Sign Up Now for Summer 2025 Writing Classes!
Whether it's in-person or Zoom, group or individual, all McCollum School summer writing programming is based on our unique approach to teaching writing and is aimed at turning your children into stronger, more motivated, and more instinctive writers.
We have three types of offerings:
- Private groups. Our summer specialty! Book us to come to your location at dates/times of your choice to teach your child with a group of their classmates. (We also do this over Zoom.) Highly customized and convenient.
- Wait-list groups. If you want to be part of a group but don’t have a full cohort of students, get on the list and we’ll reach out when we have a complete group you can join.
- One-on-one support. Just like during the year, we work with students individually during the summer to build their writing fundamentals. Without the burden of schoolwork, we can go deeper and get more done.
Scroll down to see some sample summer curricula:
HIGH SCHOOL “CORE” CURRICULUM
Building to More Sophisticated Essay Writing
(sample grade level: 9th or 10th)
The bar is higher in high school, and many schools (even good ones) leave students feeling lost or overwhelmed when it comes to writing. Plus, with a growing focus on in-class writing (as a result of ChatGPT fears), students must learn to be confident and self-reliant in their writing.
In a summer group, we have the bandwidth to fill the gaps that so many high schoolers feel with their writing, "isolating the muscles" around things like insight, organization, and flow, so that students ‘get’ writing in a deeper way.
In addition, we often weave in more open-ended and self-expressive writing to every session, as a way to develop that place within where our ideas and words come from. Our students will write a lot – both during class and at home – as we balance building their analytical writing with deepening their comfort with and instincts around the overall writing process.
MIDDLE SCHOOL “FOUNDATION" CURRICULUM
A Fundamental Step Forward in Writing
(sample grade level: 6th or 7th)
Students can only begin seeing themselves as writers when they find a personal way in; from that starting point of genuine interest, they can learn to embrace writing in all of its forms.
In a group like this, students learn how to get the ball rolling when they're feeling stuck, how to think about depth and insight as goals in their writing, how to find order and structure in their initial chaos of ideas, and how to start hearing the 'music' in a good sentence. We will work both on the fundamentals they need to develop for academic writing, as well as exploring more self-expressive writing to help them begin finding their voice.
Finally, we help students begin the life-long journey of assessing their own writing, being that 'first reader' of their work, who can think about what's working, what needs more thought, and how to get there.
PERSONAL NARRATIVE BOOT CAMP
Where Kids Become Writers
(sample grade level: 3rd or 4th)
This curriculum throws younger students into the experience of really being a writer, in a super-fun but also totally-serious way. Students brainstorm topics they care about and then write pieces that they develop over time. They focus on "creative non-fiction," which requires skills that will one day apply to their academic writing. We will share our work with each other, take each other's work seriously, and admire a beautiful sentence whenever we see one.
In the latter half of the class, students revise, polish, and ultimately publish one of their pieces – nudging them in a totally organic way to confront more mechanical challenges like punctuation, spelling, and clear language which help a reader engage with their ideas.
Finally, students learn to respond to their own writing, answering questions like, "how is this coming along?", "what do you think is working?", and "what are you planning to work on next?" The ability to self-assess and take responsibility for a piece of writing work is the foundation for growth as a writer.
FICTION WORKSHOPS
For students of all grade levels who love to write stories. We will read them, talk about them, and (of course) write our own. As in our other classes, students will be expected to respond to their stories as they work on them, sharing how they feel their progress is going and where they thing they should go next.
For younger students, a big focus is on characters: taking the time to cook up characters that we love and find interesting and remain 'themselves' throughout, rather than using them as props moving through a plot. For older students, we will explore the nuts and bolts of story conflict: the goals that drive our characters, the stakes that make those goals matters, and the opposition which make them hard to achieve.
Note that an interest in creative writing can be woven into any of our groups, even the academic ones – that is the beauty of custom curricula!
COLLEGE ESSAY DEEP DIVE
(for rising 12th graders)
Spend a week or two with one of our experts jump-starting the college application essay journey for your rising senior. This doesn’t need to be a scary, stressful crunch time – instead, we can help your child see this as an opportunity to be creative and self-expressive. Between familiarizing them with great sample college essays, exploring what kinds of self-insights lead to great essays, guiding their brainstorming process, and motivating them to launch a real draft, we are here to get the ball rolling on some of the most important writing they will ever do.
A great class for the very beginning of summer, when their brains have not yet shifted offline from the year – and when those deadlines are not yet looming heavily.
