Teach Homeschool Language Arts

Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved)

November 19, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have an awesome online homeschool high school poetry movie or class to tell you about. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School for more great tips and resources!

When my boys entered the high school years I admit feeling intimidated to teach poetry.

An online homeschool high school poetry class with no teaching involved sounded pretty good.

Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved)

Besides fighting my sons’ perception that poetry is too emotional and for girls only, I struggled with the humdrum way I was taught poetry in high school.

I was given this product for free. All opinions are my own and for sure I will always tell you what is on my mind. When I do accept a product it’s because I’m giddy to tell you about it. Read my full disclosure here. Now on to the fun!

High School Poetry

When I saw that Literary Adventures for Kids had an online homeschool high school Poetry & a Movie literature course, I couldn’t wait to get started on it with my third teen.

Movies, an online self-paced course, and a hands-off approach to teaching the Poetry & a Movie literature course piqued my interest. My son not so much.

However, by using this course I’m so tickled that I’ve been able to ignite my son’s interest in poetry.

This course has easily become one of my favorites and must-haves for teaching high school teens poetry.

Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved). When I saw that Literary Adventures for Kids had an online homeschool high school Poetry & a Movie literature course, I couldn't wait to get started on it with my third teen. Click here for this fun high school course!

Overview of Poetry & a Movie

Let me back up first and give you a bird’s-eye view of this super course:

it’s self-paced and online
there is no physical product and my high school teen loved to pick up and go at his leisure
the literature course has 10 units
it is a study of the master poets and their poetry
it is a study of the poetic devices or literary elements
videos are scattered throughout
it has a grammar component
it’s designed to give your teen the broad strokes of literary elements so there is no overwhelm
you can purchase the books used in the course or borrow them from your local library
a movie suggestion is included for a unit end celebration
there is flexibility to use this course as a full high school credit, one-half of a language arts course, or enrichment

Although studying literary elements is the foundation of poetry over prose, I couldn’t take that usual approach with my son.

Another roadblock of high school programs is that most use a textbook method.

My son is an auditory learner.

Online Literature Course for Homeschooled Teens

You know my struggle through the years with him because taking notes doesn’t work well with him.

I need to blend different styles of teaching to fit his need to learn in a way that appeals to him and make this course a challenge.

Taking information in through audio works extremely well.

The Poetry and a Movie course uses an eclectic method of teaching by combining video, text, and real books. Win!

Besides searching for courses that match his learning style, I had to overcome his perception that poetry is not manly.

If you have boys you know what I mean. Challenge on.

Instead of picking up another boring textbook about literary devices and beginning there, the course begins with a series of videos about what is poetry.

I won’t ruin the videos for your kids, but I heard a chuckle or two from my son.

Poetry and Living Books for Teens

Using the living book in the course that is suggested as a spine or frame for this course is what my son loved.

Remember, a spine is normally a living book that is the foundation on which a course is built.

That is another win for the course because real books should still be used in high school.

Now that I had my son hooked on the course, the next step was to choose a master poet that would help my son let go of his negative perception of poetry.

Before I tell you what I did, it’s important for your teen to cover the master poets in order.

If this is your middle or high school teen’s first introduction to the beauty of poetry, don’t skip ahead like I had to do.

I was tickled to see Edgar Allan Poe listed as one of the master poets.

We moved right to his poems first because my son needed to understand that poetry is not just about love; poetry is about real things in the world like cruelty, war, nature, despair, and friendship.

Because the powerful words of Poe were the first ones that inspired me, I was almost sure his words would not make my teen yawn. It worked.

Next the unit moves on to helping your teen define literary devices by using video to teach them and giving examples.

At this point, your teen will set up his poetry notebook.

Poetry, Literary Elements, and Trivia are the tabbed sections in the notebook.

Teaching Teens about Literary Elements

Guide your teen to help him set up the tabbed sections because they give your learner a way to break down learning into meaningful and fun parts.

