I finally had a chance to take a peek at the Grammar Galaxy curriculum to see what all the buzz is about. Teaching doesn’t get much better than using stories to impart serious language arts skills – and enticing children into those stories through exciting missions. The author, Dr. Melanie Wilson, is a dear friend…
Have you ever wondered which are the best language arts games to use in your homeschool? There are so many options out there, but not every game is both educational and fun. I’ve pulled together a list of more than 20 games (and a few manipulatives) that I have used to get my kids excited…
One of the things I love so much about nature study is its ability to merge together so many other academic subject areas. Nature study and language arts, for example, go hand in hand together. Think about all the reading and writing that take place as nature journals are written, field guides read, or new…
Typing instruction has always been an important part of our homeschool. Not just for the sake of learning to type, but as an integral part of our language arts program. In today’s technology age, of course it makes perfect sense to introduce our children early and often to correct typing format before bad habits are…
How do you feel when I ask, “What’s your plan for teaching writing this year?” Does it fill you with so much excitement that you chatter on and on – or do you just look at me with frustrated eyes and groan? The subject of writing seems to give more homeschooling families fits than any…
Why would anyone use picture books to teach expository writing? Because picture books are written by master authors who can teach us clearly through their examples. Not to mention, it doesn’t take long to read through most picture books, so you can share examples and get right to the work of writing. What is expository…
One of the best ways to perk up the school year during the winter is to get outside. These free nature in your notebook printables can help you do just that! Yes, you heard right – get outside! I know it’s cold, but I also know what “going stir crazy” feels like and how {even cold…
It’s time for another post in my series about using picture books to teach writing to middle and high school students! Today’s topic is using picture books to teach text structure. What is text structure? It’s how the information written in a text is organized. Learning to identify text structure as a reader can greatly improve…
Now that I’m a “boy-only mom” (because my daughter is in college) choosing read aloud books requires a new consideration. Will the potential book appeal to my boys? I can’t get away any longer with reading books that have any sort of girly-girl flavor. Lucky for me, there are TONS of wonderful living books to…
My children don’t typically jump for joy when given a writing assignment. Do yours? I’ve found several ways over the years to take writing from dreaded to enjoyable in our home, though. One of the most beloved of those ideas is writing newsletters. Several years ago, I wrote the monthly newsletter for our church. I…
Voice. It’s in every good piece of writing, but it’s a tad elusive when it comes to defining and teaching. Writing that connects with readers has voice. Writing that makes you feel emotion has voice. Writing that comes to life has voice. Writing that sounds unique or comes from the heart has voice. Voice is…
I {heart} picture books for so many reasons. One giant reason is their ability to teach so many in depth concepts in such non-intimidating ways that students often don’t see fear in the lessons that follow. One such example is writing. I can’t tell you the times I’ve been asked by homeschooling parents to tutor…
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