Language Arts Curriculum and Resources

An Apple a day will help keep your spelling woes at bay! Apples is designed for the older student (junior high or high school) who struggles with spelling. Have you ever felt like taking your older student back to the beginning with phonics - but hesitate to do so because the available phonics books are so....elementary!? 

An Apple a day will help keep your spelling woes at bay! Apples is different than any other spelling program out there, taking into consideration the unique needs of poor spellers. Once a week your student is introduced to a spelling rule (called a clue). He will study that rule for the entire week, applying it in all kinds of spelling situations: puzzles, fill-in-th-blank, complete-the-Bible-verse, etc. Some of the clues break a word down into syllables. 

What a fun way to learn sentence diagramming! Designed for grades 5-12, the Grammar Slammer provides easy instruction for a complicated subject (at least complicated to ME!). Karen Newell, author of Write On! (one of my favorite creative writing programs - see link below),  is a gifted teacher. Your students will find her approach interesting, non-threatening, and friendly. Skills are reinforced with a game (instructions and "cards" included) for one or more students.

This is homeschooling at its best. Here is a book that gives your student real-life skills. If you've ever wondered if your child would have learning gaps that would cripple his future, well, worry no more! "Research in Increments" teaches your students how to write a research paper. Armed with this skill, your child can study anything, learn anything, and know how to present it. This one book applies to any subject matter, be it history, science, social studies, literature, or Bible. If neither you nor your child has ever written a research paper, you need not be concerned. "Research in Increments" breaks the process down into simple, logical steps that can be accomplished in as little as ten minutes a day.

Word Artist is a simple guide is a delightful introduction to writing poetry. Your fourth-tenth grade student will be led through 3 units that introduce him first to poetic devices, then to non-rhyming poetry such as Psalms and haiku, and finally to rhyming poetry such as limericks. Each assignment comes with samples (many written by other students), and ideas, as well as a writing challenge. By the time your student has worked through this easy-to-use book, he will have written an entire "book" of poetry - a real keepsake! And, Word Artist even provides step-by-step instructions on bookbinding!

Write On: The Kid Friendly, Mother Pleasing, Gentle Way to Learn to Write - A writing manual that takes the drudgery out of learning to write.

Does your teen love to write stories? Does he or she want to be a positive Christian influence in the world through fiction? Sharon Watson, author of Apologia Press's popular middle school writing curriculum JUMP IN, offers Writing Fiction [in High School], an exciting, new textbook specially designed for your homeschool, private school, or Christian teen. Writing Fiction [in High School] is written to the student in a conversational tone and requires only minimal parental/teacher guidance. It's packed with literally hundreds of age-appropriate, real-fiction examples from classics, best-sellers, and movies so students can learn how to write their own intriguing short stories or novels. Your students will study and practice essential elements of storywriting and learn to critique their own work and classmates', too. In addition, they'll discuss important ideas about fiction in their groups formed from class members, co-op classes, or friends.

This is the teacher's guide for the Writing Fiction in High School course. Although the course could probably stand alone, I believe you will find the teacher's guide to be an invaluable help. Besides the answer key, it also contains a lesson plan, discussion questions (especially for the various literature excerpts and movies), and teacher helps.