-ended prompts for public speaking and high quality children’s books for narration)

Supplies: One drawing notepad + pencils (colored pencils or regular)

Homework: Prepare presentations and practice at home (less than one hour per week)

Duration: 28 weeks

Grading: Students will receive feedback on what they are doing well and what they might improve upon but no grades will be given for this course. 

Course Credit: NA

Teacher Bio: Public Speaking and Oral Narration is taught by Shelley Campbell. Shelley is a published writer and has a degree in middle grades education. She has been teaching her own children (ages 15, 13, 11, and 8) since the beginning of their schooling and has thoroughly enjoyed tutoring at FE for the past 5 years. 

Min/Max Students: Minimum, 8. Maximum, 20. 

Communication: Parents will be emailed every week with a description of what was covered during class as well as the prompt for the following week’s presentation. 

Course: Creative Writing! for Grades 6-8

Grade Range: 6-8

Instructor: Shelley Campbell

Email: campshelley@gmail.com

Price: $200 for 28 weeks

Course Description:

Creative Writing is organized into writing-workshop style classes that will encourage your child to write regularly in ways that are life-giving and fun! The practice of creative writing relieves stress and improves students’ thought-clarification process as well as their overall communication skills. This is valuable at any age but especially so during these transitional, middle-grade years! Through project-based learning, students will create short stories, poetry, plays/screenplays, speeches and essays (both narrative and fictitious). We will train our minds to find inspiration everywhere! Students will gain a foundation in literary analysis as we will focus on both the why (our purpose for writing) and the how (learning to utilize literary devices to help accomplish our writing goals). The aim of this course is to provide students with an encouraging environment to write and share, a healthy outlet for expression and to help students build up their confidence and abilities to communicate both creatively and effectively through the art of writing.

Curriculum: Instructor developed, borrowing some from Craft Lessons by Ralph Fletcher

Prerequisites: none

Materials: 3 ring binder, spiral notebook, pencils (total cost estimated is less than $15)

Homework: Less than 1 hour per week (we will practice lots of writing during our class time together and students will complete unfinished assignments at home). 

Duration: 28 Weeks

Grading: Instructor will provide students with ample feedback during student/tutor conferences that will be held during our regular class time.

Teacher Bio: Creative Writing is taught by Shelley Campbell. Shelley is a published writer and has a degree in middle grades education. She has been teaching her own children (ages 15, 13, 11, and 8) since the beginning of their schooling and has thoroughly enjoyed tutoring at FE for the past 5 years. 

Minimum/Maximum: Minimum-5, Maximum-15 

Communication: Weekly emails will be sent out to make sure that parents know exactly what their children are learning and students have a clear record of expectations and assignments.