2017 Writing Camp Testimonials

Thank you to all the families who participated in this year’s Basic Essay Camp! And thank you for the encouraging feedback.

One-hundred percent of surveyed parents strongly agreed that the camp met or exceeded their expectations and that they would highly recommend the camps to others. They said they were happy with their students’ experience and were interested in enrolling their students in additional writing camps with An Elegant Word. Here are some of their comments:

“My daughter is actually very excited that things are making more sense to her. Before this camp she would make fantastic outlines after reading her materials and making notes, but she could not get those outlines into paragraph form organically. This week helped her learn how to bite off tasks she can accomplish in logical, consecutive steps and avoid melt downs. This has been very good for her! Even watching my daughter work helped not only her but was also a good refresher for older siblings who were not enrolled in the camp. Thanks so much!”

“We will do the next camp next summer.”

“This course helped solidify essential writing skills.”

“It was a great review of aspects of English grammar, and it was great to learn some new ways to analyze writing and incorporate a greater range of style in future writing assignments.”

“The writing camp helped my daughter to think systematically and be able to organize her thoughts and put them in writing.”

Most students reported that the camp helped them improve their writing and said they enjoyed the camp and would recommend it to their friends. They especially enjoyed the games and writing warm-up activities. They said it was especially helpful learning how to structure and organize their essays using key word outlines and topic-clincher sentences. They also appreciated learning how to proof-read and to take notes from a lecture. Here’s what they said about their experience:

“It has helped me improve my writing, and I created a great essay with the help of your materials.”

“It was fun and engaging. I have a better understanding of how to execute the steps of the writing process.”

“Writing camp has improved my vocabulary and helped me discover all the new words I can use. It was also helpful to learn specific writing terms.”

“It was fun and helpful for me to improve my writing.”

“The camp was fun, and I also learned how to improve my essay introductions and conclusions.”

“The experience was fun.”

“The camp got better and better as the week went on.”

“I enjoyed learning how to organize my thoughts and put them on paper. I also enjoyed learning how to take lecture notes. It was very fun and very helpful and interesting as well.”

There are still spots open in the Thesis Essay Camp which starts next week on July 10!

2017 Basic Essay Camp

Who: Students in grades 7-10+ in fall ’17 (Upcoming 6th graders may also benefit—Please inquire!)
When: June 26-30, 2017, 9:00-12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Positive Afro-american woman studying at home

Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of a basic five-paragraph essay. By the end of the week, students will produce an original essay including integrated quotations, MLA in-text citations, and a properly formatted “Works Cited” page. An intensive overview of style elements will assist students in developing vivid vocabulary and sophisticated sentence variety. Throughout the week, students will gain an awareness of sentence structure and grammar that goes hand-in-hand with their growing ability to amplify and manipulate the parts of a sentence.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another one to three hours each day completing homework. Students will also be required to secure and read library books and encyclopedia articles as instructed a week or two before camp begins. Each enrolled family will receive specific instructions by email.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper
  • Composition book

Students in the Basic Essay Writing camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

This class will be offered if a minimum of ten students are enrolled by June 20. Full refunds will be made for any classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment.

 

UPDATE: This camp is now full. Click here to join the waiting list.

 

Note: Highschool students are welcome to participate in both the Basic Essay camp as well as the Thesis Essay camp.

2017 Thesis Essay Camp

Who: Students in grades 9-12 in fall ’17
When: July 10-14, 2017, 9:00-12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Where: Houston Baptist University, hosted by The Academy at HBU in the University Academic Center (UAC) classrooms, 7502 Fondren Rd, Houston, TX, 77074

Students at classes

Students will learn a five-step process for developing a thoughtful thesis statement that interacts with the great conversation of ideas. By attending to sources and engaging in group discussion, students will be able to find their own voice as they search for the truth through their reading and writing. Incorporating both report-style and descriptive writing, students will learn the structure and style of a compelling essay. An intensive overview of style elements will assist students in developing vivid vocabulary and sophisticated sentence variety. This class is ideal for students with previous experience writing multiple-paragraph compositions who are ready to advance to the thesis essay.

To receive the full benefit of the writing camp, students will need sufficient time and a handful of supplies. In addition to the three hours of class time, students should plan to spend another two or three hours each day completing homework. One or two weeks before the start of camp, enrolled students will receive an electronic packet of poems and articles to read in preparation.

Students should secure the following supplies before the start of class:

  • Dictionary & Thesaurus—Consider apps such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and the English Thesaurus.
  • Pack of 6 different colored pencils: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple—Preferably erasable!
  • Pens/Pencils
  • 3-ring binder with 5 or more dividers and lined notebook paper
  • Composition book

Students in the Thesis Essay camp will also need to be able to type, print, and email assignments using a sharable word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

Camp tuition is $250/student. Enrollment will be confirmed and your spot reserved once payment is received.

This class will be offered if a minimum of ten students are enrolled by June 20. Full refunds will be made for any classes that are cancelled due to low enrollment.

UPDATE: This camp has met the minimum enrollment and is filling up fast!

Space is limited! Enroll today!

Note: This camp may be a good next step for highschool students who have previously participated in the Basic Essay camp and are ready to take their essay writing up another level.