Lesson 1

Welcome to your first day of school! I wanted to give you one important reminder before you begin. Many of your lessons below have an internet link for you to click on. When you go to the different internet pages for your lessons, please DO NOT click on anything else on that page except what the directions tell you to. DO NOT click on any advertisements or games. DO NOT click on anything that takes you to a different website. Just stay focused on your lesson and then close that window and you should be right back here for the next lesson. Okay?

Writing

1. Read this stanza. (A stanza is a section of a poem. There is a space between each stanza to show you where one stops and the next starts.)
   • I have you fast in my fortress,
     And will not let you depart,
     But put you down into the dungeon
     In the round-tower of my heart.
2. In the stanza, what two words rhyme?  (answer:  heart and depart)
3. A rhyme scheme tells you how many lines the stanzas have and which lines of the stanza rhyme. We write a rhyme scheme using letters, and matching letters show which lines rhyme. If it is an AABB rhyme scheme, then the first two lines would rhyme and the third and fourth lines would rhyme.
4. The rhyme scheme in this poem is ABCB. That means that each stanza in this poem has four lines. The matching letters tell you which lines rhyme.  In this poem the B lines rhyme, meaning the second and fourth lines rhyme. The A and C lines have no matching letter, so no rhyme.
5. Reread that stanza out loud.
6. Write a stanza of the poem with the same rhyme scheme.
7. This is the end of your work for this course for your first day. You are allowed to move at your own pace (this is homeschooling), but it’s intended you complete one lesson a day.

Lesson 2

Spelling

1. How are your spelling skills? Place the vowel combination in the correct coconut to make a word. Choose the hard level.

Lesson 3

Writing

1. Choose a mood to write about. (happy, sad, surprised, angry, frustrated, silly, confused, excited…)
2. Make a list of words that describe that feeling, create that feeling, or are synonyms with the mood word you chose.
3. Write a poem in ABABCC format. What does that mean? How many lines? Which rhyme? (answers: 6 lines; 1st and 3rd, 2nd and 4th, and last two)
4. Write at least one stanza. Read your stanza out loud to get the feel of the rhythm of your poem. Do you have lines that are too long? Poems don’t just have rhyme; they have rhythm, but more than anything, they have feeling.
5. Use at least three words from your mood-word list.
6. My example is below. What do you think was my mood, and what do you think are the three words from my mood list?
7. Your poem doesn’t have to be perfect, but you have to try your best!

Coming in through the door,

“Long-time, no see,” they offer big hugs,

Suitcases laid down on the floor,

They take a seat for fun on the rugs,

All tickles and smiles,

Happy they came the miles.

Lesson 4

Writing

1. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza below from the poem “Children” by Longfellow?  (Answers)
   • Ye open the eastern windows,
     That look towards the sun,
     Where thoughts are singing swallows
     And the brooks of morning run.
2. Write a joyful stanza with this rhyme scheme.

Lesson 5

Writing

1. Pick a poem.
2. What is its rhyme scheme and rhythm?
3. Write a funny poem with this rhyme scheme.

Lesson 6

Spelling

1. Choose the bottom button of “All phonemes” to practice spelling. Then click and drag the correct phoneme into the blank in the word.

Grammar

1. Play this parts of speech game. Un-check prepositions.

Lesson 7

Grammar

1. Play this adverbs and adjectives game if you aren’t on a phone.
2. If you are on a phone, use this quiz instead.

Lesson 8

Writing

1. What rhyme scheme is this poem in?  (Answers)
   • Talk not of sad November, when a day
     Of warm, glad sunshine fills the sky of noon,
     And a wind, borrowed from some morn of June,
     Stirs the brown grasses and the leafless spray. (“Day” by Whittier)
2. Choose a season and describe it in at least one stanza using the same rhyme scheme.
3. Before you write, read this stanza out loud to get the rhythm of the poem.

Lesson 9

Writing

1. Find the rhyme pattern in the poem “Requirement” by Whittier. It’s a little harder because it’s not broken into stanzas. (Answers)
2. Where is the exception in the rhyme pattern? (Answers)

Grammar

1. Play this adverb game . (If you have AdBlock on your browser, you will need to disable it on the page and reload to play the game.)
2. Play word invasion. Un-check prepositions.

