The Classical Scholar

Featured Book Review – Ages 9-12

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:53:46 +0000

This homeschool book review was written by 10 year old homeschool student, Andrew Sanders. “The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright is one of my favorite children’s books. The main characters are four children, who go on silly adventures with their dog. My favorite character is Oliver, a six-year-old boy who goes to the circus all by [...]

Heart of the Matter Homeschool Conference

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:26:20 +0000

How would you like to win a free ticket to a fabulous online homeschool conference called “Winter Homeschool Refresher” hosted by Heart of the Matter? Next Monday through Thursday (February 22-24, 2010), sixteen speakers have been chosen specifically for their ability to revive, rejuvenate, and renew the hearts and minds of homeschool parents like you. [...]

Story Prediction Engages the Homeschool Child

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:00:49 +0000

“Are we there yet?’ When Meredith and Connor were much younger, we regularly heard this plaintive cry from the back seat of the van on long drives to Chattanooga. This innocent question reveals an amazing fact about the human mind: children think in terms of linear progression. There follows here. Future follows present. Last [...]

Homeschool Narration by Drawing and Writing

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:56 +0000

Oral narration is not the only way to improve comprehension and long term retention in your older home school child. For the eight to eleven year old kid and even the high school teen, written narration can be the catalyst for deepening knowledge, intelligent interpretation, and regular note taking. Here are two examples for effectively [...]

If You Want a Better Listener, Try Oral Narration

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:18:53 +0000

Have you ever thought that reading a book in your home school is like having a conversation? The author creates an imaginary universe with characters, plot, and themes while the audience is responsible for interpreting and understanding the meaning of the story. Often an author provides a narrator within the book to serve like a [...]

Integrating Multiple Sources is Tough Work

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:47 +0000

In How to Guarantee Independent Reading, I discussed four ways to motivate young home school readers to seek opportunities to read on their own. Let’s say that you faithfully follow my advice and begin to see the fruit. In a few short years, your child will substantially master the three skills of the classical trivium [...]

How to Guarantee Independent Reading

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:00:06 +0000

After several sacrificial years of systematic home school reading and phonics instruction, you expect a specific outcome: independent reading. Yes, every busy home school mom (especially those with lots of children) will honestly admit that she dreams of the fateful day when her child can read a book “on his own.” Independent reading is [...]

What Homeschool Books Do I Recommend?

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:26:24 +0000

If you’ve explored The Classical Scholar Book Store, you know that I’ve been selecting homeschool books for babies (birth to 9 months), books for toddlers (9 months to 3 years), books for preschoolers (ages 4-5), books for beginning readers (ages 6-8), books for preteens (ages 9-12), and books for teens working on high school credit [...]

Sight Words + Phonics = Reading Success

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:27:44 +0000

Once I read a forum post by a homeschool mom who had tutored reading for 16 years. In this thread, she proudly stated that anyone who knew how to teach reading knows that sight words and phonics don’t go together. Well, I may not be a reading tutor, but I have taught my own kids [...]

Three Tangible Benefits of Reading Aloud

diane@classicalscholar.com (Diane B. Lockman) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:42:42 +0000

Did you know that if you spent 15 minutes a day reading aloud to your homeschool children, they would be better readers, better speakers, and better writers? In this online course for homeschool parents entitled “Reading Aloud: The Key to Language Development,” I’ll show you three pieces of evidence that clearly demonstrate the tangible benefits [...]