Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Spelling Simply

Can I make a quiet confession?  

I have never included spelling as a part of my children's curriculum.  I can't say that this is the "right" thing to do or not, but it is what I have done.

I've read a collection of thoughts on spelling and they differ, as so many learning philosophies seem to do. Knowing that my load in life was already quite full, I decided to choose what I considered the "easiest" of the methods and what seemed to fit our home better.  Some, with more skills than myself, would call this method natural spelling.

Natural spelling recognizes that spelling practice is actually occurring whenever your child is reading and writing.  It also discourages a child from practicing spelling words that he already knows and focuses on the words that he is struggling with.

I thought that I would sit myself in front of the camera and share with you how I am teaching spelling with my grade 3 daughter using the works of A.A. Milne.

Free slideshow design made with Smilebox

Other natural spelling strategies that are easy to implement:
*** Pay careful attention to your child when he is writing and take note of words that he is needing help with when spelling. Make a personalized spelling list of about 5-6 trouble words and have your child practice these words in a variety of ways until they are learned.  Fun ways to practice spelling include writing in rice, using a whiteboard or chalkboard, using magnet letters, using alphabet stamps, posting the words on the bathroom mirror for frequent viewing, and playing hangman.

*** Take note of words that may be from a word family.  For example, my daughter spelled "stair" like this: "star".  I recognized that she needed practice with the "air" word family.  So along with her spelling words, I shared with her other words that ended with "air" such as fair, chair, lair, pair, etc.

*** Give your child a spelling test that includes 50% of all written language.  This list is presented in Ruth Beechick's book The Three R's, but I have made a printable copy of it here: 50% of Written Language ~ Spelling Test.


Related Readings:
Homeschool {Natural Spelling} ~ @ Herban Homestead {This post recommends using Simply Spelling starting in grade 3.}

How to Teach Spelling ~ @ Anne's Coffee Break

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Spelling List of Resources

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Helping Our Children to Write Well

The last few weeks have consisted of scattered learning.  With birthday parties and road trips combined with Spring Break and Easter, the girls have started wondering, "Is today a school day?".  When questioned, I tend to rattle off a list of learning that is planned for the day. It was after this rattling one day when the oldest one informed me of what "school" really meant.

Reading about Venus and making a lava model is not "school".  Neither is listening to the audio book of the Secret Garden or any other reading for that matter.  Writing journal messages for Mama is just plain fun and so is penning letters to cousins and friends. Math lessons are okay too and if a game is involved, then it's just play.

But don't bring out the work folders. Because if the work folders come out, then that is when "school" happens. I smile at this eight year old's perception and wonder what other learning I could sneak in without it being perceived as "school" . . .

*** I bring home the older girls a journal and a pen each.  I jot some words on the first page and then slip them near their pillows.  In a quiet moment, they take some time to shape out their own words. Then excitedly, they carry their messages to mama's own pillow.  We share words this way, back and forth, writing about nothing really, but in many ways writing about everything.  I correct their spelling and punctuation, so that they practice seeing words written well, and then I pen some heart words back to them.

*** Another time, I place three words at the table: "husky", "cave", "terrifying".  I ask my dog-loving girl to write a story including these three words.  She sits down with pencil in hand, asking for help with spelling.  Without the hindrance of figuring out perfect spelling, she is able to pour her story onto the paper in front of her.  I sit alongside her and we check for capitalization and punctuation, and reread and make certain that her message is clear.  She moves to the computer and taps out her words with one finger.  I help her find "Print" and she illustrates full with colour.

*** At my beloved library I find this wordless book twice and bring both copies home.  The storyteller chose no words, but my girls will choose many.  A piece of paper with lines drawn for 25 spaces is laid out. The task, to simply write one sentence for each illustration.  Ask for spelling , if necessary, {for this is not a spelling quiz, yet correct spelling should be practiced}, and when completed, check for punctuation, capitalization, and clarity. {Wow, you're using quotation marks and onomatopoeias!}

*** There are times when I ask the girls to switch roles for awhile.  How about you teach me something?  My animal-loving daughters,  teach me how to care for a boarder collie if ever I should have one.  Or perhaps teach me how to make a corn-husk doll since you made several dozen of them near Christmas.  Or tell me how you would make the yummiest peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich.  Write it out and I'll see if I can learn!

