Semester of Classes

If you’ve ever wondered how you’ll tackle literature and poetry outside your comfort zone, here’s our secret: do it while your kids are young and open to experimenting!

You might be intimidated, but they aren’t yet. The elementary years are prime time to stretch into genres previously known as “hard.” This whimsical pairing introduces you and your child to poetry and Shakespeare! This cohort features classes that revel in the ways that language can twist and turn.

Recommended for ages 7 and up.

Words are the building blocks of language. What better way to learn than to PLAY with those blocks?

Our unconventional activities introduce students to the more concrete elements of writing without stifling their creativity. We show how great stories and gentle literary analysis can accentuate a writer’s ideas and imagination. Perfect for families who want a foundation in the enjoyment of storytelling.

Recommended for ages 7 and up.

The elementary years are full of creative ideas and delightful scenarios! Wild plots, crazy characters, and surreal elements abound in the imagination of a child. No concept is too unreal and no story too fantastical.

And our best ideas can be found outside, in nature.

It’s tempting to think that children this age are not equipped to be writers because of their developing mechanical skills. Myth busted! Children don’t need to perfect mechanics before they can write. These are the very best years to write. Join this cohort as a family and see how.

Perfect start for those new to Brave Writer or searching for a “no tears” approach that works!

At this stage your kids need more input from you, so learn our methods to use at home! With the one-on-one help of an expert coach, you'll partner with your student to walk through the entire writing process in a stress-free, engaging way. 

Our second class helps your student solidify the freewriting habit they began in BW 101. When they finish that independent class, you’ll re-partner with them to embark on a wacky revision experience like you’ve never experienced. 

The writing process, from idea generation to polished final product! This cohort is a game changer for your family’s relationship to writing. 

The answer to the question: Is my student preparing well for high school writing? Experience with different formats is essential preparation for the high school years ahead.

This cohort introduces writers to a variety of writing forms. No longer will they face an assignment in a particular school subject without a clue how to begin.  

Perfect for the middle grader who loves variety, information, and a concrete finished product. Pairing writing with fun topics is a much easier entry point for many students this age. 

This semester builds writing skills from the ground up. If you’ve ever felt the need to help your child “catch up,” this class provides the path.

A transition between open freewriting to the more disciplined, rhetorically-driven thinking of academic revision. Rather than simply leaving childhood writing behind, students can experiment with applying their personal flair to increasingly academic tasks.

Recommended for ages 11 and up.

These days, it’s easy to confuse a sound argument with an opinion piece, a blog post, or lengthy Instagram rant. Students need to learn how to read a range of sources, evaluate arguments, and then take a position to defend intelligently, with nuance.

Bumping one’s own thinking against the greater conversation in the world is the grounding beneath good academic writing. Learn to access thinking, evaluate the arguments of others, and write about it using compelling language!

Movie Discussion Club: Villain Origin Stories

• The Wizard of Oz (1939)
• Wicked
• The Hunger Games
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Teens crave risk and adventure! Even in their academic pursuits. 

When your high schooler experiences a mental itch, that’s the best time to start writing.

This cohort offers a chance to apply writing skills to a variety of subjects. Students will practice academic thinking with creative thought experiments and share their writing in prescribed formats. 

A great way to tick a lot of homeschool boxes in one class!

The internet has habituated us to persuasive language, but scholarly writing requires elements that TikTok doesn’t.

This semester plan offers your teens the chance to experiment with persuasive writing tactics in the realm of essay composition and media commentary. We help them acquire the skills needed in academic persuasive writing including thesis statements, convincing structure, logical flow, compelling writing, and how to use sources correctly to avoid plagiarism.

Movie Discussion Club: Heist Movies

• The Sting
• Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• Leverage S3 E11 "The Rashomon Job"
• The Bad Guys (2022)