Tagged: literature

Middle school reading lists: What a difference 100 years makes!

Middle School Reading Lists: What a difference 100 years makes!

I recently came across an interesting comparison of two middle school reading lists. The author, Annie Holmquist, compared a list from 1908 with a current list from the same state on the basis of time period, thematic elements, and reading...

Choosing books for boys isn't hard: avoid twaddle and give them the good stuff.

Choosing Books for Boys

Choosing books for boys isn’t all that hard. Give them adventure — the kind with blood and courage, dirt and ingenuity — and watch their imaginations soar, assuming they haven’t been “Eustaced”* by the sort of twaddle mentioned in Martin...

Autumn Carnival: Looking Forward, Looking Back

This 463rd Carnival of Homeschooling offers a smorgasbord of creative ideas, inspiration, and practical tips for homeschooling. As you read each post, I hope you’ll find kindred spirits among the bloggers, and lots of good things to read as you sit by the fire and sip tea.

Imaginative Authors Foresee the Future

In Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift wrote of the two moons of Mars. Of course, it was 1735, and the two moons weren’t discovered until 1877.  In 1870, in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne described an electric submarine,...

The 350th Carnival of Homeschooling: Ideas You Can Use

Join us for a great Carnival of Homeschooling, featuring articles on time and what to do with it, words, nature, celebrations, and more.

Summer reading!

Summer Reading: It’s Time to Break Out the Good Books!

Summer reading is essential. Here’s why, and a partial list of what I’m reading.

The Map that Inspired Treasure Island by Celia Blue Johnson

Today’s guest post is from Celia Blue Johnson, the author of Dancing with Mrs. Dalloway: Stories of the Inspiration Behind Great Works of Literature. It’s a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers helps you teach literature in context.

Why Study Literature in Context?

Why study literature in the context of art, music, history, and worldview? Context — the history, art, and music related to a particular piece of literature — helps to bring a book to life and make it more understandable, especially...

Five stages of language arts learning.

The Stages of Learning Language Arts

There are five stages in learning language arts, and each stage has a different focus. This graphic will help you remember what to do when.

You can use copywork for teens and adults, as well as for children.

Copywork for Teens

“Mom, I need some copywork!” I thought my son was kidding when he approached me this morning. After all, he is taking college classes, and doing quite a lot of writing. I thought he’d finished with copywork years ago! As...