Language Arts I

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In the days of knights and castles, minstrels wandered Europe and told tales of great heroes, of knights who showed the virtues of courage and bravery and selflessness, of King Arthur and Charlemagne. Over the course of the two semesters we’ll read tales from Iceland and England, France and Germany that bring the eleventh century to life. Students will learn the art of writing through a series of staged assignments based on these tales of valor. As they develop their writing skills, students practice the art of English grammar by studying the Parts of Speech and the Sentence, using many examples from the books we read together.

This course serves as a gentle introduction to the arts of reading, writing, and grammar for elementary school students.

In addition to written work and grammar exercises, a short exam each semester assesses a student’s progress. Dependent upon the needs and homeschooling style of each family, Language Arts 1 can be taken as a graded or not-graded class. With either option the teacher provides corrections and comments on both grammar and writing assignments.

The first hour of class is devoted to instruction in grammar with particular attention to parts of speech. Nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns and antecedents, reflexive and emphatic pronouns – these are all explained with a wide variety of examples and exercises.

The second hour involves the literature-based discussion mentioned above and sequential writing assignments designed to build each student’s ability to formulate and express his or her ideas in writing. Students participate actively in both segments by reading aloud, answering questions in real time, posing their own questions, performing exercises, and engaging in literary discussions.

Although it is recommended to take both parts together, some sections allow students to only enroll in the grammar portion or literature and writing portion of the class.

There are three sections available for this course. Each teacher has a slightly different emphasis in the grammar, writing, and literature discussion portions of the class. Scroll through the sections below to read more about each teacher's emphasis.

Prerequisites for this class:

Students in this course should be comfortable reading the books listed below. Beyond that, no previous knowledge of grammar or writing is required.

Fall 2020 Registration for this Course Opens on February 27.

Spring Registration is Open for Returning Students

Language Arts I, Section A

In Mr. Winslow’s section of the course, students write, plan, or revise (based on feedback from the instructor) a story, report, essay or other piece of writing approximately every other week. Mr. Winslow makes extensive use of sentence diagramming, crazy grammar songs (!), and various humorous anecdotes!
Seraphim Winslow, M.A.

Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 4-5
Class Size: 6-15
Class Begins: Aug 22

If you have any questions please CONTACT US.
Section A Enrollment Options:

Prices are per Semester

  • COMPLETE COURSE: Grammar Portion AND Literature and Writing Portion - $330
    Mondays, 7:30 - 9:00 AM Pacific

REGISTER

Language Arts I, Section B

In Mrs. Barnett’s section of the course, the writing portion focuses on developing a student's ability to compose cohesive and grammatically correct paragraphs. In response to prompts based on the literature selections, students write, plan, or revise (based on feedback from the instructor)their own original stories each week with personalized writing targets in mind.

This class is open to new students for the spring semester. A list of topics covered in the fall semester is posted below. Students who have covered these fall topics are welcome to enroll for the spring: Spring Term Prerequisites

Molly Barnett, M.A.

Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 4-5
Class Size: 6-15
Class Begins: Aug 23

If you have any questions please CONTACT US.
Section B Enrollment Options:

Prices are per Semester

  • COMPLETE COURSE: Grammar Portion AND Literature and Writing Portion - $330
    Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific

  • GRAMMAR PORTION ONLY - $165
    Tuesdays, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific

  • LITERATURE AND WRITING PORTION ONLY - $220
    Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific

REGISTER

  • "Mrs. Barnett's elementary language arts class was a massive highlight of my daughter's homeschool week. Both her writing and grammar skills leapt forward during the course of the class. I highly recommend Mrs. Barnett as a partner for your child's elementary education."
    - E.B.U. New York

  • "Mrs. Barnett provided an excellent introduction to language arts and to the online learning process in general for our youngest homeschooling child, all while sustaining the high level of rigor and engagement we have to come to expect and rely on from CLRC classes."
    - Ben A. Virginia

  • "Mrs. Barnett is a gem. She is igniting a love for literature in my son! We are most thankful for her and for all of you at CLRC." 

    -- Rosa A, Texas

Language Arts I, Section C

In Dr. Baumert’s section of the course, students spend the first semester understanding sentences and learning how to write literary summaries every-other week in response to writing prompts. They handwrite their first drafts and receive individualized feedback from the instructor before revising and typing their final draft the following week. In the second semester, they are introduced to the structured paragraph and learn to write a thesis while using a graphic organizer. In literature, Dr. Baumert gives brief weekly quizzes based on the reading assignments to foster a habit of close reading and aid in reading comprehension. Students also are given the opportunity to memorize a poem each semester (performed from memory on the last day of class) and to become illustrators by doing an artistic interpretation of scenes from the reading. In grammar, they complete weekly workbook exercises and gain mastery of the Four-Part Sentence Analysis.

For the Grammar portion of her class Dr. Baumert will use exercises selected from Voyages in English. Students will need to purchase the accompanying workbook.
Susan Baumert, Ph.D.

Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 4-5
Class Size: 6-18
Class Begins: Aug 24

If you have any questions please CONTACT US.
Section C Enrollment Options:

Prices are per Semester

  • COMPLETE COURSE: Grammar Portion AND Literature and Writing Portion - $330
    See times below.

  • GRAMMAR PORTION ONLY - $165
    Wednesdays, 8:00 - 8:50 AM Pacific

  • LITERATURE AND WRITING PORTION ONLY - $220
    Fridays, 8:00 - 8:50 AM Pacific

REGISTER

  • "Dr. Baumert and this program have been a Godsend for my daughters and our family.  Everyone I have dealt with has been so kind and helpful. My daughters are learning so much in your class.  Thank you, Dr. Baumert, for being a teacher who encourages and motivates them to do their best!"
    - Roxanna B., North Carolina

  • "I just wanted to say that I am so impressed with Dr. Baumert and her Language Arts 1 class. My son is learning so much. She has a very good way of teaching the material while keeping the students engaged. We plan on enrolling our daughter in the same class next year."

    -- Elisabeth H., California

Class is Full and Closed to New Registrations

(If you would like to enroll in this class but cannot attend at the posted time, please contact us.  We may be able to open an additional section.)

Problems Registering?    Click here    for help.  

“We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much more necessary.”

“What is that, Grandmother?”

“To understand other people.”

— George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin

COURSE MATERIALS