Spring is almost here! And that means it’s time to start thinking about how you can improve your skills this season. Every spring break we host different writing workshops to help students prepare for university applications or learn new skills, and this year is no different. Better yet, you can catch some of our most popular workshops like Intro to Canadian Supplement Writin and Intro to University Level Writing throughout April and May. Get all the workshop details below!
Essay Essentials
This three-day boot camp is designed to give current grade 8, 9, and 10 students a solid understanding of English grammar, writing conventions, and essay basics, so they can approach essay writing with the knowledge and skills necessary for success. Students will learn the essentials of writing expert argumentative essays, the most common essay genre they will write in high school. This session will be a great way to hone students’ writing skills. Furthermore, the active reading, planning, and essay writing skills are a great way to prepare for the Graduate Literacy Assessment (GLA), a new provincial exam for students in grades 10 and 12.
What do our students have to say?
“I like that we did daily grammar lessons over the three days and that every day we did a little part of “how to write an argumentative essay”. That was awesome because we weren’t expected to learn essay writing in 3 hours. It was a good mix and match over the three days.”
Dates and times:
Mar 20-Mar 22
10am-1pm
Mastering the Essay
This interactive, fast-paced workshop is aimed at providing students with the theory and practice to succeed in their English studies at the grade 11 to 12 level. It will give students the skills and confidence they need to succeed, making their future English courses easier and more enjoyable. Furthermore, the active reading, planning, and essay writing skills are a great way to prepare for the Graduate Literacy Assessment (GLA), a new provincial exam for students in grades 12.
What do our students have to say?
“I enjoyed that the instructors provided valuable feedback on my essays and they answered all the questions I had. I also enjoyed practicing writing specific types of essays.”
Dates and times:
Mar 13-Mar15
10am-1pm
Intro to University Level Writing
This workshop prepares students bound for post-secondary for the challenges of writing for different disciplines at the university level. It discusses strategies for successful research, critical thinking, and writing while giving students a chance to practice these skills and receive individualized feedback. The session will be interactive and dynamic. Students are encouraged to attend all sessions as each day will build on the next.
What do our students have to say?
“I liked that the instructor provided good examples for us to fully understand what was expected of us and that there was the perfect balance of freedom to pick a topic but enough structure to help actually get started.”
Dates and times:
May 6, 13, 20, 27
10am-12pm
Canadian Admissions Bootcamp
This three-day intensive preparation will help students understand and tackle the Canadian admissions process. The goal of this boot camp is to relieve the stress students feel about the application process and to get a head start.
What do our students say?
“I liked how much knowledge about very specific courses the instructors were able to supply right away on demand. It was more helpful than I expected, and my difficult questions were all answered with helpful details.”
Dates and times:
Mar 13-Mar 15
10am-12pm
Intro to Canadian Supplement Writing Workshop
This three-hour session introduces grade 12 students to the writing components for Canadian applications. The session will include a presentation that outlines the typical essay and supplemental writing prompts required by major Canadian universities and programs. During this presentation, session leaders will also provide writing and time management strategies and sample essays from previous years’ successful applications. Students will then be given time to brainstorm and engage in practice writing exercises. Options Solutions writing coaches will give students one-on-one feedback on their drafts.
What do our students say?
“I really liked the tips, exercises and examples of past students’ responses and what was good about them and what could’ve been improved. This allowed me to take good notes and implement what I thought was good into my applications.”
Dates and times:
Apr 29
(Business Specific)
10am-12pm
May 13
10am-12pm
Writing for Self-Expression: Level 2
This interactive workshop is geared towards preparing students to develop the fundamentals for university application responses and essays. Whereas Options’ other English programs focus on developing students’ technical writing skills, this three-day course will help expand students’ ability to express their authentic voice through writing. Students will build confidence and develop their unique style through brainstorming, reading a selection of prose, and receiving feedback on their written work. Throughout the course, students will write a personal narrative essay that responds to an application essay prompt. After this course, students will be well-prepared to write in the genre of essay required for university applications.
Dates and times:
Mar 20-Mar 22
10am-12pm
Video Interview Workshop
This three-hour session prepares students for the video interview components of university applications. The session will include a presentation that outlines the main components of video interview requirements, as well as a practical guide for successfully completing those videos. During the session, students will learn how to answer typical interview questions and have the opportunity to tackle some sample questions as a group. They will then practice in pairs and give each other feedback, as well as record their responses for analysis. Programs that require the video interview include Commerce at UBC, the University of Toronto, and York University, as well as Engineering at the University of Toronto and University of Waterloo.
Dates and times:
May 20
10am-1pm
Core Test Skills
These intensive sessions focus on helping students master the ACT or SAT exam. Topics will cover every portion of the test, including testtaking strategies, time management tips, and crossover skills for the ACT/SAT exam.
What do our students say?
“I really liked that the instructor had everyone participate because it made it feel more like an actual class. I also liked they gave us lots of extra practice after the course was even finished.”
Dates and times:
Mar 21-Mar 23
1pm-4pm
Super Skills Saturdays
These Saturday prep sessions are designed to deliver concentrated exam prep for the English, reading, writing, and math portions of the ACT and SAT exams. This workshop is perfect for students writing either the ACT or SAT exams who want to improve their foundational test skills during a day-long course.
What do our students say?
“I really liked how we went step by step together as a class. To go along with that, I found it really helpful when we did the practice problems together and really went in-depth on why the answer was either wrong or right.”
Dates and times:
Apr 1
10am-1pm
2pm-5pm
Apr 22
10am-1pm
2pm-5pm
Apr 29
10am-1pm
2pm-5pm
May 27
10am-1pm
2pm-5pm
ACT/SAT Mock Exam and Debriefs
Complete a full SAT or ACT exam at home and join us for a three-hour virtual debrief. Each student is given a cover sheet to help them understand their successes and their areas needing improvement. In order to get an accurate estimate of a student’s abilities, we use only officially released ACT and SAT exams. Taking practice tests helps students prepare for the stamina required on test day.
Dates and times:
Mock exam distribution: May 18
ACT mock exam debrief: May 26 4pm-7pm
Contact us today to reserve your spot!
