Language Arts: A Very Good Reason to Homeschool

Part 4 of my series wrapping up what we learned this year in different subjects and what each experience taught me about homeschooling in general. (Part 1: History, Part 2: Science, Part 3: Math.)

For the sake of this blog post, "language arts" is reading, writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and handwriting.

Handwriting Without a Pencil

I never did any pre-writing skills with Builder Boy; I just gave him the pencil with a pencil grip to help and we started in the book. In hindsight, I'm not sure that was the best approach for him. Handwriting has been a tough subject for him, and we've been sadly inconsistent with it. I am happy with the handwriting curriculum I chose; I just think I should have prepared him better.

Zaner-Bloser Freebies for Teacher Appreciation Month

I am a fan of Zaner-Bloser on Facebook and today they posted this:

May is Teacher Appreciation Month!

Zaner-Bloser is excited to recognize teachers all month long for helping students learn lessons every day that mold their future lives.
To express our gratitude for the hard work that you do, we are offering teachers our entire collection of writing graphic organizers—for free! Download a single PDF with all 42 printables and get your students started organizing their ideas for the next writing assignment today.
Part of Zaner-Bloser's new writing curriculum, Strategies for Writers, we hope that this free resource will inspire and engage your students and help you create lifelong learners capable of achieving their dreams and enhancing the future for the world in which we live.

Here is the original link:  http://www.zaner-bloser.com/teacher-appreciation-month

I asked them on the Facebook post if this also applied to homeschooling parents, and it does! So I'm sharing this everywhere I know where to contact other homeschoolers.



We have never tried any of ZB's products other than their handwriting curriculum, but we are very happy with what we have used.

A theological discussion sparked by...handwriting?

In today's handwriting lesson Builder Boy was to copy the sentence "Do you like dinosaurs?" Immediately Builder Boy started talking about dinosaurs and how they used to live but they died and turned into skeletons that people now dig up. Then he told me that dinosaurs came from another world.

Huh?

That started a discussion of God (that He made the dinosaurs a long, long time ago) which, thanks to recent readings, led to a discussion of heaven. I had to once more explain that we can't get to heaven by traveling (he asked how many days it took to get there.) He told me that we can't see God now, but we will see Him when we get to heaven. Then we talked a little bit more about heaven; what we think we'll do there, who we'll see there, and how people who love Jesus will go to heaven.

I am so glad that he encountered that handwriting assignment at home instead of at a public school. Not only would he have not been able to have a one-on-one discussion with a teacher at a public school, but other kids may have re-enforced incorrect information. And they aren't allowed to talk about God. So yea for homeschooling!

Selecting the "Write" Handwriting Program (Zaner-Bloser Guest Post)

Selecting the “Write” Handwriting Program

There are many things to consider when selecting a handwriting curriculum for your homeschool classroom. Our friends over at The Well-Trained Mind recommend choosing a program that incorporates the continuous-stroke method instead of ball-and-stick. But what is the difference between continuous-stroke and ball-and-stick manuscript handwriting?

Continuous-stroke manuscript handwriting involves fewer pencil lifts than ball-and-stick. For example, with the latter method of printing the manuscript letter b, you touch the headline and pull down straight to the baseline (of lined paper). Then you lift your pencil, touch halfway between the midline and baseline, and circle forward (right) all the way around. With the continuous-stroke method, the b looks just the same, but you form it without pencil lifts through one, continuous stroke. You touch the headline and pull down straight to the baseline. Then you push up to halfway between the midline and baseline and circle forward (right) all the way around.

You may also want to determine whether the program teaches a vertical or slanted manuscript alphabet. Vertical manuscript letterforms place minimal demand on motor memory, allowing students to learn handwriting quickly and to focus on other mechanics such as spelling, grammar, and composing. Considering how complex or simple the program’s strokes and stroke descriptions are, is another factor to consider when picking a handwriting curriculum. Researchers have found that simple, continuous handwriting strokes are easiest for children to learn. Fewer stroke descriptions make handwriting easy to teach, learn, and remember.

