English

A large format spiral-bound softback book giving an introduction to a selection of common Greek and Latin words which form the basis of some very familiar words. A great aid for spelling and general knowledge. This is the one subject which all my children clamour for every week. Each child builds up a collection of record cards with Latin or Greek words with explanations and examples on the reverse. You could add etymology as a subject in your homeschool.

This is an excellent book to have and to use in any language arts program. I've used it with my grade 3s and my grade 4s. I didn't use flash cards as suggested; instead, I wrote the root words out on chart paper and then wrote out any words we knew from that root. For instance, "spec" is to see; knowing this, the students could then define spectator and spectacles.

To help children of 8 years and upwards develop, in a structured way, their ability to write imaginative and interesting stories. This book is an excellent foundation for developing creative writing skills. Topics covered include the tools needed for writing, review of sentence structures, poetry styles and techniques, writing dialogue, outlining a story, writing powerful beginnings and endings, rewriting and proofreading, manuscript preparation and critiques, copyrights, how to get published, and a Christian philosophy of writing.

Shakespeare was a great observer, who was able to see into the patterns of human character. Dare anyone say that these insights are irrelevant to living in the real world? For many in an older generation, the Bible and the Collected Shakespeare were the two indispensable books. Leithart's perceptive walk through these plays is written especially for a high-school level course, but older students will benefit as well. The six plays discussed are: Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and Much Ado About Nothing

Various poets, a nice collection of copyright-free poems, all good, wholesome stuff, this is a poetry book without a witch or a ghost in sight (quite unusual in children's poetry books nowadays, sadly.)

THE LANGUAGE WARS: And Other Writings for Home-Schoolers. This collects under one cover 25 articles by Ruth Beechick which have been published over a couple of decades. Find here the famous response to the "phonics zealots", the controversial insider views of publishing, the great news on dyslexia cures, and a wide range of other topics.

An introduction to teaching basic English for about 7-year-olds. I am using this with 4 children aged from 9 to 5 and all are enjoying it. A very 'Charlotte Masonesque' book. Originally published in 1900, it uses wonderful pictures to stimulate the child's imagination and lead him or her into writing. The grammar introduced includes those things necessary to the writing task. There are memorization assignments, oral compositions, written compositions and practice exercises.

This book is about 6/8-year-olds what it means to learn concretely instead of abstractly, the best system of memorising and what they can understand about God.