The Fire
The Wood
The Oxygen
The Sparks
The Fuel
Free Firewood
A Camp Day
Workshops
Product Reviews
Favorite Books
Testimonials
FIREbLOG
Get REAL
Links
Contact Us
Home
Check out my book!
Find out more about Terri Camp. Visit these sites for more info on her books, workshops, and products for sale.
Terri Camp
Talk A Latte
The Home Fire
|
English 
English & Language Arts for Free!
The English and Language Arts section below includes resources for instruction in writing, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and usage and punctuation. Also included are complete free online English courses , free curriculum guides, English language dictionaries on the web, and other English reference materials. Please note that free online resources for teaching and learning about Reading and Literature will be posted in a separate category!
Free Online Courses: |
| Description |
Grade Levels |
Type of Website |
| CyberSchool's English Courses Cyberschool is a public, distance-learning high school, part of the public schools of Eugene, Oregon. Although it costs money to register for a course and receive credit through CyberSchool, the school has a policy of putting "every word of every course" online. This would allow a homeschooling family (or a public or private school) to access the entire course content, free, providing the parent or teacher is willing to take responsibility for grading assignments. Of particular interest to homeschoolers who want to prepare for the Advanced Placement exams, but who do not have access to an AP course, will be the four semester-long AP courses.
One warning: The course in "Horror Literature" is not appropriate for Christian homeschoolers, or, in my opinion, other high school students (including those in public and private schools). The course includes graphic content and requires viewing R-rated films. This appears to be the only course in the series that contains truly objectionable content.
Most of the courses have been designed to correlate with Oregon state education standards as well as national standards; those ghomeschoolers who strongly object on principle to using any coursework developed in accordance with public school education standards may not wish to use these courses.
English courses currently on the Cyberschool website include:
Advanced Composition 1
Advanced Composition 2
AP English 1
AP English 2
AP Language and Composition 1
AP Language and Composition 2
All the World's a Stage (Shakespeare)
American Literature 1
American Literature 2
Bring Literature to Life With Visual Arts
Classic Literature of the Western World
Creative Writing
Heroes 1
Heroes 2
Horror Literature
Journalism
Technical Writing
Writing Creatively
|
9 to 12
|
Public School
(Eugene, Oregon)
|
Curriculum Guides: |
| Description |
Grade Levels |
Type of Website |
| Paradigm Online Writing Assistant A complete curriculum to walk the writer through the details of all phases of writing essays, including organization, revision, editing, documentation of sources, and specific instruction in how to write informal, thesis/support, argumentative, and exploratory essays. This complete free mini-course in essay writing was developed by a professor of English at Boise State University.
|
7 through College
|
Organization & Individual (Chuck Guilford) |
| The Biography Maker An interactive, online curriculum that walks children through all the steps of creating an effective, accurate, well-written biography. |
3 through 8 |
Public School
(Bellingham, WA)
|
| http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html#research Online Writing Lab Handouts by Topic. This set of very detailed handouts produced by the writing laboratories at Purdue University cover every phase of writing, including: Planning/Writing/Revising/Genres; Research Papers; Punctuation; Capitals; Spelling; Sentence Construction; Parts of Speech; English as a Second Language; Exercises/Answer Keys; Writing in the Job Search; and Professional Writing. Used all together, these handouts would comprise a very complete course in writing, grammar, and composition for the high school student or college freshman. |
9 through College |
College or University
(Purdue University)
|
| ABC's of the Writing Process This online curriculum guide provides the steps of the writing process, complete with online links to assist in each step of the process. You can use this site to choose exactly the links needed for your students to teach, practice, remediate, and support the various steps of the process. Although the site is designed for grades K-12, there is more here that is appropriate for the elementary grades than middle and high school. |
K to 12 |
Public School
(Westmount School, Edmonton Public Schools, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
|
| The College Board's Advanced Placement English This website provides access to the free online AP English Course Descriptions, which provide a curriculum guide, including recommended readings, for both AP English courses. Sample exam questions and answers are also included in the course description itself, and on the additional tools and resources section on the website. Teacher resources, including an online discussion group, may also be accessed. Advanced Placement English is a high school course and exam which, if passed, is the equivalent of college English and can secure college credit or advanced standing in English at many colleges and universities. Homeschoolers who access this curriculum guide may be able to design and implement their own AP English course; you do NOT need to be enrolled in a formal class to take the AP exams in May. |
10 through 12 |
Organization
(The College Board)
|
Units, Lesson Plans, and Supplementary Teaching Materials: |
| Description |
Grade Levels |
Type of Website |
| Language Arts Lesson Plans and Resources This site contains links to thousands, of lesson plans in the language arts and literature. Language arts lesson plans and units available include those in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, speech, theater, storytelling, journalism, all types of creative and expository writing, and debate.
