Leading Word Education
60 Lowther Avenue M5R 1C7 Toronto, ON, Canada

Last Chance to Register for This School Year If you would like your child to attend a free-trial class (online) with the possibility enrolling in April, contact us now! Registration for this school year is closing on April 2nd. www.leadingwordeducation.com/contact

Chapter 3 rounded out their lesson this week with a grammar competition. Students were presented with a visual prompt and asked to write a caption that is either a flipped sentence or a sentence featuring parallel activities. Students did a wonderful job combining their creativity and grammar skills, proving even grammar can be a fun topic. Way to go Chapter 3 class!

It's not easy reading to a baby who is teething. P. S. Janet & Allan Ahlberg's book, Peepo!, is one of Mira's and my favourites :)

The Prologue students have had a lot of fun writing letters these past two weeks! They are grasping the idea of our two types of letters this unit: the complaint and the request. The format of a letter was new to them, but they've picked up on it quickly! This new format of writing is helping them be specific while providing necessary details. Listening to the students brainstorm ideas for these letters has also been a blast!

Our Chapter 4 students have been enjoying the beautifully illustrated science fiction novel, The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi. It's been exciting to hear the students relate to different aspects of the story, from the protagonist's struggle with adjusting to a new environment, to which of her gadgets we would like to have most in our own lives.

Mira and I have been loving Everywhere Babies. The rhythmic words and realistic pictures keep me coming back to this book. I've read it to Mira at least twenty times and I will read it to her at least twenty times more :-) ~ Megan

A big thank you to all of the Prologue students for their hard work on the current writing unit. They have been practicing their paragraph-writing skills over the past three weeks, taking care to include clear and thorough introduction, body, and conclusion sentences. This unit was intimidating in the beginning, but all of the students have done such a great job! It's been amazing to witness their progress and be a part of it! ~ Giovanna Tucci, Prologue Teacher

Leading Word Literature Our writers' group has been collaborating with the greater Leading Word community to create a literary magazine. To pilot this project, we are sending our first issues digitally to the Leading Word email list. If you would like to receive news, short stories, poetry, and more from Leading Word, sign up for our newsletter. Issue #1 of Leading Word Literature comes out next week! www.leadingwordeducation.com/contact

Q: Why would you be excited to start reading a "Bad Beginning"? A: Because your class is reading A Series of Unfortunate Events next week and you can't wait!

Our Chapter 2 students reviewed the standard the plot graph and each began crafting a short story about a mysterious message. They are making excellent use of suspense and cliffhangers that we know will make these mysteries quite satisfying.

The Chapter 4 students are enjoying Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang's graphic novel, In Real Life, and having great conversations about the themes in the book. Online gaming and workers' rights have come up in discussion during Book Circle, leading the students to reflect on their own online gaming experiences, and on their thoughts about how different countries and cultures might handle the kinds of labour rights situations seen in the book.

This week, the Chapter 5 students shared the first 350 words of their short memoirs. The students used imagery and dialogue to highlight their memories, and they selected themes that weave their memories together in order to reflect one big idea. Thank you, Chapter 5 students, for embracing this new writing unit and sharing your personal stories with each other. You are an encouraging and talented group who support each other's learning and writing so well!

Our prologue students are really enjoying the first volume of Flight: Explorer, an anthology of comics edited by Kazu Kibuishi. They like the fun artwork and are developing their abilities to read the pictures and explain what they think the pictures are communicating. We're also loving the light tone of this collection and find ourselves sharing laughs at every Book Circle.

The school year has kicked off at Leading Word Education. Students had a busy first week completing Wreading Assessments to flex a combination of their reading and writing skills. Each class wrapped up with a fun set of word games - the perfect balance! Stay tuned for news on upcoming trial classes :)

Leading Word: A Charity We obtained charitable status! What does this mean?... The Canada Revenue Agency was "pleased to inform [us] that Leading Word Education meets the requirements for tax-exempt status as a registered charity under the Income Tax Act." This means that we are able to issue tax receipts for donations made to the organization. What will donations go towards? Leading Word has two funds for donations: the General Fund and the Tuition Subsidy Fund. Donations made to the General Fund support our free programs, including contests, tournaments, Writers' Group, and our upcoming newspaper. Donations made to the Tuition Subsidy Fund go towards the tuition of children of low income families who could not otherwise afford Leading Word's tuition. To donate, visit www.leadingwordeducation.com/donate

Registration for the 2020/2021 Acedemic Year is open! Please visit our website for the Schedule: www.leadingwordeducation.com/academic-schedule Registration: www.leadingwordeducation.com/registration Attendance via Zoom will be available. Also, depending on social distancing restrictions in September, our cap size may be six students instead of twelve, so register soon!

