PREPARED CURRICULUMS:
The following curriculums have been recommended because they teach actual composition skills, not merely grammar skills. Most prepared language arts curriculums focus mainly on grammar.

Writing Strands

• Writing Strands Level 2, Grade 2 Level Two has been designed for students who are in 2nd grade or when the child can independently write the sentence, "The dog is big."
  

• Writing Strands: Challenging Writing Projects for Homeschoolers, Level 3 Level 3 is the best place to start if your child is just beginning composition instruction. Created for grades 3 - 7. Topics covered are: following directions (basic), sentence & paragraph control (basic), rewriting sentences (basic), description (people), description (people's thoughts), organization (activities), organization (objects), description (perspective), story creation (creative), description (organization), description (actions), narrative events (organization), creative (narrative).
  

• Writing Strands Level 4, Grade 8 Level 4 is designed for students who have completed level 3 or for grades 4 - 8. Topics covered are: organization (idea connections), organization (main points), creative (emotions), organization (actions), narrative voice (basic), changing tenses( basic), paragraph control (basic), description 1 (buildings), description 2 (buildings), description 3 (buildings), organization (thoughts), point of view (basic), tense control (basic), changes (description), narrative voice location (basic).
  

• WRITING STRANDS LEVEL 5 is designed for students who have completed level 4 or for grades 6 - 12. Topics covered are: narrative attitude (basic), sentence interest (creative), argument (organization), narrative voice knowledge (creative), active/passive voice (basic), narrative voice position (desription), order (organization), dialogue (basic), reader emotions (creative), tense control (basic), details (description), flashback (organization), foreshadowing (organization), information control (description), following a scenario (creative), letters (organization).
  

• WRITING STRANDS LEVEL 6 is designed for students who have completed level 5 or for grades 9 - 12. Topics covered: character traits (creative), organizing ideas (report), creating conflict (creative), point of view (explanatory essay), survey (report), book report (report), personal observation (report), interviewing (report), creating characters (creative), decisions (creative), character actions (creative), business letters (organization).
  

• WRITING STRANDS LEVEL 7 is designed for students who have completed level 6 or for advanced high school students. Topics covered are: moving characters (creative), organizing reports (report), describing for purpose (creative), resolving conflicts (creative), point of view (expository), controlling readers (creative), reporting of surveys (report, exposition), argumentative exposition (essay), book report (report), scientific reports (report), interviewing (creative report), solving problems (creative), emotional reactions (creative), individualizing characterse (creative).

• Writing Exposition is designed for high school students who are preparing for college writing.
  

• Creating Fiction is designed to prepare high school writers to send their work to publishers. It should be used only by those really interested in learning to write as a career.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a complete language arts curriculum which includes grammar, spelling, literature, handwriting, and composition. Each lesson involves reading a literature passage, taking dictation from the passage, using the passage to learn spelling and grammar (including diagramming sentences), questions to test comprehension of the literature passage, and a short composition project. (I recommend substituting Spelling Power for the spelling.) The composition assignments are not as intensive as the Writing Strands program above but still one I would recommend.

I would use this program one or two years as a full-blown language arts curriculum, probably one time during 4th - 6th, and another time during 6th - 8th, as an alternative to Easy Grammar (see Teaching Grammar). I personally do not recommend the Blue and Red books as I think this is too early for most children to have a structured language arts curriculum. I also do not recommend the Green, Gray or Gold as I personally do not care for the literature samples used. However, if you enjoy the reading and it works for your children, you might want to use the complete curriculum. Here are the ones I recommend.

• Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 3, Yellow The reading selections are The White Stallion, Madeline, Meet George Washington, and The Courage of Sarah Noble. You will have to purchase these in addition to the curriculum. You will need the teacher's edition also. Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 3, Teacher Yellow
  

• Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 4, Activity Orange The reading selections are The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Wright Brothers by Augusta Stevenson, Benjamin Franklin by Augusta Stevenson, and The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare. You will have to purchase these in addition to the curriculum. You will need the teacher's edition also. Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 4, Orange, Teacher
  

• Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 5, Activity Purple The reading selections are Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Trumpet of the Swan by EB White, Meet Addy by Connie Porter, and Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. You will have to purchase these in addition to the curriculum. You will need the teacher's edition also. Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 5, Teacher Purple
  

• Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 6, Activity Tan . The reading selections are Carry On Mr Bowditch by Jean Latham, The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare, Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard, and The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis. You will have to purchase these in addition to the curriculum. You will need the teacher's edition also. Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 6, Teacher Tan

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