What's your story?
Writing Courses
with Mitchell Luke
A little about our writing courses for ages 7-16.
We would all love to see our children take a firm grip of their pens or pencils, be inspired to write an exhilarating narrative, and actually understand the mechanics of form, language and structure to be able to put it all together. But realistically, how often do we hear, "I don't know what to write!" or "I just can't think of anything!"?
Since 2017, Mitchell Luke has been enthusiastically inspiring children to write creatively, academically, persuasively, and journalistically with confidence. The key skills taught in class are regularly reviewed and carefully built upon, springboarding children into a mindset that allows them to craft outstanding compositions.
Take a look at some of our most popular writing courses
All units are based on the English National Curriculum and are adapted to the ages and abilities of specific groups.
Click on the images to reveal descriptions of each unit.
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Case study: 11-year-old student in a small group class.
Students in one of my group classes were asked to write the first part of an introduction for a gothic fiction story. In this case study, we're going to take a look at the first and second drafts of one particular 11-year-old student.
First Draft
As I walked and walked with each step closer to the mansion, I was all wet, thinking I would never reach the mansion. I looked around to find life but no one was there, I was stuck in a wet, dark and gloomy forest. Everywhere I looked was just dark and creepy trees, they looked as if those trees were about to grab me. I’m shivering from the cold, I felt scared, nervous and creeped out. Suddenly something jumped out of the bushes grabbing my hand, there were several humans who looked as if they were dead.
What we worked on in our small group class over the next few sessions.
Vocabulary choices
Students learned about the importance of making more specific choices of language. Thinking about 'how' a character did something rather than just 'what' they did can be a brilliant tool to help with this. The connotations of words should also be considered deeply. How does a certain word make the reader feel? Is that the effect we want to create?
Figurative Language
During classes, emphasis was placed on painting vivid pictures in the reader's mind through the use of figurative language. Often, students know the names of techniques such as metaphors and personification but struggle to apply them in their own compositions. Therefore, we completed many group and independent activities to encourage creativity and boost confidence in these areas.
Grammatical range and accuracy
When sentence structures are not varied, writing can feel plain and a little robotic. Even if word choices are interesting and an engaging plot point has been developed, the way in which sentences are structured has a huge impact on the reader's enjoyment and therefore interest. During classes, we discovered numerous ways to structure sentences and how to link them. We also reviewed some key grammatical concepts to ensure accuracy in our second drafts.
Second Draft
As I trudged along, each step seemingly closer to yet further away from the mansion, the constant dreary drizzle almost drowned me, and I contemplated how I might never reach my destination. Frantically, I scanned my surroundings to find any sign of life, but no other human was there; rather, this wet, dark and gloomy forest isolated me from civilization. The long, jagged fingers of ancient trees jutted out, stroking and grabbling me as I struggled past them. I shivered from the bitter cold while my heartbeat raced and forced an icy sweat to emerge from my skin. Suddenly, something horrid hurtled towards me out of the bushes, snatching violently at my hand and dragging me into its pit.
What worked well?
