Writing Classes in Reston, VA

Duration: 5 Weeks | 1 Hour 15 Minutes Per Class Get ready for a high-energy, fun-packed experience where your tween/teen will discover the power of persuasion in the most exciting way! Persuasive speaking is a life-changing skill that helps kids express their ideas with confidence, influence others, and make their voices heard. Through lively games, engaging lessons, and creative challenges, your child will master the art of persuasion while having an absolute blast! LEARN • Explore the elements of persuasive speech and writing through interactive lessons and fun, real-world class discussions. • Be introduced to simple debate techniques in a playful and approachable way that boosts confidence. • Learn how to quickly structure both impromptu and prepared persuasive speeches in dynamic, fast-paced activities. • Discover techniques to captivate an audience with humor, creativity, and confidence. • Learn how to persuade different audiences with the right content while keeping things fun and engaging. • Learn how to better manage public speaking anxiety and nervousness, building confidence to speak up and present with ease. • Build a solid understanding of structure, tone, and delivery for persuasive presentations in a lively, supportive environment. DO • Work on both impromptu and prepared pitches, presentations, and speeches with high-energy practice activities. • Create imaginative and hilarious pitches with teammates for collaborative, laughter-filled challenges. • Participate in energetic demonstrations, role-playing, and interactive games that make learning unforgettable. • Receive individualized feedback, regardless of your child’s starting skill level, to ensure they improve in every session. IMPROVE • Sharpen public speaking and persuasion skills through instant feedback and hands-on practice. • Use the feedback instantly to ensure that the student captures it and applies it right away. • Benefit from personalized coaching that challenges and supports every student from their baseline. • Develop confidence, creativity, and clarity in expressing ideas, whether at school or in everyday life. Also, for classes with more than 10 students, two enthusiastic instructors will lead the sessions to guarantee every child gets the attention and feedback they deserve. Oh, and did we mention? Our instructors are professional educators AND performers who bring tons of energy and humor to every class. Your child will laugh, learn, and leave feeling excited for the next session! Please note: Occasional assignments will be given to maximize the class benefits.

Spring Break Speak Up Camp | Grades 2–5 Half Day Camp | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM A super fun, game-based public speaking camp where kids build confidence, creativity, and communication skills without even realizing they’re learning! Students will: • Explore multiple forms of public speaking including storytelling, persuasive, impromptu, and performance speaking • Learn the three core pillars of great speaking: Content, Structure, and Performance • Practice both on-the-spot speaking and written speeches and perform what they create • Receive constant coaching, encouragement, and individual feedback • Grow in confidence in a supportive, high-energy environment This camp is great for both our current students to sharpen their skills and for brand new students just getting started. We always maintain two instructors to keep activity groups small and ensure every child receives plenty of individual attention and feedback. Daily Schedule: 9:55-10am: Parent Drop-Off 10:00–11:30 Ice breakers, lessons, speaking games, confidence-building activities 11:30–11:45 Snack and social break 11:45–12:55 Speech activities, writing assignments, performances, and personalized feedback! 12:55-1:00pm Parent Pick-Up This camp is perfect for both shy and outgoing kids. It’s so engaging and fun that most kids don’t even realize they’re learning. They just know they’re having an amazing time.

🎤 Persuasive Speaking: Level 2 Duration: 5 Weeks | 1 Hour Per Class Prerequisite: Students must have taken the 2024–2025 Persuasive Speaking class OR be recommended by a Highest Speak instructor. For eligibility questions, please email info@highestspeak.com . Get ready for a high-energy, challenge-packed series designed to take persuasive speaking skills to the next level! Level 2 dives deeper into structure, reasoning, clarity, and performance. Students will work with longer 1–3 minute speeches, more complex prompts, and higher-level persuasive strategies—all while keeping the fun, creativity, and excitement that Highest Speak is known for. This course is perfect for students ready for more challenge, more depth, and more speaking time. ⭐ LEARN • Dive deeper into the elements of powerful persuasive speaking, with more advanced frameworks and techniques. • Strengthen simple debate and reasoning skills in a fun, age-appropriate way. • Learn how to quickly and clearly structure longer 1–3 minute persuasive speeches, both prepared and impromptu. • Explore how to hook an audience with stronger openings, examples, humor, and emotional appeal. • Understand how to tailor persuasion to different audiences with the right tone, structure, and approach. • Practice strategies to manage nerves and speak with calm, confident energy—even under time pressure. • Build a more advanced understanding of organization, tone, evidence, and delivery in a supportive, encouraging environment. ⭐ DO • Create both impromptu and prepared 1–3 minute persuasive speeches using Level 2 prompts and frameworks. • Work on high-energy challenges, persuasive “pitches,” and creative team activities. • Participate in dynamic role-plays, demonstrations, mini debates, and interactive games that make learning unforgettable. • Receive targeted, individualized feedback designed to stretch each student from their current level and help them grow every session. ⭐ IMPROVE • Strengthen persuasive structure, clarity, confidence, and delivery through instant application and practice. • Learn to take feedback and implement it immediately in the next speaking round. • Benefit from personalized coaching that challenges advanced students and supports those still growing. • Build confidence, creativity, organization, and expressive skills—at school, socially, and in everyday communication. ⭐ INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCE For classes with more than 10 students, two expert, high-energy instructors will lead the sessions to ensure every child receives ample individualized feedback and speaking time. Our instructors are professional educators and performers who bring energy, humor, and warmth to every class. Students leave each session laughing, learning, and excited for the next challenge. Please note: Occasional at-home assignments may be given to maximize progress and reinforce new skills.

