Did you celebrate Charlotte Mason's Birthday yesterday? I am always so grateful that the Lord created this woman who has so inspired and equipped me to give my children a fantastic education! Happy Birthday, Miss Mason!
We have finally come to the happy result of teaching Language Arts! NOW your child is really becoming an artist of the language! You know Why Language Arts is Important to your child's education. He knows the basics - because you have worked through the First Steps of Language Arts. He has worked his way through learning to read, he is narrating passages comfortably. He has a good grasp on using good grammar in his writing. You are about to see the fruit of all your labors in teaching Language Arts!
Your child is going to be writing his own stories! Of course, some of you may have little writers who have already begun the art of great story telling. I mean, some children get so inspired by the great stories you are reading to them, or ones they read on their own free time (isn't it glorious when that happens?!), that they just start spilling out their own wonderful stories! Well, now it's time to make sure you capture those wonderful stories! It's time to ask them to record those stories. It's fine to have them record them first on video or audio. But, be sure to have them WRITE the story down, too! This will give them practice on all those great things they have been learning about communicating through writing.
Ask for at least one writing assignment per week. Make sure you always praise the story! Even though you want to make sure that correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation are used, you want to encourage all efforts at creativity. You may not see a writer blossom right away, but you never know what will trigger the floodgates of creativity, so keep cheering them on in their creative endeavors! Also, I think it's permissible - especially for students that might struggle more with grammar, spelling, or punctuation - to sometimes forego the scrutiny of those areas and focus solely on the story itself. Let your little writer free! You will be surprised to see that, as time goes by, she will automatically use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. What a happy time that is!
As for subject matter for writing assignments - it's entirely possible to come up with ideas from the books you read, articles you come across, or your child's own imagination. Some people just have all kinds of ideas flowing all the time. If that's not you, it's perfectly acceptable to use writing prompts. You may find some great ideas online by doing a google search. Because I am always looking for ways to reduce the number of decisions I have to make every week, I love using Story Starters. There are dozens of narratives in this book - designed to drop your child in the midst of a predicament, and have him pick up pen and paper, and decide where the story goes from there. It's a great resource to have on hand, and can inspire story ideas in your children for years to come!
Once you embark on this part of your homeschooling adventure, you will be amazed at what comes out of your child's mind! I tend to think that, because I am with my children all day every day, that I know them so well they won't surprise me. Well, I should know by now - there's a lot going on in their brains that they don't always share! Reading their stories opens up a whole new window into their minds for me. Of course, they are continuing their education, and as a result of this, I get to know my children better! It's a win-win!