Lesson 10

Writing

1. Write a psalm that starts each line or most lines with “Praise Him!”
2. Do you need inspiration? (Psalm 150)

Lesson 11

Writing

1. A simile compares two things using the words like or as.
2. Some examples of similes using “like” are: sleep like a baby and run like the wind. If you say someone runs like the wind, you are saying they are very fast. You are comparing a person to the wind using the word like.
3. Write a simile for cold, soft and hungry.
4. How long and creative can you make them? You could say, “Hot like fire.”  Or, you could say, “Hot like a hamburger on a grill at high noon on the fourth of July in Texas.” Which is more interesting?
5. Next time you are writing a story and want to say that something or someone was hot, what will you write?

Lesson 12

Writing

1. Read through these examples of similes. These similes use the word as to compare.
2. Write three more similes. This time use as in all of them. For example: as slow as …   as funny as …   as hard as …
3. How would you use these in a story? She was sentenced to a morning of cleaning her room. As she picked clothes up off the floor, she moved as slow as ….

Lesson 13

Writing

1. Something tangible is touchable. The “in” in intangible gives it the opposite meaning.
2. Write one tangible and one intangible thing that can answer these questions. What are big? What are thieves? What’s good medicine? If you can’t think of answers to these, but you can think up your own questions and answers, then go right ahead and use your own questions.
3. You can see my answers, but they aren’t the only right answers. (Answers)

Lesson 14

Grammar

1. Find the adverbs. (If you get the first ten right, you can stop.)

Writing

1. Write a poem using at least two similes. If you use more, get a high five and/or hug. You don’t have to use one from the example list. In fact, you can get a high five and/or hug if you write your own unique similes. And, you can get another bonus high five and/or hug if you write LONG simile. Remember that they compare two things using like or as.

Lesson 15

Writing

1. Write a sentence using intangible and a sentence using unfettered, which means unrestrained, or nothing’s holding you back.
2. Get a high five and/or hug if you can put them both into the same sentence.

Lesson 16

Writing

1. How many lines are in each stanza of “Sympathy,” #02?   (Answers)
2. What is the rhyme scheme of “Sympathy”?  (Answers)
3. Write a poem using the same rhyme scheme (meaning you’ll write the same number of lines in your stanza) as this poem.

Lesson 17* (Note that an asterisk * indicates that there is a worksheet on this lesson)

Writing

1. The easiest example of an-thro-po-morph-ism is any cartoon where an animal acts like it’s a person.
2. The easiest way to write anthropomorphism is to use the word “I.” Write a short “Who Am I” story. You can use the lines on the bottom of your grammar worksheet if you’d like.
3. Here’s an example.
   • I sit all day helping others sit. You get to stand and stretch your legs, but I am stuck sitting, sitting sitting. And not only that, but I give you a nice soft place to sit, and what do I get to sit on? The hard floor! Is that fair?  (Who am I?)   (Answers)

Grammar*

1. *Take the sentence quiz. You can check your answers. If you got any wrong, GO BACK and look at the right answer, and figure out why that answer is right. If you can’t figure out why you were wrong, ask a parent. Reminders:
   • Subject is the noun the sentence is about. The simple subject is cup instead of the blue cup.
   • Predicate is the rest of the sentence, what the subject does. The simple predicate is ran instead of ran all the way home.
   • Imperative sentences give a command. Declarative sentences make a statement. Interrogative sentences ask a question. Exclamatory sentences exclaim.

Lesson 18*

Grammar*

1. *Take this grammar quiz.
2. Then check your answers. If you got any wrong, GO BACK and look at the right answer, and figure out why that answer is right. If you can’t figure out why you were wrong, ask a parent.

Lesson 19*

Grammar*

1. *Take the grammar quiz at the top of the page.
2. Then check your answers. If you got any wrong, GO BACK and look at the right answer, and figure out why that answer is right. If you can’t figure out why you were wrong, ask a parent.

Writing

1. A metaphor, like a simile, is a way to compare two things. A metaphor says one thing IS the other. You can use the link to read some examples.
2. Play metaphor battleship. If you are using touchscreen and find that game hard to use, you can answer the same questions with this quiz.
3. For extra practice, you can do the middle part of your worksheet.