It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer. ~ Gerald Brenan

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ 3 Writing Ideas for the Beginning Writer Moving Towards Independent Writing

Idea #1 ~ Shared Story

Materials Needed: a die, paper (with criss-crossed lines drawn to make small boxes is optional), pencil

What To Do:  Take turns with your child rolling a die.  The number that is on the rolled die is the amount of words that the roller gets to write of the story.  Encourage your child to write the words that she is able.  If your child wants to write a word that she does not know how to spell, then there are a few options: 1) write the word on a whiteboard and have her copy it, 2) spell the word orally while she writes the letters, 3) allow her to try to spell the word phonetically and then show her the correct spelling by writing it above her word.   This has been one of my children's favourite writing activities.  Below is a sample of one of our first stories ever written, completed about a year ago.

Idea #2 ~ Daily Journal Entry with Personal Dictionary

Materials Needed: Hilroy notebook, personal dictionary printable, pencil

What To Do: Provide daily opportunities for your child to write in a journal. You may leave the writing topic open ended, or you may choose to provide a sentence starter that is relevant to your child. Set a timer for a short amount of time {2-5 minutes}and inform your child that she only needs to write for the length of time set. When the timer goes off, immediately go over your child's writing with her. Remind her about capitalization and punctuation, and write the correct spelling above any misspelled words. Add any misspelled words to the personal dictionary page that is attached to the front cover of the journal so that your child can reference challenging words in the future.

{Please email Mrs.Holder for your own printable personal dictionary.}

Idea #3 ~ Sing a Super Sentence!

Writer's Way has a neat idea for helping your child practice writing interesting sentences - sentences that include an adjective, noun, action verb and a prepositional phrase! This website has many great writing ideas to browse through.  To access the instructions for Sing a Super Sentence, click here: Writer's Way, scroll down to the writing activity table, and find Sing a Super Sentence in the 3rd column, 4th row of activities.

Enjoy!

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Learning to Write

In the Winter 2010/11 edition of The Old Schoolhouse, Susan Wise Bauer offers excellent recommendations on how to teach writing to your elementary student.

Writing is a process that involves two distinct mental steps.  First, the writer puts an idea into words; then, she puts the words down on paper.

In the elementary years, you should teach those two skills separately.  Teach students to take ideas and put them into words through using narration; ask the student to tell back to you in her own words what she's just read in her history or science or literature.  As the young student narrates out loud, she is practicing the first part of  the writing process without having to worry about the second part of the writing process: putting those words down on paper.

Separately, the student begins to master the second part of the process: putting words down on paper. This skill is developed through copywork and dictation.  Copywork and dictation allow the student to master the second step of the process without having to worry about the first (and difficult) task of putting ideas into words.

Eventually, elementary students will learn that in order to write, all they need to do is put an idea into words (something they've practiced extensively through narration) and then put those words down on paper (which they're accustomed to doing during dictation). 

To help clarify what Susan is describing, I have provided some definitions of the writing processes that she describes:

Narration: Student retells in her own words information acquired from her reading.  The information may have been read to her, or if she is a fluent reader, she may have read the information herself.  Narration is a quick and easy way to check for understanding of the material read.  Narrations can be recorded by a parent if desired.

Copywork: Copying quality writing which may include poetry, scripture, great sentences from literature, famous quotations, facts copied from science or social studies learning, well structured sentences chosen by the parent, etc.

Dictation: Parent reads a sentence out loud and the student writes it.  Sentences may come from the student's copywork, or from a grammar/spelling curriculum, or from well structured sentences chosen by the parent. Dictation usually begins after the student is quite proficient at copywork.

Further Links Highlighting the Above Writing Processes:

Telling Back as a Learning Strategy/ What is Narration? 

Free Bible Verse Copywork Printables

More Free Copywork ~ Simply Charlotte Mason

Using Dictation ~ Katie's Homeschool Cottage

Dictation ~ Pioneer Woman Homeschooling

Please note:  The above links often refer to the Charlotte Mason or classical methods of homeschooling as the primary methods that use narration, copywork and dictation.  While this is typical, these writing strategies can easily be implemented alongside any homeschooling curriculum of  your choice.

Teaching Tip Tuesday ~ Spelling List of Resources

Spelling Programs recommended in Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Curriculum Picks:

Building Spelling Skills ~ An inexpensive spelling program with Christian content.

Spelling Power ~ Individualizes spelling lists so that students focus on trouble words.  Includes a CD and DVD.

