WordWise Instruction promotes individual and group classes in composition, critical thinking, creative writing, and literary analysis offered by Amanda Yskamp, who has taught gifted students through such programs as Johns Hopkins’ Center for Talented Youth and Northwestern’s Gifted Learning Links. WordWise is now enrolling students for summer seminars, both writing based and literature based.
Writing Courses
Creative Writing Sampler
This fun, summer course, will encourage students to explore their creativity in a variety of genres (fiction, poetry, drama, comedy, song, and visual/written hybrid). Emphasis will be on experimentation and discovery. We’ll meet online once a week (TBD) to workshop latest endeavors. Geared for students ages 12-17.
Flash Frenzy
Flash fiction is a story distilled to its essence, a work of a page or two. In this 6-week course, we will read the works of modern authors who explore and push the boundaries of language, in order to create our own distilled stories. We’ll meet online once a week (TBD).
Art of the Essay
This 6-week course helps students find their own voice and to master the means of expression. Assignments include readings, responses, and writing exercises. Students will receive extensive feedback to help them identify areas of growth, and will have the opportunity of sharing their work online.
*Especially helpful for college applications.
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Literature-Based
Sherlock Holmes
Join us for an exploration of mystery and logic, the two most delightful features of a Sherlock Holmes tale. In this six-week class, we will read 6 of Doyle’s most engaging tales for fun and furthering; we’ll dabble in logic, and we’ll delve into the mystique of one of our most endearing detectives! Weekly meeting (TBD).
SCI-FI Adventures
Fasten your seatbelts for a wild ride to discover works of futuristic worlds, visionary scientific discoveries, and exploration of the intersections between humans, aliens, and technology. We’ll explore 6 short, science fiction stories to grok who we are and who we might become. Weekly discussion TBD.
The World Alive
In this 6-week whirlwind tour, we’ll focus on the short fiction of authors from around the world, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nadine Gordimer,and Guy de Maupassant, discovering through the eyes of such writers the wonders and conflicts of this world of ours. We’ll meet weekly to discuss the works (TBD).
This website promotes individual instruction and group classes offered by Amanda Yskamp, who has taught gifted students through such programs as Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth and Northwestern’s Gifted Learning Links for many years. These classes are designed to help students of all levels and interests become better readers and writers.