Language Arts I
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 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, posing their own questions, working on exercises, and engaging in literary discussions.
Although it is recommended to take both parts together, some sections allow students to enroll only 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 2023 Registration is Now Open!
Language Arts I, Section A
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 4-5
Class Size: 6-15
Class Begins: Aug 21
Section A Enrollment Options:
Prices are per Semester
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COMPLETE COURSE: Grammar Portion AND Literature and Writing Portion - $360
Mondays, 7:30 - 9:00 AM Pacific
Language Arts I, Section B
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
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 4-5
Class Size: 5-18
Class Begins: Aug 22
Section B Enrollment Options:
Prices are per Semester
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COMPLETE COURSE: Grammar Portion AND Literature and Writing Portion - $360
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific -
GRAMMAR PORTION ONLY - $180
Tuesdays, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific -
LITERATURE AND WRITING PORTION ONLY - $250
Thursdays, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific
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.
Age Level: 9-11
Grade Level: 4-5
Class Size: 5-18
Class Begins: Aug 23
Section C Enrollment Options:
Prices are per Semester
-
COMPLETE COURSE: Grammar Portion AND Literature and Writing Portion - $360
See times below. -
GRAMMAR PORTION ONLY - $180
Fridays, 8:00 - 8:50 AM Pacific -
LITERATURE AND WRITING PORTION ONLY - $250
Wednesdays, 8:00 - 8:50 AM Pacific
“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