Archive for the ‘Language Arts’ Category

Novels in Verse + Language Arts

Brave Writer

Poetry can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! It can be delightful, engaging, and light a fire in even the most reluctant writer.

Novels in verse provide a way to explore poetry through storytelling and vibrant characters who will captivate your children. And Brave Writer’s literature handbooks help you guide the way! They teach grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices through appealing activities based on the selected book.

Whether you use the titles below simply for read aloud suggestions or pair them with our literature handbooks, keep delight in your sights to grow a love of poetry in your children!

Book Guides

Dart (ages 8-10)

Arrow (ages 11-12)

Boomerang (ages 13-14)

Slingshot (ages 15-18)

For younger students ages 5-7,
check out our Quill: Poetry!

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Posted in Language Arts, Poetry | Comments Off on Novels in Verse + Language Arts

A-Z Guide to Literary Devices

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Brave Writer’s A–Z Guide to Literary Devices teaches kids to spot and use the tools authors rely on, with simple explanations, example passages from books they love, playful “Try it!” writing prompts, and a Literary Life Log to track discoveries.  

If your kids have ever:

  • pictured a vivid world while reading . . .
  • felt a poem hum like music . . .
  • watched a character change and grow . . .

. . . they’ve already experienced literary devices in action—whether they knew it or not! 

The A–Z Guide to Literary Devices helps your family make sense of those sparks of literary magic. 

What’s Inside the A–Z Guide?

This guide is both comprehensive and kid-friendly—an engaging companion to our literature guides! 

You’ll find:

  • Easy-to-understand definitions for common (and some uncommon) literary devices
  • Passage examples from beloved books (many of them from our Literature Singles)
  • Try It! prompts to help your kids use each device in tiny writing bursts

Use it as a reference on the fly—or settle in and explore one device at a time. There’s no right way to use it. It grows with your family.

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Turn Living Literature into Unit Studies

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Brave Writer’s Literature Singles are more than grammar guides—they are literary treasure boxes filled with ideas to expand a novel into an engaging unit study for the whole family.

Read a book, talk about its grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices. Discuss the stories with comprehension questions and then throw a party to celebrate!

Want inspiration for unit study planning?

Check out the curated themed collections below to see how you can mix and match levels to meet the needs of your family. We share resources from our Poetry Teatime website (FREE!) and our Brave Learner Home membership community to give you some ideas.

Slide into Baseball

Combine with

Step into History (Black History edition)

Combine with

Step into History (Spies edition) 

Combine with

Slip Under the Sea

Combine with

Space Out

Combine with

Inventions & Inventors

Combine with

Planning Tool

We’ve also put together a spreadsheet tool that helps you see all of our literature singles at once. You can sort by historical era, literary device, author, and more!

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Posted in Arrow, Boomerang, Language Arts | Comments Off on Turn Living Literature into Unit Studies

Quick Reads to Start the Year

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Looking for a quick win to kick off the school year?

Below, find Brave Writer literature guides based on “short” books that will draw children in!

Your kids may be so captivated that they forget they’re learning:

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

Here are some recommended guides for kids ages 8 and up.

Darts (ages 8-10)

Arrows (ages 11-12)

Boomerangs (ages 13-14)

Slingshots (ages 15+)

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Posted in Language Arts, Living Literature | Comments Off on Quick Reads to Start the Year

Living Literature: Folktales, Myths, and Storytelling

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Use folktales, myths, and storytelling to teach:

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

Check out the hand-selected literature guides below (picked for you!).

Just scroll to your child’s age, select a title, and go on a literary adventure!

For Ages 8-14

Dart (ages 8–10) 

Arrow (ages 11–12)

Boomerang (ages 13–14) 

For Littles

Quill (ages 5–7)

Develop pre-literacy skills in reading, writing, and math with your younger children! 

Want more recommendations based on setting, time period, or theme?

Check out our handy Search and Sort spreadsheet and dive down the storytelling rabbit hole!

Brave Writer Mechanics Literature

Posted in Language Arts, Living Literature | Comments Off on Living Literature: Folktales, Myths, and Storytelling