Dear Leading Word Community, Starting April 6th and 7th, our classes and homework tutoring sessions will be offered online instead of in person. For more information, please contact Megan or your child's teacher. Are you new to Leading Word and were hoping to join us for Term 3? You still can. The start date has just been pushed a bit and the classes will be via Zoom. To inquire about registering your child for an April 28th start, contact Megan at [email protected].

Dear Parents, Leading Word has extended its March Break to 3 weeks. Classes will resume on April 6th and 7th. This also means that our last class of the school year will be later than usual. Instead of having our end-of-year celebration on June 16th, we will have our last regular class on June 23rd and end-of-year celebration later that week. Please contact Megan if you have any questions: [email protected].

Leading Word is hosting a Plot Twist Tournament on Tuesday March 10th at 6:30pm. Parents are reminded that, next week, all students are to attend Leading Word from at least 6:30 to 7:30 on Tuesday, March 10th, instead of attending their usual class. The tournament will run from 6:30 to 7:30, but all are encouraged to arrive before 6:30 for a rules refresher. Happy writing!

Checking in with Chapter 2: To help finish off this unit, Chapter 2 students had a discussion about proverbs and how they have encountered them in their lives. They were then asked to exercise their creative muscles by illustrating both the literal and metaphorical meanings of the phrases they chose.

Checking in with Chapter 3: To help shake off the winter blues, the Chapter 3 students kicked off the class with a discussion brainstorming when people may need some words of encouragement. They then took some time to think of a person in their life who could use some kind words, and transferred their thoughts onto a card to gift to them. We hope you feel inspired to pass on some words of encouragement to someone you know :-)

Buddy Night is Tuesday, January 21st! This means that all Leading Word students are welcome to bring a friend to class that evening. If you haven't gotten one already, please ask Megan for an invitation to give to your friend.

I just finished reading one of my Christmas presents: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. This is a beautiful story of both words and pictures. I highly recommend it to all readers. The ending brought me many happy tears. P. S. If a Leading Word student would like to borrow my copy, let me know! I'd be happy to pass along this story. ~ Megan

And we're back! Thank you, everyone, for an excellent first week after the winter break. The new Chapter 1 class is a blast so far. I am so happy to be teaching this course again, especially in time for Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi. This is going to be a great term :-) ~ Megan

And were back! Thank you, everyone, for an excellent first week after the winter break. The new Chapter 1 class is a blast so far. I am so happy to be teaching this course again, especially in time for Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi. This is going to be a great term :-) ~ Megan

We have a winner! Thank you, Maya, for this next installment in the dragon twins' adventures :-)

Leading Word is opening up a second Chapter 1 (Grade 4) class - just in time for our graphic novel unit! It will run on Mondays, 4:00 to 5:30, starting January 6th. Let us know if your child might be interested! www.leadingwordeducation.com/free-trial

We have a winner! Thank you, Maya, for this next installment in the dragon twins adventures :-)

Dear Leading Word Parents, This Tuesday, November 26th, is our assessment and games class, and you are invited to the games! Join us at 5:45pm (if your child is in a Period 1 class) or 7:30pm (Period 2) for a round of Bananagrams, Boggle, or Scrabble Slam. The games will be set up in our second floor classroom. We hope to see you there!

Checking in with Chapter 2: This week, we tackled the western-style haiku. This type of poem has three lines, requiring the first and last lines to have five syllables and the middle line seven. This task was not just technical, however. Students had the added challenge of making their haiku an instance of imagery. Nice work, Chapter 2s. We definitely have some budding poets in our class :-)

Checking in with Prologue: This week, we learned about adjectives, which are words that describe nouns. The students practiced how to change nouns into adjectives and discovered the common endings for adjectives. As the students incorporated adjectives into sentences and shared them with the class, they learned about the multitude of meanings that a word can have. For example, the word blue could mean sad, but it could also be describing the colour. I look forward to seeing our students' increased use of adjectives as they enhance the description in their writing.

Reminder: Our Comic Contest closes tomorrow! Submit your entries before the end of the day on Tuesday, November 12th for a chance to win a prize pack or $250 off of a Leading Word course.

Checking in with Chapter 5: This week, we played a game of Bananagrams to finish off our first unit of the year. Our students showed off their prowess in spelling as well as their expansive vocabulary. Well done Chapter 5 students!

