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

[Podcast #239] Tools to Buy Instead of Curriculum

Brave Writer Podcast

When parents map out the annual homeschooling budget, there’s a tendency to only focus on curriculum. In this Brave Writer podcast episode, we encourage you to prioritize tools that really bring learning to life. Plus, we give you tips on how to get them on the cheap.

The right tools make all the difference in having a happy learning life. We hope our suggestions spark creativity and joy in you and your kids! 

Show Notes

Affordability 

Keep in mind, there are ways to get many of these tools at low-cost.

  • A secondhand shop like Goodwill can be a great place to start.
  • Look for local tool libraries or traditional public libraries where you can check out items like sewing machines.
  • Buy in bulk (with the added benefit that then you always have what you need on hand).
  • Keep an eye out for informal groups like puzzle swaps.

And remember, family and friends are often happy to buy these kinds of tools as holiday gifts for your family.

Physical Tools

We give you a long list of tried and true tools that have made our homeschooling lives better. We group them into six buckets:

  • writing utensils,
  • art and handicraft supplies,
  • baking ingredients and tools,
  • science kits,
  • games and puzzles,
  • magazines and field guides.

Be sure to check out the Tools for the Art of Writing page on our website for some links.

Experiential Tools

We also give examples of experiential, rather than physical, tools that are great for homeschool families. We’re big fans of annual memberships to art museums, zoos, botanical gardens, science museums, etc.

Volunteering at local theaters or animal centers can be a great way to access fun learning environments. By returning to an experiential site over and over, your kids can deeply connect with the material and feel at home with it.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off on [Podcast #239] Tools to Buy Instead of Curriculum

FREE Training Webinars

Brave Writer

Join us for four FREE June webinars that help you understand both the philosophy and practice of Brave Writer’s literature + writing mechanics programs for ages 5-18.

Each webinar is jam-packed with information to help you be successful this coming school year, in addition to helping you understand Brave Writer materials.

REPLAYS are linked below!

Reading Aloud: Why Teach Writing Mechanics with Living Literature?

The best books, the best words—allow your children to be bathed in high quality writing while they learn the mechanics and craft of writing.

REPLAY

Teaching Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling Through Literature

Our programs offer a gentle, seamless way to build strong writing skills! Julie will show you how.

REPLAY

Teaching Literary Analysis & Writer’s Craft Through Books

To grow a writing voice, it helps to listen to and learn from a wide variety of writing voices. Not only that, literary analysis can be the tool that unlocks buried treasure in a book and we intend to help you dig!

REPLAY

The Power of a Book Party

There’s nothing like a party to help kids make meaningful connections to literature. Brave Writer programs make it easy to create memorable bookish experiences for your children to deepen their learning. Join Julie to learn more about throwing a family book club party!

REPLAY

Brave Writer

Posted in BW products | Comments Off on FREE Training Webinars

Friday Freewrite: Book Cover

Friday Freewrite

Have you heard the saying: “You can’t judge a book by its cover”? Maybe you can’t judge the book’s content but you CAN judge the book’s cover! Pick a few books off the shelf and scatter them on the floor or table. Which cover is your favorite? Which is most eye-catching? Which best illustrates the book’s subject matter? Explain why.

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

Tags:
Posted in Friday Freewrite | Comments Off on Friday Freewrite: Book Cover

[Podcast #238] Thinking Differently About Learning with Maren and Angela

Brave Writer Podcast

Today on the Brave Writer podcast, we reunite with fellow podcasters and homeschool moms, Maren Goerss and Angela Sizer. We dive into their new book, Think Differently About Learning: A Homeschool Where Children and Parents Thrive.

It can be all too easy for homeschooling families to unintentionally replicate the negative aspects of traditional schooling that they were trying to avoid: Cookie cutter approaches, stress, burnout, etc. Think Differently About Learning gives a roadmap for a more joyful approach.

Angela Sizer and Maren Goerss
Angela Sizer and Maren Goerss

Weaved throughout our discussion are themes of:

  • empowerment,
  • pleasure,
  • and wellness.

What Maren and Angela have to say as former traditional teachers and experienced homeschoolers is refreshing, tangible, and inspiring. Enjoy!

Show Notes

Building an Appetite for Learning

The most important thing a homeschooling parent can do for their kids is inculcate an appetite for lifelong learning. Maren and Angela give tips on how to honor your child’s learning differences, build in time for rest, and recognize the value of small wins. For example, Angela’s dysgraphic son who used to just handwrite only one word a day is now a published author.

Relationship Over Rules

A relationship-based approach to education gives you a better perspective of what your kid needs. It also allows you to better teach your kid how to evaluate situations, create self-awareness, and make good decisions.

Empowerment, Pleasure, and Wellness

Sometimes we get so worried about our kids’ future success that we try to over-control and contain them. Maren’s and Angela’s advice: Do less. Empower your children, let them discover pleasure in life, teach them to prioritize well-being. This will lead them to a much more fulfilled life, not to mention traditional success in their careers.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Connect with Melissa

Produced by NOVA Media

Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off on [Podcast #238] Thinking Differently About Learning with Maren and Angela