Spelling Workout ~ A spelling program that students can learn to complete independently.

All About Spelling ~ A spelling program recommended for younger students, and for those students who need more explicit spelling instruction.  ~ This spelling curriculum  recommendation is made by Sarah Bennett, the developer of HCOS curriculum packages.

Recently, I came across an interesting resource that begins at the grade 3 level and uses the process of prepared dictation to reinforce spelling skills:  Spelling Wisdom.

To practice spelling online, you may like using: Spelling Time and/or Spelling City

Finally, are you frustrated with spelling lists that take up too much learning time without long-lasting results?  Ruth Beechick has written a couple of interesting articles that cast a different perspective on spelling lists and language arts programs in general.  Very interesting reading.

How Not to Teach Writing ~ a lengthier article focusing mainly on spelling

Simplify the Curriculum  ~ refers a bit to spelling, but more to the Language program as a whole

Teaching Tip Tuesday - Poetry - Discovering Poetic Elements

The best description that I have found of poetry and it's poetic elements is here:

Poetry appeals to the reader's emotions. It often gives a sharp picture (mind's-eye image) of the subject. Poets use certain devices in their work including: repetition, rhythm, sometimes rhyme, personification, metaphoric language, alliteration (the repetitive consonant sounds in a line of poetry  - "silver slivers shine in the sun"), onomatopoeia, and hyperbole (exaggeration - "he climbed near the sun"). These literary devices can be found in prose too, but you expect a poet to make greater use of them. ~ Five in a Row, Volume 1 ~ Jane Claire Lambert

Lambert also suggests that the greatest way to teach children poetry, is to read to them poetry! As you read poetry to your child, keep in mind the poetic elements and make sure to point them out to your child as you come across them.  Focus on  one or two poetic elements and then gradually add more as your child shows confidence in identifying the previously learned elements.

Below are some poetry books that Lambert suggests for young children:

Now We are Six ~ A.A. Milne

When We Were Very Young ~ A.A. Milne

The World of Christopher Robin ~ A.A. Milne (This is a volume of the previous two titles combined.) 

Favourite Poems, Old and New ~ Edited. by Helen Ferris

Joyful Noise (Poems for Two Voices) ~ Paul Fleischman (recommended for grade 4 and higher)

Sing a Song of Popcorn ~ Edited by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers


Here are a couple of Christian Curriculums that have poetry books available:

Rod and Staff - Christian Poetry for Children and Adults

Christian Light Publications - Poetry


Here's a link to the Nursery Rhyme book that is recommended in the Accelerated Christian Education kindergarten program:

Christian Mother Goose Big Book



And here's a link to another classic:

Child's Garden of Verses


Poetry Writing Teaching Plan:
1. Expose your child to several poems that include the poetic element(s) that you want to focus on (i.e. rhyming and repetition).

2. Choose a general topic for your child to write a poem about, and ask your child to draw a picture to represent the topic (i.e. winter).

3. Ask your child to describe her picture while you record a list of what is dictated.  Encourage descriptive language, but don't worry if it is not given.

4. Depending on the age/ability of your child, ask for a first line of the poem .  (For the younger child, you may provide the first line of the poem.)  Encourage your child to refer to the descriptive list of her picture (step 3) to gather ideas.

5. Continue to work with your child to create the lines of the poem, and gently encourage the use of the poetic element(s) of focus.  If poetic element(s) don't present themselves easily in the initial writing of the poem, then wait until the poem is finished to look for places to insert them.  {For example, to insert alliteration into the poem, choose a line of imagery such as, "the moon is shining bright" and encourage your child to think of "b" words to describe the moon.  A line like this may be created,  "the brilliant moon beams bright".  To insert repetition, have your child choose to repeat the last line of the poem, or to repeat the first line of the poem at the end.}

Below are a couple of poems that were penned in my home.  The five-year old wrote her poem with a lot of input from me, while the seven-year old was surprisingly able to pen the poem almost independently.  Enjoy.



Final Teaching Tip:  When writing poetry, allow your younger child to dictate the words of the poem to you, while you act as the recorder.  Poetry is about word choice, not about the fine motor skill of writing.  By having you take on the physical task of writing, your child is able to focus more on her thoughts and creativity.

