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UW Youth & Teen Programs

Mechanics of Writing for High School

Strong writing skills are a prerequisite for success in college, work, and life. In this course, we’ll focus on the building blocks or “mechanics” of writing. You’ll strengthen your knowledge of grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, and understand how to organize your writing for different purposes, including narrative, exposition and argumentation. If you like writing and want to get even better at it, this is a chance to take away new skills you can add to your writer’s toolkit.

What You’ll Learn

  • Common types of academic essays and important grammar concepts
  • Strategies for strengthening your writing and organizational skills
  • Tips to help you outline, draft and revise your work
  • How to provide and receive constructive feedback
  • How to create a portfolio of your work

Who Should Register

This course is for ninth to 12th graders who enjoy writing and want to become stronger writers. It’s not a creative writing course, and it’s not for those who need remedial writing help. All students should have a high level of English language proficiency.

More Information

This course was offered in Summer 2025 under the name “Sharpen Your Writing Skills.” If you've already taken it, you may want to consider taking another course.

The in-person section is taught on the UW Seattle campus. We recommend bringing a laptop to class if you have one. 

The online section is taught using Zoom. Classes meet in real time and are not recorded. To participate, you should have access to a computer with a high-speed internet connection and a headset and webcam. 

There’s a nonrefundable $50 registration fee each quarter you register. See the FAQs page for details about registration, refunds, waitlists and more. 

Earn a Digital Badge

After participating in this course, you can claim a Youth & Teen Programs digital badge that you can highlight on college and job applications and share on social media.

Details

Jun 29–Jul 10, 2026
1B
no class on July 3 		Day
Mon–Fri 		Time
1 p.m.–4 p.m.
Location
Online (Zoom) 		Cost
$700
Instructor
Jennifer Cuffman 		Register

Jul 13–Jul 24, 2026
2B
 Day
Mon–Fri 		Time
1 p.m.–4 p.m.
Location
UW Seattle 		Cost
$780
Instructor
Jennie Baker 		Waitlist

Jul 27–Aug 7, 2026
3A
 Day
Mon–Fri 		Time
9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Location
UW Seattle 		Cost
$780
Instructor
Jennie Baker 		Register