Language Arts Resources

We have so many writing and language arts resources on the blog, I thought it was time to create a tab so our resources are a bit easier to find.  Almost all of our grammar pages are currently free!!

We have posts in these language arts categories:

  • Writing Workshop – How and Why we started using a homeschool writing workshop.
  • Mini-Lessons about Writing
  • Comma Rules and Practice Pages
  • Other Free Grammar Pages
  • Spelling Activities
  • Reading: Books we love!
  • Literature in our homeschool
  • Writing books for Kids
  • Language Arts Checklist (literary terms and writing skills I hope the kids gain in elementary and middle school)

I hope you find some useful resources! Happy Homeschooling! ~Liesl

Free Writing and Grammar Checklists Printable


Homeschool Writing Workshop

How and Why We Started Using a Homeschool Writing Workshop and Other Writing Workshop Resources:

  • Animal Portfolio Project: writing, art and geography activities that go with any animals… With many activities to choose from. Writing activities include both fiction and non-fiction suggestions such as
    • Write a speech or a letter to the president on why your animal needs protection in the wild.
    •  Menu: Create a humorous menu at a restaurant where your animals would like to eat.

AnimalPortfolioProject

BiographyProject


Mini-Lessons to Use in a Writing Workshop: (in any order)WritingWorkshop-MiniLessons

PlotChicken-Rules-for-Writing

  • Show Don’t Tell — Writing Packet (Coming Sept 2016)

show-dont-tell-writing-worksheets


CommaRules-and-Practice-WorksheetsComma Rules, Semicolon Rules and Practice Pages – There are 4 different sets of practice pages I’ve made over the years!

SemicolonRules-PracticeSheets


Other Free Grammar Pages

Apostrophe-QuotationMark-Underlining-Worksheets

CupcakeContractions-Worksheets-MatchingActivity

Free Grammar Practice Sheet - to-two-too - plurals- endingsEssay Writing Strategies and Free Writing & Grammar Checklists

Free Writing and Grammar Checklists Printable


Spelling ActivitiesLongASound-Activities

ow-ou-oy-oi-aw-au-Word-Sort-Activities

er-sound-word-sort-and-games

Silent-Letter-Word-Sort

For those who have been readers for a while, you know how much we love, love All About Spelling (affiliate link).

The spelling program we use:

The spelling program we use:

We have used AAS for 7 years! AAS is an affiliate link.

It is hands-on, logical (which works *really* well for my kids), and all laid out for me.  Since I pull together so much of what we do (for history, science and German), that has been invaluable!  ED is working on Book 3 at the moment.  I could probably be moving her through the series faster, but… well, it’s not a race, right?! She enjoys spelling so I have to conclude the pace is fine.  Meanwhile, DD had been working with Spelling City and various spelling words, but she asked if she could go back to All About Spelling this fall.  She’s working on book 7 at this point.


Helpful Language Arts Posts

HomeschoolLanguageArtsCurriculum

LanguageArts-Homeschool-Curriculum-


Reading!  Books we Love!!
Of course, I can’t go without linking to some of the wonderful books we’ve enjoyed in our homeschool!25BelovedBooks-ages4-8

Books-ages8-12


Literature:

We always have a number of books going.  The kids have books that they read at breakfast time for independent reading (usually Newbery winners of some sort). And, we still read together. This year, for example, we are reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin aloud together because we are doing a unit on Slavery and the Civil War. When we studied the Middle Ages we read The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Last year, we decided to add in some literature books, anthologies with a broad assortment of material. The kids were really happy with these books. Over the course of the year, LD read through two books… and DD (my voracious reader!) read through four books in the series.  (These books are an inch and two thick!).   I liked them because they touched on some literary devices — plot, theme, voice, persuasion, similes and metaphors, etc. etc. And they had good selections.  At times the kids were annoyed that they were only reading parts of a novel… so more than once they stopped and read the book.

We generally set the timer for 20 minutes, but usually they take a bit longer to finish the reading selection they were on.  We’ll definitely keep this going this year as well.  Last year ED read through Write Source: Student Book Grade 3  (affiliate link) This year she is reading her own Literature book.

DD started with: McDougal Littell Literature Yellow Level (affiliate link)  LD is using: McDougal Littell Literature (green – Gr. 8) (affiliate link) but as I said above, I then had to order quite a number more books!

WritingWorkshop-Literature-Writing-Books


Writing Books for Kids:

When we first started our Writing Workshop, the kids spent some time reading books about writing.

Both LD and DD read Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly and Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook. (affiliate links)  These are books that encourage and give helpful pointers to young writers. (We set the timer for 10 minutes and read one of these writing resource books prior to writing.)

WritingMagic-GailCarsonLevine

We have other books that helped when they were feeling stuck about what to write. They thumbed through Rip the Page!: Adventures in Creative Writing and Unjournaling: Daily Writing Exercises That Are Not Personal, Not Introspective, Not Boring! to come up with ideas. DD picks up Unjournaling about once a week for ideas.

Again, if I had to recommend just one book, I’d probably suggest Writing Magic to start with.

DSC02655writing-books


You might be interested in our Language Arts checklist. This includes some of the skills I want the kids to have in order to become successful writers… I shared a list of some of the language and literary skills I want the kids to build in elementary and middle school.

LanguageArtsChecklistSo, that’s about it for this very long post. We sure do have a lot of resources here on the blog, don’t we! I hope you find something useful! ~Liesl

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this blog are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. If you do click over, thanks for supporting our blog!