Summer Creative Writing Workshops

About

The Summer Creative Writing Workshops offer a supportive environment where children engage in writing stories, poetry, essays, and plays, as well as simply reading for pleasure. Through these activities even the most hesitant child discovers the joy in writing, the intrigue of language, and the confidence of authorship. Students will work with teachers and writers, and the low teacher-student ratios ensure individual attention. Workshops end with culminating events: all publish anthologies; most do performances or readings also.

Workshops began June 7th. Registration is now closed.

2010 Dates & Locations

Central Campus
Annunciation Orthodox School (map)
3600 Yoakum Blvd
Houston, TX 77006
June 7 - 25
Monday - Friday
8:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Grades Pre-K - 8

Southwest Primary Campus
The Shlenker School
5600 North Braeswood Blvd (map)
Houston, TX 77096
June 7 - 25
Monday - Friday
8:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Grades K - 6

Southwest Secondary Campus
Bellaire High School
5100 Maple St (map)
Bellaire, TX 77401
June 7 - 25
Monday - Friday
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Grades 7 - 12

West Campus
Nottingham Elementary School (Less than 2 miles from Meadow Wood ES)
570 Nottingham Oaks Trail (map)
Houston, TX 77079
June 7 - June 24
Monday - Thursday
8:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Grades K - 6

Wait List Policy

If all spaces are filled, your application will be put on a waiting list. WITS will hold on to your application during this time. In the event there is a cancellation and space becomes available, you will be notified to see if you are still interested in the program. Monies will not be transferred until contact is made from WITS.

Eligibility

The Summer Creative Writing Workshops are open to all students who will enroll in grades K-12 in Fall 2010. Pre-Kindergarten students are able to enroll at the Central Campus. Please call 713-348-5333 for further details on Pre-K eligibility.

Tuition

Tuition is $460 per student and must be paid in full when registering. Tuition for each additional sibling is $415.

Refund Policy

Refunds will be given for the full tuition minus a $75 cancellation fee per child through May 21. Refunds of 50% tuition minus a $75 cancellation fee per child will be given from May 22 through June 4. No refunds will be given after June 4. There is no prorating of tuition for students who cannot attend the full schedule of classes.

Field Trips

Students take writing tours of The Menil Collection or another local art space or cultural site. The youngest students have an artist visit their classroom. The written and visual arts nourish one another, and some of the finest writing comes from these tours.

The Curriculum

Students are placed into classrooms based on the grade they will be entering in the fall. Although we try our best to keep classrooms confined to one grade level, the Summer Creative Writing Workshops reserves the right to place students in a multi-age or multi-grade classroom based on enrollment.

The Youngest Writers: Grades Pre-K, K, 1, and 2

A well-rounded program of reading, dictation, journaling, and independent writing helps young children discover what it means to be a real writer. Drama and art also extend their understanding of the written word. Basic skills (such as letter formation and spelling) are addressed in context. As children explore the role of the author, they create short stories and poems for the class anthology.

The Intermediate Writers: Grades 3, 4, and 5

Workshops for the intermediate writers expose students to quality writing and assist them in writing stories, essays, poems, and plays. Daily writing exercises teach techniques such as metaphor and simile, extend student's writing vocabulary, and encourage creative expression. Students are also encouraged to write, edit, and revise self-selected pieces. Favorite pieces are "published" through in-class readings, performances, and a class anthology.

The Middle/High School Writers: Grades 6 through 12

Students will have the opportunity to explore different literary genres (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) in a supportive writing environment. Students will participate in readings and one-on-one conferences and publish anthologies.

A Collaboration

The Summer Creative Writing Workshops are offered by Writers in the Schools in collaboration with Rice University's School Literacy and Culture Project (SLC).

Questions?

For more information contact Writers in the Schools: 713-523-3877 or e-mail.

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