Teaching Tip Tuesday - Writing Ideas for the Reluctant Writer

A reposting from the archive for those who have a reluctant writer in their family. These ideas work wonderful with fluent writers too!

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The following encouragement was taken from a Marilyn Hahn workshop on "Awesome Writing Strategies for the Reluctant Student". Enjoy!


P – Purpose
When was the last time we as adults wrote without a purpose? Probably when we were in school! As adults we usually write with a purpose. We write grocery lists, e-mails, journals, letters or cards, “To do” lists, reminder notes, stories or poetry if we’re feeling creative, blogs, etc. These are the reasons that Marilyn suggested why we all write:

T – to Tell something
R – to Request something
I – to Inform about something
P – to Persuade about something
E – to Explain something or to Encourage someone

All of these reasons to write require another person’s interaction.


P – People who care about kid’s writing
Find an audience. Marilyn suggests that 80% of your child’s writing should have some sort of audience – meaning that it should be sent outside of the home. Even a spelling test can have purpose if you have your child write at the top: “Dear Grandma, I’m writing this spelling test for YOU!” Then mark it, put it in an envelope, and mail it to Grandma.

When your child has an audience, editing starts to matter. Your child will want to write neatly, spell words correctly and reread and revise his/her own work.

Audiences can include: family members (make sure you train them to praise your kid’s writing and NOT point out the spelling errors) (smile), people who work in the church or the community, a friend or cousin or Sunday School teacher, the fireman, the police officer, the doctor, a favourite author or illustrator, the Prime Minister or the Queen (she always writes back!)

Use the yellow pages and let you child find people that he/she would like to write too. The people to write to are ENDLESS!

Here is the link with the queen’s address and some sample letters:
Writing to the Queen


P – Process and the Product
It is easy to get caught up in the rut of presenting children with a piece of 8 1/2” by 11” lined paper and asking them to write something. Marilyn says “Boring!”. Here are some of her ideas on how to spur writing on:

- Write on brown paper bags. Hole punch and then tie them together with a ribbon to create a paper bag book.
- Make the paper smaller. A post-it note looks a lot less intimidating than a piece of binder paper.
- For young writers use a piece of blank white paper rather than lined paper.
- Create an Author’s Gear Box - This is an investment but well worth it. Buy a compartment kit with the little drawers and shelves etc. Take your child shopping to Staples or Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store and let him/ her choose writing items to put in their Author’s Gear Box. Items may include: erasers, gel pens, colored pencils, stickers, binder rings, paper clips, paint, scissors, sticky notes, rad tacks, etc. The materials in the Author’s Gear Box are ONLY to be used when your child is writing.
- Use “Roget’s College Thesaurus” – (Grade 3 and onward) – Let your child look through the thesaurus and find words to create a really cool sentence, This can gradually increase to paragraphs and stories.
- Writing Poetry – Use “Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary” and use Shift F7 on the keyboard to provide a thesaurus. Look through old National Geographic magazines. Pull out a great picture. Have your child highlight up to 50 phrases (max. 4 words in length) in the written text about the picture. Cut the phrases out, arrange in a poetic order, glue onto the picture from the magazine – this is called a Found poem.
- Store your child’s writing in a plastic sheet protector. Immediately, the writing looks polished!


P- Passion
Capitalize on your child’s passion. Write about personal interests.


P – Partnership
This “P” is one of the most important but also one of the hardest. Marilyn suggests sitting shoulder to shoulder with your child and doing a similar writing assignment at the same time. In order to find time to do this, you can schedule “family writing time” into your week.

Life Journaling

Journal Entry #6

A few of "My Favourite Things" is the theme for this journal writing entry. You may want to start your journal writing time by sharing this classic song:



Make a list, cut out pictures, draw a picture representing some of your favourite things. Favourite colour, food, activity, animal ... are all a great way to start your "favourite things" theme. But why not stretch this journal topic out over several journal writing sessions by copying a favourite scripture verse, a favourite recipe, a favourite song, a favourite poem...

Other "favourite" topics may include:
My favourite day of my life ...

My favourite way to spend time with my grandma ...

My favourite way to show __________ that I love him/her.

My favourite way to show God that I love Him.

Teaching Tip Tuesday

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Last week an emailed invitation was sent out to write an Autumn poem. Already my inbox has received some heart-warming, poetic words.

My own girls were encouraged to write an autumn poem too, and we decided to take it to a more artsy level.

