Language Arts

First Language Lessons, written by Jessie Wise (co-author of The Well Trained Mind), is essentially a day-by-day, word-for-word, activity-by-activity script for the parents. It contains everything you need for 1st grade: memory work, stories, copy and dictation work, narration, and grammar. It even contains reminders to praise and encourage your child! 

All four levels of Writing With Ease workbook contain a complete teacher's guide...but perhaps you want additional help. You can get additional teacher's help in this book, Writing With Ease, Strong Fundamentals. This book contains teacher helps for all 4 levels of Writing With Ease. There are guidelines for approximately what a child should know at each level, how to individualize the program to your child, and additional script for you (the teacher) to help teach writing. There is also a troubleshooting section if your student is struggling. This one book will get you through all 4 years of Writing With Ease. 

This groundbreaking new writing series combines time-tested classical techniques—the imitation and analysis of great writers—with original composition exercises in history, science, biography, and literature.

First Language Lessons 4 uses classical techniques of memorization, dictation, and narration to develop your child's language ability in the important, foundational years of language study. The text covers a full range of grammar topics, including parts of speech, punctuation, sentence diagrams, and skills in beginning writing and storytelling. Optional end units provide practice in dictionary use a letter writing.

Susan Wise Bauer wrote Writing with Skill for students to begin to work through independently, and the text is written directly to the student. Organized by days, each "step" progressively moves students through the workbook as they move from one day to the next. Covering the basics of composition, outlining, sentence skills, beginning literary criticism of poetry and prose, writing narratives and descriptions, and researching and documenting sources, the course culminates with a final project. Using extensive literary models and step-by-step instructions on the lesson concepts, students will gain the tools needed to write with clarify and confidence.