WELCOMING DECEMBER

It’s December. I what wonder what that means for you:

•  Crazy busy stress

•  A welcome break in the routine

•  A meaningful focus on priorities in life

•  Fun, family, food

•  $$$$$

•  Time with the ones you love

•  Oppressive expectations from others

 Etc., etc., etc.

I would love to hear what December brings for you. I hope it puts a smile on your face and a spark in your heart. I hope you are able to look and think past the hustle and bustle that may usher in anxiety, and instead choose to focus on the people and the opportunities in order that you might enjoy them – your loved ones, even strangers. But if it’s hard, perhaps a small shift in your perspective or your choices will help this year.

When I was homeschooling our four children, I eagerly awaited the arrival of December. Actually, if I’m being honest, I eagerly awaited the arrival of Thanksgiving because then everything in our household shifted for the remainder of the calendar year. How did it shift? I chose to set aside lists and focus on relaxation and heart-warming moments:

•  Family movies together

•  Crafts - even some homemade gifts

•  Warm, soft, comfy clothes

•  Sleepovers and staying up late and sleeping in

•  Plenty of baking - all the family favorites along with an occasional attempt at

  something new

•  Hot chocolate and toast

•  Reading together and playing together (or alone for my introvert)

•  Weaving in reminders about the true meaning of Christmas

•  A beautiful Christmas choral concert that our children participated in

•   And the climax was a week at Grandpa and Grandma’s home in the Sierra

  mountains!!

BUT WAIT!!! What about school? Yes, we wove in a bit of reading and writing -- the fun stuff. And the children worked on math lessons “most” days. But the “learning” came naturally. Oh the memories … Now I get to enjoy the same heart-warming moments with my grandchildren.

The holiday season is a special time of year. I pray you find the things that warm your heart, and allow yourself to bask in the joy of the season – even in the midst of the busyness, and sometimes the chaos. Make simple choices that will create special memories as you embrace and enjoy the season. I promise, your children will “learn” much. Welcome December.

Speaking life, Kris

December 2022: Holidays, slow down, gather

A Christmas Literature Guide

The Write Journey Team benefits greatly from the available teaching guides published by Total Language Plus® (TLP). These comprehensive guides offer activities, writing prompts, editing lessons for grammar, and vocabulary lessons as well. We often use this resource as we create our Reading & Writing class assignments. There are both discussion questions to check for comprehension, as well as deeper questions to develop critical thinking skills. If you choose to use one of the guides during the holiday months while students are not in our classes, nearly all of the prep work is done for the parent. And who could not benefit from some extra time during the holidays?! TLP offers a guide with three Christmas short stories, or a guide for older students with the classic Dickens novel, A Christmas Carol. Use the link below to visit the website and consider purchasing whichever format you prefer for your family. You may even explore other options as you plan for your future Language Arts instruction!

THE WRITE JOURNEY SPRING SEMESTER CALENDAR

With all of the new changes to family schedules that happen at the start of a new semester, it can be helpful to have the dates on a calendar as reminders. This link will take you to a month-by-month schedule of our classes.

IN THE LOOP

Friends and families,
As the calendar year draws to a close, we want to make sure you are in the loop with important next steps:

1. For a couple months you get to enjoy a break from our class routine. Classes will begin again in two months, so for now, your children get to enjoy reading and writing books and stories that have been awaiting their attention.

2. You’ll find our new Student Lesson Guide is now available for purchase as a downloadable on our website. This might be a great option for your children during the holiday break. The lessons provide an excellent review of our writing methods, and they are appropriate for a wide range of ages. You’ll find more information about this new product on our website.

3. Registration for all spring classes has already opened! Make sure you head over to our website to see what the options are for your children. As always, contact our home office if you have any questions. And don’t forget to order your vouchers before the Christmas break if you are using charter funds.

4. Now is a great time to share our classes with your friends so they too can enjoy the benefits of quality language arts instruction with our excellent instructors next semester.

5. We are excited to offer two course options for our Adult Training Program (ATP):

•  Writing Foundations for ATP: Handbook Instruction

•  Blending Literature with Writing: Practical Suggestions for All Ages

 Register for one or both of these courses now by contacting our home office. Based on the individuals attending these classes, days and timesare TBD.

If you are unfamiliar with our ATP course, you can find more details on our website. Then you will need to contact our home office for more information and details about these courses. Without doubt, these courses are extremely beneficial for equipping all parents to better assist their children with ALL writing assignments.

Great job getting through Fall 2022 with your amazing kiddos! Enjoy the holidays, and we’ll see you in 2023!! Remember: don’t hesitate to contact us if we can help you with ANYTHING - call or send us an email: 916-696-1759 or www.thewritejourney.net.

WHY MOVE INTO THE READING & WRITING CLASS AFTER WRITING FOUNDATIONS IS COMPLETE?

Why do we need to continue in classes after the Writing Foundations class is complete? We encourage students to continue on their writing journey after they complete the Writing Foundations class because: who learns every element of writing after only 12 weeks?  Language is complicated, and so are our thoughts and insights. Therefore, we must practice, practice, practice.  Our Reading and Writing classes are divided into two parts.  In the writing portion of class, we discuss how best to communicate our thoughts and messages by practicing the following in our own paragraphs as well as our practice sentences. 

• Making sure each sentence fulfills it’s purpose

• Using strong vocabulary

• How to change our sentence structure

The other half of class is spent learning to analyze literature by reading it slowly. Literary discussions in the younger classes include devices such as, but not limited to:

• Parts of a story

• Annotate important aspects of character development

• Chart other topics brought up in the novel 

In the older classes they look at the complex literary devices, such as:

• The author’s craft or methods

• Themes 

• Point of view

We discuss these using specific examples in our novels and other novels we have read in the past. By learning to relate our novel studies to the outside world, we endeavor to think critically and apply these skills to other areas of study.