Teaching Tip: It's always rewarding to encourage your child to take their creative writing to the next level. The level that exclaims, "This is my best work!", "I worked hard on this!", "This took some perseverance!".

With my girls, we decided to copy their poems onto cereal box cardboard, add some appropriate images and create finishing touches with painted leaf printing.





Last weekend we enjoyed a visit with Nana and Papa, whose refrigerator now adorns two poetic masterpieces. :)

Following are the guidelines for Mrs. Holder's Autumn Poetry Contest. Please join your fellow students in this writing activity.


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Because Autumn is a most amazing season, there is a need to celebrate!

A poetry contest is being held for Mrs. Holder's students in Kindergarten to Grade 4. The contest is open until Friday, October 8, 2010. Students are asked to write a poem with an Autumn theme. Below are some links to examples of various forms of poetry – just click on the form of poem and you will connect to the corresponding website. Students can choose to write their Autumn poem in the form of poetry that they prefer.

Acrostic

Haiku

Cinquain

Limerick

ABAB quatrain

AABB quatrain

Students are encouraged to email their poem to me prior to the contest deadline so that I can provide feedback to help them improve their poem. This editing and revising process may occur several times.

The winner of the poetry contest will be determined by a draw. All students who submit a poem will have their name entered into a draw for Douglas Florian’s book of autumn poems called, Autumnblings.

Also, I will be publishing Autumn poems for my “Teacher Feature” page in the November Anchor Log. If there happens to be too many poems submitted to fit onto my “Teacher Feature”, then I will use smaller font, or have to choose poems on a “first come, first serve” basis.

May your autumn days be filled with many poetic moments.

Blessings ~ Jessica

Fruit of the Spirit ~ May Journaling Ideas ~ Self-Control

During the month of May, your child may like to focus on "self-control" in his/her journal writing. Below are some journaling ideas that may prove useful:

Copy Work: Have you child copy one or more of the following scriptures into his/her journal. Encourage your child to embellish the copy work with a drawing.

[B]e hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. ~ Titus 1:8

The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ~ 1 Peter 4:7

Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. ~ Proverbs 25:28


Lyric Response: Here is a link to some song lyrics about self-control: Once I Had a Knot in my Shoe. After sharing these lyrics with your child, discuss actions that show self-control and actions that show a lack of self-control. Have your child create two lists representing these contrary actions. You may also encourage your child to write about a time when he/she forgot to use self-control. If your child like to write poetry, then encourage him/her to write a "lyric" about self-control or the lack of it.

Prayer: Have your child record a prayer asking God to help him/her to remember to show self-control.

Journal Starters:
I can show self-control when my brother or sister makes me upset by ...
I can show self-control at the candy store by ...
I can show self-control when I get really excited by ...
I can show self-control when I feel angry by ...

Since Spring Break takes up half of the month of March, I thought that I would deter a little from my usual Journal Writing Wednesdays and make a writing suggestion that I am looking forward to doing with my own daughter once she becomes a more capable writer.:)

My suggestion is for you as a parent to write the first sentence of a story on a page in your child's journal. Then place the journal on your child's bedside table and ask him/her to continue the story with another sentence, or two, or three. When your child finishes his/her part, he/she will put the journal on your bedside table. Now it's your turn to write a few sentences of the story. Continue this process as long as there is interest. You may be surprised at the saga you and your child can write!

Happy Writing this March!

The following encouragement is some writing ideas that I recently emailed to a parent. I thought that there may be other parents who need some encouragement with their "reluctant" writers too. The following encouragement was taken from a Marilyn Hahn workshop on "Awesome Writing Strategies for the Reluctant Student". Enjoy!


P – Purpose
When was the last time we as adults wrote without a purpose? Probably when we were in school! As adults we usually write with a purpose. We write grocery lists, e-mails, journals, letters or cards, “To do” lists, reminder notes, stories or poetry if we’re feeling creative, blogs, etc. These are the reasons that Marilyn suggested why we all write:

T – to Tell something
R – to Request something
I – to Inform about something
P – to Persuade about something
E – to Explain something or to Encourage someone

All of these reasons to write require another person’s interaction.


P – People who care about kid’s writing
Find an audience. Marilyn suggests that 80% of your child’s writing should have some sort of audience – meaning that it should be sent outside of the home. Even a spelling test can have purpose if you have your child write at the top: “Dear Grandma, I’m writing this spelling test for YOU!” Then mark it, put it in an envelope, and mail it to Grandma.

