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A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Thoughts from my home to yours

Archive for the ‘Language Arts’ Category

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Quick Reads to Start the Year

Brave Writer

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)

  • The Prairie Thief
  • Big Foot and Little Foot
  • Wondrous Rex
  • Ways to Make Sunshine

Arrows (ages 11-12)

  • The Lion of Mars
  • The Nerviest Girl in the World
  • Leon Garfield’s Shakespeare Stories
  • Before the Ever After

Boomerangs (ages 13-14)

  • The Crossover
  • How I Became a Ghost
  • The Outsiders
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Slingshots (ages 15+)

  • Animal Farm
  • The Great Gatsby
  • Swing

Brave Writer

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

Living Literature: Folktales, Myths, and Storytelling

Brave Writer

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) 

  • Big Foot and Little Foot
  • Once Upon a Camel

Arrow (ages 11–12)

  • The People Could Fly
  • Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Boomerang (ages 13–14) 

  • American Born Chinese
  • A Snake Falls to Earth
  • The Lightning Thief

For Littles

Quill (ages 5–7)

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

  • Wordless Picture Books
  • Superheroes and Heroes

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

2024-2025 Mechanics & Literature Programs

Brave Writer Book Reveal

The wait is over! Below are the themes and titles for our 2024-2025 Mechanics & Literature programs ($20 OFF during the month of June!).

The Quill covers pre-literacy skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.

The Dart, Arrow, Boomerang, and Slingshot programs teach:

  • grammar,
  • punctuation,
  • literary devices,
  • and more through living literature!

Did you miss a live broadcast? Here are the REPLAYS!

May 30: For Kids Ages 5-10

May 31: For Kids Ages 11-18


QUILL (ages 5-7)

The Quills can be done in any order—start with the list (Frog or Hedgehog) that has themes of most interest to your child. Both lists include the Wordless Picture Books Quill because it provides a helpful foundation for exploring picture books with your child. 

FROGHEDGEHOG
Wordless Picture Books
Riddles & Jokes
Art
Wild Animals
Transportation
Poetry
Cooking
Rocks Rock
Buggy Bugs
Spectacular Sports
Wordless Picture Books
Under the Sea: Sea Mammals
Inventions & Inventors
Music & Song Lyrics
Weather: Clouds
Space: Planets
Superheroes and Heroes
On the Farm
Pets
Flowers

DART (ages 8-10)

  • August: A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
  • September: Bob by Wendy Mass 
  • October: Ra the Mighty: The Great Tomb Robbery by Amy Butler Greenfield  
  • November: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate 
  • December: The Greatest Gift (Heartwood Hotel #2) by Kallie George
  • January: Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt
  • February: The Turtle of Michigan: A Novel by Naomi Shihab Nye
  • March: Thirst by Varsha Bajaj
  • April: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Arrow (ages 11-12)

  • August: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
  • September: The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown
  • October: The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day 
  • November: Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
  • December: The Doughnut Fix by Jessie Janowitz
  • January: The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri
  • February: Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • March: Figure it Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis
  • April: The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat 

Boomerang (ages 13-14)

  • August: The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  • September: I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai
  • October: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • November: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
  • December: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L‘Engle
  • January: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
  • February: American Wings: Chicago’s Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Sherri L. Smith and Elizabeth Wein 
  • March: The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
  • April: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Slingshot (ages 15-18)

CLASSIC

  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  • Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

CONTEMPORARY

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
  • Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
  • Swing by Kwame Alexander

If you need extra support, we’re offering a personalized Training Program for Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang users (only $25)!

Hope you’ll join us for an AWESOME year of learning and reading.

Excited for you as your family embarks on an inspired reading journey!

Brave Writer

Posted in BW products, Language Arts | Comments Off on 2024-2025 Mechanics & Literature Programs

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