|
K to 12
|
Individual
(Edmund J. Sass, Ed.D.) |
| National Council of Teachers of English Teaching Ideas A database of teaching ideas and short lesson plans. Some are drawn from NCTE publications, and others have been submitted by English teachers in public and private schools across the country. |
K to 12 |
Organization
(National Council of Teachers of English)
|
| The Five-Paragraph Essay Wizard: Everything You Need to Know, Plus Practice Writing Prompts A unit for middle school students on the basics of writing essays of various types. Includes links to many writing tools, including graphic organizers. |
5 through 9 |
Individual |
| Way Out Communication This website provides a huge number of resources for the study of the history of language and communications. Although this site contains only a few links to actual lesson plans, homeschooling families will be able to develop their own instructional materials from the fascinating links on this site. If your child has ever wondered how language began, or asked questions about the history of communications technology, this is a site not to be missed. |
4 through 6
(could be used through 8th grade)
|
Individual, but based on the New South Wales, Australia, national curriculum
|
Online Books & Textbooks: |
| Description |
Grade Levels |
Type of Website |
| Spelling Skillbuilders This is a complete full-year spelling program for grades 6, 7, and 8. Detailed teacher lesson plans and student worksheets are included. Based on a standard McDougall-Littell spelling textbook. |
6, 7, and 8 |
Commercial |
| Code of the Debater: Introduction to the Way of Reason An online text which provides instruction in all aspects of basic debating skills, including debate structure, research, speaking, rebuttals, and strategy. This book provides an excellent introduction to the skills of debate. The book is part of a larger site, "Debate Central" which provides information and resources for college debate teams. This site may be accessed here . |
9 through College |
College or University (University of Vermont) |
| Influencing Through Argument: A Complete Argumentation Textbook This online text is an updated web reprint of the author's 1964 debate textbook originally published by David McKay Company. The author is a professor of Forensics at the University of Vermont. This book provides information about gathering information for influencing arguments, then discusses how to influence arguments through the use of various tactics in formal debate. The book is part of a larger site, "Debate Central" which provides information and resources for college debate teams. This site may be accessed here . |
9 through College |
College or University (University of Vermont) |
| The Elements of Style William Strunk, Jr.'s classic 1918 work on English style, grammar, and composition. |
6 through College |
Commercial |
| The Oxford Shakespeare: Complete Works of William Shakespeare W. L. Craig's 1914 edited version of the complete works of Shakespeare. Contains 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and other miscellaneous writings. |
6 through College |
Commercial |
| The King's English (1908) H. W. Fowler's classic reference work on English grammar, usage, & vocabulary. |
4 through College |
Commercial |
| Traditional Grammar: An Interactive Book This is a very complete and complex interactive book covering all phases of English grammar. Interactive activities are provided throughout the book; online quizzes are included in each chapter; and exams are also provided. |
9 through College |
College or University
(Northern Illinois University)
and Individual (Donald E. Hardy)
|
| First Book in Composition, Applying the Principles of Grammar to the Art of Composing: Also, Giving Full Directions for Punctuation; Especially Designed for the Use of Southern Schools This 1863 Confederate-era southern schools textbook provides both an insight into how grammar was taught in the 19th century, and insight into Confederate-era schools. |
7 through12 |
College or University
(University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- part of the "Documenting the American South" digitization project)
|
| Graded lessons in English : An Elementary English Grammar : Consisting of One Hundred Practical Lessons, Carefully Graded and Adapted to the Class-room This 1899 grammar textbook by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg provides a thorough grounding in English grammar. Parsing, similar to oral sentence diagramming, is included. |
