Learn the Brave Writer method by doing it. 

Yes! Our writing coach plus YOU and your child (ages 9-14) work together in Brave Writer 101: Guided Writing Process.

Curious what this online course entails? The whole writing process, start to finish!

Week One: Communication

Share the needs and challenges that you and your child have over writing and get individualized help from your coach. Next, you and your kids play a game to learn about how writers communicate. 

“[My son] loves this. He said it really helped him see how important details are.” —Parent Laura

Week Two: Observation

Wish your kids would generate deeper insights? More vivid descriptions? Feel like they have no fuel for writing? We practice finding things to say and putting them into words on the page.

“I am seeing some happiness around observing, and selecting words which is great!” —Parent Fabienne

Week Three: Freewriting

We introduce a magical process that liberates so many kids. Freewriting puts your kids in the driver’s seat. This week shocks so many parents: wow, my kid is WRITING! 

“We’d agreed that he’d write for five minutes – but I didn’t see him again for over twenty.” —Parent Sonja

Week Four: Freewriting and Feedback for Revision

The writing process gets tense for parents when feedback is warranted. Watch our writing coach approach your child’s writing with constructive advice and gentle encouragement.

“By the end of Week Four… it became the first thing she wanted to do every day…” —Parent Jennifer

Week Five: Revision

Learn how to revise by doing it—with our help. We cover different ways you and your child can improve a piece of writing of their choice. Without any tears!

“Our instructor was a terrific model to me on how to lavish my writer with feedback and how to ask excellent questions to help draw my writer out.” —Parent Allison

Week Six: Editing

The final polish-up! We started with raw communication (the essence of writing!) and we’ll finish with making that priceless jewel shine! 

“I didn’t get resistance on this exercise at all… [He] seemed to enjoy this type of editing.” —Parent Amanda

That’s it—the writing process! Don’t wait for the next writing opportunity. It’s time to get started with Brave Writer.

I remember the day. I’d been asked by many parents over the years to provide an in-depth college-prep research essay class. What to do? Then I saw it: an actual college textbook. Of course!  

So Brave Writer’s MLA Research Essay class was made with your college-bound teen in mind. We draw directly from the principles real colleges use when teaching writing.

It sounds a bit daunting, but when we break this major project into manageable chunks, writing a research paper really isn’t that difficult; I promise!

“What is MLA format?” 

MLA stands for “Modern Language Association.” The MLA started publishing a “style sheet” to help students write research papers in a standard format, and since then the MLA has been refining the elements of the MLA research essay format. 

“Should my kid be familiar with this system?”

Yes! The MLA format represents a consensus among professors, scholars, and librarians for documenting research in their respective fields. Basically, MLA style dictates how students use citations, works cited, footnotes, headers…

“Is it unreasonably hard?”

Believe it or not, the MLA style is a simpler style than other formats such as the APA or the Chicago Manual of Style!

“Is it BORING?” 

Not the Brave Writer way! We encourage your teen to choose a topic that makes them tick. It helps to love what you’re writing about!

“Is it worth the price?”

Let’s ask the teens from previous classes!

This class made me feel a lot more confident in my overall knowledge of the MLA style components. The instructions and explanations of what is required were far more clear and detailed than any others I had received for previous MLA essays. —Student Sarah

I learned much more about citing sources in the MLA format… I had never written that long and complex of an essay, so it was a good learning experience. —Student April

Thank you so much for all your amazing feedback on my work in this class! I think I have a good understanding of MLA research essays after taking this class. —Student Max

That kind of confidence? Priceless!

Learn more about Brave Writer’s

MLA Research Essay Online Class

When I wrote Raising Critical Thinkers it felt… risky. I knew that the ideas in my book would be a challenge to some of you. But I also knew that they would challenge ME and my team! Based on this new information, some things would need to change. However uncomfortable.

First on that list? The way we teach research and citation. 

So we completely dismantled and re-created our Essay Prep: Research and Citation class to address the modern challenges of doing research online. 

Yes. 

It’s still got great stuff like paraphrasing and how to take notes. But now it also has these critical components.

How to

• Avoid being fooled by the “look” of a website
• Wade through one million results on a Google search
• Vet online sources like fact-checkers do
• Discern a deliberately crafted story (presented as fact)
• Design an investigation into a topic of interest

I’ll tell you right now—there is no other class like this on the market.

Fast forward to college. 99% of the answers they need are out there, to be found in research. Our kids need to learn how to find it and use it right. Let us help.

Register