Is your student a reluctant reader but an avid consumer of movies and games with science fiction themes? Many find the themes frequently explored in science fiction — a passion for traveling through time to the distant reaches of the universe, the creation of...
If you write much at all, you’ve probably run into issues within your writing. Maybe you realize that a character isn’t coming across the way he/she needs to. Maybe you run into a snag in the plot. Maybe you simply don’t know where the story is going. There could be...
"Film is the literature of our age." "Those who tell the stories shape the culture." The first quote is by Steven Spielberg. I'll reveal who said the second one in a moment. These two quotes remind us how influential and pervasive stories through film have...
If you are starting to feel a little cramped in your living space, wanting to freshen up, or, like me, selling your home and want it to look its best, then here are a few tips on how to make your home feel larger. Optimize your spaces functionally and visually. The...
The Civil War was long ago. It happened, the good guys won, slavery ended, and American History marched on, right? Then why is it important to study the Civil War, and to honor those who fought on both sides of the Conflict? America had been putting off resolving...
How can you assess student learning in a literature class beyond papers? Creative projects! Students can use their talents, whatever they may be, to exhibit understanding and analysis in an out-of-the-box project. The projects below are a few samples from a course...
One would think that springtime is a lovely time of year full of sunshine, fun, and celebration. The truth of the matter for many homeschool families is actually far different. For many of us, spring heralds allergy season, sleep deprivation from Daylight Savings...
Mark Twain once wrote, “Some German words are so long that they have a perspective.” He wasn’t far off the mark. German is definitely known for its ϋber-long words. Many words in the German language are formed by combining two or more words, known in English as...
Astronomy is by far the oldest science. Adam and Eve certainly marked off their days by the rising and setting sun, and marked their months by the moon’s phases. They watched the star patterns come and go with the seasons. And about one hundred years ago, astronomers...
As summer approaches, a lot of us are thinking about one thing: vacation! In making plans, French teachers like myself inevitably are thinking about traveling abroad. Maybe this is the year of your European adventure? Or, maybe you’re planning a trip to a new place in...
An important part of most courses, regardless of the subject, is vocabulary. Whether it is a list of events in history, scientific names and processes in biology, theories and operations in algebra, a list of verbs in a foreign language, or literary elements and words...
How can homeschooled students earn AP or SAT II type college credit without Advanced Placement classes? More easily than you might think. Scoring well on the writing portion of such tests involves two components: harnessing and creatively expressing ideas, and...
