What should I teach in English?

I bet you are learning a great deal about your child’s education.  Public schools rely on state standards for learning, such as Virginia’s Standards of Learning or SOLs.  Private and public school teachers offer similar courses in math and science.  Often there are enormous differences in English and Social Sciences or History.

Let’s start with English.  English or Language Arts includes Reading, Composition, Literature, Grammar, and Vocabulary.  Here are Grade Four English Standards in Virginia.  Here is Grade Four Reading.  They look fine.  It is a good idea to include a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction literary resources.  There are no details?  Which books?  Should the vocabulary be derived exclusively from the books they read?  How is grammar or composition instructed?  Are there spelling tests?

What is the solution?  At our house, we are attacking English globally.  I ordered a reading textbook, vocabulary book, grammar book, and several novels.  The textbook is at 5th grade because Paul reads well; the grammar book is 3rd grade because he had not had any grammar in school. Each day he completes a 30 minute assignment and reads for at least 30 minutes.  I vary the English materials.  Right now Paul has finished Holes and watched the movie.  He began to work on background for a paper comparing the book with the movie.  He has written a list of characters and is working on similarities and differences.  I gave him a list of vocabulary from the glossary in this study guide.  He wrote each word five times.  Paul has a vocabulary quiz next week.  Spelling counts.  Additionally, he does some grammar exercises most days.  Next week, he and I will work exclusively on the Holes project.  Paul will write and type a five paragraph essay.  As he reads A Wrinkle in Time independently, I will give him grammar, reading, and vocabulary assignments in the textbooks I ordered.

What can you do?  If the idea of creating an entire English curriculum is daunting, select four Newbery Award Winners.  These are widely available on eBay and Amazon.  I have been ordering more from eBay because the books are arriving more quickly.  The library of Congress has classic books to read.  Pick four books, download study guides, read the books, and write an essay for each book.  For example, chose Huckleberry Finn.  This reading guide has questions, vocabulary, and writing prompts.  Huckleberry Finn has been banned from many schools and libraries.  A good essay question is ‘Should Huckleberry Finn be banned?’  Yes, you should read the book along with your child.  Get cracking!