The Academic Pen: Writing for Success [Westlake] 10AM

This year-long English Language Arts (ELA) course is designed to equip upper middle and high school students with the tools to express themselves clearly, confidently, and creatively across a range of writing styles. Meeting once per week, students will explore narrative, informative, argumentative, and poetic forms, while strengthening essential grammar, vocabulary, and editing skills.

Through engaging, computer-based assignments, students will learn to craft well-structured sentences, develop cohesive paragraphs, and write effective multi-paragraph compositions. The course emphasizes the full writing process—planning, drafting, revising, and publishing—encouraging students to become thoughtful, independent writers.

In addition to writing, students will build their reading comprehension and analytical thinking skills by responding to texts, researching topics, and articulating their ideas through both written and spoken formats.