Duration: 5 Weeks | 1 Hour and 15 Minutes Per Class Get ready for a high-energy, fun-packed experience where your tween/teen will discover the power of persuasion in the most exciting way! Persuasive speaking is a life-changing skill that helps kids express their ideas with confidence, influence others, and make their voices heard. Through lively games, engaging lessons, and creative challenges, your child will master the art of persuasion while having an absolute blast! LEARN • Explore the elements of persuasive speech and writing through interactive lessons and fun, real-world class discussions. • Be introduced to simple debate techniques in a playful and approachable way that boosts confidence. • Learn how to quickly structure both impromptu and prepared persuasive speeches in dynamic, fast-paced activities. • Discover techniques to captivate an audience with humor, creativity, and confidence. • Learn how to persuade different audiences with the right content while keeping things fun and engaging. • Learn how to better manage public speaking anxiety and nervousness, building confidence to speak up and present with ease. • Build a solid understanding of structure, tone, and delivery for persuasive presentations in a lively, supportive environment. DO • Work on both impromptu and prepared pitches, presentations, and speeches with high-energy practice activities. • Create imaginative and hilarious pitches with teammates for collaborative, laughter-filled challenges. • Participate in energetic demonstrations, role-playing, and interactive games that make learning unforgettable. • Receive individualized feedback, regardless of your child’s starting skill level, to ensure they improve in every session. IMPROVE • Sharpen public speaking and persuasion skills through instant feedback and hands-on practice. • Use the feedback instantly to ensure that the student captures it and applies it right away. • Benefit from personalized coaching that challenges and supports every student from their baseline. • Develop confidence, creativity, and clarity in expressing ideas, whether at school or in everyday life. Also, for classes with more than 10 students, two enthusiastic instructors will lead the sessions to guarantee every child gets the attention and feedback they deserve. Oh, and did we mention? Our instructors are professional educators AND performers who bring tons of energy and humor to every class. Your child will laugh, learn, and leave feeling excited for the next session! Please note: Occasional assignments will be given to maximize the class benefits.

**MUST be in RISING Grades 2-4…NO Exceptions! Northern VA/DMV Area! We are back for the ULTIMATE IN-PERSON Summer Programs for your kids in our Reston Center! Public speaking skills are absolutely ESSENTIAL to academia, future career success, and to simply making friends! Effective and engaging storytelling and writing are key skills, not only for language arts, but to better engage with people, think creatively, persuade, and enhance ANYTHING we say! (It's also SUPER fun!) Welcome to Week 2: “Sensational Storytellers! -Fundamentals of Storytelling!" In this fully interactive class, we will have a ton of fun learning the elements of effective storytelling, playing hilarious storytelling games, and practicing multiple storytelling assignments! In this 5 day, 3-hours per day program, we will cover: - How to best PERFORM any kind of story! - How to conquer any level of NERVOUSNESS and become a more CONFIDENT storyteller! - The ELEMENTS of stories! - How to STRUCTURE and WRITE a story! - Different TYPES of stories from fiction, fantasy, stories about ourselves, motivational stories, and even news stories! - How to USE storytelling to enhance anything you do! Every day, the students will have multiple opportunities to practice what WE preach and receive feedback! Our 3-Hour day is broken into: Part I (1-1.5 hours) - Ice Breaker Activity - Lesson for the day - Practice through Game or Structured Assignment in Breakout Sessions! BREAK (15 minutes: Please bring a drink and snack.) Part II: Group Discussion of Previous Exercise/Lessons Lesson Cont. Practice through Games or Structured Assignment in Breakout Sessions! Wrap-Up We ALWAYS have two or more instructors to ensure EVERY student gets plenty of individual attention and truly improves their speaking skills! All of our instructors are teachers/public speaking professionals and are ALSO stand-up comics/performers, so your child is bound to have a great time! This limited sized class WILL sell out FAST! Reserve your spot TODAY! This is the greatest skill you can give your kids, while they have an absolute blast! ***NO class prerequisites necessary! Basic grade level reading skills ARE needed. Previous and New Students will ALL benefit from this program!

