The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go!
Dr. Seuss
The Wright Brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing. The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together.
Bill Gates
Books have the power of flight, to take your mind to places you have never been or even fathomed. Like passengers in a plane who will soon see, feel, taste and experience new things at the destination, books transport readers and have the undeniable force to bring about new emotions, ideas, thoughts, imagination and experiences. It takes you places.
My name is Grace and I started Paper Planes, a boutique enrichment center, to share my appreciation of books and to provide high quality academic support in a fun environment. Through the use of American ELA (English Language Arts) textbooks, novels and educational media, I help children become more adept at creative expression and feel more empowered in all forms of communication— reading, writing, listening, and speaking— so they can maximize their success as lifelong learners.
Giving young children positive experiences with reading builds the foundation for future success in all areas of study. It is my belief that with high quality and authentic instruction, every learner can soar beyond grade level goals and master the skills and strategies that will lead to future successes in school and beyond. My goal is to provide support for young children to boost their learning potential, be confident learners, and promote a lifelong love of reading and learning.
I offer an interactive, customized enrichment program that is tailored to:
• Develop a young scholar's reading and writing needs
• Advance and challenge young minds
• Foster critical thinking skills and curiosity in children
• Encourage a positive attitude about the learning process
About Grace
I was born in Los Angeles and raised in the beautiful beach suburb of Torrance, California. The seed of my lifelong passion for reading was planted by Mrs. Benedict who read Brother Eagle, Sister Sky to her first graders at Riviera Elementary School, then watered by a librarian at El Retiro Branch Library when she read Amelia Bedelia to a group of second graders, and nurtured by Mrs. Johnson when she assigned Charlotte’s Web to her 4th grade class. I want to be the Mrs. Benedict, El Retiro Branch librarian, and Mrs. Johnson for your child. This passion and enthusiasm to share my love for reading and writing is the bedrock of Paper Planes.
I earned a B.A. degree from the Annenberg School for Journalism at the University of Southern California in 2005. After graduation, a turn of unexpected events led me to Seoul, Korea where I taught English reading and writing for eight years to high-achieving students in Gangnam’s Daechi-dong district, known as the epicenter of South Korea's thriving private education industry. I taught in three of the most renowned academies there, then opened my own private enrichment center and taught second to eighth graders (8-14 years old), focusing on literary & novel analysis, vocabulary, writing, and speech skills through the use of novels and educational media. Above all, I made sure to foster fun and curiosity in the classroom with engaging activities, lively discussions, and creative projects.
Love brought me to Luxembourg in 2014, and since then, I have worked as an education consultant and a content developer for private academies in Seoul, New York and Los Angeles. In 2018, my husband and I welcomed our beautiful Joséphine who has brought another dimension of joy and love into our lives.
Programs Offered
The programs are designed to enhance students' communication skills so they gain confidence and self-assurance to boost their participation in school and social settings.
The programs offered include:
• Enrichment for gifted students and advanced learners
• Academic remediation and support for on-level and struggling learners
There are five programs offered at Paper Planes:
English Language Arts (ELA)
[ AGE GROUP ] Ages 7 to 11
[ BENEFITS ] Reading is intimately tied to how we experience the world, participate as actors, and grow in all aspects of our lives. By improving a child’s reading mechanics, comprehension, and analysis, the child can subsequently develop a genuine enjoyment of reading and the sub-skills necessary to tackle upper-division courses in literature, history, and the sciences. Speaking, listening, and writing are the additional communication skills developed through the ELA program.
[ PROGRAM OVERVIEW ] Though exposure, discussion of texts, and structured questioning, students will not only improve in their reading speed, accuracy and comprehension, but they will also sharpen their verbal and discussion skills. Gradually, students are learning good writing habits by reading good writing in literature and by writing complete responses based on class discussion. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop richer comprehension skills and to refine and strengthen their decoding and written language skills in a relaxed, engaging and pressure-free environment.
