GROW your children dramatically in their writing ability?
TEACH QUICK LESSONS that work?
INVEST in high-quality children’s books each month?
HELP kids write well for a variety of purposes?
EXCITE children about writing?
TRANSFORM students into writers who understand what makes good writing?
DEVELOP confident writers?
EMPOWER kids to write about topics they think of themselves?
If teaching writing is the worst part of homeschooling, if you don’t feel confident, if you don’t like your current curriculum, if you’re overwhelmed…
My mission is to make your life easier and to reassure you that you don’t have to be a professional writer to teach writing well.
Let me make it easy to teach writing with zero overwhelm and 100% confidence.
Let me help you get your kids to love writing.
…teach kids how to choose their own ideas about which to write. (No prompts.)
…use books as examples of what makes good writing.
…teach kids how to read like a writer.
…differentiate between the craft of writing and conventions of writing.
…provide short, practical, and fun lessons that explicitly teach the craft of writing.
…help kids learn to revise and edit their own writing.
…AND make it easy for you to teach!
Start your kids writing what they know — their own lives! The personal narrative unit begins with idea generation, then how to read a book like a writer. Using the three children’s books and the lessons provided, show students how to write with their five senses, show not tell, use vivid verbs, write interesting leads and satisfying endings, sequence logically, write in complete sentences, use capital letters appropriately, and move through the writing process of drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The purple level is faster paced, adding in writing inner thoughts, dialogue, and paragraphs.
Teach children how to brainstorm a topic, research, take jot notes, write a topic sentence, write an organized paragraph with transitions and details, write an organized report, edit, and revise.
This fictional narrative unit gives you lessons that teach students about story elements, characters, setting, problem & solution, dialogue, beginnings, endings, revision, and editing. Kids love making up their own, creative stories. This unit will help them do that!
Hi! I’m Melissa Taylor. I’m a children’s book expert, mother of two, former teacher, former literacy trainer, and a freelance writer with a MA in Education. I love writing. I love teaching writing to children. What’s more, I love to get kids excited about writing and to help them grow into strong writers. After I left teaching, I founded my blog Imagination Soup. I’ve also worked as a freelance writer for publications such as Parenting, Colorado Parent, Scholastic Parent and Child, Working Woman, and USA Today Health, and Random House’s Brightly.
A mentor text is a well-written children’s book that students can use to learn specific writing craft moves such as VIVID VERBS, SENSORY DETAILS, SEQUENCING, and much more. These books allow us to apprentice ourselves to master writers.
Some grammar is integrated in this writing curriculum but a full grammar curriculum will be available soon.
YES! The beauty of the lessons in this curriculum is they’re flexible for individuals or groups.
Each unit, I’ll give you a list of 2 – 3 books to either buy or borrow from your local library.
At checkout, I will give you the option to order the books through me and I’ll ship them to you directly. (If you’re in the U.S.)
Good question. I think Words Their Way with Spelling City is a good place to start.
You will receive a PDF download to print at home.
Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Honeybee by Candace Fleming
Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali
Teach your children the art of writing a letter including a friendly letter format, audience, writing with voice, and persuasive reasons.
