Dictation is the process of listening to spoken language and writing down what one hears. In addition to asking students to spell words and apply the rules of grammar and mechanics, dictation requires students to hold language in their heads as they write. This ability is a necessary—but often overlooked—prerequisite for writing, making dictation, along…
Copywork is the practice of copying a word, sentence, or passage from a written model, by hand. Copywork provides students with practice in handwriting, spelling, and mechanics. Alongside oral narration and dictation, it is a crucial part of instruction in composition (“writing”) for students in grades K-3. This post is part of TLDR (“Too long,…
Oral narration is the process of retelling a story or other information in one’s own words, out loud. Oral narration helps young students bridge the gap between their spoken language abilities and the small-motor development necessary for fluent handwriting. Alongside copywork and dictation, oral narration is a crucial first step in teaching composition (“writing”) to…
English Language Arts (ELA) refers to the academic study of the English language. The subject encompasses seven main instructional areas: reading (“phonics”) and its counterpart, spelling; handwriting; vocabulary; grammar; composition (“writing”); and literature. A complete ELA program includes direct instruction in all seven areas over the course of a child’s education. Certain areas, such as…
As an academic subject, World Literature is the study of literary works from around the world, not just a single country (e.g., “American literature”). World Literature is to English Language Arts as World History is to Social Studies. A solid education includes both World Literature and the relevant national literature. This post is part of…
What’s the difference between a literature curriculum and a literature-based curriculum? A literature curriculum teaches students to read and analyze literature as part of their English Language Arts program. Think of it as the part of English class where you read, discuss, and write about books. Exploring the World through Story is a literature curriculum.…
There’s a funny story about Sir Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman. During the filming of Marathon Man, Hoffman, a proponent of Method Acting, reportedly went 72 hours without sleep to help him get inside his character. Olivier said, “My dear boy, why don’t you just try acting?” I feel the same way when I see…
For many homeschooling families, writing instruction is a perpetual source of stress. Parents may not feel competent to teach writing because, like many adults today, they were never actually taught to write themselves; their teachers simply handed them a blank sheet of paper and expected them to produce original writing without the benefit of explicit…
Over the years, I’ve received many questions about how I teach Hans Ørberg’s Lingua latina per se illustrata, whether in a classroom setting or in private tutorials. Here is the method I’ve found most effective. The key to teaching Ørberg effectively is reading the text aloud until the student internalizes the syntax and vocabulary. I…
Memory work: the very name conjures up images of 19th-century schoolchildren hunched over their lesson books, or perhaps Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, engrossed in his mind palace. But memorization is essential to learning. In fact, some scholars have defined learning as “an alteration in long-term memory,” and this makes intuitive sense. If you can’t remember…
