What are the Language Arts areas I need to cover?

[hollyh]

Language Arts seems like a very broad spectrum of things that I will need to cover as the years pass. It may seem like a simplistic question, but I want a list so that I make sure not to forget anything. Anyone want to have a go at it?

[Crimson Wife]

Have you read TWTM? I actually don't use very many of SWB's suggested LA curricula, but I do like it as a general framework.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I'll try...

 

phonics

penmanship

grammar

writing

literature

poetry

literary devices and analysis (in later years, incorporated with lit/poetry)

spelling

vocabulary

memory work

speech (starting this with DS10 in 5th)

 

ETA: simplycharlottemason.com has a pretty comprehensive list: http://simplycharlottemason.com/2010/09/01/what-exactly-is-language-arts-language-arts-part-1/ .

[Farrar]

The only thing I would add to Kristina's list is phonics for children who are just learning to read.

 

ETA: Oh, and as I typed that, she was adding it!

[Hunter]

I find it impossible to make a list, because each sub-topic often overlaps another sub-topic in one curriculum, but not another.

 

The more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn. I had more confidence and sometimes accomplished more when I knew less. Seriously.

 

The harder I try, the more money I spend, the more I worry, the less that I seem to accomplish. This seems to happen with EVERYTHING in life, not just academics. I'll study and study and study something only to realize it's not so important after all, or that to really do something "right" is beyond me.

 

We seem to accomplish 90% of what we want, with 10% effort, and then it's all downhill from there. We keep pouring more and more resources into a leaky bucket, that just doesn't give us much of a return.

 

Do SOMETHING for reading and do SOMETHING for writing, and 90% of what needs to be covered will get covered. Then IF you have time and interest, try to close up that last 10% gap, but...just know...that maybe it's not going to make much of a difference.

 

Language ARTS is a huge, shifting, impossible to fully grasp subject.

[happypamama]

Hunter, I wish you lived next door to me; you have such good, common sense advice.

 

I agree with Hunter. The only thing I might add is that if you have to do standardized testing in any grades, you may want to concentrate a little bit on punctuation and spelling if your child doesn't naturally pick them up from reading (I am slightly concerned about this for my rising third grader; he's been exposed to a lot of good literature because it's been read to him, but he's only been reading on his own for about a year, so I'm not sure he's had enough print exposure to be confident in those areas; we may do a bit of focused work on those areas next year before he takes the third grade tests.)

 

LA in our home has looked like this: lots of reading aloud, even after the child is reading on his/her own. Phonics instruction if needed, general reading support/assistance when needed, and encouragement of reading fiction and non-fiction. Informal discussion of what we/they have read. Library, dictionary, thesaurus, newspaper skills as needed. Some poetry study, memorization of some poems/speeches/Bible verses. Copywork at some point, with cursive following. Minimal writing in early years, gradually building up. Depending on the child, asking for an original sentence or two, building up to a paragraph or two, about a field trip, science video, etc. We've used Writing With Ease to teach summary, narration, and dictation and will continue to use it, although it'll be Writing With Style for our sixth grader. Encouragement for original composition, including via word processor, or as dictation to Mom. I have used BrainQuest and Comprehensive Curriculum workbooks to cover any possible missed points wrt grammar, spelling, punctuation, though next year, we're going to take a break from those. Spelling and punctuation in the context of their writing/WWE. Study of Latin to reinforce grammar points, discussion of Latin and Greek roots. Letter-writing instruction as needed -- thank-you notes for gifts, or DD's request to Lego to make a specific type of set. In short, I'm only moderately formal about LA instruction; much of it comes on as-needed, naturally-occurring basis.

[Hunter]

Hunter, I wish you lived next door to me; you have such good, common sense advice.

 

I agree with Hunter. The only thing I might add is that if you have to do standardized testing in any grades, you may want to concentrate a little bit on punctuation and spelling if your child doesn't naturally pick them up from reading...

 

 

:blushing:

 

The things that need to be taught the most, usually make themselves known.

