ELA Alcove

Online Learning Community

Literature, Writing, and the Art of Self-Direction

Guided learning built on clarity, structure, and encouragement

for grades 4th through 6th

The Program

  • Co-operative and ​Interactive learning environment

  • Limited to eight (8) students

  • Facilitated by experienced educator Beth Hankoff (see ABOUT tab for more).

  • What to expect:

    • Student goal setting & reflections

    • Mentoring

    • Group discussions

    • Daily Writing

    • Reading and interpreting literature

    • Projects in writing and literature response​​​

  • Students with learning differences are always welcome! Please email me if you have questions about goodness of fit: beth@elaalcove.com

Class Schedule

The schedule is flexible and depends on students' needs. Here is a general idea of how a one-hour session will be structured:

10 minutes: Journaling Warm-up: Write about a choice of topics.

20-30 minutes: Mini-lesson: A short, focused lesson on a language arts topic for the day. For example, how to develop your character, how to add detail to your essay, or how to identify irony in literature.

20-30 minutes: Project time. Students can apply what they have learned in the mini-lesson to their current project. They will create writing projects and/or literature response projects. I will check in with each student to provide any one-on-one help needed. This time is also used for goal-setting prior to a project or completing self-reflections about a completed project.​

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Topics Covered

Topics are subject to change based on student needs and interests. These are the mini-lessons I will have ready to go and I'll adapt from there.

Writing Techniques:

Writing an Interesting Beginning

Choosing the Best Words

Using Vivid Details

Showing vs. Telling

Writing Dialogue

Literature Analysis:

Conflict

Irony

Theme

Mood

Character

Flashbacks & Foreshadowing

A young woman is writing in a notebook.
A young woman is writing in a notebook.

Ready to Move Forward?

Join us - Fall 2026!

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Class starts Tuesday, September 15, 2026

We meet on Zoom each week from 3:00 - 4:00 pm Pacific Time

12 Weeks of Class for $180

($15 per class. Make monthly payments or submit an Ocean Grove PO)

Maximum of 8 Students

Plenty of individual support

No class on October 20th

Last class on December 8th

ELA Alcove Sign Up
person writing on white paper
person writing on white paper

Sign up here!

Rights-Centric Education

I am a participant in a group called The Rights-Centric Education Network Quality Assurance System. Our goal is to align our educational programs with children's rights, as outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. I created this document to help students understand their learning rights in the ELA Alcove program.

Scroll down for the parent version.