[ KEY FEATURES ] This class will help with:
• Fluency (speed, accuracy and prosody)
• Vocabulary building
• Critical reading and comprehension abilities
• Literary devices and analysis (plot, figurative language)
Book Club
[ BENEFITS ] Reading books provides many benefits to young people’s social and academic development. Novels are carefully chosen to allow children and young people to explore and consider a wide variety of vital issues such as bullying, family break up, bereavement, racism, love, courage, perseverance, and friendship. It enhances the development of positive character traits or ‘virtues’ such as resilience, empathy or self-confidence through open discussion. Readers can be inspired to take a different perspective on issues through the eyes of the characters or through listening to the points of views of their peers during lively class discussions.
[ PROGRAM OVERVIEW ] We will complete a book a month, and for the duration of each novel, we will cover comprehension, vocabulary, literary skills, and finish with a wrap-up activity in the form of a presentation, creative project, or a reflective writing assignment. There are over 100 titles in our database which can be grouped into: children’s classics (i.e. Charlotte’ Web, The BFG, The Outsiders), Newberry Award winning titles (i.e. A Wrinkle in Time, Bridge to Terabithia, The One and Only Ivan), or contemporary books (i.e. Wimpy Kid series, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, The Lightening Thief). C.S. Lewis said: "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.” Every single one of the books utilized in our program can be enjoyed even by parents which would make for a lively discussion at home!
[ KEY FEATURES ] This class will help:
• Develop communication skills through class discussion of views and opinions
• Extend vocabulary range
• Strengthen literary and writing skills
• Enhance confidence in reading and comprehending new material
• Develop empathy and perspective
Vocabulary
[ BENEFITS ] Rich vocabulary knowledge is a vital tool for thought and enhances one’s self-expression and thinking skills. It takes one’s communication skills to a higher level of accuracy and plays a fundamental role in a child’s confidence and academic achievement. One of the most enduring findings in reading research is that children’s vocabulary in the early grades relate to their reading comprehension abilities in the later years (Osborn & Hiebert, 2004).
[ PROGRAM OVERVIEW ] The research-based vocabulary program utilized at Paper Planes uses multiple exposures of the proven and unburdensome memorization technique Spaced Repetition System (SRS) to ensure understanding. The words learned in a unit will reappear in subsequent lessons, thereby subconsciously reinforcing the word into memory. In class, students will practice using the word in various activities both through drills and interactive exercises. For each vocabulary unit, we will do a creative writing exercise or activity to wrap up the lesson.
[ KEY FEATURES ] This class will help students to:
• Strengthen vocabulary knowledge
• Practice vocabulary decoding skills such as context clues
• Improve language skills
Writing
[ BENEFITS ] Good essay writing is not about having Shakespearean flourish and professing philosophical truths. There is a method to writing a strong paper, and a formula that will get you there. Students will gain a “toolbox” of style techniques and composition structures to become better writers. Students will learn how to communicate coherent, persuasive, and well-argued ideas— a critical skill demanded in all classes, whether it be humanities, science or mathematics— and organize them into a thoughtful and structured academic essay.
[ PROGRAM OVERVIEW ] Students will learn the groundwork to express themselves creatively, all the while ensuring that they adhere to the standard English conventions that make their writing strong and coherent beginning with the sentence, expanding into a paragraph and developing into an essay. Students will master structure, mechanics, and expression through clear explanation and varied exercise drills, before expanding into the finer points of effective writing. We walk through each step of the writing process — from brainstorming to revision — as a multipurpose tool for both academic and creative writing. Based on guidance, practice and personalized feedback, students will internalize the principles of good writing so they can confidently become fluent in the art of the written word.
[ KEY FEATURES ] This class will help students to:
• Master the writing process
• Learn the components of good sentence, paragraph, and essay writing
• Develop a clear thesis and supporting arguments
• Write cohesive paragraphs with reasons and examples
• Write efficiently and persuasively
Learning through Media
[ BENEFITS ] Students will explore a wide array of issues by utilizing media sources such as PBS, TED Talks and news segments to fine tune their technical skills like listening and note-taking while watching clips that cover a spectrum of topics like the sciences, art, current affairs, innovation, and life lessons. This will be an invaluable opportunity to cultivate their imagination and knowledge through exposure of a varied selection of fascinating, complex and entertaining topics.
