Writing tutors begin their year with poetry, which we believe is the best place for young writers to begin their craft. Poems are short, rich in vocabulary and need not follow strict rules of grammar and punctuation. Poetry also includes many (indeed most) aspects of all excellent writing, so it is a terrific way to learn about descriptive language, metaphor and careful word choice. TLC tutors are equipped with a wide range of activities, so that children nearly always produce an impressive piece of writing fairly quickly. Their success spurs them on, as begin writing longer passages. From poetry, tutors typically move to stories. Children learn the basic structure of short stories and try their hand at writing one themselves. Last, but hardly least, the TLC writing sessions address expository writing. Tutors working with children in the fourth grade and older read several articles written for children, and discuss the reasons why the writing is interesting (or not). They learn to construct complete sentences, coherent paragraphs and articulate five-paragraph essays.