After all, learning poetry should have an organized approach so as to not miss one tiny detail.

The teacher in me needs to be sure my son comes away from high school with a foundation in literature and appreciation for figurative language and not just analytical writing.

The trivia section in the notebook helped my teen to see that poetry is lively, upbeat, and challenging.

I mentioned before that this course uses many different teaching styles, but it equally incorporates different homeschool approaches.

The study of poetry is both a classical and Charlotte Mason feature.

Charlotte Mason touts studying one artist or composer for a while.

Studying one master poet thoroughly is the same approach in this course.

Instead of quickly shifting focus, poetry requires lingering on words and digging deep for the intentions of wordplay by master poets.

After my initial fast forwarding to a point in the course to hook my kid on poetry, we benefited from staying focused on one poet for a considerable length of time.

Mastery is also a unit study feature and that was one huge benefit for us in this course.

Living Books and Online Poetry Study

Having a culminating activity like watching a movie together or having teatime with your teen keeps it fun.

Of course I didn’t dare mention teatime to my boy, but popping some popcorn and lighting the fireplace before a movie made it memorable.

Although the course is designed so that your teen can learn independently, don’t miss out by not reading the poems together. Poetry is supposed to be read out loud.

Mentoring your teen doesn’t stop in high school.

If you want him to appreciate figurative language and rhyme, then he needs to hear your voice.

I enjoyed reading the poems out loud with my teen, but you don’t have to.

Another benefit of the program is that he can read it along side the narrator on each video.

I have to admit, my voice was no substitute for the narrator reading “The Tyger” by William Blake. Your teen will love listening closely as the poem is read to him.

Although you can use the course for writing lessons, my goal was to use the time to kindle my son’s appreciation for poetry.

5 More Things You Should Know About Poetry & a Movie

One/ The specifics of the course are the introduction, the master poets which are Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Langston Hughes, William Wordsworth, William Butler Yeats, Dylan Thomas, and Robert Frost.

The last section is a Final Project writing essays.

Two/ You will need to determine beforehand how much credit you will assign to your teen.

Of course this depends on how extensive you want to use this online language arts course.

Third/ Each poet has been planned for a month-long study. Because I wanted to get the flavor of the course, we initially skipped around as I explained earlier.

Now, my son prefers to cover one master poet in-depth.

Four/ There is unlimited access to the course and I see this as a huge savings.

If you don’t know by now, curriculum for older kids is more expensive.

We’re preparing teens for adulthood and curriculum shouldn’t just impart knowledge or rote facts; it should stir a teen’s mind to be included in the bigger picture of life after high school.

Teaching a teen how to think using poetry as an analysis cements beautiful thoughts in our kid’s mind and reciting poetry is a memory aid to use into adulthood.

You don’t want to miss covering poetry and it’s especially fun when there is no stress planning.

In addition, this course can be used in a few different ways to get your money’s worth.

The master poets and literary elements can be introduced in middle school.

In high school, use the course again, but fold in the grammar and essay components for high school credit. It’s a two-fer.

The best part is that you can use this with all of your younger kids. What a deal for a course that is prepped and ready to go.

Five/ Literary Adventures for Kids is owned by a homeschooling family. Y

ou know how much I prefer curriculum prepared by a homeschooling family because they get it when we need curriculum easy to teach and that appeals to a variety of learners. Another win for me.

Poetry Study for Homeschool High School

Poetry & a Movie may be a good fit for your family:

if your child needs multiple approaches to learning
if your child prefers using real books instead of a textbook
if you want to foster independence with your middle or high school teen, but want your child to have a framework to follow
if you fear teaching poetry and want to learn alongside your teen
if you prefer an online self-paced course over a physical product
if you need a course prepped and ready to go with minimal teacher planning

Bottom Line: I’m extremely delighted with Poetry & a Movie and any apprehensions I had that my teen son may find poetry only a girl’s subjects has been put to rest. Hearing him repeat part of the poems he learned as he goes through his day is a proud mama moment.