It is time for our annual Comic Contest! All children in grades 1 to 8 are welcome to enter by emailing comic outlines to Megan. We will choose two winners this year: a current student and an outside participant. Both students who win will have their comics illustrated and printed. The winning current student will receive an additional prize pack and the winning outside participant will receive a 25% off coupon for a Leading Word course (value of over $250). Entries are due November 12th!

Checking in with Chapter 2: Last week, we had our first debate of the year. Our students took sides based on the book, City of Ember, either supporting the desire to Stay in Ember or Leave Ember. Students were incredibly creative in both their statements and their rebuttals of opposing statements. This activity also gave students who are shyer a chance to have their voices heard. Good job Chapter 2 students!

Leading Word's next start date is October 29th. If you are considering registering your child before January, please sign up for a free trial class before the end of this month: www.leadingwordeducation.com/free-trial. Our Grade 1/2 class is full, but there are spots available for Grades 3 to 8.

As our very first unit of the year comes to a close, classes were introduced to the fun-filled game called Plot Twist. This writing game challenges students to think on their feet as they work collaboratively to craft a creative tale from beginning to end. Plot Twist remains our students favourite as it allows them to showcase their writing skills while injecting their own snippets of creativity.

Leading Words next start date is October 29th. If you are considering registering your child before January, please sign up for a free trial class before the end of this month: www.leadingwordeducation.com/free-trial. Our Grade 1/2 class is full, but there are spots available for Grades 3 to 8.

Checking in with our Chapter 5 class: It was a joy being able to hear how each student picks up different aspects of the same story. While describing a character in the book Shipbreaker, the students highlighted the different aspects that stood out to them. I was surprised and delighted to learn that their highlights were different from my own, showing me how each reading of a story is unique.

Checking in with our Chapter 2 class: We played our first game of Bizz Buzz this year! It was a delight to see more soft-spoken students reveal their great public speaking skills, as well as get to know everyone a little better. Additionally, it reminds everyone of how important it is to think about what you say before you speak: something that is vital regardless of our age.

Checking in with our Prologue class: The Prologue students are learning how to use the dictionary for the first time. In our modern world, its a rare but useful skill. Being tasked with explaining its importance and helping the students work through finding their first definitions has been incredibly rewarding. It was a joy to see classmates splitting the work, helping each other when they couldnt find a word, and writing the definition in their own words. Nice work Prologue students!

Leading Word will be offering free-trial classes starting Tuesday, October 1st. If you and your child would like to check out our after-school literacy enrichment courses, please contact us at www.leadingwordeducation.com/free-trial. Our Grade 1/2 class is full, but there are spots available for Grades 3 to 8.

Thinking about adding some new books to our courses. I'm very excited for my reading list :) Thank you to my students who recommended a couple of these to me.

Classes start the week of September 9th! Please see the schedule on our website to find the day and time of your child's first class: www.leadingwordeducation.com/academic-schedule

Thinking about adding some new books to our courses. Im very excited for my reading list :) Thank you to my students who recommended a couple of these to me.

Leading Word has timeslots left on Monday, August 26th and Wednesday, August 28th for informational meetings. If you would like to visit Leading Word before the school year starts, contact us soon.

Want to know when were hosting free events and contests? Sign up for our monthly newsletter on our contact page: www.leadingwordeducation.com/contact

Want to know when we're hosting free events and contests? Sign up for our monthly newsletter on our contact page: www.leadingwordeducation.com/contact

Leading Word will be open during the last week of August for informational meetings. If you are looking for a literacy program for your child, contact us to learn about the different programs we offer.

Thank you to everyone who attended and presented at our year-end Coffeehouse celebration! It was amazing to see our students present in front of a big audience - some for the first time. We wish you all an excellent summer and look forward to seeing you again in September.

There are two more Tuesdays before our year-end celebration on June 18th! Those who are interested in learning about Leading Word must schedule a visit for either June 4th or June 11th. After that, we will be closed to the public until August 12th. Please contact me if you have any questions. We are looking for Grade 3 and 4 students in particular, but we have some spots left for children in Grades 5 to 7. http://www.leadingwordeducation.com/free-trial

It's Free Comic Book Day! Make sure to stop by your local comic book store to pick up a free comic: https://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator

Save the date! The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is coming up on May 11th and 12th: www2.torontocomics.com Do you want to meet some of Leading Word's favourite graphic novel authors? We sure do :-)

Its Free Comic Book Day! Make sure to stop by your local comic book store to pick up a free comic: https://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator