AEM Academy
Writing Classes for Kids
Proven Program Helps Students in Grades 5-10 Master Academic Writing and Raise All Grades
"Mr. Jan's teaching worked miracles on my language skills. All the advice and his teaching methods, especially the T.R.E.E.S. paragraph format, improved my writing skills significantly... I was able to score 95% in English this year, all thanks to him."
Saheli J. went from 60s in grade 8 ESL to 90s in grade 9. She now gets higher grades than most of her classmates.
Book your child’s free writing assessment and see if this program is right for you. Give your child a competitive edge so they can get where they want to go.
The AEM Advanced Writing Program focuses on the four pillars of academic writing required for high grades in EVERY subject:
Our teaching method makes all the difference:
Writing is an activity, like a sport. The more you write with feedback from a coach, the faster you improve.
According to research, students should be writing at least 30 minutes per day with feedback. However, fewer than 30% of students get this much writing at school, and even fewer receive detailed feedback (many teachers provide enough time to write but only do a completion check without any detailed feedback).
The AEM program is designed to maximize opportunities to write with detailed feedback and revisions. As a result, students improve quickly. It is impossible to deliver this level of training in a traditional classroom or tutoring setting.
I finished with an 80 all thanks to you, sir!
Mohammed S. from Mississauga went from 62% in grade 9 English to 80% in grade 10 English after completing ONE LEVEL in the AEM writing program.
Class Schedule
The AEM Advanced Writing Program has 5 levels. Each level includes 16 one-hour classes over 4 months. Each class includes 3 writing assignments that students submit throughout the week. Teacher feedback is provided 7 days per week.
Most younger students stay for 2-3 levels. Students already in high school can expect tremendous improvement after only 1 level. To find out your child's level and determine if this program would work for you, sign up for a complimentary writing assessment.
Classes start after school at 4:30 PM EST and on Saturdays at 8 AM. If you are on the west coast, classes start at 4:30 PM PST on weekdays. Most levels run every day.
Mondays 4:30-9:30 PM
Tuesdays 4:30-9:30 PM
Wednesdays 4:30-9:30 PM
Thursdays 4:30-9:30 PM
Fridays 4:30-9:30 PM
Saturdays 8:00-11:00 AM
Class Curriculum
The AEM Academic Writing Program has 5 levels. Each level includes 16 one-hour classes over 4 months. Each class includes 3 writing assignments that students submit throughout the week. Teacher feedback is provided 7 days per week. Students then revise their writing to fix problems and better develop ideas.
Students who struggle with sentence structure or who are younger than grade 5 begin the program in Level 1.
Students who have a good grasp of sentence structure but who struggle with developing and organizing ideas in paragraphs begin the program in Level 2.
Students who can write a short essay begin the program in Level 3.
High school students who need a crash course in grammar, sentence structure, and advanced essay writing can begin in Level 4.
To find out your child's level and determine if this program would meet your needs, sign up for a complimentary writing assessment.
AEM Level 1 Outcomes
Students master the essentials of sentence structure and how to develop a paragraph for a wide variety of purposes. Students who complete this level...
- understand sentence structure essentials: simple, compound, and complex sentences up to Level 3 in the complex sentence system
- understand grammar foundations: parts of speech, the verb time (tense) system, active and passive voice
- understand T.R.E.E.S. paragraph structure, which is a detailed framework for cohesive writing and idea development
- can write a cohesive and well-developed paragraph for a variety of purposes: biography, comparison, cause-effect, problem-solution, narrative summary, classification, opinion, definition, historical summary
- can write a detailed and precise description: lifecycle, weather phenomenon, before and after comparison, geographic location, structure, historical event
AEM Level 2 Outcomes
Students master the essentials of complex sentence structure and understand how to write a short essay for a wide variety of purposes. Students who complete this level...
- understand sentence structure essentials: simple, compound, and complex sentences up to Level 4 in the complex sentence system
- understand grammar foundations: parts of speech, the verb time (tense) system, active and passive voice
- understand H.O.T. T.R.E.E.S. T.O.P.S. essay structure, which is a detailed framework for cohesive writing and idea development
- can write a short essay for a variety of purposes: biography, comparison, cause-effect, problem-solution, narrative summary, classification, argument, definition, historical summary
- can write a detailed and precise description: lifecycle, weather phenomenon, before and after comparison, geographic features, structure, historical event, mechanical process
AEM Level 3 Outcomes
Students master a wide variety of sentence structures and understand how to write a 5-paragraph essay for a variety of purposes. Students who complete this level...
- understand a wide variety of complex sentence structures up to Level 6 in the complex sentence system
- understand grammar foundations: parts of speech, the verb time (tense) system, active and passive voice
- understand H.O.T. T.R.E.E.S. T.O.P.S. essay structure
- can write a 5-paragraph essay for a variety of purposes: biography, comparison, cause-effect, problem-solution, argument, movie critique
- can write a detailed and precise description: simple graphs and data, country, physical structure, weather phenomenon, narrative, mechanical process
- can support ideas using evidence, including statistics, and include references
AEM Level 4 Outcomes
Students complete the sentence structure system and understand how to write a well-developed 5-paragraph essay for a variety of purposes. Students who complete this level...
- understand the full range of complex sentence structures up to Level 8 in the complex sentence system
- understand H.O.T. T.R.E.E.S. T.O.P.S. essay structure, including introduction and conclusion development
- can write a 5-paragraph essay for a variety of purposes: advantages and disadvantages, comparison, cause-effect, problem-solution, argument, media critique, reader response
- can support ideas using a variety of evidence, including statistics, and include in-text citations and a Works Cited section
AEM Level 5 Outcomes
Students develop flexibility with the complete sentence structure system and write 5-paragraph essays for a variety of purposes. Students who complete this level...
- understand the full range of complex sentence structures up to Level 9 in the complex sentence system
- thoroughly understand H.O.T. T.R.E.E.S. T.O.P.S. essay structure, including complementary introduction and conclusion development, and how to use a variety of rhetorical strategies in argument development
- can write a 5-paragraph essay for a variety of purposes: comparison, cause-effect, problem-solution, argument, media critique, reader response, unintended consequences
- can support ideas using several sources of evidence, including statistics, and include in-text citations and a Works Cited section
Tuition Options
Small Group Class
$240 CAD/$175 USD month
1:1 Class
$480 CAD/$350 USD month
Sign up for a complimentary writing assessment. Make sure your child has the writing skills to be successful academically and professionally.
Book your child’s free writing assessment and see if this program is right for you. Give your child the competitive edge so they can get where they need to go.
Grades are MASSIVELY inflated. Make sure your child can really write well.
70% of students don't get even the minimum amount of writing practice recommended by experts.
Students need AT LEAST 30 minutes of writing practice PER DAY, but according to research, “only about 25% of middle-schoolers and 31% of high school students practice writing 30 minutes a day.”
Nearly every parent who contacts me reports that...
- their child does not have a dedicated writing period and rarely writes in school, sometimes just ONE paragraph per month
- teacher feedback is weeks or months late and consists of checkmarks and comments like "good work!"
- the teacher doesn't provide writing support even when grammar issues are a student's biggest problem
As a result, only 23% of Canadian professors think students “are able to write at a university level.”
A survey of 1300 professors at York University, University of Waterloo, Western University, and the University of Toronto revealed:
- 41% of students are "at risk" of not being able to do well in their university studies.
- 16% are classified as "dysfunctional," which means completely incapable of succeeding in their studies.
- Only 32% of professors think students “have adequate academic skills.”
- Only 23% of professors think students “are able to write at a university level.”
- Source: "Academic Skill Deficiencies in Four Ontario Universities"
Students then experience "grade shock," which can jeopardize their future.
Inflated grades set up students for grade shock, which can demotivate and discourage them. When students get to university:
- Only 2.5% earn higher grades.
- About 25% maintain the same grades as in high school.
- Nearly 50% drop an entire letter grade.
- Nearly 25% drop TWO letter grades or more, and most of these students don't complete university.
- Source: Martinello & Finnie
Every day, our assessments confirm parents' worst suspicions: their child's "93%" in English doesn't mean anything.
The image below shows a diagnostic assessment of a Winnipeg student's writing. She received 93% in English but didn't know how to use a comma, how to fix a run-on sentence, or how to match a pronoun to its antecedent. These are basic writing problems that even her parents noticed. However, the teacher praised this student's writing during every parent-teacher interview, telling the parents they had nothing to worry about. Good thing the parents didn't trust the teacher!
As a result, students are ill-prepared for the real world, where 73% of employers are looking for strong writing skills.
"If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the best writer. [His/her] writing skills will pay off. That's because being a good writer is about more than writing clear writing. Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate. They make things easy to understand. They can put themselves in someone else's shoes. They know what to omit. And those are qualities you want in any candidate. Writing is making a comeback all over our society...Writing is today's currency for good ideas..."
- Jason Fried, founder of Basecamp
Most students focus on technical skills, which are no doubt important, but without exceptional writing skills, your child will never get a big promotion.
Employees who get promoted at Amazon or Facebook are NOT those with the best technical skills but those who can write really good “1-pagers” and “6-pagers.” These concise, tightly-structured reports are prepared by senior team members and shared at the start of meetings. To effectively promote critical discussions, “the document should be written with such clarity that it's like angels singing from on high,” demands Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.
You will not get ahead without strong writing skills.
The good news is that most students get better quickly, which transforms their experience of school.
Even students as young as grade 5 who live in Quebec and receive nearly ZERO English writing instruction can master advanced writing skills. School then becomes easy and fun, and being a strong communicator naturally leads to leadership roles.
“All the practice that she did with you does help her a lot in English. I can see that in English class because she's helping other students to do the work. She's so strong that the teacher made her an assistant. After like fifteen minutes, she's finished her homework and most of her marks in English are like 100% every time, and the teacher said, ‘okay, in the meantime, can you help other students?’
Here in Montreal in private schools, they're very tough with a lot of homework. I know that English for her is a piece of cake. It was fantastic.”
