Archive for the 'English' Category
Summer reading challenge
Author: principledmom
I'm extending a challenge for the summer. I don't know about you, but I find myself reading only things r/t home education. I would like to read for my own enjoyment once in a while. Here's the challenge:
Books must be new to you (that is, you haven't read them before)
1) 3 non-fiction books on a subject you are interested in that are NOT r/t school
2) 1 fiction work that is not on your list for next year
3) 1 book from your bookshelf you haven't read yet (fiction or non-fiction)
Please comment here with your book list. And you will have two months to read your list. Let's have fun reading up this summer!
My list
1) The Federalist Papers, How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books, Biblical Womanhood
2) Mother Carey's Chickens
3) The Screwtape Letters
read comments (2)teaching writers
Author: principledmom
I am reading this terrific book about children and writing. I literally stumbled across it at a used bookstore and instantly fell in love. One thing jumped out at me right off the bat. I am not teaching writing, I am teaching writers. That little semantic shift made all the difference to me. The Lord has been dealing with me about adding more writing to our home education. Well this book will show you how to spark a passion for writing in any child. We all long to be understood, and good writing will satify that need.
My English goals for this year are to start a writing portfolio and to write something every day. And not only my children, but me. We are going to play with words every day--definitions, poetry, essays, read-alouds, word games, lots of good literature and more. They must not only learn to reason, but to articulate their postition intelligently. And I wnat them to enjoy the process. I think my renewed excitement for language will do just that.
About the stars
Author: principledmom
Princess G (7 yo) is doing a great job of reasoning from the scriptures. She was reading the story in McGuffey's second reader about the stars. It goes into detail about their beauty and how they point to God. We know that because we reasoned from scripture that all of creation reveals God's character and nature.
She then looked up the scripture that she remembered a part of:
Phi 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Phi 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
She reasoned she, like the stars, was a light. She then said according to this scripture she should be obedient and do things without complaining so she can be like a piece of glass and not a piece of cardboard, letting God's light shine. She said the light is God revealing His character to her. Wow! I don't think I would see that. God is so good!
She reasoned she, like the stars, was a light. She then said according to this scripture she should be obedient and do things without complaining so she can be like a piece of glass and not a piece of cardboard, letting God's light shine. She said the light is God revealing His character to her. Wow! I don't think I would see that. God is so good!
She reasoned she, like the stars, was a light. She then said according to this scripture she should be obedient and do things without complaining so she can be like a piece of glass and not a piece of cardboard, letting God's light shine. She said the light is God revealing His character to her. Wow! I don't think I would see that. God is so good!