I am back from vacation and it was a wonderful time!!  I hope to share some photos with you soon, but until then I wanted to share with you a wonderful homeschool resource!

As I walked through Walmart the other day and saw the Back to School aisles being stocked once again, I was reminded of how quickly the next school-year is approaching.   With our new baby coming midyear I am especially eager to get a jump-start on our schooling this year.  I  have much work ahead of me in planning yet still to do.

I am a second generation homeschooler.  Having taught my own children at home now for over a decade, and having grade levels from college down to preschool I have seen the gamut of curricula.  And let’s face it, moms, it’s the age old question.  What do you do about grammar?  How can I teach my children to write?  It seems every year that mothers struggle with this subject, or at least I know I have, and am aware of others as well.

This year though, I am looking at the language arts with excitement and cannot wait to share with you what I will be using!

Let me introduce to you, Essentials in Writing.

As a busy mother of several grade levels Essentials in Writing takes care of the teaching for me.  On DVD format Mr Stephens teaches my children the concepts of the daily lesson, which them afterwards they will put into practice on their worksheets that I have printed out from the printable disk that is included.  You can also purchase the workbook already printed out if you desire.

Here is the process:

1.  Students watch Mr. Stephens as he teaches/reviews each concept in a methodical, step-by-step approach.  Then students proceed with worksheet activities or writing assignments.

2.  Mr. Stephens presents content and writing assignments small “chunks” to help students understand, apply, and retain concepts.

3.  Writing assignments are modeled by Mr. Stephens.  After a new or reviewed concept has been taught, he actually “shows” students HOW to apply the new concept in writing.

Essentials In Writing was founded by Matthew Stephens.  He was a middle school English teacher in the public school before his creating Essentials in Writing.  He has taught at almost every grade level and is an excellent teacher!

From First Grade all the way up to High School electives, Matthew instructs step by step through daily lessons the concepts needed to give our children a solid grounding in BOTH writing and grammar (no need for two different subjects!)

I cannot wait to use this in our schooling this coming year and encourage you to head over to their website and read the testimonials and more practical information about Essentials in Writing!

Have any of you ever used Essentials in Writing?  I would love to hear from you!!

*Mr Stephens graciously gave me a free copy of his 5th grade course in exchange for my review…thank you Mr. Stephens!