Testimonials from Parents｜Non-Fiction Writing Class
This past Christmas, I gave my child (we’ll call him R) a special gift — Harmony Plus’s non-fiction writing class. R, who is about to enter middle school, is studious but often struggles with writing. And although he has participated in various summer writing camps for the past three years, his enthusiasm and writing skills showed little improvement. So I took it upon myself to find a better writing class for him, in the hopes of laying a solid foundation for his middle school studies. During my search, the innovative class designed by Harmony Plus attracted my attention and I was quick to sign R up.
In just two weeks, R not only learned narrative, information, and persuasive styles of writing, but he gained some very practical writing methods and skills. But what surprised me most about this class was R’s enthusiasm to learn. What was initially lacking grew so large that he often took the initiative to answer questions in class and completed the daily homework immediately. When R encountered problems that he didn’t understand, he chose (on his own!) to stay after class and discuss them with the teacher. So as a parent, I became curious — what was the magic of this course that made my child do a complete 180? To answer my question, I looked through the course materials that the teacher sent to parents after each class. And as it turns out, all of the material from the course was of the highest caliber — clearly explained and easy to understand, it was perfect for a child like R who loves science and logical thinking.
Not only were the class materials informative, but the teacher was also skilled as well. With years of teaching experience and great student communication, the teacher helped guide the students to success. In each class, the teacher would throw out some familiar topics for the children, steer them to conduct in-depth analysis, and encourage them to share their thinking process. The teacher would also have the children read a sample essay, then have them analyze how the author used evidence to support his argument. While explaining the main points, the teacher taught the children how to take notes while reading the article, and how to do research. After learning new techniques and skills, the students got the opportunity to write their essays. This method of combining reading real materials and writing exercises is extremely effective for children who are beginning to learn non-fiction writing since it gives them real-life applications.
The teacher also taught the students a simple and practical strategy to organize their paragraphs called the R.A.C.E. structure. After this particular class, R proudly told me about the “formula” his teacher showed him that was so easy to use. He had never thought that learning writing could be like learning mathematics. Using the R.A.C.E. structure as the essay base, the students continued to add evidence and expand their paragraphs to form the main parts of their essays. After the teacher explained to them how to write an introduction and conclusion on the third day of class, R completed the first draft of a clear and well-founded essay.
But this was only the beginning. As the class continued, the teacher gave detailed feedback for R’s first draft, ranging from the structure and logic to the use of vocabulary and sentence form. According to the teacher’s comments, the feedback was used successfully, and R completed the second draft before Christmas Eve. After Christmas, the teacher gave the second round of comments and R continued to modify his essay according to the teacher’s suggestions, finally completing the third draft. This in-depth process was similar for all the forms of writing in this program, making it easy for the skills to translate.
What makes me so satisfied with this particular program, in addition to the course content and learning methods, are the superb Harmony Plus services. Not only are the teachers experienced, but the small class size of 5 children is also equipped with a class teacher who is responsible for providing help and feedback to parents. Before each class, the headteacher sends out a reminder. During the class, the headteacher observes the learning status of each student and provides immediate feedback to the parents. After class, the headteacher keeps an eye on the children’s homework and promptly communicates with the parents about the students’ highlights, gains, and room for improvement. Throughout the whole program process, the parents never have to worry about who they’re handing their children over to or if they’re truly learning.
Overall, I feel that I chose a wonderful Christmas gift for R. As children continue to progress in school, these types of targeted and efficient programs are more of what children need to keep learning successfully. This 9-session course does the work of two teachers, in and out of class. Plus, the enthusiasm and improvement that can be seen in the children make it absolutely worth the price.
