Math and science may scare some people, but I was intimidated by English. Math and science are wonderful, because there is always a right answer and a wrong answer. Unfortunately, English isn’t that way. English has “voice” which is very difficult to teach and difficult to correct. How do you know writing is “right” or “wrong” when it could be just the voice of the writer?
I finally decided that my job as a homeschool parent was to simply help my children become better writers. Not perfect, and not “right” just better than they were yesterday. That’s when I decided that writing was more about practice than anything else. Practice and feedback, more practice and more feedback.
I have been collecting some ideas for writing that may encourage you as you think about English for your own homeschool.
Even though I am listing some courses, remember that most homeschoolers teach English and writing at home using tools they have around the house (mainly paper and pencil.) You don’t need to have online resources, and you don’t need a teacher to grade papers for you. You can choose a writing curriculum you do at home, or choose writing assignments independently and be completely successful. However, I’m aware that some parents are serious about wanting additional help in this area, so I wanted to make sure to list a bunch of ideas. I have heard great reports about Brave Writer and Write at Home in particular.
Here is an article about English that may help you with the grading.
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In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.
~Alfred Lord Tennyson
In summer a homeschool parent’s fancy turns to reading.
~Lee Binz
One of the great things about summer is the opportunity to read without being interrupted.
Set two goals:
First: Demonstrate the love of literature by finding a book for yourself and reading it in front of your children, showing them how enjoyable it is. Second: Find books that your children will enjoy reading.
For others, finding a book they enjoy is a little more difficult. Realize that this is why librarians earn the “big bucks” – they have the skills needed to find an enjoyable book for almost any teen with almost any interest. Your first step is checking with a librarian. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to have your children read trade magazines or even comic books (carefully screened, of course). Reading anything is better than reading nothing!
Reading below grade level can increase the “love of reading” factor and increase their reading speed while helping children feel comfortable with a book in their hand.
Here is a simple trick for helping your students increase their reading speed. Have them use their index finger to trace the words as they read. This keeps them from backtracking, which slows down most readers. Such a practice can increase your reading speed by 20% or more.
Keep a list of books on a reading list. Some colleges like to see a reading list, and it can come in handy when you are writing course descriptions.
When she was good,
She was very, very good,
And when she was bad she was horrid.
From the poem “THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL”
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Classical education is very popular right now. What are your opinions on this new-again fad?
“Hi Lee,
Have you ever evaluated or looked at “Classical Conversations”. friend of mine just found out about this and told me this is really taking the home schooling community by storm. Just wondered if you had any thoughts on this?”
~Tamera on Facebook
Hi Tamera,
I think it’s a good fit for some kids, and a really bad fit for others. It really depends on the child. Like your friend, I see it as a real trend – but that doesn’t mean that it’s a good fit for everyone, or even for the majority. When it’s not a good fit, it can really cause some serious burnout issues. When it’s a good fit, it’s very very good, but when it’s bad, it’s HORRID. I’ve seen the burnout with my own eyes, and it’s a very big concern, and something to really consider.
I recently picked up a high school textbook called “American Literature” to see what public school kids were reading these days.
First of all, it was HUGE – much bigger than the dictionary. Yikes! No wonder kids have back pain! When I looked inside, I had fond feelings for my own high school honors English teacher. I remember her reading aloud, and how fun she made everything. I remembered reading Shakespeare plays as a lass, each student taking a part.
Then I remembered reading only one or two books a semester. Wow – really?? Can that really be all that was required?
The American Literature book I was looking at seemed very fun, but it did NOT contain whole books. There were multiple books mentioned and discussed, but the textbook only provided selections and excerpts from the book. Interesting.
When my sons got to college, and began the University Scholars Honors Program, studying the great books, they did have one complaint. Excerpts. In our homeschool, we actually read BOOKS. From beginning to end! (I am not making this up!)
It’s fine to include book excerpts on your reading list. You can include the word “Excerpt” by the book if you like. It’s Ok to have a book list of 6 books a year. It’s ok to have a book list with 60 books per semester. Some parents choose to include textbooks as well as literature. You can include all reading: for school, for pleasure, magazines, newspapers, current books, great books, classics, and “fluff.”
Including a variety of books on your book list is helpful. I have had colleges say they want homeschoolers to show they have read at least some current books, to show they aren’t too sequestered.
The HomeScholar Gold Care Club will give you the comprehensive help you need tohomeschool high school.
Blogging is a great way to encourage writing skills, turn social skills into academic courses, and guide techie kids into using their computer skills while doing some writing. Any skills kids use while blogging can be used for academics.
Blogging can be an English course, or you can have them blog about something they love, to provide written material based on delight-directed learning. That may help you document the love of science or history with some writings. They don’t have to write a “paper” on a topic. They can blog on it, and then save their blog posts as samples of their work for that class. Blogging is great for kids who love being on the computers, because as they learn how to blog they get the very beginning concepts of computers and coding.
