Are Your Language Arts Lagging?

Reading roadblocks. Handwriting hurdles.

Struggling with spelling and wrestling over writing? The language arts are not easy, and some children face more obstacles than others. Homeschool parents are not expected to be experts in all aspects of these critical skills, so Compass offers dozens of small group, in-person language arts classes for families to select from:

Comprehensive Language Arts Programs

  • Reading Rally*...10 levels offered in 1st-8th. Read highlights below.
  • English: Intro to Literary Genres with Writing (9th-10th)
  • English: English: British Literature with Writing Lab: Literary Analysis (10th-11th)
  • English: American Literature with Writing Lab- Rhetorical Analysis (11th-12th)
  • AP Literature and Composition (World Literature) (11th-12th)
  • Rhetoric and Reasoning through Written Works: A Course in Critical Thinking (9th-12th)

Reading Enrichment

  • Reading Ready (K)
  • Reading Rangers (1st)…Waitlist
  • Secret Pages Society (4th-6th)…a Hogwarts inspired book club for tweens
  • Great Graphic Novels: The Most Extreme Adventures (5th-6th)
  • Comprehension Connections: Critical Thinking Through Short Stories (7th-8th)…Waitlist
  • Cover-to-Cover: Fantasy (Middle School Book Group) (7th-8th)…Waitlist
  • Marvelous Myths and Mythical Marvels: Heroes (7th-8th)…Waitlist
  • Literature Roundtable: Dystopian Discourse (9th-12th)

Writing Enrichment

  • Wee Writers (K)
  • Wannabe Writers (1st) …Waitlist
  • Creative Storytelling: Once Upon a…Great Race (2nd-3rd)
  • Creative Storytelling: Once Upon a…Magic Meadow (2nd-3rd)
  • New Twists on Old Tales (2nd-3rd)
  • Writing Wonders (3rd-4th)
  • Writing Well (5th-6th) …Waitlist
  • Writers’ Workshop: Creating Colorful Characters (6th-7th)
  • Extra, Extra! Non Fiction News-Writing (6th-12th)…Compass Collaborative student newspaper staff
  • Writers @ Work: Paragraphs with Purpose (7th-8th)
  • Write to the Point: Paragraphs and Articles (7th-9th)
  • Writing Lab (9th-12th)
  • The Art of Storytelling: A Creative Writing Workshop (9th-12th)
  • Worldbuilding: Fantasy Worlds (9th-12th)

Additional Language Arts

  • Word Games: A Language Arts Olympics (2nd-3rd)…a kinesthetic, game-based approach to teach the boring stuff
  • Penmanship Pals (2nd-4th)…an afternoon club to make neat, beautiful handwriting fun
  • Word Masters: Verbal Analogies and Vocab Challenges (4th-6th)
  • Information Masters: Inquiry & Investigation (9th-12th)…research writing
  • Mastering Microsoft Office: Word & Excel (Certificate Program) 9th-12th

Register for these classes and others online.

*Reading Rally is a comprehensive language arts curriculum taught by reading specialist Catherine Vanlandingham. Ten (10) separate reading levels are offered. Each level meets once a week and covers reading, comprehension, composition, spelling, and grammar. Weekly readings are organized around thematic units, and students complete a “page-a-day” supporting workbook activities at home. No need to buy separate, additional curricula in these subjects. Students must take a language arts skills inventory before registering. Sign-up HERE, and you will be contacted about a date/time for the assessment.

More Help

Sometimes parents are not sure what level or what approach is the best fit for their child’s language arts learning style. Summer is a great time to assess students’ literacy skills to identify areas of strength and need and to plan for the next school year. Jennifer Nowicki (M.Ed., CALT, C-SLDS) of Spark Reading is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Certified Dyslexia Specialist, and Certified Reading Specialist. Her office is co-located at Compass in Room H-10. She is offering 50-minute literacy assessments with 45-minute Zoom follow-up meetings to discuss results with families.  Contact jennifer@sparkreading.com to schedule or for more information.