Archive for the ‘BW products’ Category

Mechanics & Literature: March 2023

Brave Writer

March’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections show characters who let curiosity and the desire to know the truth propel them toward powerful new discoveries. Your family will be entertained and enlightened as they explore

  • writing,
  • mechanics,
  • and literary devices with these stories.

This month’s Quill rocks! Use it to make memories that sparkle like gems! Explore rocks, stones, and minerals as your child practices early reading, writing, and math skills.


[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!]


Brave Writer Quill
Quill (ages 5-7)

Rocks Rock

Are you ready for an earth-shattering time exploring one of nature’s oldest toys? The March Quill (Rocks) is ready for you!

In this Quill we’ll have a fine old time with timelines; curate a gneiss collection of vocabulary words; set our senses sizzling with an exploration of imagery; engage our fine motor skills with the oldest writing materials on the planet; sharpen our sorting skills; and weigh in on a unique standard of measurement.

Note: You can use any rock picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

Get the Quill.


Brave Writer Dart
Dart (ages 8-10)

Egg Marks the Spot by Amy Timberlake

Your entire family can join Skunk and Badger on a rock-finding expedition! Surprises lurk behind every boulder!

Have you ever started reading a book about mazes and gotten lost in it? Oof, sorry, we couldn’t resist! That’s because this month’s literary device is puns. Author Amy Timberlake has loaded her story with puns that will make you giggle and groan! Explore how this wacky wordplay works.

We’ll also: 

  • explore, investigate, and scrutinize some synonyms,
  • keep an ear out for onomatopoeia,
  • consider commas and colons in dialogue,
  • embark on a Skills Tracker Scavenger Hunt,
  • zig and zag through an exploration of verbs,
  • give a list a nice big hug with parentheses, and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.


Brave Writer Arrow
Arrow (ages 11-12)

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

Award-winning, neurodivergent author Elle McNicoll has written a story of the historical European witch trials and of a contemporary neurodivergent protagonist who is intent on setting the story straight. We’re confident this book will give your family lots to talk about!

March’s literary devices are alliterationconsonance, and assonance. We’ll explore the ways these devices make writing flow and provide a dash of pizazz!  

 We’ll also: 

  • ponder how pronouns help you and me,
  • advance our understanding of adjectives,
  • activate our imaginations with action words—verbs,
  • tune into interior monologue,
  • capture clauses with commas,
  • play with plural nouns, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.


Brave Writer Boomerang
Boomerang (13-14)

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

Put on your seatbelts and settle in for a wild ride! This month you’ll join Professor Lidenbrock, an adventurous geology professor, as he sets out on a journey to the center of the earth!

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

  • get acquainted through characterization,
  • turn over translation ups and downs,
  • ponder punctuation fashions over time, 
  • embark on an epic journey through a subterranean fantasyscape,
  • inquire about science and research,
  • wrestle with a resolution and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.


For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.


Brave Writer

Something Worth Saying

Brave Writer

Bogart Kids

I have a million photos of my kids. My 5 are forever hoisting one big kid sideways in celebration of a life event.

I love them, even when the faces are blurry.

I have one well-posed photo that we all hate. Before we took the “family portrait,” half of us were in tears. No one would stand still, there was an argument about whether or not to keep the top button buttoned on a shirt, and we had to stand in line WHILE behaving (as if behaving and line-standing at once are possible in this time-space continuum). The photo shows smiling faces. The family is arranged just so. And it’s lifeless.

Sure, I’ve got some well-staged photos of my kids that show all their teeth, each person looking at the camera and no one seething that they had to button the top button, too. As they’ve gotten older, though, even those photos have changed. They wear clothes that express their personalities, they stand in the order they prefer, they laugh or pose or act all serious.

And now: the Grand Analogy to Writing you were waiting for.

Would you still rather believe that stiff, lifeless prose that matches a format, achieved through tears, tantrums, and trauma will result in better writing than tapping into your child’s quirky, insightful, natural personality?

Can you imagine what would happen if you believed your child had something worth saying and that your only job is to capture it like a candid photograph—a snapshot of their inner life, at this moment in time?

Did you realize that the writing your child does (from their tender heart or their silly sense of humor or their fact-packed mind) IS the snapshot of their person that will preserve who they are for you even better than silly photographs and family portraits?

