Wisdom tales are teaching stories that affirm cultural values—often of a religious or moral nature—through the medium of imaginative narratives. The category of wisdom tales encompasses sacred stories from the whole range of the world’s spiritual traditions, ancient and modern. It includes scriptural narratives as well as stories sometimes designated as myths or pious legends.…
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…
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…
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…
Memory work is the process of memorizing information to facilitate learning. Memorizing key definitions, facts, and processes allows students to access this information instantly and effortlessly when they need it for more complex learning tasks, reducing cognitive load. For example, a student who has memorized their multiplication and division facts will be able to focus…
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…