Spelling

1. Here is a misspelled metaphor. “He is a shinning star.” What does it say? What is it supposed to say?
2. When you double the consonant like that, it keeps that first i away from other vowels so that it keeps its short vowel sound. (The i short vowel sound is the I sound in the words hit and pick.)
3. To spell shine with an -ing at the end, you drop the e and add the -ing: SHINING. The second i acts like the e in shine and makes i say its name.
4. How would you add -ing to these words: hop, hope?
5. For extra practice, you can finish your worksheet if you’d like.

Lesson 20

Grammar

1. Remember: both similes and metaphors compare two things that aren’t alike. Similes use “like” or “as.” Metaphors say one thing is the other.
2. Play What’s a metaphor and what’s a simile? Note: Do NOT play the “live game” at the top of the page. Scroll down to the jeopardy board and play on your own. Click one of the points squares. Read the sentence. Answer it in your head. And then click “View Answer” to see if you were correct. Try at least two columns. It doesn’t keep your score.

Writing

1.  Write a poem using at least one metaphor. If you use more than one or at least one simile as well, get a high five and/or hug.
2. Read your poem in front of your family.

Lesson 21

Writing

1. Read the last page of this PDF on types of poetry.
2. We’ve looked at how poems can create moods or feelings. Both of these types of poems you just read can create moods or feelings.
3. Write one diamante and one sensory poem, following the directions carefully.

Lesson 22

Writing

1. Scroll down to where it says “Rhyming” (toward the bottom).
2. Read the section with the examples.
3. Write a couplet, a triplet and a quatrain.

Lesson 23

Writing

1. Scroll down to Limerick.
2. Read the section and examples. Read the examples out loud to get a sense of how they sound (what they are talking about with the letters u and s; it’s just about how it sounds).
3. Write two limericks.

Lesson 24

Writing

1. Scroll down to Haiku.
2. You can use the links for more help and ideas.
3. Write two haiku poems.

Lesson 25

Writing

1. Scroll down to Explorer Poems.
2. Here is where you can read her students’ explorer poems. Read some of them.
3. Write a poem with facts from what you are learning either in history or in science.

Lesson 26

Writing

1. Write 10 of your poems into a book. Type them into a word processing program and print them as a book.
2. Make sure everything is spelled correctly. Give it to your parents to hold onto. This might be something for your portfolio.

Speaking

1. Read through this page  out loud, acting out different ways to say the sentence. When it writes “quarrel” slanting upwards, which means your voice goes up (like when you ask a question). See if you can follow their directions and make yourself sound excited, surprised, etc.

Lesson 27

Writing

1. Write examples of each of the following: simile (Lesson 11), metaphor (19), anthropomorphism (17), declarative sentence (17), interrogative sentence (17), exclamatory sentence (17), imperative sentence (17).
2. If you can write them into a story, instead of just individual itty-bitty examples, get a high five and/or hug.

Lesson 28

Writing

1. Write an anthropomorphic story. Look around the room you are sitting in. Choose an inanimate object (something that’s not alive). Write a short story as that object. Use the word “I” like that object is the one thinking and speaking in the story. For example, I’ll choose the laptop I’m working on. I could write: All day I’m stared at. How rude is that! If that weren’t rude enough, then they sit there and poke at me…

Lesson 29

Spelling

1. What letter is missing? Keep moving through the levels. It gets harder!

Grammar

1. For fun and to see what you remember: Play semicolon wars!

Lesson 30

Writing

1. Write a short story.

Lesson 31

Writing

1. Is it a metaphor? Remember that a simile uses “like” or “as.”

Grammar

1. Read the comma rules about introductory phrases and look at the examples.
2. Take the quiz. Just do numbers 1 – 8. Write your answer down. You can’t complete it on the screen.

Lesson 32*

Grammar*

1. *Take this adjective quiz.
2. Check your answers when you are done.

Lesson 33

Grammar

1. Write the correct verb.
2. Check your answers. Click on the link again and try again and fix your mistakes.

Lesson 34*

Grammar*

1. *Take this grammar quiz.
2. Check your answers when you are done.

Lesson 35

Writing

1. Write a short story using at least one simile and one metaphor. Get a high five and/or hug if you use more.

Lesson 36*

Writing*

1. *We’re going to start writing a five-paragraph essay. Choose a topic you are studying for school in history or science to write about. Print out this flower organizer and write a fact about your topic in each petal.  Write your topic in the middle or at the top of the page.