I am so pleased with this course and I just can’t think of anything that needs to be changed.

I would highly recommend it if you have a teen that needs to learn outside the box, but don’t have time to prepare a unit study.

Poetry & a Movie is a keeper in my home and I plan on going over it again both as a standalone course and to use as a review tool.

I look forward to seeing my son build on the foundational skills he learned in this poetry course. This has been a rewarding experience and has helped my son enjoy learning to write and read poetry!

Thanks to Literary Adventures for Kids for this excellent product to serve the homeschool community!

Go on over and give it a look see. I’ll know you love it as much as I do!

How to Purchase It.

Product Name: Literary Adventures for Kids – Poetry and a Movie

Website: Literary Adventure for Kids/Hide the Chocolate
Grade Level: 7th grade and up Note: There are products for your younger kids too.
Type of product: These is an online course. No physical product will be shipped to you.

Also, you’ll love these other helps for high school:

Hugs and love ya,

6 Tricks for the Kid That’s NOT in Love with Reading

November 4, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Teaching reading is especially stressful if you’re child is not loving it.

Most homeschool moms have a deep love of reading and hope that their children will in turn become voracious readers.

While it’s true that many will love reading, not all of them do.

Some just never get into the reading habit or would prefer other activities.

So what do you do when your child doesn’t fall in love with reading?

Here are some helpful tips for when your child is not a voracious reader.

Tricks to Make Reading Enjoyable for Kids

If your child truly dreads reading yet you still need to require it for learning (obviously), there are some tricks to make it more enjoyable.

ONE/ Give them a purpose and/or goal for reading

Use a sticker chart, treasure chest of prizes, or other incentives to get them reading.

Set goals and let them choose a prize when they reach the goal.

TWO/ Give them choices and variety

Let them read what they’re interested in and pursue those interests. Remember that it doesn’t have to be chapter books and literature all the time.

THREE/ Value their other strengths and skills

A child who doesn’t like to read is likely strong in other skills. Maybe they enjoy numbers and math. Maybe they’re an entrepreneurial or marketing genius. Don’t become so focused on reading that you lose sight of this!

You can also use their other interests to get them interested in reading. Give them books that center around the topics they care about.

FOUR/Repetition is okay (and so is quitting sometimes)

If your kids find a book or series that they really love, it’s okay to let them read it over and over. That still counts as reading!

There are so many fun and engaging series for kids, like The Little House on the Prairie series for example.

If your kids enjoy that, let them go through the whole series again and again.

As they gain confidence and enjoyment in reading, they can always branch out from there.

It’s also okay to let them quit a book or series if they aren’t enjoying it.

Some thing are worth requiring, while others can be negotiated.

You know as an adult that you don’t always finish every book you start if it turns out to be boring or you just don’t like it.

You don’t have to force your kids to finish every book they pick up and turn it into a chore.

FIVE/ Mindset matters

As with most things in life, attitude and mindset are half the battle.

Remember that reading for enjoyment and the ability to read are two different things.

Not everyone will naturally love reading.

If your child is able to read but just chooses not to because it’s not his/her “thing,” you might just need to accept that and learn to appreciate their other strengths and skills.

SIX/ Reading should be fun

Another tip: We need to balance required reading with fun reading so kids don’t get burnt out.

I don’t believe you can force kids (or anyone) to love anything you love.

I do believe that you can share why YOU do love it and how it benefits you and model it.

Share about what you’re reading with your kids and why you love it.

My kids see me read all kinds of good literature and fun books, too, just because I do love to read.

Sharing some of your favorite books from childhood and why you loved them might help make a connection and a purpose for reading with your kids.

I hope these tips can help you make reading more enjoyable for you and your kids!

You’ll love these other tips:

Hugs and love ya,

Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

June 14, 2018 | 4 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter for more ideas.

Whether you’re new, feel like you don’t have time to lesson plan, or just need a teaching break, you’ll want to know these boxed curriculum providers or all-in-one homeschool curriculum providers.

Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed)

First things first.

There is a lot of confusion that swirls around the definition of what is an all-in-one curriculum. It is the same as a boxed curriculum.

That may not tell you anything either because you may think that means it comes in a box. It may or may not.

What Is an All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum

Look at my easy definition below so you sound like a seasoned veteran when you curriculum shop.

An all-in-one homeschool curriculum or boxed curriculum means that all of your core subjects like the 3 Rs and content subjects like science and history are included in the program.

The Definition of an All-In-One or Boxed Homeschool Curriculum

It means just what it says in that all of your basic subjects are covered. In addition, most all-in-one providers have teacher’s manuals or teacher notes along with suggested schedules on how to cover the material.

Like a boxed cake mix, the curriculum comes with everything you need to begin homeschooling for a school year. Normally, you need very little extra supplies to start.

The curriculum may consist of part physical books, part online, part dvd, or all physical book or all on line.

A lot of the options with this approach can be considered public school at home or workbook approach.

However, all-in-one curriculum providers have really changed since I’ve started and some take another homeschool approach like Charlotte Mason or even a unit study type of approach.

Because accredited has nothing to do with the rigor of the curriculum, you’ll want to be sure to read Accreditation Removing the Shroud of Mystery.

Advantages of All-In-One or Boxed Curriculum

Additionally, it’s important to understand the advantages of an all-in-one to see if it’s a good fit.

It’s all laid out which means the lesson planning is done. Some new homeschoolers are not comfortable with their freedom to homeschool and feel better having a pattern to follow.
Contrary to popular belief, they can save you money in the long run because you learn what you like or don’t like about teaching. You don’t spend years switching curriculum because you took the time to learn how to teach.
Not having to worry about lesson planning frees up your time to hone in on the weaknesses of your children that may need to be addressed this year.
Most companies provide you with a schedule on how to fit it all in for the day. It can be a great guide for time management and you can avoid the stress of over planning.
If you live in a state that has stricter homeschooling laws, an all-in-one curriculum can help you to comply with the laws of you state.

There are some disadvantages to any curriculum, but I’ll save those for another time because I want you to see the plethora of choices. I’ll add a few notes as I go along too.

Choosing Curriculum When You’re New

And if I have a savings for one or two below, I’ll let you know too.

And remember these are curriculum providers NOT schools!

Workbook Approach You Know in Public School

*Unless noted all of these are a traditional or workbook approach.
* Also, don’t be uniformed because curriculum is not accredited, only schools. Be sure you read my post about accreditation above if you need to understand the difference.

A Beka.

Christian
PK to 12
Accredited or Independent Study
Print-based and computer-based

A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education).

Christian
K to 12
Accredited
Colorful printed packs enhanced with CDs, DVD and computer software

Also look at my video What Is An All In One Homeschool Curriculum a k a Boxed Curriculum

Acellus.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
K to 12
Computer based online
Note: Homeschoolers have a love hate relationship with them. Some lessons are short and to the point, others seem overly easy or unnecessarily complicated. There are glitches at time and scheduling seems to be a problem. Overall, homeschoolers like the flexibility of homeschooling when they want to just login and go.

Alpha Omega LifePac., Switched-on Schoolhouse.
Alpha Omega Horizons.
Alpha Omega Weaver.

(Note: You save 10% by buying it from the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op). Four different programs with different approaches and purposes from the same publisher.

Christian
K to 12
Accredited
Note: Weaver is a unit study approach and not a workbook-based approach.
Print-based, computer-based, and online homeschooling curriculum.

Bob Jones Press.

Christian
K3 to 12
Accredited
Print-based and video-based

Easy Peasy All In One.

Christian
PK to 12
Note: This is completely FREE and I will suggest it at times for new or struggling homeschoolers to start with this to see what will work and not work for you as the investment is only your time and whatever you choose to print.
Note: Easy Peasy All in One is a Charlotte Mason approach with a gentle workbook based approach.
Computer-based online.

