language arts – Build Your Library

Tag: language arts

Learning Vocabulary in Context

March 27, 2017

“I would have children taught to read before they learn the mechanical arts of reading and writing… A child does not lose by spending a couple of years in acquiring these because he is meanwhile “reading” the Bible, history, geography, tales, with close attention and a remarkable power of reproduction, or rather, of translation into … Continue reading "Learning Vocabulary in Context"

January 5, 2017

With the beginning of a brand new year just getting started, it’s a great time to reflect on the year that’s passed. I know I love to sit down with a notebook and remind myself of my favorite memories, goals met, funny moments with the kids I don’t want to forget and of course a … Continue reading "Ring in the New Year with a Freebie!"

July 27, 2015

Copywork can seem deceptively simple. Give your child a sentence or two and have them copy it. It can seem like pointless busy work, but the benefits are tremendous. First, copywork takes the place of penmanship practice. Once a child learns how to write their letters comfortably, they are ready to start simple copywork. Start … Continue reading "How to Teach Copywork"

November 2, 2014

One of the questions I get asked the most is what to do with the vocabulary words that are scheduled in the instructor’s guide. I’ve spoken about learning vocabulary in context, and I still believe that this is the best way to learn vocabulary. But sometimes, you want something more. Off and on during our … Continue reading "Vocabulary Notebook Freebie"

July 28, 2014

I’ve mentioned a few times now that I’ll be combining my older three children into Level 7 – Exploring Your World, and several people have asked me what I’m adding to it to make it high school level for my oldest. So I thought I’d go ahead and write a blog post to explain how we … Continue reading "Multi-Grade Teaching – An Example"

September 5, 2013

One of the staples of Build Your Library curriculum are the Narration Cards. Narration is really the foundation of my program. Narration builds thinking skills, writing skills, vocabulary, listening skills – it is such an important part of your child’s learning. Build Your Library lesson plans assign narration after both the literature (read alouds) and … Continue reading "New – History and Science Based Narration Cards"

August 23, 2012

Narration is really the backbone of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, and a major tenet of the Build Your Library curriculum. At it’s core, narration is simply telling back what you read or heard. It is a way to sharpen listening skills. Narration takes the place of reading comprehension and tests – you no longer need … Continue reading "What is Narration?"

August 19, 2012

Dictation is really the majority of our language arts. It is a tried and true method and has been used successfully for centuries. If used correctly, I feel that dictation covers so many aspects, that it really can be the basis of any language arts program. It adequately covers both grammar and spelling, not to mention a deep exposure to … Continue reading "How Does Dictation Work?"