6 to 12 |
College or University
(University of Pittsburgh)
|
| First Lessons in Language, or, Elements of English Grammar This 1855 grammar text by David B. Tower and Benjamin F. Tweed also provides a thorough grounding in the basics of English grammar. |
6 to 12 |
College or University
(University of Pittsburgh)
|
| Parsing Book : Containing Rules of Syntax, and Models for Analyzing and Transposing : Together with Selections of Prose and Poetry from Writers of Standard Authority In the 1800s, sentences were not diagrammed, they were parsed! Parsing is a bit like diagramming sentences orally; parsing contests, like spelling bees, were popular in the schools of the day. The only homeschooling program similar to parsing these days is Shurley Grammar. This 1847 book, by Allen H. Weld, will teach your student the structure of English grammar in a way they will not soon forget. |
6 to 12 |
College or University
(University of Pittsburgh)
|
Dictionaries & Reference Materials: |
| Description |
Grade Levels |
Type of Website |
| The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000) 90,000 word entries, including 10,000 new words, plus all articles, appendices, and etymological notes available in the print edition. |
K through College |
Commercial |
| Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Collegiate Thesaurus In addition to providing online access to the contents of both the dictionary and the thesaurus, this website also offers a "word of the day" e-mailed each day; word games; and "Word for the Wise" transcripts of their radio shows on the origins of words; |
K through College |
Commercial |
| OneLook Dictionaries This website has placed the contents of 629 different dictionaries online, and allows you to search a word in many dictionaries at once almost instantly, including technical and specialty dictionaries. A wonderful resource! |
K through College |
Commercial |
| Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary Search the 1828 dictionary online. |
K to 12 |
Commercial |
| Your Dictionary.com More than just a huge collection of English and foreign language dictionaries, this site also includes a collection of grammars; specialty dictionaries in areas as diverse as chemistry, law, and medicine; thesauruses; information about the history of language and grammar; and word games. |
4 through College |
Commercial |
| Roget's II: The New Thesaurus The latest edition of Roget's Thesaurus. Contains 35,000 synonyms; searchable online. |
4 through College |
Commercial |
| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage:A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English |
6 through College |
Commercial |
| Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature A searchable online version of Bartlett's Quotations. |
4 through College |
Commercial |
| A Glossary of Literary Terms and
A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices Searchable glossary and handbook complete with examples and self-tests.
|
9 through College |
College or University
(University of Kentucky and Vanguard University of Southern California)
|
Specialty Resources & Materials: |
| Description |
Grade Levels |
Type of Website |
| Grammar Gorillas An online, interactive, self-correcting grammar game for younger children. Beginning and advanced levels cover all parts of speech. Other entertaining language arts games, sucha as "Spelleroo," "To Be or Nottoobee," and "Paint by Idioms" are available here. (scroll to the middle of the page for the language arts games) |
1 to 5 |
Commercial |
| Daily Grammar This free resource has two parts: You can register for a free daily grammar lesson that will be sent to you via e-mail five days a week, with a quiz e-mailed to you on the sixth day of the week. (E-mail groups begin only two times a year, in January and in September). You can also access all the previous Daily Grammar lessons in Daily Grammar's archives accessible from this website. |
4 through 10 |
Commercial |
| Spelling Lists, Grades 2 to 8 This is a list of typical spelling words appropriate for each grade. Several short lesson plans are also included. |
2 to 8 |
Commercial |
If you have been blessed by this site, please send an e-mail to Kathi and tell her how much you appreciate all the work she has done to gather this information.
Kathi's e-mail
Be sure to visit the Websites for my kids!
[Ashley]
[Christi]
[Cathy]
[David]
[John]
[Briana]
[Erica]
[Bryan]
|