Designed by Lee Giles beginning 2011 as she put assignments down for her children and saved them for the younger ones. It has grown in popularity over the years.

BookShark.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
K to 12
Print-based and some items computer- based
Note: BookShark is a literature-based approach.

Calvert Education.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
PK to 12
Accredited
Print-based or digital-only format with e-textbooks.

Christian Light Education.

Christian
K to 12
Print-based

Christian Liberty Press.

Christian
PK to 12
Accredited
Print-based

MasterBooks.

Christian
PK to 12
Print-based (committed to putting ink on paper) or pdf downloads for about 90% of the products
mix and match bundles

Moving Beyond the Page

Faith-free i.e. Secular
PK to 12
Print-based or computer-interface and you print lessons.
Note: Moving Beyond the Page is a literature-based unit study approach with a twist of classical, Montessori and unschooling approaches.
mix and match bundles

My Father’s World.

Christian
PK to 12
Print-based
Note: My Father’s World is a Charlotte Mason approach with a unit study twist.

Oak Meadow.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
PK to 12
Print-based
Accredited
Note: Oak Meadows incorporates nature-based learning and a Waldorf influenced approach.

Rod and Staff.

Christian
1 to 10. (Their belief affects grade level meaning they feel most concepts should be learned by tenth grade.)
Print-based

Sonlight.

Christian
PK to 12
Print-based
Note: Sonlight is literature-based with a Charlotte Mason approach.
mix and match bundles

The Good and the Beautiful.

Non-denominational Christian
PK to 12
Print-based
Note: Follows a Charlotte Mason approach.

Time4Learning.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
PK to 12
Computer-based online

Timberdoodle.

Faith-free i.e. Secular AND Christian options
PK to 12
print-based
mix and match bundles

Veritas Press.

Christian
K to 12
Print-based and online courses
Note: Veritas Press is literature-based with a Classic approach.

WinterPromise.

Christian
K to 12
Print-based and pdf. option
Note: WinterPromise is literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and unit study approach.

Homeschool Providers Worthy of Mention

Add a subject or two to make them complete.

These curriculum providers below are also popular because of their flexibility and excellent literature quality.

They require maybe one or two subjects to make them complete. I’m putting them here so you can have them as an option.

Beautiful Feet Literature.

Christian
K to 12
Print-based and downloadable pdf.
Note: Beautiful Feet is literature-based with a unit study focus on history.
Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child you may need to purchase a composition, grammar, and spelling program.

Build Your Library.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
PK to 10. TBA 11, 12
Downloadable teachers guide, you buy your own literature
Note: Literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and eclectic approach.
Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child’s need you may need to purchase separate spelling and grammar programs.

Torch Light.

Faith-free i.e. Secular
K and 1 only available now
Downloadable teachers guide, you buy your own literature
Note: Literature-based with a Charlotte Mason and eclectic approach.
Need to purchase: Math program and depending on your child’s need you may need to purchase separate spelling and grammar programs.

You’ll also love these other tips:

Big Ol' List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed). There are many reasons to use an all-in-one homeschool curriculum and the best reason is that all the planning is done for you. CLICK here to grab this list!

How to Teach Cursive and Composition With A Fresh Perspective

December 28, 2017 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

When pioneers were going west, ruts served as a guide in following others. Ruts are not necessarily a bad thing. However, when you need to veer off the beaten path when teaching cursive and composition because your well-worn path is not working, then you need a fresh perspective.

The first shift in my mindset that I had to overcome when teaching cursive and composition is to realize that they are two very different skills. As teachers we can forget that they’re related, but different.

Cursive is a fine motor skill and requires physical dexterity while composition is a mental process.

When both work together, it is an out of body experience as my son told me one time. Okay, okay, it is a total body experience.

Bottom line is that it can be flat out hard. Telling your child to pick his pencil up and start writing can be the demise of him.

