Language Arts Curricula
Browse through resources, ideas, and curricula designed to help you teach language arts in your home, especially spelling, writing, reading, and grammar.
Resources
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading
Drawn Into the Heart of Reading was developed for use with students of multiple ages at the same time, perfect for the homeschooling family. It is designed for use as an entire reading program or as a supplement to an existing program for students in grades 2-8.
Explode The Code
Explode The Code provides a sequential, systematic approach to phonics in which students blend sounds to build vocabulary and read words, phrases, sentences, and stories. Frequent review of previously learned concepts helps increase retention. Each workbook in this series contains exercises that incorporate reading, writing, matching and copying. The consistent format of the books helps facilitate independent work. This series includes primers—Get Ready for The Code, Get Set for The Code, and Go for The Code—which introduce initial consonant sounds. In addition, Beyond The Code provides a comprehension component introducing basic comprehension skills with phonetically controlled stories. You'll find product information here.
MCP PLAID Phonics
MCP PLAID Phonics from Modern Curriculum Press incorporates best practices for teaching essential phonemic awareness and phonics skills with lots of flexibility. Find information on these products here.
First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind
Includes scripted lessons and lovely illustrations to offer encouragement and understanding to children in grammar, copywork, narration, picture study, and other classical technique. These lessons will help develop the student's language ability and skills in oral composition.
Reading Made Easy
Reading Made Easy is a phonics-based program, featuring 108 easy lessons, designed to be taught in less than 30 minutes per day. It is fully scripted and has original Christian content and stories. Includes hands-on writing and drawing activities. Reading Made Easy can be purchased here.
Progeny Press Study Guides for Literature
Progeny Press study guides include vocabulary exercises, comprehension, analysis, and application questions, introduction of literary terms, background information, discussion of related Biblical themes, suggestions for activities related to the reading, a complete answer key, and more. These are some of the titles available (grade range is in parentheses):
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (9-12)
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (6-8)
- Amos Fortune, Free Man (5-7)
- Anne of Green Gables (5-8)
- Bears on Hemlock Mountain (1-3)
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (4-6)
- The Bridge (4-6)
- Bridge to Terabithia (6-8)
- The Bronze Bow (6-8)
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (9-12)5-7
- Charlotte's Web (4-6)
- A Christmas Carol (8-12)
- Clipper Ship (1-3)
- The Courage of Sarah Noble (1-3)
- The Cricket in Times Square (4-6)
- Crown and Jewel (4-6)
- A Day No Pigs Would Die (9-12)
- The Door in the Wall (4-6)
- The Drinking Gourd (1-3)
- Farmer Boy (4-6)
- The Fellowship of the Ring (9-12)
- Frankenstein (10-12)
- Frog and Toad Together (K-2)
- The Giver (7-9)
- The Great Gatsby (9-12)
- Hamlet (9-12)
- Heart of Darkness (9-12)
- Henry & Mudge in Puddle Trouble (K-1)
- The Hiding Place (6-8)
- The Hobbit (8-12)
- Holes (5-8)
- The Indian in the Cupboard (5-7)
- In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (4-6)
- Introduction to Poetry: Forms and Elements (8-12)
- Island of the Blue Dolphins (5-7)
- Jane Eyre (9-12)
- Johnny Termain (6-8)
- The Josefina Story Quilt (1-3)
- Julius Caesar (9-12)
- Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (1-3)
- The Lion, Witch & Wardrobe (4-7)
- Little House in the Big Woods (4-6)
- Little House on the Prairie (4-6)
- The Long Way to a New Land (1-3)
- The Long Way Westward (1-3)
- The Lord of the Flies (11-12)
- Macbeth (9-12)
- The Magician's Nephew (5-7)
- Maniac Magee (6-8)
- The Merchant of Venice (9-12)
- The Minstrel in the Tower (2-4)
- Miss Rumphius (1-3)
- Mr. Popper's Penguins (3-5)
- New Coat for Anna (1-3)
- Number the Stars (5-7)
- The Old Man and the Sea (9-12)
- Oscar Otter (K-1)
- Out of the Dust (7-9)
- Out of the Silent Planet (9-12)
- Ox-Cart Man (1-3)
- Perelandra (9-12)
- Prince Caspian (5-7)
- The Red Badge of Courage (9-12)
- Redwall (5-9)
- The Return of the King (9-12)
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (6-8)
- Romeo and Juliet (9-12)
- Sam the Minuteman (1-3)
- Sarah, Plain and Tall (4-6)
- The Scarlet Letter (9-12)
- The Screwtape Letters (9-12)
- The Secret Garden (6-8)
- Shiloh (5-7)
- The Sign of the Beaver (5-7)
- Stone Fox (3-5)
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (8-12)
- The Swiss Family Robinson (7-9)
- A Tale of Two Cities (9-12)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (9-12)
- Tuck Everlasting (6-8)
- The Two Collars (4-6)
- The Two Towers (9-12)
- Wagon Wheels (1-3)
- Where the Red Fern Grows (5-7)
- The Whipping Boy (3-5)
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond (5-7)
- A Wrinkle in Time (5-8)
- The Yearling (9-12)
A Reason For® Spelling
A Reason For® Spelling combines the latest research on how children learn to spell with all the strengths of traditional programs. It teaches highfrequency base words, plus hundreds of other word forms. Values-based stories set the theme each week and help make spelling fun. You'll find product information about A Reason For® Spelling here.
