This summer, I am using a few different writing resources to help my kids grow in grammar, sentence structure, free writing, and eventually paragraph and essay writing. I am not using these books as one rigid curriculum. Instead, I am using each one for its strength and layering them in a way that will give them the knowledge they need to write effectively.
#1 Grammar Island and Sentence Island by Michael Clay Thompson
If you have followed me long enough, you will know that this program from Michael Clay Thompson is a favorite, and I have been using it for years. Its simplistic storytelling method for introducing all the parts of speech and sentences is easy to teach to young kids, regardless of age. Sadly, public schools take too long to get to these technical aspects of writing, and I strongly believe that once you build a habit of writing without good grammar, it is hard to break out of it.
We often take our grammar lessons to the white board and together do several sentence analysis.
Sentence Island is also written in a story format and teaches 5 core principles of sentence structure.
#2 The Writing Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo
The Writing Strategies Book is a huge collection of practical writing lessons. It is not a curriculum you have to follow page by page. Instead, it works more like a toolbox. You can choose a strategy based on what your child needs help with, whether that is generating ideas, adding details, or organizing a piece. I like it because it gives me quick, focused ways to get my child writing when they run out of ideas. The other day, I used a strategy from the book where my kids had to think of one of their favorite things and write about it. My son chose his favorite stuffed animal and ended up writing a sweet real-life story about it.
#3 Sentence Composing for Elementary School by Don Killgallon
For sentence practice, we will use Sentence Composing for Elementary School and follow the Killgallon method. This approach teaches children to improve their writing by demonstrating strong model sentences from rich literature and then practicing skills such as sentence imitation, sentence combining, sentence expanding, and sentence unscrambling.
#4 The Writing Revolution by Judith C. Hochman and Natalie Wexler
I read this book several years ago and remember using this with my oldest child when she was in elementary school to give her structure for her writing homework. The Writing Revolution focuses on the idea that writing should be taught explicitly and step by step, which I am a firm believer in. It begins with sentences before moving into outlines, paragraphs, and longer writing. I appreciate this book because it reminds me that many children struggle with writing because they have not been taught how to organize their ideas clearly into a well-written form.
My Summer Writing Implementation Plan
Because my kids attend public school during the year, I don’t have the full school year to work through these curricula. Instead, I try to layer them in a way that is meaningful and manageable for us without taking too much time.
So for this summer, my plan is to begin with grammar. First, we will work through Grammar Island, so my kids understand the basic structure of language. Once that foundation is in place, we will move into Sentence Island to focus more deeply on how sentences work.
At the same time, we will keep writing every day through a short free write. These free writes are not meant to be perfect.
Last year, I read Julie Bogart’s book, “Help! My Kid Hates Writing” . She shared a brilliant idea of offering a timed free write that did not include any judgments or checks; just a form of writing to allow the flow of thought. I’m hoping this strategy will help my kids generate ideas and not get stuck because of the lack of it. The goal is simply to help my kids get used to putting their thoughts on paper.
The Writing Strategies Book gives ideas, prompts, and simple strategies that I can use when my kids get stuck.
After we finish Sentence Island, I would like to move to writing five sentences twice a week. This will be our weekly sentence practice. The goal is to build confidence and offer practice to apply what they learned.
For the Sentence Composing for Elementary School, I plan to have my 9-year-old complete about 4–5 pages each week.
Toward the end of the summer and start of the school year, we will begin using The Writing Revolution to work on paragraph structure and essay structure. By that point, my hope is that the grammar and sentence work will give my kids a stronger foundation for organizing their ideas into clear paragraphs and longer pieces of writing.
To sum up, our summer writing rhythm will look like this:
- Start with Grammar Island to build grammar understanding.
- Move into Sentence Island to study sentence structure.
- Do a short free write every day using ideas from The Writing Strategies Book.
- After Sentence Island, write five sentences twice a week.
- Complete 4–5 pages from Sentence Composing for Elementary School each week.
- Use The Writing Revolution toward the end of summer/beginning of school year for paragraph and essay structure.
If you are a full-time homeschooling family, you have all year to implement these programs, so take your time and do it. For those looking to supplement learning at home, this is an excellent strategy that can also be used during the school year.
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