For example, a child may be mastering fine motor skill, but needs help with ideas on what to write.

On the flip side, a child may be excited to write creatively, but his fine motor skills are holding him back.

Both skills are needed for a child to be an effective writer.

How to Teach Cursive and Composition With A Fresh Perspective. When you need to veer off the beaten path when teaching cursive and composition because your well-worn path is not working, then you need a fresh perspective. Click here to read these valuable tips!

Honing both skills need to be done simultaneously as well as individually for both to emerge strong.Let me get one more idea out of the way too. Cursive is both hard to teach and to learn, but print can be harder.

As the parent, you are the only one to know if the problems you’re having with your child are because of attitude or aptitude.

Some children do better when typing, but before you give in to teaching only typing, read on about my experience.

Cursive takes patience, consistency, and fortitude to teach.

Devices today are suppose to speed up the time we have, but they don’t. They can make both children and adults overly anxious.

They also teach us to instantly master whatever it is that we’re learning.

Teaching and learning cursive rubs opposite of the educational grain being thrown at us today. It’s a slow process and not instant gratification. Parents are left wondering if their child has a special need when in fact they may be developing fine.

How to Rock Teaching Cursive

Look at these tips for teaching cursive from a fresh perspective.

1.) Don’t teach cursive later. Big mistake. I hear it all the time: “I’ll wait until my child is in 3rd grade or 5th grade.”

The best time to teach cursive is soon after he gains control of his fine motor skills. The rule of thumb is about half way through first grade.

One side note is that your child is still malleable and willing to learn cursive the younger he is.

By the time, he is in third grade or later, he may be too embarrassed or not patient enough to learn.

I started each child halfway through first grade and had plenty of time to teach it. Later is not better in this instance. Of course, this means if your child has no developmental issues.

By 3rd grade, my kids had a good handle on cursive and of course I expected them to use it all the way through to high school. And yes, they learned to type along the way.

2.) Don’t teach cursive and composition at the same time.

Direct teaching is very different from practice.

For example, in the beginning while your child is learning cursive don’t make him agonize in how to spell or how to be creative. Just give him the answers and move on while he focuses on the physical part of writing.

3.) Don’t teach composition or cursive back to back in the day.

Whatever you do, don’t do two back to back heavy assignments.

If your child is struggling with both of these skills then space them out in the day.

Do cursive practice work first thing in your day.

Then, switch gears and do other subjects. Add in composition later after your child’s hand has had time to recover.

4.) Strengthening fine motor skills goes beyond practicing cursive.

Coloring is a great way to naturally strengthen skills. And coloring something worthwhile like science pages or history pages will make learning time productive. Check out the 10 Westward Expansion History Fun Coloring Pages and 20 Ancient Civilization History Coloring Pages.
Copywork is timeless for teaching beautiful penmanship and again worthy of your child’s learning time. Poems, scriptures, history, or science are straight and clear prose which are practical for copywork. Look at my article, Free History Copywork – A Roundup of History Resources.
Drawing and writing. Be sure to not criticize, judge, or grade these fun activities. But make sure they do BOTH writing and drawing. My sons wanted to draw a picture first and then the words swelled up from the inside as they viewed their magnificent drawings.

Teaching composition is equally teacher intensive. There are no short cuts. Learning how to express ideas clearly doesn’t just happen. It is modeled by the teacher.

It reminds me of summers I spent with my granny when she was alive. I watched a southerner master cook whip out the most delicious recipes I fondly remember to this day. As I stood beside her, I wrote down her ideas.

I added a few ingredients to her pot under her supervision and then learned to cook delicious meals like her.

Teaching Composition that Goes from Limp to Life

Composition can be the same way. Don’t make it an event where all life goes limp. Make it a time that is memorable for the right reasons. Tears are not a good sign.

Composition starts off as a shared project when your kids are just learning.

You start the “pot”, let them stir it by adding a few key ingredients.

As you model how to write, your kids learn by watching and participating.