 

Back in the mid 90s when I was homeschooling my 5th grader, and had NO idea what I was doing, he scored below 12.9th grade in only two areas. Mechanics and spelling. I didn't even know what mechanics was and had to ask. It was obvious I needed to buy curricula in those areas. Funny thing though, despite TRYING to get those areas up, I never did. He continued to make slow progress in those areas, but everything I tried failed to bring him up to grade level, never mind up to the level he was at in other subjects.

 

So I spent money. I spent time. I accomplished nothing more than if I did nothing. :tongue_smilie: I think I might know now how to get those areas up to grade level, but...that only took me almost 20 years to figure out. :lol: And he's old enough now to have kids to homeschool of his own.

[happypamama]

 

 

:blushing:

 

The things that need to be taught the most, usually make themselves known.

 

Back in the mid 90s when I was homeschooling my 5th grader, and had NO idea what I was doing, he scored below 12.9th grade in only two areas. Mechanics and spelling. I didn't even know what mechanics was and had to ask. It was obvious I needed to buy curricula in those areas. Funny thing though, despite TRYING to get those areas up, I never did. He continued to make slow progress in those areas, but everything I tried failed to bring him up to grade level, never mind up to the level he was at in other subjects.

 

So I spent money. I spent time. I accomplished nothing more than if I did nothing. :tongue_smilie: I think I might know now how to get those areas up to grade level, but...that only took me almost 20 years to figure out. :lol: And he's old enough now to have kids to homeschool of his own.

 

 

So what *would* you suggest, specifically to get a child to grade level for the tests? My son does tend to be a late bloomer, and while I don't really care about the test scores, because I really don't think they're an accurate reflection of his progress and abilities, if they're below grade level, then I have the school district on my back, and I'd rather avoid that. My plan is to have him continue to read, of course; he reads at about a fourth grade level and is progressing well, so I'm hoping he'll have sufficient quantity of exposure in a year. I'm also intending to do WWE3 with him, and copywork for cursive practice, but also purposely choosing passages that utilize various forms of punctuation, capital letters, etc. Then around Novemberish, I'd like to have him do some practice tests, or just pay for the actual test then, and then I'll have four or five months where we can do some focused work before taking or retaking the actual test, if he's below grade level. If you have suggestions for ways to increase grade level, I'm open to them. I don't love workbooky stuff, but sometimes I'm just not sure that we're able to hit all areas in an organic way, so the workbooky stuff does seem to hit holes.

[Crimson Wife]

 

What is mechanics? :)

 

 

Capitalization, punctuation, formatting, and things like when to italicize. Unfortunately, a lot of mechanics is rather arbitrary and just needs to be memorized.

[Hunter]

What are the LA subsections on the current tests?

 

Mechanics is still one? I like the Dictation Resource Book for that.

 

For spelling I had been using WRTR 4th edition or Alpha-Phonics, but am switching to the spelling lists from Spelling Plus for SPELLING, even though I will continue Alpha-Phonics and the Don Potter WRTR-like phonograms for PHONICS and handwriting, which will hopefully indirectly improve student spelling.

 

In the past the KJV Bible was my primary reading comprehension book, but I have gradually been switching over to the orange and blue McGuffey's Eclectic Readers. I think both are equally good approaches, but I'm choosing McGuffey's for now. The only reading strategy that I teach explicitly is inference. I like Reading and Thinking Book 1, but it recently went OOP.

 

What else is there? Is there a grammar section that is more what is usually just picked up naturally by reading and hearing standard English?

[happypamama]

I can't remember exactly. I don't think there was a specific grammar section, but I do think that's easier to pick up. Reading comp, I think he'll do fine on, as again, he's heard and discussed a lot. Thanks for the suggestions for spelling, though!!

[Hunter]

OOPs, I wrote the wrong title for the spelling. :banghead:

 

Spelling Plus is the companion book for the Dictation Resource Book. I was using the Dictation book alone with just Alpha-Phonics, but recently purchased the main spelling book and think it will be helpful.