Supplemental Curriculum

Core curriculum is essential for a good education. There are so many options to choose from and, in these modern times, curriculum can easily be customized to fit each students' learning style. While complete units (such as math programs, history curriculum, etc.) often incorporate a few fun and interesting projects, supplemental curriculum units can greatly enhance "regular" school work.

Supplemental curriculum, like journals, short assignments, projects, etc., are like jelly on a piece of whole-grain toast. They add a little something; they make school more interesting and tasty. While the intent of education is to, well, educate, there's nothing wrong with adding in a little fun and entertainment. Currclick.com not only offers good, solid educational units, but it offers many short, fun supplements for your child's learning diet. Go ahead, spread on the jelly!

GET GRAMMAR!

When my little darlings were in prime core grammar years (grade school through middle school), I did my best to teach them the basics of grammar that would provide them with a good foundation for the Language Arts. I often felt as if I wasn't doing enough and it was very frustrating. I decided to gather a group of students in various grades (ranging from 4th through 9th) and teach a grammar class, writing a curriculum at the same time. Two years of research and hard work resulted in a curriculum unit called "A Basic Course in Grammar." It is an easy-to-use, affordable and essential compilation of basic grammar concepts. It works and it is very teacher-friendly! Check it out at www.currclick.com under the publisher name Little Darlings Press, or, simply click on the "Curriculum by Little Darlings Press" tab at the top of fhis page and click on the picture of "A Basic Course in Grammar." GET GRAMMAR today for your students and put your grammar stress at ease.

Grammar Fear

In April I wrote about grammar grief. Another way to describe this condition is GRAMMAR FEAR! I have witnessed grammar fear first-hand many times. It plagues even the most Language Arts savvy homeschool parents. Are my students grasping grammar? How will I know where the gaps are? Grammar fear can hit even when checking out the new year's curriculum. The solution? Take a deep breath and log on to www.currclick.com. Little Darling's Press has published a supplemental unit called "A Basic Course in Grammar." It is the perfect prescription for GRAMMAR FEAR!

Brainstorming

The first step in writing a story is brainstorming. Give your little darlings a quick and easy assignment. Have them collect paper and a pen or pencil and sit down to brainstorm story ideas. It will be helpful to provide an "Ideas List" for younger students. Include ideas like "nature" or "games." Then, let them brainstorm. A fun and effective exercise is to write a topic word (nature) in the center of a piece of paper. Have the student(s) put a circle around the word and begin writing anything that comes to mind that they can think of that has to do with nature. Words that come to my mind include: tree, birds, grass, wind, storm, sky, and garden. After the page is full of words, have the student(s) choose one of the words as their topic for a story.

Five Steps to Writing a Story

A great writing lesson to have with your student writers is to cover five basic steps in the story writing process. They are: brainstorming, writing an outline, writing the story, proofreading, and writing a final draft. Each step in the process takes one or several sessions with the keyboard or pencil and paper. I will deal with each step in its own separate blog entry over the next few weeks. For today, I've provided a brief description of each step.
1. Brainstorming: Sitting down with a pencil and paper and coming up with story ideas.
2. Writing an outline: Taking the chosen topic from the brainstorming session and writing down the order in which it will be written about, including topics and subtopics.
3. Writing the story: On the keyboard or on paper, a draft, based on the outline written, is typed/written down in its entirety.
4. Proofreading: Go over the story to check for grammatical and spelling errors. Also, make sure the story makes sense and is not repetitious. Rewrite as many drafts as are necessary.
5. Writing a final draft: Type or neatly write the final copy of the story.
Now, sit down and enjoy a good read!

Short Writing Assignments

Over the years I have spent a lot of time coming up with ideas for short writing assignments for my little darlings to complete. Although there is value in long writing assignments, such as book reports or research papers, I find that short assignments offer the opportunity to break up the monotony.

It would get rather tiresome for the children to have long and difficult assignments all the time, so to keep them writing, mix it up a bit. It is sort of like a good book. The sentences, paragraphs, and chapters are a mixture of long and short, keeping the reader's interest. Writing assignments should also be a mixture of long and short, keeping the student's interest. 

Add a little variety in among the reports and papers. Throw in a few journal assignments, a letter to grandmother, a limerick, or a paragraph titled "My Favorite Foods." Make writing fun and your little darlings will grow in their imaginations and strengthen their writing skills.

Kids and Journals

One of the best tools, I believe, for the young writer is a journal. Why? Journals are freedom and it is a place that students, who are accustomed to being assigned essays, book reports, or other types of writing exercises, can express themselves in an unlimited manner. Keeping a journal, any type of journal, is also great for documenting what is happening today, physically or just in the mind, for enjoyable reading tomorrow.

I've kept several journals myself over the years. Two of my most treasured journals are the ones I've kept for my kids. In them, I've recorded first words and first hurts; victories and defeats. My kids LOVE to read them.

In years to come, they will love to look back over their own journals. Little Darlings Press has journals available on currclick.com. They are easy to make and SO economical. Pick one up today. If our theme journals don't suit your current needs, take your little darling shopping for a notebook. Then, get them busy writing! If your young writer has a hard time with topics, make a list to let them choose from. If you have a hard time coming up with topics, here are a few ideas: animals, family time, trips, memories, the world outside my house, my pets, my feelings, questions I have, what I want to be when I grow up... GET CREATIVE!

Grammar Grief

If you're like me, you sometimes worry if your children are going to graduate with good grammar skills. Do we write good or write well? Do I lie down or do I lay down. Let's see, now I lay me down to sleep... Oh, yes, it is lay. Or, is it?

Grammar is just one of those HUGE, exhausting topics that many of us parents worry about when it comes to our little darlings. Will he be well spoken at his first job interview? Will she be able to write an excellent research paper for her senior thesis? And, if you are a home educator, as I am, you may feel, well, responsible. UGH! What to do!

Here's one idea: Take a deep breath and remember that it is highly unlikely that your child will be asked to diagram a sentence at a job interview. Here's another idea, put your mind at ease with "A Basic Course in Grammar" by Little Darlings Press. The comprehensive, easy-to-use curriculum unit will be available in May, 2012 at currclick.com (see link on this page). Created for upper grade school and middle school age students, this curriculum will provide or reinforce basic grammar skills that will provide a foundation for other grammar topics as well as encourage good writing skills.