When your child has an audience, editing starts to matter. Your child will want to write neatly, spell words correctly and reread and revise his/her own work.

Audiences can include: family members (make sure you train them to praise your kid’s writing and NOT point out the spelling errors) (smile), people who work in the church or the community, a friend or cousin or Sunday School teacher, the fireman, the police officer, the doctor, a favourite author or illustrator, the Prime Minister or the Queen (she always writes back!)

Use the yellow pages and let you child find people that he/she would like to write too. The people to write to are ENDLESS!

Here is the link with the queen’s address and some sample letters:
Writing to the Queen


P – Process and the Product
It is easy to get caught up in the rut of presenting children with a piece of 8 1/2” by 11” lined paper and asking them to write something. Marilyn says “Boring!”. Here are some of her ideas on how to spur writing on:

- Write on brown paper bags. Hole punch and then tie them together with a ribbon to create a paper bag book.
- Make the paper smaller. A post-it note looks a lot less intimidating than a piece of binder paper.
- For young writers use a piece of blank white paper rather than lined paper.
- Create an Author’s Gear Box - This is an investment but well worth it. Buy a compartment kit with the little drawers and shelves etc. Take your child shopping to Staples or Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store and let him/ her choose writing items to put in their Author’s Gear Box. Items may include: erasers, gel pens, colored pencils, stickers, binder rings, paper clips, paint, scissors, sticky notes, rad tacks, etc. The materials in the Author’s Gear Box are ONLY to be used when your child is writing.
- Use “Roget’s College Thesaurus” – (Grade 3 and onward) – Let your child look through the thesaurus and find words to create a really cool sentence, This can gradually increase to paragraphs and stories.
- Writing Poetry – Use “Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary” and use Shift F7 on the keyboard to provide a thesaurus. Look through old National Geographic magazines. Pull out a great picture. Have your child highlight up to 50 phrases (max. 4 words in length) in the written text about the picture. Cut the phrases out, arrange in a poetic order, glue onto the picture from the magazine – this is called a Found poem.
- Store your child’s writing in a plastic sheet protector. Immediately, the writing looks polished!


P- Passion
Capitalize on your child’s passion. Write about personal interests.


P – Partnership
This “P” is one of the most important but also one of the hardest. Marilyn suggests sitting shoulder to shoulder with your child and doing a similar writing assignment at the same time. In order to find time to do this, you can schedule “family writing time” into your week.

Poetry Contest

Contest Rules and Guidelines:

Students may choose any style of poetry to write i.e. haiku, acrostic, quatrain, cinquain, limerick, etc. Here are some links with more information about how to write different styles of poems:
Giggle Poetry
Poetry Idea Engine
Forms of Poetry
30 Days of Poetry

Students must go through an editing and revising process with Mrs. Holder. This means that each student will email his/her poem to Mrs. Holder. She will in turn email the student back with one or two pieces of feedback. The student will then use the feedback to revise his/her poem and then email Mrs. Holder the revised poem. This process should take place at least 2 times but can occur as often as the student and Mrs. Holder feels is necessary.

The deadline to submit a “final copy” poem is March 13th, 2009. Mrs. Holder will judge the poems along with a couple of other colleagues. Each participant will receive an award, but a larger prize (a poetry book) will be awarded to the student(s) whose poem(s) are worthy of a first prize.

The contest is open to ALL students even if you have not been a regular attendee of the conference calls. I hope that this will be a fun learning experience for all!

Just Write

Just Write is a great writing resource to use as a supplement to your Language Arts program. I came across this resource during this past year as one of our fellow homeschooling families was using it as part of their curriculum. Click on the image below to view more details about Just Write!



For your convenience you can order this resource from Cornerstone Learning Resources.

End of the Year Salute

There's a time in each year that we always hold dear,
Good old summertime!
With the birds and the trees and sweet scented breezes,
Good old summertime!

When your day's work is over, then you are in clover,
And life is one beautiful rhyme,
No trouble annoying, each one is enjoying,
The good old summertime!