Do you have any suggestions how to help your student create a blog? I see many web sites, but am skeptical to follow unknown advice. Thanks for any tips.
~ Pam in Georgia
My sons recommend using one of the most popular: www.blogger.com or www.blogspot.com or www.wordpress.com. My son Kevin says, “Blogger is mainstream and self-explanatory. Just google it, go to the site, create an account and the instructions are provided onboard. Pretty easy.” My son Alex says “Either one is very reputable, and helps you through the process of starting a blog.” Both were able to quickly get a blog going. The hard part is finding the time to continue writing! It’s been difficult for my college students to keep up with their blogs.
I have often said that the easy part about writing the transcripts is the typing. The hard part is knowing what to type! That’s why I became so frustrated with transcript software, and why in my business I focus more on “WHAT” to type.
My daughter is studying Shakespeare and I’m wondering what “subject” will that fall under. Might you know? Is drama, theatre, or ????
~Tisha in California
Hi Tisha,
Put it where you need it.
If you’re doing it for English class, then English makes the most sense. If you already have an English class this year, and she doesn’t have another Fine Arts class, then I would call it Theater. If she has enough credits for both, you can always put it under “Electives.”
If you don’t “need” the class somewhere, then my vote is for calling it English, because that is how it’s listed in college catalogs.
I was consulting with a homeschool parent about the age-old question, “How do you know it’s high school level?” She asked me how to tell whether “Movies as Literature“ was a high school course. The more we talked about it, the more confident she became. Meanwhile, I was getting more and more excited about the curriculum she was asking about. Learning literature through watching movies??? How cool is that!
When I was looking it up online, I noticed that the description of the curriculum answered her question with ease. It says, “This complete, one-year high school English course uses classic movies on video to introduce and study the elements of literary analysis.”
That’s the easy way to tell if it is high school level – it tells you! And that’s the easy way to tell if it is a whole credit (whole year) course – it tells you!
I haven’t seen this product with my own eyes, but it looks like fun to me! If you haven’t seen it before, check it out!
Dear Lee, Thanks SO much for responding quickly. I have used Apologia before and most likely will go back to that. Thank you… I am ordering some Owl pellets to dissect until we get the Apologia curic. I am still trying to consider his English. I have heard nothing but GOOD about Sonlight. But my son doesn’t like to read. My oldest did, but not my youngest. lol So, I am still pondering that area. Most likely I will need to consult with you Lee. Take care, and again, thanks so much for your time.
Blessings,
~ Debbie In Alaska
Hi Debbie,
One comment about Sonlight…. they have a guarantee. I would go for it. What could it hurt? Because some non-readers end up loving it because the books are so good, you might end up converting your son into a book lover. I would try it! But if you buy, could you go through this link below, so they know that I referred you? I think the guarantee would help, since you have a feeling about Sonlight already. SONLIGHT
Anyway, I’m glad to help! When you want to set up an appointment, just send me an email or reply to any newsletter and we will set up a time for a phone call!
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One of the great things about homeschooling is that you can tailor your school to meet the needs and interests of your students. To do that, you need to think outside the box a little bit. Once you do that, all things are possible! Even speech and debate!
I have another question for you. Are there ways outside of a school setting to get a child involved in a debate club or with public speaking, other than in a church setting? I am looking for more of a debate setting where they will be forced to compose arguments and think on their feet, not just give a prepared speech.
~Judy
Speech and debate can be done in group settings with some of the following ideas and organizations:
American Legion Boys State
TeenPact
YMCA Youth & Government
National High School Mock Trial
Speeches as part of college scholarship applications; e.g. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Elks Club
Speeches as part of an adult group: Toastmasters
Speeches as part of regular activities: teaching a class to small or large groups
Debate with a local homeschool group; google your city, and the words “homeschool debate”
Develop a group of teens to discuss current events, perhaps all listening to the same talk radio show prior to meetings
You can also study about debate during the “down time” when not actively involved in a group. Some of the more popular programs include:
Practice can be achieved by regularly memorizing and presenting prepared speeches to friends and family. Perhaps weekly you could ask the student to memorize scripture, poetry, or famous speeches from the past.
Check out my profile on The Old Schoolhouse’s Speakers Bureau, and then ask you conference coordinator to invite me to come speak to your conference in 2010!
Diane asked me a question on my Facebook wall, “My daughter is going into the 9th grade and I am looking for a good language arts/grammar program. Do you have a recommendation as to where to look for one? Thanks.”
There are SO many good language arts and grammar programs out there, I can’t point to one and say “that’s it!” It also has so much to do with the curriculum being a good “fit” for your child. Having a good fit is much more important than having a fabulous curriculum that doesn’t fit! If you are completely stuck, check Cathy Duffy’s 100 top picks.
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I am still trying to consider his English. I have heard nothing but GOOD about Sonlight. But my son doesn’t like to read. My oldest did, but not my youngest. lol So, I am still pondering that area. Most likely I will need to consult with you Lee. Take care, and again, thanks so much for your time.
Christianbook.com Curriculum Page
