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
Homeschool Writing Workshop
How and Why We Started Using a Homeschool Writing Workshop and Other Writing Workshop Resources:
- Creating a Homeschool Writing Workshop – Post #1 — How/Why we needed a change in our writing program
- Creating a Homeschool Writing Workshop – Post #2: Creating a Writing Workshop Area and Materials to Have on Hand
- Creating a Writing Workshop Post #3: This post is about Mini-Lessons during writing time, mentor texts and includes reviews of 8 or 9 writing books that you might find helpful.
- Writing Resource Pack: This is a post about the 30-page pack I made for our writing workshop. Reference pages on the 6 +1 Writing Traits, Mini-Lessons, the types of writing, creating a powerful beginning, techniques for ending a story/paper, and so forth. (These w
riting resources are free to download.) - 40 Journal Writing Prompts: Free Printable
- Writing Resource Discussion Questions
- Writing Workshop: What we’re doing for writing this fall
- Wonderful Free Writing Resource for Kids
- Biography Research Paper Resource Packet (Free)
- 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.
Mini-Lessons to Use in a Writing Workshop: (in any order)
- Writing Workshop Mini-Lesson: Rules for Writing and the Story Writing Process — Have your kids read the Plot Chicken? We started our Writing Workshop this year off with this book. What a great buk, buk!! In fact, I liked it so much that I created a chicken writing rules printable to go along with the book!
- How do I Help the Kids to Start Writing?! 5 Lessons Ideas for the Writing Workshop (Day 1)
- What makes a good book or story?
- Make your story come alive with details and description.
- Creating Interesting Characters
- Story Openings: Set the mood or feeling of your story
- Gathering story ideas from your own life
- Alliteration and more
- Adding Details Exercise Don’t miss this one, the kids LOVED this activity!!
- Writing Workshop: Conflict in Literature (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Self, etc)
- Writing Workshop Discussion Questions
- Writing Workshop Mini-Lesson: Rules for Writing and the Story Writing Process
- Show Don’t Tell — Writing Packet (Coming Sept 2016)
Comma Rules, Semicolon Rules and Practice Pages – There are 4 different sets of practice pages I’ve made over the years!
- Comma Rules Practice Pages
- Comma Rules and Practice Pages
- Comma Rules and Practice Worksheets (fall theme)
- Comma Rules and Practice Pages (Free Worksheets) – Ocean Trivia
- Semicolon Rules and Practice Pages
Other Free Grammar Pages
- Their, They’re, There – Its, It’s Free Practice Sheets
- Here is a recent practice sheet I made for their/there/they’re and its/it’s
- Grammar Practice: Possessive Nouns and Pronouns
- Free Grammar Worksheets: Homophones (words that sound the same, but are spelled differently)
- The use of apostrophes, quotation marks and underlining
- Quotation Marks – Said and Asked Words
- Grammar Practice Sheets: Irregular Verbs and Nouns
- More Irregular Verb and Plural Noun Practice Sheets
- Grammar Sheets: Lay-Lie, Piece-Peace, Accept-Except
- Grammar Rules & Review Sheet: rules about using capital letters, commas and letter writing for 1st grade
- Free Grammar Practice Sheets – to/two/too, there/they’re/their AND Plurals, Adding Endings
- Irregular Verb Practice and Plural Nouns (Free Grammar Worksheets)
- Free Grammar Worksheets: Capitalization Rules Practice Sheets
- Grammar Review Sheet – Capital Letters, Commas, Letters (Made for my 2nd grader)
Essay Writing Strategies and Free Writing & Grammar Checklists
Spelling Activities
- Long A Sounds /ay/ – a, ai, ay, a-e, ei, eigh, ey –Sorting Cards and Board Game!
- Long I Word Sort – Words with y, i_e or ie
- ow ou oy oi aw au Word Sort Activities
- -er Sound Spelling Printable
- Spelling: Free Review Sheet (er, ur or ir); Long O Word Sort
- Silent Letter Worksheet and Word Sort (currently free)
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:
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
- Our Homeschool Language Arts, Spelling, and Grammar Curriculum
- Language Arts Checklist
- Language Arts Update- Spelling, Vocabulary and Grammar
Reading! Books we Love!!
Of course, I can’t go without linking to some of the wonderful books we’ve enjoyed in our homeschool!
- 15 Chapter Books my 7-year Old Loved!
- Books and Series my 8 Year old has been Racing Through
- 25 Beloved Books for Kids Ages 8-12
- 10 Books (and Series) My Kids Love (Ages 9, 11)
- 25 Beloved Picture Books for Kids Ages 4-8
- 10 Australian Picture Books we Love! (The kids were all born in Australia.)
- 15 Children’s Books Your 4-7 Year Old Shouldn’t Miss
- Encourage Independent Reading with This Cute Idea
- 20+ Board Book Recommendations (for tots and PreK)
- 10 Books My 4 and 6 Year Old Love
- 50+ Science Books for Kids
- 20+ Board Book Recommendations (for tots and PreK)
- The Hardest Lesson of All-Death and Dying –– Books our family used to cope with the death of our beloved VoVo, great grandmother
- Why You Shouldn’t Reward Kids for Learning
- 6 Native American Picture Books
- China Unit: Books! Books! A Huge List of Children’s Books
- American Revolution Unit: Books, Movies and Resources for Kids
- West Africa Notebook Pages and West Africa Books for Kids
- Civil Rights Books for Kids
- 3 Inspiring Books for Educators
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!
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.)
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.
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.
So, 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!