Phonics Pathways
Phonics Pathways begins with short-vowel sounds, slowly progressing to whole words, phrases, and sentences of gradually increasing complexity. Special teaching tips, extensive examples, and 100% decodable practice readings reinforce each lesson. Contains all spelling rules with a spelling index, spelling charts, spelling short-cuts, diacritical markings, and a wealth of inspirational proverbs. The new 9th edition of Phonics Pathways features many new enhancements including a wealth of reproducible games, a step-by-step spelling guide, teacher/student record sheets, a Dewey-the-Bookworm Bookmark and a new carefully-researched appendix detailing how Phonics Pathways aligns with most State Standards. Supplements to this program include The Train Game (to teach letter sounds), WordWorks (a set of cards used to reinforce phonics reading skills), and Blendit! (a set of eleven board games that reinforces knowledge of specific begining spelling patterns). For product information on Phonics Pathways, click here or visit their website.
Easy Grammar Systems
Easy Grammar Systems publishes the Easy Grammar and Daily Grams teaching texts for use through high school. Students use a “hands on” approach (deleting/marking) and learn correct usage and why that usage is appropriate. Review and using information previously learned to teach new concepts help to insure mastery learning. This method is both easy to teach and easy to learn.
English from the Roots Up
English from the Roots Up explores the Latin and Greek roots of words. Many people haven't realized how valuable the Latin and Greek vocabulary is in the formulation of the finely structured English vocabulary of today. Even learning a few Latin and Greek root words gets you hooked and you want to learn more. Why? Because you can move from "what words mean" to "why words mean"&mdashin short, a thinking vocabulary. You'll find product information here.
Featured Resources
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We get commissions for purchases made through links on this site.
America's National Parks: The Spectacular Forces That Shaped Our Treasured Lands
From stunning mountain ranges to arid expanses of desert, America has been blessed with an incredibly diverse land -- and the vision to protect it for our and future generations to enjoy. These lands are ours to view, wander, learn from, and revel in. America's National Parks captures all that is great about all fifty-six parks in the national park system. It also gives interesting, easy-to-understand background on the geological and ecological forces that continue to make each national park so ...
Kids' Poems (Grades 1)
Regie Routman shares her delightful selection of free verse poems written by first graders that will inspire your second graders to think, I can write poems like this too! Regie provides strategies for using kids' poems as models to guide children to write poems about things they know and care about: learning to skate, disliking asparagus, playing with a best friend, and more. She describes the way she invites children to study the model poem, beginning by asking kids, What do you notice? She sh...
I Learn Better by Teaching Myself/Still Teaching Ourselves
Take a look at how a homeschooling mother learned to trust her children-and herself-to learn in new ways. Tag along on the journey from the elementary years through high school as this book explore the success and freedom of unstructured learning. These books are especially good for anyone wrestling with the question of "how much structure should there be in a homeschool?"
Phonics Pathways
Phonics Pathways begins with short-vowel sounds, slowly progressing to whole words, phrases, and sentences of gradually increasing complexity. Special teaching tips, extensive examples, and 100% decodable practice readings reinforce each lesson. Contains all spelling rules with a spelling index, spelling charts, spelling short-cuts, diacritical markings, and a wealth of inspirational proverbs. The new 9th edition of Phonics Pathways features many new enhancements including a wealth of reproducib...
Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-watching, Shore Walking
With Jim Arnosky as your guide, an ordinary hike becomes an eye-opening experience. He'll help you spot a hawk soaring far overhead and note the details of a dragonfly up close. Study the black-and-white drawings -- based on his own field research -- and you'll discover if those tracks in the brush were made by a deer or a fox.In his celebrated style, this author, artist, and naturalist enthusiastically shares a wealth of tips. Jim Arnosky wants you to enjoy watching wildlife. He carefully expla...