[ PROGRAM OVERVIEW ] The four communication skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing can be combined in a variety of ways to keep students engaged and to promote an effective learning environment. The PBS class is for primary school students, and it is an opportunity to learn about science, world cultures and the arts, and each class will involve a role playing activity or scene reenactment. The TED class is for secondary school students and a wide array of engaging and insightful topics are carefully selected to spark curiosity, challenge conventional wisdom, and create fertile ground for lively class discussion and debates.
[ KEY FEATURES ] This class will help students to:
• Learn note-taking skills
• Strengthen listening skills
• Strengthen vocabulary knowledge
• Learn about an array of fascinating topics
• Take an argumentative position and support it with evidence
Summer Programs
The lure of summer is timeless. Students relish sleeping in, fun vacation plans, and the absence of schoolwork.
I have not forgotten the joys of summer vacation. Instead—by offering and encouraging summer classes—I want to provide children with an opportunity to keep their minds active during their transition from one grade to the next. Keeping the mind sharp is like any form of exercise—it needn’t be difficult or all-consuming, but it has to be done consistently, and the benefits of it are easily sensed. Such is the attitude I take in my summer enrichment program. With some light summer brain activity, any student can be comfortably prepared for the next school year.
Courses offered for Summer 2019
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Paper Planes?
A: Paper Planes is an enrichment academy focused on enhancing children's command of the English language primarily via novels, textbooks, and media. Paper Planes is not a traditional language school.
Q: What are your age limits?
A: We accept students as young as 8 years old (second grade) up to 13 years old (7th grade)
Q: My child does not speak English (OR is in the early stage of learning English). Would your academy be right for him/her?
A: Unfortunately, we cannot cater to learners in the earliest stages of English acquisition because we are not a language school. By utilizing the English language through books and educational media, we provide academic support to help a student develop or advance their ELA (English Language Arts) skills.
Q: What level of English should my child have in order to attend your academy?
A: We offer an assessment test for Grades 2-7 using a standardized American test which encompasses reading, vocabulary, grammar, and writing. An initial 5-minute interview will be conducted, and based on the results, a written exam will be given. A single test takes up to an hour. This will be followed by a consultation to discuss the test results and to determine if there is a course suitable for the student.
Q: Can my child benefit from tutoring even if he/she is doing well in school?
Yes, our enrichment programs are designed to strengthen their existing skills, advance in their studies, and perform at the top of their class.
Q: My child’s mother tongue is English. How can my child benefit from this program?
A: Native speakers are most welcome! This program is designed to help strengthen a child’s communicative abilities of reading, writing and speaking while fostering a love of learning. It will also expose your child to educational media which covers social, psychological, environmental, and ethical issues among many others.
Q: How might an after school program be the right choice for my child?
A: After school programs are a great way for all children to improve in their development as they will be learning vital skills in a casual and positive environment. After school programs can be fitting for children who want to move ahead, have self-esteem issues with their academic abilities, struggle with a general lack of interest in learning, or feel under-challenged.
Q: Currently, my child already has a huge workload from school. Would this program academically overburden my child?
A: During the school year, the program is designed to have most of the work done in class except for reading and essay writing. Depending on the student's needs and academic goals, homework may be given to encourage self-study and to maximize retention of the skills and lessons learned.
Q: Can you pickup my child from school?
A: Unfortunately, we do not offer pick-up service.
Q: I am interested in the program. How do I start?
A: Just contact us and we will start a conversation via email or in person to understand your goals and concerns to see if our program is right for you.
Contact
Paper Plane Enrichment Academy
26 rue Michel Rodange 2430 Luxembourg
info@paperplanes.lu
+352 661 725 080