Interview with Nancy I. Sanders – Part 1
Nancy I. Sanders is a bestselling and award-winning children’s author and the creator of the WriteShop curricula for elementary students. I recently had the privilege of asking Nancy some questions about reading, writing, and the resources she’s designed that can help homeschooling parents teach their children. Q: You’re the author of more than 100 books for children, including many that could be added to a homeschooling
Learning to Read with Letter Cards
Learning to Read with Letter Cards Some of my biggest challenges as a homeschooling mom have involved reading. My youngest child has had an especially difficult time learning to read, so much so that I had to find someone else who could help. That’s when I learned about “letter cards”. I must admit, I don’t know much about teaching reading. My oldest child just
Learning Styles – Choosing Homeschooling Curriculum
Choosing Homeschooling Curriculum As you sift through the many types of homeschooling curriculum, keep in mind the way your children learn best — their learning styles. When all of my children were school-age with work to complete, that was something I let slip — and it showed. Learning Styles There are four years between my three oldest, so there were a couple of years when they
The Struggling Reader
For quite a while now, I’ve told our co-op teachers that my youngest son is a “late-reader”. “He just isn’t reading quite yet,” I would explain to them, and they would reassure me, telling me they understood completely, and they wouldn’t call on him in class to read. Many people would reiterate what I’ve heard a number of times: sometimes it takes boys a
Reading Poetry
I love reading and writing poetry. My poems, though, almost always rhyme, and I’m not very good at free verse yet. My children enjoy poetry too, and one of the best ways I’ve found to encourage them is by reading poetry together. And age-appropriate poems are so easy to find! There are lots of picture books that are actually poems coupled with illustrations to
Be a Picture Book Critiquer
Our library’s summer reading program requires that elementary students read for ten hours or forty books to win the Level One prize (they have to read even more for the next prize). That’s a lot of books for my youngest to finish on his own, so we alternate between easy readers that he reads himself and picture books that I read to him. Although
Favorite Easy Readers
If you have a child learning to read, here’s a list of some easy readers they can enjoy this summer.
Readers Theater
For the child working on reading skills, practicing with readers theater scripts is a great addition to your regular lessons. If the word “theater” makes you a little nervous, don’t be. It’s an easy and fun exercise for all! Readers theater involves taking a piece of literature, adapting it into a script, and then reading it aloud. Each part in the script is assigned
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
If your child is working on letter sounds or reading skills, take her on an alphabet scavenger hunt — a fun game for all ages!
Fun With Sight Words
If your child is working on sight words, here are some ways to make learning them more fun.