Nab it! Jot it down! The forms for writing come easiest when a child has full access to their ideas, beliefs, and words. Brave Writer has tools that help you teach the forms while maximizing your child’s originality! These forms match a child’s stage of growth (we don’t expect 3rd graders to write essays—PLEASE).


New to us? Start here!


Brave Learner Home

Mechanics & Literature: February 2023

Brave Writer

February’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections feature strong characters who are finding their way in the world even as it changes all around them.

These stories will sow the seeds for Big Juicy Conversations your kids won’t soon forget as your family explores:

  • writing,
  • mechanics,
  • and literary devices,

And this month’s Quill contains the flavorful ingredients you’ll need to explore cooking with kids!

Discover new foods and the places they come from while your children practice early reading, handwriting, and math skills.


[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!]


Brave Writer Quill
Quill (ages 5-7)

Break out the measuring cups! The February Quill (Cooking) is here!

In this Quill we’ll keenly observe the spices of life; cook up comparisons with kitchen language; put nursery rhymes into action; bake in order with sequencing; and compare measurement systems.

Note: You can use any cooking picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

Get the Quill.


Brave Writer Dart
Dart (ages 8-10)

Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing

Things get interesting when Maya meets Ralph, a forgotten homemade robot who comes to life!

You won’t want to miss our story’s opening scene—it’s a food fight, oh my! And this story ends right where it started! You’ll have to read the book to see what we mean, but trust us, it’s the perfect example of this month’s literary device, hook and return

We’ll also: 

  • shout about interjections and exclamation points!
  • take a peek behind the curtain at prepositions,
  • dive into some deliciously detailed descriptive language,
  • look at the biggest, boldest literary device in the galaxy—otherwise known as hyperbole,
  • snip out some syllables, thanks to contractions,
  • see how juicy verbs can inject energy into writing, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.


Brave Writer Arrow
Arrow (ages 11-12)

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

This historical fiction novel takes us to Chicago’s postwar South Side where a boy named Langston discovers the power of poetry and the people who create it! A story that will warm your day, even if it’s snowing where you are!*

February’s literary device is First-person Narrative. Discover the power of stories told from a main character’s point of view.

We’ll also: 

  • assess apostrophes,
  • announce amazing articles,
  • play with poetry,
  • find out what’s happening with action beats,
  • locate, look at, and learn about commas, and so much more! 

*Note About Content: Although this gentle coming-of-age story is ultimately one of hope and understanding, parents should be aware that just before the book’s opening, the narrator’s mother passes away, a fact that’s wrestled with as the story unfolds.

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.


Brave Writer Boomerang
Boomerang (ages 13-14)

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink

Watch Isaiah and Angel debate the teachings of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois and then decide what your family thinks!*

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

  • justify juxtaposition,
  • highlight historical fiction,
  • pick apart point-of-view,
  • dabble in dependent clauses,
  • notice narrative tension,
  • label literary foils, and so much more! 

*Note About Content: While ultimately hopeful and uplifting, Angel of Greenwood addresses harsh realities of history and depicts teenage romance (including kissing but nothing sexually graphic). We encourage you, the parent, to pre-read this novel to be sure it is right for your family. 

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.


For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.


Brave Writer

Dart, Arrow Boomerang: Semester-Long Themed Collections

Brave Writer

You want to get started with Brave Writer but you’re mid-year. Is it too late?

Nope!

The time is now!

Jump into a semester with Brave Writer: February to June!

Give our program a test drive before you shop for next school year!

Yes, we know! Curriculum-shopping season is right around the corner!

With this in mind—for the first time ever—we’ve created semester-long collections of our popular literature handbooks!

Imagine your child actively learning:

  • grammar,
  • punctuation,
  • spelling,
  • and literary devices

All in the context of stories they will love and remember!

Watch them apply what they’ve learned to their own writing!

We see it all the time.

Darts (ages 8–10), Arrows (ages 11–12), and Boomerangs (ages 13–14) are monthly digital handbooks that train parents and caregivers to teach grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices through time-tested practices in their natural environment: literature!

