Language Arts

One of our favorite authors is Ruth Beechick. After reading her books, we have developed the following literature-based language arts curriculum recommendations:

• Teaching a young child to read (recommended:  Kindergarten)
• Reading for all ages and grades
• An overview of language arts
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Handwriting
• Teaching Grammar
• Creative Writing

In our own family, we have found that A Beka‘s Language program (including phonic, spelling and vocabulary, poetry and literature, grammar, creative writing, and handwriting) has very closely followed Ruth Beechick’s suggestions. However, as a busy mom, I don’t have to reinvent the curriculum wheel with each of my children. We’ve been very pleased with the results, as well as pleased with not having to create our own curriculum each year. We do suggest being sure to purchase the visual aids and the teacher’s manuals, in addition to the student books. It’s not as expensive as it sounds. We highly recommend it!

Grammar

• Sentence Diagrams: One Way of Learning English Grammar
• The KISS approach to grammar — free curriculum for homeschoolers, beginning in 3rd grade — highly recommended!
• Easy Grammar — I also highly recommend this curriculum because it follows a similar approach to KISS grammar (see above). They also sell Daily Grams for review, as well as an introduction to word usage and sentence construction with Easy Writing.
• The Art of Eloquence teaches Christians of all ages to communicate with boldness and grace. (Also visit their Grace Talk Soup, a free talk show on how to communicate.)
• Read about KISS grammar, then use these free lessons from Daily Grammar. Start with lessons 71-75 and memorize the prepositions as KISS recommends, then go back to lesson 1. So easy!
• The English Room (grades 6-12)
• Acu-Write is an email sent every Monday that will pinpoint a grammar rule or common usage error.
• Grammar and More – features a hands-on approach to learning grammar
• Daily Grammar — five new grammar lessons each week, delivered to your e-mail inbox
• The Latin Road to English Grammar
• Learn the prepositions by singing them to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

Reading

• An excellent way to teach reading (because it’s easy and really works!) is All About Spelling, which uses a phonogram-based method (similar to Wanda Sansari, below).
• I highly recommend Wanda Sansari’s Spell to Write and Read!
• Boost for Readers — excellent website!
• Book Adventure — a free reading motivation program for children in grades K to 8
• These word lists will help your child learn the 220 most common sight words in the English language.
• Fantastic Phonics is uses the proven phonics approach to teach reading while allowing you to download readers directly to your computer so you can print them.
• The Online Reading Teacher
• Reading Made Easy, by Valerie Bendt, is a simple reading curriculum that was recommended by visitors to this site. I saw it at a curriculum fair one year, and it looks great — check it out!
• Bricks and Mortar – Basic Reading Skills – a unique 240-page system for teaching your child to read, available for you to print out for free!
• Joyce Herzog — I love her “Scaredy Cat Reading System.”
• The Learning Page has books that you can download and print for your beginning reader
• >More “printable books” from AtoZ Teacher Stuff
• Beginning Reading — includes hundreds of free printable worksheets
• Starfall — a learn-to-read website, offered free as a public service
• Learn to read with Family Fun Phonics
• AVKO’s free reading program
• Reading Competency Test, from the National Right to Read Foundation
• Vocabulary University
• Brightly Beaming Resources sells a Letter-of-the-Week curriculum for early childhood.
• A primary reader by E. Louise Smythe (nice, by the Gutenberg Project)
• Alpha Phonics
• Christian Fantasy Book Reviews – Gives you some Godly wisdom about what your middle-grade and teen fantasy fans should be reading in their spare time.

Writing

• Institute for Excellence in Writing. For related lesson plans, visit the IEW Lesson Share.
• Improve your writing skills (a list of related links)
• Written & Illustrated By is a book that offers step-by-step instructions in all aspects of teaching students how to write, illustrate, assemble, and bind original books.
• Critical Writing and English Curriculum for Christian Students
• Create free, custom writing paper for creative writing assignments — so fun!
• Write On! is produced by another homeschooling mom in my town.
• The One Year Adventure Novel — I got to review it, and I think it’s a fabulous way to teach teenagers to write!

Spelling

• My favorite way to teach spelling (because it’s easy and really works!) is All About Spelling, which uses a phonogram-based method (similar to Wanda Sansari, below).
• Wanda Sansari’s Spell to Write and Read!
• Spelling Lists for grades 1-8
• Bible-Based Spelling Lessons
• Spelling Lists for beginners
• AVKO Dyslexia and Spelling Foundation
• Spelling and Phonics books by Camilia Sadek

• Excellent spelling companion books:  The Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary (Sue Young), You Can Teach Your Child Successfully (Ruth Beechick), Spelling Power (Beverly Adams-Gordon), The ABC’s and All Their Tricks (M. Bishop), The Alpha List (Wanda Sanseri) — choose one to generate spelling lists; no curriculum needed if combined with our free spelling plans.

Handwriting

• Cursive First — an excellent way to teach handwriting.  At least consider reading about it.
• Another very good article on why we should teach cursive first to our children.
• ABeka Handwriting teaches cursive first and utilizes some very good copywork through all elementary grades. It moves a little fast for my tastes, but there’s nothing wrong with slowing down the pace. (Search under “writing” category.)
• Handwriting Without Tears
• The “Print Clearly” font you can use to print your own handwriting worksheets for your kids
• Handwriting help from DonnaYoung.org
• Handwriting for Kids
• Type your own manuscript worksheets (ideal for copywork)