Your child learned to write a compelling argumentative essay.  He included a persuasive counterargument. In only 30 minutes, his revised paper improved.  Finally, he checked all his grammar and mechanics.  Great!  But how did he do?  

Sometimes, as a homeschool mom, we are left wondering if our child's final writing product is good enough.  We certainly do not want to criticize his hard work and diligent effort.  Considering the fact that he has never worked this hard also tugs at our heartstrings.  What is a mom to do?

Well, for me, finding Grammarly.com made a world of difference.  Let me tell you why.  

#1.  Grammarly is easy, so easy to use!  Who does not want a little easy in her life?  And, did I mention it is FREE?!  Grammarly has a free online text editor.  Derek learned to copy and cut his typed text and insert it into the Grammarly text editor.  With the click of a button, his whole story or essay quickly scanned for grammar and spelling errors.  Not only did Grammarly detect the errors, but the program explained the mistakes as well.  Also for free is a "Browser Extension" which flags any written errors in emails I send or posts I make on Facebook or Twitter.  Quite quickly, Derek and I both fell in love with this writing enhancement platform.  

There is a premium edition as well.  Watch for the sale prices, and you will get a steal of a deal!  With premium, it gets even better with over 400 types of grammar, mechanic, spelling, wordiness, and style checks.  Plus, Grammarly will also provide suggestions to improve the writing, and it will detect plagiarism!  As a writing teacher, all of these bonus features make it worth every penny!  

#2.  Grammarly's "eyes" do not tire like mine!  After a long day or week, it can be exhausting both mentally and physically to spend time searching through a student's writing assignment and combing over it three to four times making sure to catch all the mistakes.  It is enough to get a girl to gripe! But, Grammarly does not complain as I do. Nope. Grammarly gets the job done faster and more efficiently.  

#3.  Using Grammarly regularly truly improves both students and parents English grammar.  Imagine that!  This program is not only an outstanding tool but a teacher, too.  There have been many times I have read the corrections or suggestions on a student's paper and thought, "What a great way to explain that!"  It is no surprise to me to read that Grammarly is the #1 Rated Grammar Checking Tool according to Forbes.  Millions of students and professionals now use the software.  As well, it has been proofreading for a decade which makes it a trusted product.

Now that I have my own writing business up and running, I am in contact with even more homeschooling parents.  After telling another large group of moms about my favorite online editor, I realized Grammarly and I should become partners.  So, I reached out to Grammarly and applied to join their affiliate program.  Afterall, I am one of their biggest fans.  Here is the best part - they said, "YES!"  

Now you need to decide if Grammarly is right for you.  Do you want an easy fix to your busy grading and scoring schedule?  Would you like someone else to give grammatical and structural feedback to improve your child's writing ability?  Is it possible that you, too, could grow and learn along the way?  Well, if you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then Grammarly is worth your time.  So, give it a try and let me know what you think.  And, if you are at all like me, you are wondering, "Did she use the online text editor to proofread this blog post?"  You bet I did!  

Write On!

The first thing I tell new homeschool moms is to embrace the love of learning!  Be open to learning and exploring topics that interest your child.  

First, start with conversation.  Ask your child what interests him most.  Perhaps it is a particular sports car or maybe a certain sport intrigues him.  Or, of course, it could be SQUIRRELS.   

Well, that was what Derek said at the beginning of his fourth grade year.  And, so, squirrels became our THEME.  We stayed on this topic for three weeks!  Who knew there was so much to learn about these little mammals?

All of my lesson planning centered on the theme of squirrels from that point forward.  Sure, we kept moving along in our math textbook, but I even incorporated some "fun" math to tie in with our squirrel lessons.    

READING (30 minutes a day) - Books from the library (fictional and non-fiction), Ranger Rick magazine, Discovery Education, BrainPop, and other various internet support sites.  
WRITING (15-20 minutes a day)- We added words to our spelling dictionary, we took notes on index cards, and the project learning culminated with an expository essay.  
MATH (30-40 minutes a day)  - Graphing.  We gathered information on all things squirrels.  Later, we sorted our information.  We used the information to create bar graphs, circle graphs, and line graphs.
SCIENCE (30 minutes a day) - Life science, of course!  External and internal parts of a squirrel: respiratory, digestive, and circulatory system.   Habitat and biomes also made it into the lesson plans.  Derek created an interactive notebook with drawing, sketches, definitions, and more questions.  
SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY (30 minutes a day) - We located the five continents where squirrels inhabit.  We looked at the terrain and resources available to these little critters.  We read, discussed, and wrote about various cultures and their interactions with squirrels.  
VAPA (Once or twice a week.) - Tying in science, Derek learned to accurately sketch and draw a squirrel.  

My point is simple.  If you can entice your young learner to want to learn, you are more than half way there.  Consider all the possibilities and work together to make your homeschooling memories true treasures.  

Need a good lesson plan book?  The Ultimate Homeschool Planner (Orange Edition)