🟣 Week 2: Sensational Storytellers! Fundamentals of Storytelling & Creative Expression 📅 July 13–17, 2026 **Must be RISING GRADES 2-4! NO Exceptions! Are your kids creative and LOVE making up stories? Do you just want to encourage their creativity, their voices, AND their writing skills? This creativity-filled week helps students turn imagination into confident performance while learning how storytelling strengthens all types of communication! Students will learn how to: - Perform stories with confidence, expression, and clarity - Become more confident storytellers, even if they feel shy - Understand the core elements of great storytelling - Structure and write engaging stories - Explore different story types, including fiction, fantasy, personal stories, and motivational stories - Use storytelling to enhance public speaking, presentations, and everyday communication - Students practice daily and grow more expressive and confident with every performance. 🧠 Daily Camp Structure (3 Hours) Part I (1–1.5 hours): Icebreaker activity Lesson of the day Practice through games or structured speaking assignments (small groups) Break (20 minutes) Please bring a snack and drink. Students remain indoors and use our break room or watch an age appropriate show/video/movie. Part II: Group discussion and reflection Continued lesson Additional practice through games or structured assignments Wrap-up and celebration of progress 🎁 Why Parents Love Ultimate Speak! - Tons of speaking practice — not just lectures - Supportive, encouraging coaching - ONLY Professional Coaches and 2-4 coaches per class (max class 24 students) - Confidence that carries into school and life - Kids leave proud, energized, and excited to speak on a DAILY basis! ✨ Give your child the gift of confident communication this summer — while they have a blast! ** Camps are for beginners as well as our experienced students. We work from each student’s baseline to ensure value!

** For Rising Grades 5-8 ONLY! “Terrific Ted Talkers!”- Intro to TedX Talks! Has your child ever dreamt of performing on a Ted Talks stage? Do they have ideas they TRULY believe in and would love to voice? Do you just want to improve their overall speech confidence while they learn how to structure and present a speech? Well, this is THEIR moment! In this awesome 1/2 Day Camp, we will: - Review the fundamentals of effective speech PERFORMANCE; - Have discussions about various TEDx Talks topics or current events; - Analyze various TED Talks; - Play multiple public speaking games and work on public speaking quick speech assignments during the class; - Learn how to STRUCTURE a TEDX Speech; - Receive instructor feedback and/or peer feedback; and - Writing and present a final TEDx Talk chosen by the student! Terrific Ted Talkers SHOWCASE! We will invite key community members for a final Speech Showcase on our last day of class! We will also provide videos of the students’ speeches for parents! In both classes every day, the students will have multiple opportunities to practice what WE preach and receive feedback! Our 3-Hour day is broken into: Part I (1-1.5 hours) - Ice Breaker Activity - Lesson for the day - Practice through Game or Structured Assignment in Breakout Sessions! BREAK (15 minutes: Please bring a drink and snack.) Part II: Group Discussion of Previous Exercise/Lessons Lesson Cont. Practice through Games or Structured Assignment in Breakout Sessions! Wrap-Up Give your child the GIFT of more CONFIDENT public speaking this Summer, while they have a blast!

For classes with more than 10 students, two expert, high-energy instructors lead the session to ensure every student receives ample one-on-one feedback and speaking time. Our instructors are professional educators and performers who bring energy, humor, and warmth to every class. Students leave each session laughing, learning, and excited for the next challenge. Please note: Occasional at-home assignments may be given to reinforce skills and maximize progress.

🔵 Week 3: Communicate & Collaborate Capstone Team Communication • Collaboration • Presentation 📅 August 10–14, 2026 ** MUST be Rising Grades 5-8 to Participate! NO exceptions! Our Final Camp Week focuses on communication and collaboration as part of a team or partnership ! These are key elements of FCPS’s and LCPS’s Portrait of a Graduate! Students work daily in rotating teams on creative speaking challenges using multiple public speaking formats, including: Persuasive speaking & pitching Storytelling Informative speaking Students learn how to: Collaborate effectively so every student contributes Develop and enhance social skills Communicate with new peers and find common ground Lead, listen, and build on others’ ideas Master team presentation dynamics, including smooth transitions and unified delivery 🎉 End-of-Week Team Showcase Teams present a final collaborative presentation! 🎥 Parents receive a video of their child’s final team presentation. 🎯 Why Parents Choose This Bundle Daily speaking practice …no sitting on the sidelines! Combines writing, impromptu speaking, and teamwork! Builds confidence for middle school presentations and group projects Explicit focus on communication, collaboration, and leadership ONLY taught by Professionals! Aligned with FCPS Portrait of a Graduate skills! Professional showcases + take-home performance video! ✨ A powerful summer experience that builds skills students will use all year and MUCH beyond!

