Beat the Clock Essay Workshops

Sample Schedule

The schedule is flexible, depending upon the size and enthusiasm of the group and the overall age of the students attending. More participation and more questions may result in a longer workshop, which is good thing. Students remember what they do, so I encourage active participation and questions from everyone.

It can be very helpful for parents who are taking the workshop to ask questions and share essays. Their willingness to speak up and ask questions can help shy students feel that it's okay not to know everything, and to also know that questions are really welcome and helpful.

Morning Session—(2-2.5 hours)

Introduction
Discussion of quality writing; examples.
Presentation of the 3-step writing process.
Identify personal frame of reference.
Discuss the function of an essay question, and how to approach it.
Present time-management formula for timed essays.

Break

Present an essay question for practice essay.
Introduce process of brainstorming and organizing ideas.
Develop thesis, supporting points, and conclusion.
Write a 25-minute practice essay (Time allotted for SAT essay).

Lunch

Afternoon Session—(1.5-2 hours)

Share some of the short essays (optional).
Discuss process, address areas of difficulty.
Review time-management formula for timed essays.
Review steps in process and answer questions.
Present question for second practice essay.
Write essay—

25 minutes

Discuss any difficulties, answer questions.
Students dismissed.
Optional Parent Q&A: I will talk with auditing parents about workshop, and provide time for those who are interested to read their student's essay and participate in a group evaluation. It is nice to read through at least two essays, so that we can talk about what to focus on when evaluating.

Workshops are usually scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., but can be scheduled differently as needed. Large groups (over 20 students) usually need more time than smaller groups. If the workshop site is available for 5 hours, this allows plenty of time for questions during the workshop, as well as for evaluations afterward.