Look at these ways to teach composition that are out of the box.

Take a week and brainstorm topics instead of writing a composition. In order to have your child’s ideas flow abundantly, you take control of the physical act of writing.
Let your child record his ideas on his phone. Then play them back and write them down. This breaks this hard process down into two steps.
Have your child use his phone or your phone to take pictures of objects that might interest him. Go on a scavenger hunt. Scrolling back through the pictures is not only fun, but gets your child excited about what to write.
Also, I would find a funny picture or some other picture that I thought would evoke a strong emotion and muse with one of my sons about what the title should be. How many titles or ideas can your child come up with?
Make writing a group effort. One activity we did was to have each child write part of the story. This is not only fun, but it takes the pressure off of coming up with the whole story.
Another thing I did was to write story starters on a strip of paper and have each child draw a topic from a jar. Some kids like the element of surprise and challenge.
For one son, he loved it when I wrote as he dictated to me. He had beautiful prose, but his handwriting held him back. So I would write as he focused on his thoughts. When I finished the draft, he would copy it. Eventually, his physical dexterity caught up with his creative mind.

Also, there are many writing programs that I have used through the years, but one of my favorite writing programs that not only taught writing well, but gave me support is WriteShop.

WriteShop has a unique way of helping the homeschool parent because it was written by homeschooling moms.

Not only does it have a fun way of helping the littlest budding writer, but it gives you practical tips in how to teach.

A lot of writing programs can assume that you have a professional background as a teacher. I do not.

From the time you open the curriculum and read about setting a realistic schedule and see a visual of one to how to grade upper grade compositions, WriteShop guides you in every step.

Ruts can be valuable to a routine, but they can also hem you in.

Fresh ideas in how to teach cursive and composition need to be nurtured. Try one or two of these ideas above and let me know how it works for you.

What do you do when you need a fresh perspective?

Also, I know you’ll find these other posts super helpful!

Hugs and love ya,

3 Beginner’s Tips: Homeschool High School Literature

September 16, 2017 | 3 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have easy beginner’s tips for teaching homeschool high school literature. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool High School.

As if entering the high school years wasn’t daunting enough, you’re expected to be instantly informed about how to teach high school literature.

I began gathering teaching tips and resources for my first high school son.

However, all I could think of was my own high school years, and that was a long time ago.

Gradually, my basic plan for a starting point has changed as each son entered high school because my own high school experience was not much help.

3 Beginners Tips for Homeschool High School Literature. Look at this quick and easy overview to give you a heads up about what to expect. Click here to scoot by and read the AWESOME tips! #homeschool

Today, I want to clear away some of the mystery surrounding how to teach literature because I want to give you a beginning point.

Also, teaching high school literature is a very comprehensive topic.

Instead of taking you to the glazed-over-eyes point I want to stick to a basic foundation, which I think is more helpful.

Try to remember as I share the three beginner’s tips that you can build on them each year.

Try not to sock it all to your teen like I did in the beginning.

Look at my 9th Grade Homeschool High School – Avoid the Sock It to Them Attitude.

ONE/ Hone your definition of what is high school literature.

Literature is any written material.

That doesn’t help much so you need to help your teen understand what is the importance of studying literature.

Battle for the Mind

Try this.

Literature is any written material, but it normally means works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama which having artistic value and makes one think.

In addition, classic literature is written work that transcends time or has outlasted current thinking.

Too, great literature or masterpieces are written works that gives shades of meaning to their topics. Opinions, feelings and emotions will vary.

Whether it’s a short story with limited characters or poetry that reflects the author’s world, they all share identifying marks which are to move you and make you hate or delight in the undertone meaning.

And like one of my boys said, they just keep talking to you today.

Whether the material is about showing a stylistic technique or it’s an unusual genre, it’s a battle for the mind.

TWO/ Introduce literature through American, British, and World authors.

Something else I did wrong was to be all over the place when selecting curriculum.

