Evaluate ~ Language Arts

The Virtual Curriculum Fair is going on right now (hosted by Homeschooling Hearts & Minds and including some of my favorite homeschool bloggers). While reading through some of the posts, I found myself evaluating what we are currently doing. So, even though I am not a part of the VCF, I thought I would evaluate our current curriculum choices and share with you.

This week's topic is Language Arts. After an evaluation, I realize that I am actually perfectly happy with our Language Arts selections. Language Arts takes up the bulk of our day (covering two of the three R's). And, it's in my wheelhouse, so it's where I tend to put my focus. I want my kids to be good communicators.

Reading - The kids are allowed to choose their own chapter books to read, and they read for a minimum of 30 minutes each day. Additionally, I always have a read aloud. These are typically just fun chapter books. Sometimes it includes a book that goes along with a current unit study. We also read lots of picture books related to our studies. My theory is "if you can't read about it, you can't learn it."

Writing - Since our review of WriteShop Primary a couple of years ago, we have continued on with it (albeit slowly). We are currently on Primary B and will complete it this year. I already have Primary C and Junior D on my shelf for future years. When we have completed this series we will move onto IEW.

Spelling - We have tried several different spelling programs. And our favorite, by far, is Soaring with Spelling. It has a pre-test, activity pages each day, and then a final test. For extra spelling this summer, we are going to go through all of the spelling lessons from Logic of English.

Grammar - We reviewed Logic of English this past fall and it is, hands down, my favorite grammar program I have ever encountered. It is fabulous! I am actually learning new things and I like to think of myself as a grammar freak.

Literature - We are currently reading the book Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling and doing related activities with the book. It will likely get us through the remainder of the school year as we are taking it slow. We are covering social studies, science, math, and other subjects with this unit study, and I love it! This summer we will purchase and use a literature study from Moving Beyond the Page. We reviewed on of their products this past summer and it was great!