Homeschooling in Poquoson

Learning to read and Vocabulary

• Word Web Vocabulary Curriculum
  Based on Greek and Latin root words, this 'Code-Breaker' curriculum, is designed for use within any Language Arts course in Grades 5-10. Its unique web structure teaches students how to decode thousands of words. It gives underachievers an opportunity to use and comprehend words they encounter every day.
  
  
• Starfall
  Primarily designed for first grade, Starfall.com is also useful for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade. ABC's, pre-reading and beginning reading
  
  
• Funbrain
  Variety site of learning games
  
  
• Learning Planet
  Variety site of learning games
  
  
• Kiddie Records Weekly
  Free audio books for kids. "..a three year project celebrating the golden age of children's records. This brief but prolific period spanned from the mid forties through the early fifties, producing a wealth of all-time classics."
  
  
• Flashcard Exchange
  The world's largest flashcard library
  
  
• Gisele's Big Backyard
  Online learning games for primary grades
  
  
• Headsprout (paid, free trial)
  We help children master basic academic skills with fun, interactive learning programs that work.Headsprout's mission is to be a major force in helping eliminate illiteracy in young children in this country in this decade.

Reading and Reading comprehension

• Applying Bloom's Taxonomy
  Good questions are the key to good research.
  
  
• Five in a Row
  Five in a Row has been created to bring excitement and fun to learning and to enrich children's lives.
  
  
• Book Adventure
  If you're not sure what book you're looking for, we can help you find a book that's right for you.
  
  
• Charlie Bone
  Interactive companion game to the Charlie Bone book series.
  
  
• Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program
  Fostering a love of reading and its rewards, the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program is popular with both students in the first through sixth grades and educators throughout America.
  
  
• Ready. Sit. Read!
  (sponsored by Target) Tips on how to encourage children to read, start a book club, and even pick a good book. It also provides book club activities and information on book-related events in your area!
  
  
• Armadillo Soft: Book Search Page
  Search for books by vocabulary age AND concept age (ie, no mature subjects for young readers who happen to have advanced vocabularies) as well as subject matter

Spelling, Grammar and Writing

• National Spelling Bee
  The Bee is the nation's largest and longest-running educational promotion.
  
  
• You've been Sentenced!
  The first game in history to really turn making sentences into a very funny, playable, and challenging game. For ages 8 and up.
  
  
• Amazing Incredible Handwriting Worksheet Maker
  Make custom handwriting worksheets at the click of a button!
  
  
• Teacher 2 Teacher
  Welcome to our teacher-made materials store. (wordfinds, flip cards, etc)
  
  
• Handwriting for Kids
  Custom worksheets and animated writing examples
  
  
• The Story Starter
  ...provides 345,935,040 creative ideas for writers of all ages. The Story Starter randomly generates writing prompts that will help you start your stories.
  
  
• Writing Fix
  Where getting your daily writing "fix" is more important than fixing your writing
  
  
• Online Writing Lab at Purdue
  Online handouts covering writing, research, grammar, and MLA and APA style. As well as free writing consultations, workshops, ESL conversation groups, and other services in Purdue University's Heavilon Hall to the Purdue campus community.
  
  
• Brave Writer
  Brave Writer began in January 2000 with a class of twenty families. Today, we have ten staff members and thousands of families whose children are getting published, entering college, creating blogs, writing stories, taking essay tests, crafting academic essays, and posting reviews. Their parents have discovered the secret to nurturing their young writers.
  
  
• Read. Write. Think.
  Providing educators and students access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction.
  
  
• EDSITEment
  The Best of the Humanities on the Web from the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the National Trust for the Humanities, and the Verizon Foundation. This educational partnership brings online humanities resources from some of the world's great museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and universities directly to your classroom.
  
  
• Spelling Time
  Designed specifically as a state of the art, interactive learning tool, SpellingTime.com will change your child's attitude about spelling giving them the confidence they require to succeed in school.
  
  
• Write Guide
  an Individualized Writing Program for homeschooled students in grades four through twelve.
  
  
• Write at Home
  comprehensive annual and semester courses for students in grades 6-12, as well as specialized 9-week workshops such as Essay Writing, Research Paper Writing, and Short Story Writing.
  
  
• Editor in chief (paid, software)
  Improves your student's grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and attention to detail using a standards-based thinking approach rather than drill and practice. Try here for a free sample version.
  
  
• National Vocabulary Championship
  The NVC is an initiative that aims to inspire students to expand their vocabularies and narrow the achievement gap. The program offers free educational resources, creates spirited competition through testing and game play, and awards more than $100,000 annually in college tuition and other prizes. (grades 9-12 and between the ages of 13-19)
  
  
• Spelling City
  SpellingCity.com makes practicing for spelling tests fun.And it's only going to get better. Why? Because teachers have been telling us exactly what the site should have in it. (New site with more features to come!)

Greek and Latin roots, Idioms and Etymology

• The Phrase Finder
  Whether you want to resolve a friendly argument over how a saying or phrase originated or whether you just enjoy words, you'll probably find something here to interest you.
  
  
• Greek and Latin Roots
  Root, prefix & suffix charts
  
  
• Greek and Latin Root Words
  Root and prefix/suffix charts
  
  
• The Book of Roots: Advanced Vocabulary Building From Latin Roots (buy)
  Students will learn the definition and etymology of over 1,500 English derivatives, along with prefixes, suffixes, and supplemental Latin vocabulary lists....training students to uncover the meanings of words by deciphering parts.

Classics, Mythology, and Literature

• American Museum of Natural History Exhibit - Mythic Creatures
  Track the origins of legendary creatures including dragons, unicorns, mermaids and sea serpents.
  
  
• The Center for Literary Education
  A complete literature curriculum that teaches not only comprehension, but also analysis and interpretation
  
  
• The GreatBooks Foundation
  Promotes reading, thinking, and the sharing of ideas for people of all ages.
  
  
• Mythic Mirror
  A ten-week curriculum unit for grades 6-8, integrating concepts, materials and content from language arts, music and visual arts.
  
  
• The Baldwin Online Children's Literature Project
  Bringing Yesterday's Classics to Today's Children - an online comprehensive collection of resources for parents and teachers of children. Classic, public-domain works online and free of charge for reading, downloading and printing. Includes Nursery Rhymes, Fables, Folk Tales, Myths, Legends and Hero Stories, Literary Fairy Tales, Bible Stories, Nature Stories, Biography, History, Fiction, Poetry, Storytelling, Games, and Craft Activities.
  
  
• Poet's Corner
  Activities, bigraphies, featured titles, a timeline and more
  
  
• Classics Illustrated
  Classics - online, free, and complete with illustrations. (Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Dickens, Twain, Jack London and many more)