Duration: 5 Weeks | 1 Hour Per Class Get ready for a high-energy, fun-packed experience where your child will discover the power of persuasion in the most exciting way! Persuasive speaking is a life-changing skill that helps kids express their ideas with confidence, influence others, and make their voices heard. Through lively games, engaging lessons, and creative challenges, your child will master the art of persuasion while having an absolute blast! LEARN • Explore the elements of persuasive speech and writing through interactive lessons and fun, real-world class discussions. • Be introduced to simple debate techniques in a playful and approachable way that boosts confidence. • Learn how to quickly structure both impromptu and prepared persuasive speeches in dynamic, fast-paced activities. • Discover techniques to captivate an audience with humor, creativity, and confidence. • Learn how to persuade different audiences with the right content while keeping things fun and engaging. • Learn how to better manage public speaking anxiety and nervousness, building confidence to speak up and present with ease. • Build a solid understanding of structure, tone, and delivery for persuasive presentations in a lively, supportive environment. DO • Work on both impromptu and prepared pitches, presentations, and speeches with high-energy practice activities. • Create imaginative and hilarious pitches with teammates for collaborative, laughter-filled challenges. • Participate in energetic demonstrations, role-playing, and interactive games that make learning unforgettable. • Receive individualized feedback, regardless of your child’s starting skill level, to ensure they improve in every session. IMPROVE • Sharpen public speaking and persuasion skills through instant feedback and hands-on practice. • Use the feedback instantly to ensure that the student captures it and applies it right away. • Benefit from personalized coaching that challenges and supports every student from their baseline. • Develop confidence, creativity, and clarity in expressing ideas, whether at school or in everyday life. Also, for classes with more than 10 students, two enthusiastic instructors will lead the sessions to guarantee every child gets the attention and feedback they deserve. Oh, and did we mention? Our instructors are professional educators AND performers who bring tons of energy and humor to every class. Your child will laugh, learn, and leave feeling excited for the next session! Please note: Occasional assignments will be given to maximize the class benefits.

🎤 Persuasive Speaking: Level 1 Duration: 5 Weeks | 1 Hour Per Class Get ready for a high-energy, fun-packed experience where your child will discover the power of persuasion in the most exciting way! Persuasive speaking is a life-changing skill that helps kids express their ideas with confidence, influence others, and make their voices heard. Through lively games, engaging lessons, and creative challenges, students learn how to persuade clearly and confidently—while having an absolute blast! ⭐ LEARN • Explore the elements of persuasive speech and writing through interactive lessons and real-world, kid-friendly class discussions. • Be introduced to simple debate techniques in a playful, low-pressure way that builds confidence. • Learn how to quickly structure both impromptu and prepared persuasive speeches using fun, fast-paced activities. • Discover how to captivate an audience with humor, creativity, and confident delivery. • Understand how to persuade different audiences using the right content and tone. • Learn strategies to manage public speaking anxiety and speak up with ease. • Build a strong foundation in structure, tone, and delivery—within a lively, supportive environment. ⭐ DO • Practice both impromptu and prepared pitches, presentations, and persuasive speeches in high-energy speaking rounds. • Create imaginative, funny, and creative pitches with teammates during collaborative challenges. • Participate in demonstrations, role-playing, and interactive games that make learning unforgettable. • Receive individualized, supportive feedback to help every child grow—no matter their starting point. ⭐ IMPROVE • Strengthen public speaking and persuasion skills through instant feedback and hands-on practice. • Apply feedback immediately during the same session to reinforce learning and growth. • Benefit from personalized coaching that meets each student exactly where they are. • Build confidence, creativity, clarity, and expressive skills that carry over into school and everyday life. ⭐ INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCE For classes with more than 10 students, two enthusiastic instructors lead the sessions to ensure every child gets the attention and feedback they deserve. Our instructors are professional educators and performers who bring tons of energy, humor, and warmth to every class. Students leave each session laughing, learning, and eagerly looking forward to the next one! Please note: Occasional at-home assignments may be given to maximize the class benefits.