Zaner-Bloser is a perfect example of a handwriting program that incorporates all of the above. Their four basic manuscript strokes—vertical, horizontal, circle, and slant lines—are easiest to learn because they simplify motor planning and visual-motor coordination. Zaner-Bloser’s terminology, for example, is developmentally appropriate and easy to understand, consistent from grade level to grade level, and uses only 17 manuscript stroke descriptions to teach all 52 upper- and lowercase letters (compared to as many as 39 in other handwriting programs). Zaner-Bloser’s terminology uses clear, academic language, such as “push up,” “slide right,” and “slant left,” compared to another program’s descriptions for the same three strokes, “up like a helicopter,” “hit the ball,” and “kick.”

Hopefully this assists on your journey selecting the “write” handwriting program. You can find out more information from Zaner-Bloser on how to select a handwriting program.

This is a guest post provided by Zaner-Bloser

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Sceleratus Classical Academy is not paid to host guest posts or to review products. I share freely what I think is helpful and give my honest opinions always. The people at Zaner-Bloser were kind enough to address something that confused me when I was reading The Well Trained Mind and trying to choose a handwriting program. I know other people have had this same hiccup, and I hope this helps. -Mrs. Warde

Here is a post about my initial consfusion
Here is a post about the great results Builder Boy has had with ZB handwriting K level

Guest Post Coming!

Thanks to my previous post about my positive experience with Zaner-Bloser I will (hopefully soon) be hosting a guest blog post by one of their handwriting experts!

I originally chose Zaner-Bloser for our handwriting curriculum because it was the first/preferred recommendation in The Well-Trained Mind. It described ZB as "continuous stroke" as opposed to "ball and stick." But when I was looking at the ZB website to order, I didn't see "continuous stroke" anywhere. I called costumer service back then and asked about that. The lady I talked didn't think that description applied, and didn't know why it was refereed to as such by TWTM. That made me reconsider purchasing their handwriting book, but in the end I did buy it (and I'm glad I did.)  I have seen on the Well Trained Mind Forum that others have had similar questions/confusion over this point. The handwriting expert at Zaner-Bloser will be addressing the confusion on this point (spoiler: it is continuous stroke) and will discuss the differences and the advantages/disadvantages between continuous stroke vs. ball and stick.

So keep checking in for the guest post! (Date TBA) 

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(I'm not getting paid for my recommendation or review.)

When I posted this Peace Hill Press (the original link) is sold out. The picture is a link to the Amazon.com listing. 

Zaner-Bloser Customer Service

I just wanted to share that I had a lovely experience with the Zaner-Bloser Customer Service Representative. I didn't get out "I'm on the phone, be quiet now" before I was talking to a real person. No message or number pressing hoops to go through! She was pleasant and polite and immediately helpful. Coupled with the fact that Builder Boy loved the K level handwriting book that we just finished and I am very pleased with this company. I highly recommend it.

Builder Boy used to hate writing and it was a struggle to get anything done. But once I changed our approach from "please, just finish this page!" to "whatever we get done in 10 minutes is it" his attitude shifted and then he was the one who said "we can't stop now, I have to finish this part." Handwriting became his professed favorite subject. There isn't as much review in the book as needed. You have to do your own practice on the special lined paper.

From this... (1 day A person is sitting on sand and the birds are flying.)

Ever since the last activity in the book introduced drawing a picture and then writing a sentence for it he has taken off creatively. I cut the lined paper in half, glue it to the bottom of a plain piece of paper, and now he's drawing elaborate pictures and writing multiple sentences for them.

...to this in 4 days. (4 day Hill a house with nothing. Today is very good. We build everything and rock is very good.)

*Added later: I received the next ZB handwriting book in the mail today. I noticed that even though they had only charged me $5 for shipping, the postage was $5.70. That stuck me as really cool of them.

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(I don't paid for this review or recommendation.)