Design your Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum - Start Here.

Teaching Children to read is a bit of a mysterious process, but on the  Homeschool Reading Sitemap, you will find all the tools and homeschool reading ideas you need to develop a well rounded reading education and build life long readers.

Pages on how to teach reading,  teaching phonics, reading games, literature lists, read aloud book lists from other homeschool families, reading strategies, reading skills and the importance of reading aloud.

Wondering how to Teach Writing?

Visit the Homeschool Writing Sitemap,  written as a guide to help the homeschooling parent find ways to teach writing.

Understand how to:

• practice writing,
• develop their own writing curriculum,
• check out writing forms,
• Discover how to use copywork,
• Get free printables, 
• Find simple ways to teach grammar in context and through songs, 
• Print graphic organizers as well as E-books written to be integrated language arts lesson plans.  

We would all recognize that being able to listen is crucial to meaningful conversation and necessary for genuine interaction to take place.

But what are the language arts skills / listening skills which we should aim to develop in our children?

Here are a few suggestions:

• Develop the habit of being good listeners. Insist on concentrated effort the first time. This can be tested and trained through the use of narrations.
• Listen to a broad selection of reading material- fiction, non-fiction, literature, poetry, plays, biographies, tapes, CDs, sermons, music.
• Narrate after one reading of the material.
• To follow directions.
• To visualize what is being read.
• To respond in a personal way to the reading.
• To listen across the subject areas and narrate in detail and also in summary.

Listening is an important language arts skill.

In order to listen well, we should teach our children to be active listeners:

• Look at the speaker
• React to the speaker by showing that you are listening - eye contact, nods, smiles
• Interact with the speaker by asking appropriate questions and giving opinions
• Change body position if you are drifting off
• Decide to take notes to help you listen better;
  

Speaking Skills in the Homeschool Context.
In speaking, we are engaging with others around us. It is a constant part of our day and in this way, we can enjoy each other's interests, learn more, share, and encourage each other. It is an essential skill. If we want to develop this skill in our children, what do we really mean?

(You can incorporate these reading skills into Individual Learning Programs. Find out more about IPL here. )

Conversations

• To engage and interact in informal conversations.
• Use eye contact when conversing
• Shake hands firmly
• Repeat their name
• Listen carefully
• Answer the telephone and take a message
• Follow manners, etiquette, and protocol in social situations
• To ask questions.

Re-telling and Oral Training

• To orally narrate (re-tell) a story after a reading. Includes sequencing of events, recalling main characters, events and facts, expressing main ideas.
• To read aloud.
• To recite poetry and Bible passages.
• To memorize poetry and Bible passages.
• To memorize speeches and famous orations.

Group Discussion

• To discuss what was read according to many of the points listed under Reading.
• To express ideas, stories, events, experiences, observations and be involved in group discussion.

Speech and Performance

• To give short reports and speeches
• To create a speech:
• To write the speech
• Use  eye contact and correct body language
• Punctuate the points – be deliberate
• Gain experience with types of  speeches
•  persuasive,
• Expository
• Dramatic
• Humorous
• Impromptu
• Apologetics
• Debates
• Gain platform experience (expository, persuasive)
• Analyze famous historical speeches for form and style
• To take part in dramatic performance.