FAQ: I found a typo, missing word, broken link, etc.
Oops! Mistakes happen. Please use the contact form to let me know, and I will correct the error in the next round of edits.
FAQ: Can I use homeschool charter funds to purchase Stone Soup Press curriculum?
I do work with a number of homeschool charters, so you may be able to use charter funds for Stone Soup Press curriculum. Because all of my products are digital, however, I can only work with charters that either (1) purchase curriculum from my site for their families or (2) reimburse families for their curriculum…
FAQ: When is your next sale?
Stone Soup Press runs regular sales throughout the year. Major sales happen in April, June, August, and November (Black Friday), with occasional flash sales in other months. Join the Stone Soup Press mailing list for sale announcements and coupon codes.
FAQ: Should I add novel studies to EWS?
You certainly can! As a world literature program, EWS focuses on foundational stories that provide the inspiration for later works of literature, music, and art. While it is designed to be your main K-8 literature program, there’s no reason to limit your child when there are many wonderful middle grade and YA novels to enjoy.…
FAQ: Why are there two different Bible books in the EWS Wisdom Tales levels?
The short answer is to avoid religious bias. Bibles that include both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures are…Christian Bibles. It is important for students of all faiths (or none) to understand the Jewish tradition on its own terms, and including Christian scriptures in a study of Hebrew wisdom tales sends the not-so-subtle message that the Torah…
FAQ: Why do you recommend a comprehensive writing program alongside EWS?
I recommend that families use a comprehensive writing program alongside EWS at least through Level F (US grade 5). EWS is a world literature curriculum, not an all-in-one language arts program. While it does teach prewriting and writing skills explicitly, students at all levels need to practice those skills on a daily basis, with varied…
How to Implement Writing Across the Curriculum
Teaching students to write is a perennial concern for homeschooling parents. We all know how crucial writing well is, both in academics and in daily life. Yet many children—not to mention adults—struggle when asked to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). Students need to be taught to write, and that instruction should be…
TLDR: What Is Composition?
In the context of homeschooling, composition refers to instruction in writing, especially academic writing. Composition is one of the instructional areas within the English Language Arts. Using this term prevents confusion between several overlapping meanings of the more general word writing, which can also refer to the art of creative writing or the skill of…
TLDR: What Is Word Study?
Word study is the process of analyzing individual words by breaking them down into their component parts: prefixes, roots (bases), and suffixes. Word study helps students with spelling and vocabulary acquisition by making clear the structure of words and how it relates to meaning. This post is part of TLDR (“Too long, didn’t read”), a…
TLDR: What Is Scaffolding?
Scaffolding is the practice of providing instructional support for beginning learners. Instructors use scaffolding by breaking complex tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks or by providing tools to make a task easier. Examples of scaffolding include sample worked problems in a math lesson, word banks on a vocabulary worksheet, and graphic organizers for taking…