Classes for Middle Schoolers (ages 11-13)

Brave Writer 101 and 102, plus many more!

Begin with our Brave Writer online class series:

These are classes in which you, the parent, are the "student," (the primary participant) as you work together with your children and a Brave Writer writing coach. You will learn how to become your children's best coach and strongest ally in their writing. Our coaches will show you how to respond to student writing in positive ways that overcome resistance and foster the creative process.

Other classes of interest for this age group:

You can filter online classes to find those specific to this age group: Middle School

Book Club: Arrow provides students the opportunity to interact with each other and the instructor in an informal, conversational style of writing as they exchange ideas about that month's Arrow book selection. Similarly, the Movie Discussion Club and Book/Movie Duo provide movie-lovers the opportunity to interact informally. These are low-risk entry points to the online class experience—fun, and especially well-suited for reluctant writers.

Advanced middle schoolers may like to give Book Club: Boomerang a try!

Our Middle School Writing classes provide a gentle introduction to more formal writing.

Our Write for Fun classes encourage creative wordplay. And Journaling Jumpstart allows kids to find their "writer's voice" in creative self-expression.

We also have several Fiction classes that allow kids to explore storytelling.

Essay Prep Classes for Middle Schoolers? Think Twice...

Advanced eighth-graders fall within the age group for our Essay Prep classes (13 and up), though you may consider holding off on these classes until high school. Here's why:

In Essay Prep, we're less concerned about writing ability—we get writers of all skill levels in this class—than about students' ability to process the ideas we'll explore in class. Students will need to be able to explore multiple viewpoints on controversial topics such as vegetarianism, gun violence, or animal testing. They'll need to dig deep into their own thinking to analyze what they believe and then explore the perspective of those who hold an opposing view. They'll also need to write about their "True Truths," examining the (sometimes dark) underbelly of a memory or experience to unearth the ideas that might not normally be shared with others. This type of flexible thinking is quite difficult when one hasn't been through the "chemical brainwash" of puberty. We've found that children and even younger teens often feel uncomfortable with deep personal exploration or with inhabiting multiple viewpoints when they have not yet firmly established their own views.

If you're looking for a non-fiction class to help your middle schooler build pre-essay writing skills, we recommend Middle School Writing instead!

Learn more about how our online classes work: About Online Classes

Visit a sample class here: Sample Classroom

Register: Registration