I have been a fan of Evan-Moor since I started teaching first grade in 1995. Now, Evan-Moor is my favorite publisher to use when homeschooling my own kids! Evan-Moor is perfect for homeschooling kids of all abilities with all subjects. The kids like the activities and I think the quality is truly unmatched!
I want to share with you a simple and easy 3-step method to help you teach your children and set them up for success. It also reduces anxiety for both kids and teachers!
STEP #1: Teach the new skill — When we are teaching our children new skills, they need to truly understand the skill first. It is best to help them connect the new skill with a real-life situation. For example, using skills to figure out an unknown word in a book they are reading.
Resource tip: If you are ever overwhelmed about exactly WHAT to teach, Evan-Moor’s Language Fundamentals series for grades 1-6 is a complete curriculum to build your child’s language arts foundation! Lessons are clearly organized by language skill to help you teach each skill.
STEP #2: Provide purposeful practice – The next step of our easy teaching method is purposeful practice. While it would be terrific for kids to remember and understand everything we said the first time (right?), we all need practice to really learn the skills for life. When kids see how the practice is meaningful to them, they are MUCH more likely to remember and use the skills too.
Resource tip: Most kids prefer to practice with games. The Take it to Your Seat: Language Centers series provides leveled, hands-on activities for you to do with your children or let them complete on their own. Laminate these full color pages to use again and again! These are terrific for workboxes, too, and the kids really like them.
STEP #3: Assess the skills – The last step of our teaching method is assessment, but it doesn’t have to be a worksheet test! You can make notes as your child is working to see what he or she understands and what skills may need to be retaught.
Resource tip: Evan-Moor has Daily Language Review for grades 1-8. Each day’s activity can be done in about 5 minutes, and it is a great way to check for your child’s understanding of language arts skills. Evan-Moor’s Daily Paragraph Editing and Skill Sharpeners: Spell and Write series are also ideal for this type of assessment.
Need more ideas? Download this Language Arts Curriculum PDF for my top Evan-Moor picks for your language arts curriculum. This list includes a summary of my favorite titles mentioned in this blog, plus additional resources for spelling and vocabulary!
Bonus tip: You can access all of the resources mentioned in this blog, plus lessons across the curriculum with a TeacherFileBox subscription. For the best bargain price ($79 per year), subscribe through the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op.
Amy Michaels is a certified teacher with 11 years of elementary classroom experience who is actively homeschooling her own children. Her mission is share the best teaching methods and resources with all homeschoolers. Amy supports parents through her podcasts, webinars, and online training for homeschoolers on her website www.thrivehomeschooling.com.