Literary Lab (Grades 4-5)

Welcome to the Literary Lab, where students read as writers. It’s a small-group reading and writing seminar that meets weekly for 90 minutes. Students read two novels per term, study how professional authors make deliberate craft choices at the sentence level, and produce original writing in response to what they've read. Each term builds toward a Literary Zine—a curated, individual collection of analytical and creative pieces that students plan, draft, revise, and design.

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Description

A book club asks: did you enjoy it? What happened? What did you think of the characters? Those are genuine questions, and they produce genuine conversation.

Literary Lab asks students to follow their curiosity even deeper.

Students read novels to understand how they're built—how the author made specific decisions at the sentence level—then apply those decisions in their own original writing.

When we discuss Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, we're not just asking whether students liked Minli. We're asking why Grace Lin introduces Dragon with a renaming phrase set off by commas instead of a full sentence of description…and how that single grammatical decision shapes the reader's experience. Then students try the same technique in a short, explanatory essay.

The discussion in Literary Lab is always in service of the writing. A book club discussion can go anywhere the readers want to take it. A Literary Lab discussion has a destination: the student's next sentence, and the one after that.

Students leave each term with a publication they made, confidence in their own ideas, and a clearer sense of what their voice sounds like on the page.

Studio Books

  • Term 1

    • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

    • Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan

  • Term 2

    • A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

    • The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

  • Term 3

    • Out of my Mind by Sharon M. Draper

    • Selection of essays and poems

  • Classes are 90 minutes each.

    Term 1 (12 weeks): $900

    Term 2 (12 weeks): $900

    Term 3 (8 weeks): $600

    Annual Tuition: $2,400

    Materials Fee: $55 (This fee includes books.)

    Tuition is due at the start of each term. Materials fee is due at enrollment.

    Refund:

    • Full refund of tuition and fees if withdrawal occurs before the term’s third session.

    • 50% refund after third session but before Week 6.

    • No refund from Week 6 onward.

  • Class books are provided as part of the materials fee.

    Please bring the following to every club meeting:

    • Writing tools

    • Imagination and an open mind!

  • Each term, students publish a Literary Zine—a curated collection of analytical and creative writing they plan, draft, revise, and design themselves. It is a real publication, not a homework packet. Final drafts may be created by hand or in Canva.

    Every term includes three required compositions and a selection of optional ones. The required pieces change as the curriculum progresses:

    Term 1 centers on the Observational Record—close, precise attention to what is actually on the page, named in exact language

    Term 2 centers on the Explanatory Piece—taking something complex and making it legible to a reader who does not yet understand it

    Term 3 centers on the Argument—taking an arguable position, defending it with evidence, and arriving somewhere the opening could not have stated

  • Meets: Friday, 10:00–11:30 AM
    Location: Private Space

    Term 1 (12 sessions)

    • 09/04/2026 (Fri)

    • 09/11/2026 (Fri)

    • 09/18/2026 (Fri)

    • 09/25/2026 (Fri)

    • 10/02/2026 (Fri)

    • 10/09/2026 (Fri)

    • 10/16/2026 (Fri)

    • 10/23/2026 (Fri)

    • 10/30/2026 (Fri)

    • 11/06/2026 (Fri)

    • 11/13/2026 (Fri)

    • 11/20/2026 (Fri)

    Make-up date if needed: 12/11/2026 (Fri)

    Winter Break — No Class: 12/15/2026 – 01/01/2027

  • Meets: Friday, 10:00–11:30 AM
    Location: Private Space

    Term 2 (12 sessions)

    • 01/08/2027 (Fri)

    • 01/15/2027 (Fri)

    • 01/22/2027 (Fri)

    • 01/29/2027 (Fri)

    • 02/05/2027 (Fri)

    • 02/12/2027 (Fri)

    • 02/19/2027 (Fri) — BREAK, no class (Mid-Winter Break)

    • 02/26/2027 (Fri)

    • 03/05/2027 (Fri)

    • 03/12/2027 (Fri)

    • 03/19/2027 (Fri)

    • 03/26/2027 (Fri)

    • 04/02/2027 (Fri)

  • Meets: Friday, 10:00–11:30 AM
    Location: Private Space

    Term 3 (8 sessions)

    • 04/09/2027 (Fri)

    • 04/16/2027 (Fri)

    • 04/23/2027 (Fri)

    • 04/30/2027 (Fri)

    • 05/07/2027 (Fri)

    • 05/14/2027 (Fri)

    • 05/21/2027 (Fri)

    • 05/28/2027 (Fri)

    Make-up date if needed: 06/18/2027 (Fri)

Only Grades 4-5 is currently available.

If you’re interested in seeing Literary Lab open for other grade levels or for other times, please let me know using the form below. No email required.