Summer camp is cancelled. The library's summer program is online this year. The pool is closed. What are we going to do with these kids this summer? I wish so much that I could change the state of the world and forge ahead with a fun, traditional summer. But I can't. And more than anything… Continue reading The Summer of Strewing
4th Grade Read Alouds
This year my kids took on the work of bedtime reading themselves, so our count of read aloud books isn't what it used to be. I'm not too sad about it, though, because the fact that my kids have turned into people who require a book to read by the light of a bedside lamp… Continue reading 4th Grade Read Alouds
The City of Ember Book Club
I like to start book club meetings with a warm-up activity. It helps break the ice, helps get everyone's thoughts centered on the book, and sets the scene for a good time. This time we played a simple game of Who Said It? Warm-Up - Who Said It? To play Who Said It?, I wrote… Continue reading The City of Ember Book Club
4th Grade Curriculum Report Card
With only about 20 days left in our 4th grade year, I'm ready to share with you my thoughts about the resources we used. These are my very honest thoughts, and you'll see that in some instances we tried a curriculum and abandoned it when it wasn't a good fit for us. Reading All About… Continue reading 4th Grade Curriculum Report Card
How I Personalize All About Reading for Success with My Dyslexic Learners
When my kids were in 2nd grade, we reached what felt like a crisis point with reading. I was dragging them through All About Reading, but it felt entirely like dragging. Every day's reading time was miserable, and every day was frustrating to the point of meltdown. I was beyond overwhelmed, so I did some… Continue reading How I Personalize All About Reading for Success with My Dyslexic Learners
Discussion Questions for Restart by Gordon Korman
As I've shared with you before, this year I started a middle grade book club for kids in our homeschool community. We began by choosing our books for the year with a book tasting. This September we met for our first discussion meeting about Gordon Korman's Restart, the story of a notorious bully who falls… Continue reading Discussion Questions for Restart by Gordon Korman
Books to Read Aloud in 3rd Grade
This year I didn't do as great of a job on keeping track of all the books we read aloud as I did in 2nd grade, but I've still got a great list of wonderful books to share with you. These books are a great fit for reading aloud to 3rd graders. I know because… Continue reading Books to Read Aloud in 3rd Grade
How to Host a Book Tasting
In the new school year, I want to give my kids the rich experience of sharing a book with friends, of thoughtfully turning a book inside out with discussion. There wasn't an existing book club around us, so I decided to start a book club for our homeschool community. After I posted an all call… Continue reading How to Host a Book Tasting
#Homeschool Goals
Do you looooove planning a new homeschool year? I really, really do. And as much as I want to rush headlong into planning because I love it so much, I know that the year I plan is going to be a better fit for the real people who actually live in my house (instead of… Continue reading #Homeschool Goals
Morning Time for Dyslexic Learners
Morning time continues to grow and evolve at our house as my kids grow and I get better and better at meeting their needs as dyslexic learners. One thing remains the same - morning time is the best part of the school day at our house. Here's how our morning time routine is going these… Continue reading Morning Time for Dyslexic Learners
The Language Arts Coach 