No matter how organized my first high school teen was, I frustrated him because I didn’t have a method to my planning.

Dividing up grades or semesters by reading and analyzing poems, novels, and short stories from different parts of the world and different time periods gives your teen a well-balanced view.

3 Beginners Tips: Homeschool High School Literature. Look at this easy starting point!

For example, a study of World literature would obviously include authors from all over the world, but it should coincide with the different time periods of history.

This way you’re covering some of the greatest material from different ages.

Don’t forget the timeless tip of using one history book for analyzing literature while reading about history.

For example, when I read the novel by Dickens of A Tale of Two Cities with my boys, it gives a good view of the Victorian period and the French Revolution.

You’ll want to add to it by having your teen research a bit about the French Revolution unless he has already studied it.

Understanding the world the author has created or is writing about places your teen right in the middle of the conflicts.

The conflict of two distinct classes, the rich and the poor, along with the way Dickens explains sad times gives your teen a preview of not only literary topics, but history.

THREE/ Literary devices or terms need to be your framework.

I never required my boys to do a book report when they were younger, but I did require critical thinking skills and a broad understanding of literary devices in high school.

I would hear moans of how boring it was and I tried not to make it boring.

But, this is high school literature and the skills taught at these grades should equip your teen at the least to think like an adult.

Whether you’re preparing your teen for a college prep course or not, he still needs to learn how to think beyond black and white.

This is the time when your teen forms values, opinions, and beliefs and you need to look beyond the idea that you’re mutilating a good read.

How to Reflect on American, British, and World Literature

Making the connection to our belief system during our study time as we discussed it together was an unexpected benefit.

What I mean is that this is not just the time to read about boring literary devices, but the time to understand the message that the author is illustrating through literary devices.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to memorize definitions like rhyme, meter, or sonnet, but it’s more engaging when you and your teen understand why poetry was written in that style.

Digging into why ancient poets wrote how they did gives your student a richer understanding of the world around him.

You want your homeschooled teen to clearly state a verbal or written response to the topics of today’s world. It begins by analyzing a great book.

I hope this simple beginning and quick glance will give you a good foundation to begin your planning. In my upcoming posts, I will be sharing resources to help guide you and your teen.

Do you think you would like that?

Look at these too, you may like to grab the tips there.

Teach Homeschool Language Arts

High School Poetry

Overview of Poetry & a Movie

Online Literature Course for Homeschooled Teens

Poetry and Living Books for Teens

Teaching Teens about Literary Elements

Living Books and Online Poetry Study

5 More Things You Should Know About Poetry & a Movie

Poetry Study for Homeschool High School

How to Purchase It.

Tricks to Make Reading Enjoyable for Kids

ONE/ Give them a purpose and/or goal for reading

TWO/ Give them choices and variety

THREE/ Value their other strengths and skills

FOUR/Repetition is okay (and so is quitting sometimes)

FIVE/ Mindset matters

SIX/ Reading should be fun

What Is an All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum

The Definition of an All-In-One or Boxed Homeschool Curriculum

Advantages of All-In-One or Boxed Curriculum

Choosing Curriculum When You’re New

Workbook Approach You Know in Public School

A Beka.

A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education).

Acellus.

Easy Peasy All In One.

BookShark.

Christian Light Education.

Christian Liberty Press.

MasterBooks.

My Father’s World.

Christian

Oak Meadow.

Rod and Staff.

Time4Learning.

Timberdoodle.

Veritas Press.

WinterPromise.

Homeschool Providers Worthy of Mention

Add a subject or two to make them complete.

Beautiful Feet Literature.

Build Your Library.

How to Rock Teaching Cursive

Teaching Composition that Goes from Limp to Life

ONE/ Hone your definition of what is high school literature.

Battle for the Mind

TWO/ Introduce literature through American, British, and World authors.

THREE/ Literary devices or terms need to be your framework.

How to Reflect on American, British, and World Literature

More Homeschool High School Literature Tips

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