Language arts - Homeschool Humuhumu

Exploring the World through Story

First impressions of Exploring the World through Story, a literature-based curriculum.

A message in a bottle, washed up on a beach.

The point of language

I try to help Wanda keep some perspective about language arts. The point of it all is communication: sharing an idea with an audience. If the idea has gotten from the speaker/writer's brain to the intended audience's brain—intact, with as much nuance and understanding as is needed—then

An old painting of a gray-haired man in 17th-century scholar garb, taking a knife to the tip of a feather quill.

Tools

Free writing skills assessment and practice with Quill

Quill's free online tools have quickly become a useful part of our language arts learning.

Curriculum

Free homeschool curriculum

There are outstanding free educational materials available to homeschoolers, including many aligned to common core standards. I've collected a list.

A paperback book titled Nitty Gritty Grammar is balanced on a small container of spackling paste, along with a putty knife.

Language arts

My language arts spackle: Nitty-Gritty Grammar

I like to reach for this handy grammar reference, whether it's to fill a gap in our day, or one in my daughter's understanding.

Writing

Creative writing

How I support my daughter's creative writing (mainly by staying out of her way).

Science

Using a lab notebook for science

How we started writing in real lab notebooks for science lessons, starting with learning from real scientists about how they use their lab notebooks.

Small paper rectangles, each with one word, are lined up to spell a sentence: "Fossils are only found in sedimentary rock l

Free printables

The Writing Revolution downloadable lessons

I'm sharing all of the The Writing Revolution-style lessons I've created, using content from our various curricula. Maybe you can use them, too!

Free printables

The Writing Revolution activity templates

Free printable Google Docs templates you can use to create writing activities, à la The Writing Revolution.

Language arts

Learning spelling through analysis

Instead of using an off-the-shelf spelling curriculum, we're doing our own spelling analysis, focused on words we care most about.

Language arts

The Writing Revolution

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t really have Wanda do writing assignments. She writes—ooh de lally, she writes!—but on her own time, driven by her own creative ideas. Lots of stories, scripts, songs, and comics. (Oh how I wish she would let me share them with

Language arts

Scarborough's Reading Rope

I like this metaphor to help break down the pieces that go into developing strong reading skills. The Scarborough reading rope model has been in use for about 20 years, if you’re interested in the research backing it up, search for “Scarborough reading rope.” The cool-toned threads at the

Language arts

Sentence analysis

The Michael Clay Thompson language arts curriculum comes with a big ol’ book of 100 sentences to practice grammar analysis. Each sentence is analyzed in four ways: 1) each word’s part of speech (noun, adjective, conjunction, etc.), 2) identify the parts of the sentence (subject, action or linking predicate,

Language arts

Michael Clay Thompson

This is the language arts curriculum that's given us the best learning: Michael Clay Thompson. Pictured is the first level, "Island." This curriculum works quite differently from our other language arts curriculum, Logic of English, and I'm finding it to be a much better fit for Wanda. MCT centers on

A collection of ordinary household items, plus a handwritten slip of paper saying, "The Taming of the Shrew"

Media recommendations

Table Top Shakespeare

If you could use a distraction over the next few days, consider brushing up your Shakespeare with this fun “Table Top Shakespeare” series on YouTube. A talented storyteller tells the plot of the play in plain but engaging English, using regular household objects to be the various characters, and moving

Tiles with letters and letter groups (phonograms), arranged on a metal tray.

Language arts

Phonics curriculum: Logic of English Foundations

In my last post, I mentioned that I'm using a few different pieces for language arts. Here's some of the promised detail, this time about the curriculum we're using from Logic of English, called Foundations. This is our phonics curriculum. I became more interested in making sure Wanda got a

Language arts

This one has not been a smooth road, lots of figuring things out as I go along, lots of experimenting and course correction. I read through alllll the California state standards for language arts at each grade level, and I can pretty well figure out where my kid sits on

Flag of the United States of America on a flagpole, in front of a blue sky with white clouds.

Civics

The Pledge of Allegiance

My very bright moment of sun during an otherwise deeply demoralizing week: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."This week, Wanda was curious about the

Language arts

Passive voice

We happened to have a language arts lesson on passive vs. active voice yesterday. Wanda didn’t understand why it was a big deal when it was talking about a cabin being destroyed by a storm. When I switched up the lesson to use current events instead, she understood the

Open books in front of a window with a view of evergreen trees

Curriculum

Our curriculum

By far, the number one question I get asked about homeschooling is what I use for curriculum. It’s not an easily answered question, so I’m writing it all up here. Given the current state of things, I thought some folks might find it relevant. This is what I