Archive for December, 2020

Dart, Arrow, Boomerang: Fan Favorites

Dart Arrow Boomerang Fan Favorites

What a year it’s been! Amidst toilet paper shortages, physical distancing, cancelled outings, and some heartache books have been a soothing balm.

And wow have you been reading! We’ve loved every report from our Brave Writer families. Each story shared of a Big Juicy Conversation, successful book-related project, consuming deep dive, or hearty “aha” moment has warmed our hearts and inspired our work. We’re grateful to you. Keep sharing these moments—we read and savor each one!

Now, with the new year just around the corner, it’s a perfect time to start thinking about the family reads ahead. 

To help you plan, we’ve pulled together a list of our 2020 Fan Favorites—a sampling of the Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang guides our families rave most about! (Yes, the list includes every Dart available because, goodness, those issues have been showered in praise!) 

While reading great books, these popular literature singles help you explore, experience, and explain:

  • grammar,
  • punctuation,
  • spelling,
  • literary analysis (Boomerang),
  • and literary devices.

Enjoy!

Darts

Arrows

Boomerangs

Brave Writer Language Arts Programs

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The Secret to Helping a Child Who Hates Writing

Do you have a kid who hates writing? I’ve got the secret to unblocking that child. Ready?

Catch your child in the act of narrating—

  • expressing a thought,
  • sharing an experience,
  • or retelling the content of a movie, etc.

When your child hits the white heat of language (you know it’s happening because he or she is animated and interrupting your phone call), jot down their words right then. Stop driving, stir frying dinner, or chatting with Melinda. Grab the back of an envelope or super market receipt & start writing, quick as a flash. Get the words down as best you can.

If your child asks what you’re doing, say:

“Keep going. This is so good, I want to get it down in your own words before I forget it. I want to share it with ________ (Dad, Mom, Grandma, sister, my best friend…).”

Then later in the same day (maybe at dinner when the family is gathered), say this:

“Today ________ told me the funniest story about Rocky and how he chases the squirrels in the backyard. I wanted to get it right so I wrote it down. Let me read it to you.”

Then read it. Enjoy it. Talk about the contents. Ask questions related to the story or the contents (don’t talk about writing). Toss that writing into the library basket and read it again.

Make this a practice you return to again and again (not every day or even every other day, but when it’s worth it to capture in writing something meaningful your child says). Eventually, your child will discover that what’s going on in his or her head IS what you want to see in writing.

If Your Child Hates Writing

Your children will realize that writing is an extension of themselves, not a foreign language or practice to be mastered.

If you keep it up, your kids will take over and do it for each other.

Kids write more easily when they know their thoughts deserve to be preserved in writing and read to an interested audience. Give them that experience. It works.

This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!

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Friday Freewrite: Miniature

Friday Freewrite

Surprise! You wake up and are less than an inch tall. Describe your first day being tiny.

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

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Podcast: Teaching Your Children Shakespeare with Ken Ludwig

Teaching Your Children Shakespeare

On this episode of the Brave Writer podcast, we talk with best-selling author and award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig.

We explore our shared enthusiasm for Shakespeare and how to bring the Bard to life for our children.

Learn about:

  • memorizing soliloquies,
  • examining Shakespeare’s language,
  • and the details of how Shakespeare’s plays have been preserved for us to enjoy (it’s a great story!).

Show Notes

Why is Shakespeare still relevant today… and how do we introduce him to our children?

Memorizing Shakespeare

Knowing a little bit of Shakespeare to recite on a whim makes for a very good party trick, but Ken has taken it to another level. What began as a fun bonding exercise with him and his daughter turned into memorizing whole speeches from Shakespeare.

He started with lines that rhymed so that it seemed familiar, like a nursery rhyme. And then he would explain the meaning of a line and explain any words she didn’t know. If you can make sure that the kid understands every word of every line, it becomes much easier for them to memorize the lines and understand their meaning.

[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]

Sustaining interest in Shakespeare

Shakespeare has an entire world of plays, so it can be easy to dedicate an entire lifetime to studying just his work. There is such depth in his work that you could even spend a lifetime on just one play. It’s no hyperbole to state that Shakespeare may very well be the greatest writer in the world. 

Shakespeare can serve as an entryway into literature or as a lifelong pursuit, but it is undoubtedly timeless and our children can be served well by being introduced to it at a young age. Pick up Ken’s book “How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare” to learn more about ways to introduce this prolific work to your kids.

Resources

Connect

Brave Writer Podcast

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Brave Writer Listicle!

Brave Writer LIsticle

17 Things Only Brave Writer Homeschoolers Would Know

1. Wrinkled paper makes a freer writer.

2. A chair is essential to teaching prepositions.

3. The term “Elbow” is not a mid-joint in your arm.

4. Weapons make perfectly appropriate names for children’s curriculum.

5. Planning from behind does not involve toilet paper.

6. It takes more time to prep poetry teatime than to do it.

7. Copywork is better by candlelight.

8. Brave Writer lets parents be dictators—get it?

9. Dotty has an art table in your living room, even though you’ve never met Dotty.

10. Your lesson planner is a BINGO card.

11. If Brave Writer initially confuses your school-brain, you’re doing it right!

12. Writing in lipstick on a mirror counts.

13. Doing “not enough” is just enough.

14. Brownie mix is on the back-to-school materials list.

15. Watching the movie first is a legit book club.

16. Mouths are full of big juicy conversations, not hamburgers.

17. You’re haunted by the Ghost of Public School Past…less.

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