Summer ELA

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A VIRTUAL 10-Week Program

Summer ELA Programs

Battle of the Stories & Short Story Workshop

Welcome to our SUMMER ELA PROGRAM! Students will focus on short stories this summer starting with Battle of the Stories (based on Battle of the Books) and ending with the Short Story Workshop. Learn how to competitively read, dissect, and understand short stories with Battle of the Stories. Students will read the story first, then learn to write competitive questions to battle against other students. Then, students will learn the different aspects of creating a short story. As they discuss setting, characters, dialogue, and more, they will be writing and illustrating their own short story!

Get ready to battle it out and write an epic short story!

Program Details

Battle of the Stories

Battle of the Stories is a program based on Battle of the Books that utilizes short stories for a smaller time frame. Students will have 5 weeks full of detail orientated discussions, assignments, and battles where they will capture and understand even the smallest of details in stories. Your child will learn how to analyze and interpret texts, make connections, and draw conclusions while practicing answering competitive type questions.

At Thinking Feet, we believe that learning should be fun and interactive. We strive to create a supportive learning environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. We look forward to helping your child grow with their English language arts and reading skills!

Program Structure


Begin by reading the short stories for the week. Battles will be quick. To do your best, make sure to read all stories and prepare by writing and submitting questions.

  • There will be 20 questions per battle with 30 seconds to answer per question. Questions submitted by students will be used, but perhaps not all.
  • Each week, new stories will be added to the list. Questions will be asked about the new stories and may include questions from previous weeks’ stories.
  • The only possible answers to questions are the stories provided.
  • Each student is battling on their own and may not consult with another individual during battles.
  • Different stories will be given depending on the student’s grade level.

Complete Stories Lists

Click below to view the complete lists of short stories. Students will focus on 3 stories per week, but will be battling with all 15 stories by the end of the program.

Short Story Workshop

The Short Stories Workshop is designed to give kids a fun and engaging introduction to short story writing, while also providing them with the skills and tools they need to become better writers. By the end of the workshop, they will have a short story with illustrations that they can publish and share with others.

At Thinking Feet, we believe that learning should be fun and interactive. We strive to create a supportive learning environment that encourages curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. We look forward to helping your child grow and reach their full potential with their writing skills.

Program Structure

​​We maintain small class sizes and our classes are full of discussion and idea generation!

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Introduction to Short Stories Creating Characters & Setting the Scene Dialogue and Point of View Illustrations and Editing Publishing and Sharing

Introduce the concept of short stories and discuss the different elements.

Students start planning their own short story.

Discuss the importance of characters and different traits.

Brainstorm characters and write short descriptions.

Discuss how setting can affect the mood and tone of a story.

Brainstorm settings and write short descriptions.

Discuss point of view and the importance of dialogue.

Tie all elements together: Setting, Characters and Dialogue.

Create illustrations for short stories.

Begin to edit and revise their writing.

Start sharing stories with peers.

Discuss different ways to share writing. Resources will be provided.

Encourage students to publish their final piece and share with their peers.

Schedule

Students will meet once a week virtually starting the first week of June! The Summer ELA Program will last 10 weeks and end in August.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Rising Grades 7+ - 6:40 pm

Rising Grades 4 - 6 - 6:40 pm

Rising Grades 7+ - 6:40 pm

Pricing

All Levels - 1 hour a week

Per 4 Weeks: $135

 

Thinking Feet’s main learning center is located in the Ballantyne area in Mecklenburg county. We are just minutes away from nearby Blakeney, Weddington, Marvin, Waxhaw, Pineville, Matthews, Wesley Chapel, Piper Glen and Fort Mill, SC.​​​​