~from "The Good Old Summertime"
composed by George Evans, lyrics by Ren Shields


The "good old summertime" is here and the school year is wrapping up. This past year has been filled with hardships for some and sweet delights for others. Some families have dealt with incredible challenges and have discovered the true meaning of perseverance and dedication. Sometimes I would sense a spirit of discouragement in some families, but as June approached discouragement was replaced with a spirit of victory as families relied on God's grace to see them through. Again I am reminded of Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

As the year draws to an end, I want to express a sincere thank you to each and every family. You are all amazing and have been an incredible encouragement and blessing to me throughout this past year. I pray that God will guide you in wisdom as you prepare for the upcoming school year. Bless you!

For those students who are moving on to grade 4, may God continue to guide you and give you wisdom and knowledge through your learning. May you learn to seek Him first and to rest in His promises. Thank you for the good times during our conference calls. May you continue to be a blessing to those who come across your path.


Finally, I can't close the year without sharing a neat idea called a "Travel Journal". I recently picked up a spiral bound notebook from Wal-Mart ($7) to use as my own family's travel journal during our little vacations and weekend get-aways. The journal is meant for the whole family to participate in creating. Entries can include records of mileage, stops along the way, each family member's favorite "event" of the day, a picture of your destination, or postcards that were collected along the way. A set of alphabet rubber stamps and some fun stickers can help embellish the pages. The journal is meant to be a relaxed record of your family's travels, so kid drawings and spelling mistakes authenticate it even more. Have fun this summer as you record some special memories.

Blessings!

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace. ~ Numbers 6:24-26

Please note: During the summer I will continue to post activity and encouragement entries onto the Homeschooling from the Heart blog. You can link to the blog from my classroom page on the Anchor Academy website.

Story Writing Jumpstarts

This month I am encouraging students to get creative by putting a pencil and paper together and writing a short story. Each student's story will look different depending on their grade and writing ability. During the April conference call, students were encouraged to complete a story plan and then use their story plan as a guideline for writing a story. However, the story plan concept may not work well for all students, especially those who are struggling in the area of writing. During the past week I have been on a quest to find other ways to prompt story writing and I feel that my quest has been successful. Following are some innovative ideas to get started with story writing. I hope that they will be an encouragement to both you and your child.

Writing Idea #1 - Round Robin Stories - Using a round robin strategy for story writing can help motivate the unmotivated writer. It also works well with children who are just learning to write. In a round robin strategy, the first writer starts the story and then passes it along to the next writer who continues it. The story continues to be passed between writers until it is completed. The amount of writing done during each turn is usually pre-determined before the story writing begins. For more round robin story writing ideas click here: Round Robin Writing

Writing Idea #2 - Picture Prompts - Story writing needs to start with an idea and sometimes that's the hardest part. Pictures from magazines, newspapers or a personal photograph collection can be used to jump start creative ideas. Pictures of people can encourage character ideas, pictures of places can encourage setting ideas, and pictures of action can encourage plot ideas. Here's a website that has some picture prompts available. You can check it out here: Picture Prompts

Writing Idea #3 - KidsCom Write Me a Story Contest - At the KidsCom website there is a neat story writing opportunity for children. Children are encouraged to write a story using the provided character, prop, and place prompts. Children can submit their stories online where they will be voted on by other children and then possibly published on the KidsCom website. Click here to see the writing prompts for this week: KidsCom Write Me a Story

Writing Idea #4 - Comic Strip Story - If your child loves to draw, then a comic strip story may be a hit. A comic strip still includes all of the story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution, etc.)but the pictures play a larger role in the telling of the story. A comic strip story needs to be planned out well. A good place to start is by folding a piece of paper in half (hot dog style) and then folding it in half twice more to create 8 boxes. In each box your child can plan a story by writing little notes about what will be happening in each box of the comic strip. Have fun with this one!

Writing Idea #5 - Model a Story - Have your child choose a favorite story to use as a guideline or model for his own story writing. For example, many stories include a journey of some sort. Encourage your child to think of a starting place, an ending place, and a problem that may occur along the way. Most stories end with some sort of resolution, and so should your child's. :)

Writing Idea #6 - Tell a Story - The mind of a child is bursting with ideas. However the task of putting the ideas on paper can often be laborious. Encourage your child to think about a story and practice telling it orally. Then have your child tell the story to a tape recorder. During short periods of writing, have your child write out the recorded story editing and revising as needed.

That's all the ideas I have for now. If you have any story writing ideas that have worked for you and your child, then please share in the comment area at the bottom of this post.

Have fun with your kids this month as a little bit of their imagination shows up on paper!