Each handbook contains:

  • 4 Passages (one per week) from a specific read-aloud novel for copywork/dictation
  • Notes about grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices
  • Featured Literary Devices (and literature analysis in the Boomerang)
  • Writing Activities 
  • Questions
  • Family Book Club Party Ideas 
  • 45–50 pages

Each bundle includes a Guidelines PDF! 

  • 30 pages of training content—learn to teach writing mechanics the Brave Writer way
  • Sample routines (schedules)
  • A planner—plan your weekly and monthly content 
  • A tracker—track your child’s writing skill development and growth
  • Tips for copywork and dictation practices 

We’ve collected five popular titles from each level to create semester-long collections!

Dart (8-10): Children’s Classics

  • Charlotte’s Web
  • The House at Pooh Corner
  • The Mouse and the Motorcycle
  • Sarah, Plain and Tall
  • The Trumpet of the Swan

Arrow (11-12): Adventure Stories 

  • Amari and the Night Brothers
  • The Lion of Mars
  • Mañanaland
  • The Nerviest Girl in the World
  • Greenglass House

Boomerang (13-14): American Perspectives 

  • How I Became a Ghost
  • Fever 1793
  • Hidden Figures (Young Readers Edition)
  • Refugee
  • They Called Us Enemy

Teach grammar, punctuation, and spelling in a whole new way.

You can do it! Give us a semester. We’ll show you how!

Brave Writer

Mechanics & Literature: January 2023

Brave Writer

While exploring writing, mechanics, and literary devices, January’s Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang selections demonstrate the power of stories and their ability to entertain, inform, and commemorate.

This month’s Quill explores the power of poetry! Play with pitch, voice, volume, and whimsical words while nurturing your child’s early reading, handwriting, and math skills.


[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!]


Brave Writer Quill
Quill (ages 5-7)

Get ready to add rhythm and rhyme to your days. The January Quill (Poetry) is here!

In this Quill we’ll lift our pinkies and sip tea while reading poetry; commit our favorite verses to memory; discover the difference between a stanza and a paragraph; play with rhyme, two words at a time (see what we did there?); clap and count our way through a poem to find the rhythm; and combine rhyme and rhythm to write a limerick.

Note: You can use any transportation picture books you have in your stacks or find at your library.

Some suggestions:

Get the Quill.


Brave Writer Dart
Dart (ages 8-10)

Wondrous Rex by Patricia MacLachlan

Meet Rex: a Labrador retriever who has a special way with words!

Our story’s protagonist has a special gift he generously shares with others! What a perfect way to demonstrate the role of anthropomorphism, this month’s literary device!

We’ll also: 

  • start a wondrous word hoard;
  • capitalize some proper nouns;
  • create breathing room with commas;
  • plop pronouns into place;
  • ponder some potent punctuation;
  • capture qualities with adjectives, and so much more!

Purchase the book.

Get the Dart.


Brave Writer Arrow
Arrow (ages 11-12)

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

You’ll meet Petra, who wants to become a storyteller like her abuelita. But first, she’ll have to summon all her courage to fight incredible odds to save herself and others. This page turner will keep your kids on the edge of their seats—enjoy!

January’s literary device is flashbacks. Find out how a trip back in time makes the here and now more interesting!

We’ll also: 

  • engage with ellipses
  • save time with contractions;
  • talk about quotes;
  • find the fun in figurative language;
  • connect with coordinating conjunctions;
  • tune into tone; and so much more! 

Purchase the book.

Get the Arrow.


Brave Writer Boomerang
Boomerang (ages 13-14)

The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds

Hinds has adapted Homer’s famous work into a gorgeous graphic-novel!*

In this Boomerang, we’ll:

  • get lost in translation;
  • wander through wordless sequences;
  • contemplate commas;
  • activate ALL CAPS;
  • follow comic book transitions;
  • explain encapsulation and closure, and so much more!

*Note About Content
The illustrations in this book depict the sensuality of the original text in much the same way ancient Greek sculpture you see in art museums might, including the human form in minimal clothing. The book also visually represents the violence of the epic with scenes of bloodshed and battle. Please review the book to decide if this story is right for your family.

Purchase the book.

Get the Boomerang.


For ages 15-18, check out the Slingshot.


Brave Writer