- Proud parent of AEM Academic Writing Masterclass student, grade 5, Quebec
Writing sample from the beginning of the course (click to expand):
When Mia started the AEM program, she was struggling with basic sentence structure, idea development, idea organization, and transitions.
Writing sample from the end of the course (click to expand):
After completing Levels 1-3 in the AEM program, Mia's writing has matured. Most sentences are error-free. She uses a wide variety of sentence structures (children in grade 5 have no trouble learning the complete range of complex sentences). Ideas are better developed and flow smoothly.
"C" students can easily turn into "A" students.
Dramatic improvements in idea development, organization, grammatical accuracy, and sentence structure variety are easily achieved with focused instruction and detailed feedback.
I finished with an 80 all thanks to you, sir!
Mohammed S. from Mississauga went from 62% in grade 9 English to 80% in grade 10 English after completing ONE LEVEL in the AEM writing program.
"B" and "A" students can easily turn into "A+" students.
I am excited to tell you that I got 94% in grade 10 English. I just received the marks and I want to thank you for teaching me English and helping me improve.
Risari J. from Mississauga jumped from 80s to 90s after fixing several minor but persistent grammar issues, improving idea development, and learning a wider variety of sentence structures.
Find out what's really going on with your child's writing. Sign up for a complimentary writing assessment to make sure your child has the writing skills to be successful academically and professionally.
Contact me to book a free diagnostic assessment of your child’s writing. We’ll meet over Zoom for a 30-minute parent-child trial class and go over a sample of your child's work. This will establish their true skill level and identify what they need to improve. During the class, I will show you exactly how to fix the biggest issues with your child's writing
This is a free preview of how AEM Writing Masterclass works, so you can see what you’re signing up for, and more importantly, what your child will be getting.
There is no obligation to purchase anything. Even if you don’t enroll in AEM, you will learn several effective techniques so that you can help your child on your own.
Book your child’s free writing assessment now. Give your child a competitive edge so they can get where they want to go.
Big doors open for those with outstanding writing skills.
“If you can think and speak and write, you are absolutely deadly.”
- Dr. Jordan Peterson, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Toronto, author of "12 Rules for Life"
I am just sending a message because I thought about you when I got an offer from Ryerson University. I really want to say thank you! All of this could happen because of your kindness and help. It did give me a strength to live in Canada… It’s really hard to contain my appreciation to you in a text but I am trying to ha ha. I was really afraid of confronting different people but your support helped me to overcome it. So thank you again. :)
After completing the program, MJ S. from Markham was accepted to Mechanical Engineering at Ryerson University.
Congratulations, MJ!
Jan not only helped me refine my essays but also changed the way I write. I owe him so much!
After completing his PhD at Rotman School of Business at University of Toronto, Jaewoo J. from Toronto is now a professor at a prestigious Korean university.
Congratulations, Jaewoo!
My writing has greatly improved since I started learning from Mr. Waginski. He taught me how to properly structure my essays and improved my sentence structure.
Michael L. from Toronto recently graduated from Computer Science at UCLA and is now working at Microsoft.
Congratulations, Michael!
I had Jan Waginski as a tutor when I was in high school. Mr. Waginski helped me refine my grammar and essay writing skills dramatically and helped fill the gaps left by my previous teachers.
Barbara W. studied Criminology and Fine Art History at the University of Toronto. She is now a business development manager at a top auction house.
Congratulations, Barbara!
Extraordinary results come from focus on timeless fundamentals of writing:
Lessons include:
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
You are fully protected by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not happy with the program for any reason, just let us know and we'll send you a prompt and courteous refund for the entire month, even if you're not happy with the last class of the month.
Jan Waginski, Director & Head Teacher
Jan Waginski is a certified Ontario teacher with over 20 years of experience teaching academic writing at the elementary, high school, college, university, and corporate levels.
Find out what's really going on with your child's writing. Sign up for a complimentary writing assessment to make sure your child has the writing skills to be successful academically and professionally.
Book your child’s free writing assessment now. Give your child the competitive edge so they can get where they want to go.
Faq
For the writing assessment, I'll need to see an example of your child's writing. You can share an assignment that was completed for school, but it is more accurate to see what your child can produce without any help. When you complete the form, you'll receive a short list of prompts and instructions on how to submit the writing sample/s. Once you send in the writing sample/s, you'll receive a calendar link to set up a time for your Zoom call. Appointments are available throughout the week.
During the Zoom call, we'll go over your child's writing in depth, and you'll receive a personal demonstration of our unique writing system. There is no obligation to buy anything, and you'll learn several powerful strategies so that you can help your child on your own.
We accept children as young as grade 3 in our Head Start Masterclass as long as they meet certain criteria. Please get in touch to find out more.
AEM Masterclass is a 5-level system. Each level includes 16 classes over 4 months. Most students in grades 7 and 8 start in Level 3. Most students in grades 9 and 10 start in Level 4. Completing even ONE level has a massive, transformative impact on a child's writing. Please get in touch for a complimentary writing assessment and free preview of how AEM Writing Masterclass works, so you can see what you’re signing up for, and more importantly, what your child will be getting.