Lesson 37

Writing

1. Do you remember what the five paragraphs to a short essay are? (answer: introduction, 3 main points, conclusion)
2. Today, choose your three main points. To do that, look at your facts. Can they be organized into three topics? If one doesn’t fit, it’s okay to leave it out. You need at least two facts for each point you want to make. Write the numbers 1, 2, 3 and mark which facts go together. On the back of your page, write what your three points are going to be. For instance, for an essay on the pyramids, write on the back, “1. The pyramids were made by workers, not slaves.” Then write the number 1 on the petal facts that would go with that topic. (Example: 1. Workers were paid with bread and beer.)

Grammar

1. Try this punctuation game about commas in a series.
2. Choose “commas in a series.” It means that you put commas between words in a list including between the last two. You put a comma before the “and.”
   • Example: Bring snacks, bathing suit, and towel.

Lesson 38

Writing

1. Write your introduction. The first sentence should catch the reader’s attention. Use a strange fact, ask a question, or use an interesting quote. Then say something about your topic but don’t give your facts yet. The last sentence is your thesis statement, your topic sentence. This sentence tells what your essay is going to be about. Don’t write, “My essay is about…”
2. Here’s an example.
   • You’ve seen pictures of pyramids, right? Did you know that each stone in a pyramid weighed as much as a car? The pyramids were built with a lot of hard work, but also with a lot of intelligence. The pyramids are an amazing feat of engineering.
3. Did I get you interested with my questions and an interesting fact?
4. What is my thesis or main topic?  (answer: The pyramids are an amazing feat of engineering.) 

Grammar

1. Correct the mistakes in comma usage. This is practicing commas that go after the introductory phrase. It separates out a non-essential part at the beginning of the sentence.

Lesson 39

Writing

1. Today write one of your middle paragraphs. Decide what order they will go in to make the most sense.
2. Your first sentence should be your topic sentence (your main point). (For example:  You might imagine that the pyramids were made by slaves, but they were really built by paid workers.)
3. Then you write your facts. Try to write three sentences for this part, but I would rather you write two long sentences than three short ones.
4. Next, write your conclusion sentence.  (For example: Pyramid workers not only were not slaves, but they had comfortable lives and had the noble purpose of serving their king.)

Grammar

1. Try this pronoun quiz.

Lesson 40*

Writing*

1. *Print this page. Fill in the blanks to complete the worksheet on similes.

Lesson 41 

Spelling

1. Find the words in the word search. You can click on “Word Bank” to see them.

Lesson 42

Grammar

1. Play the game on object and subject pronouns. (That doesn’t work best on mobile devices. If that’s you, you can use the quiz.)
2. Subject pronouns are the pronouns that come before verbs, as in I sing, you laugh, he dances, she plays, it works, we live, and they have. Object pronouns come after the verb, as in give him, write her, call them, and bring us.

Writing

1. Today, write the next of your middle paragraphs. Below are the directions I gave you on Lesson 39.
2. Your first sentence should be your topic sentence (your main point). (For example:  You might imagine that the pyramids were made by slaves, but really they were built by paid workers.)
3. Next, you write your facts. Try to write three sentences for this part, but I would rather you write two long sentences than three short ones.
4. Then, you write your conclusion sentence.  (For example: Pyramid workers not only were not slaves, but they had comfortable lives and had the noble purpose of serving their king.)

Lesson 43

Grammar

1. Take the pronoun quiz. This is easier than the last one.

Writing

1. Today, write the last of your middle paragraphs. Below are the directions I gave you before.
2. Your first sentence should be your topic sentence (your main point). (For example:  You might imagine that the pyramids were made by slaves, but really they were built by paid workers.)
3. Then, you write your facts. Try to write three sentences for this part, but I would rather you write two long sentences than three short ones.
4. Lastly, you write your conclusion sentence.  (For example: Pyramid workers not only were not slaves, but they had comfortable lives and also the noble purpose of serving their king.)

Lesson 44*

Grammar *

1. *Take this verb quiz. Check your answers when you are through.

Writing

1. Today, write your conclusion, the last paragraph of your essay.
2. The first sentence of your conclusion should retell your thesis statement or topic sentence from your introduction. DON’T just copy the sentence, though. Tell it in new words.
3. Your paragraph should have three to five sentences.
4. The last sentence of the paragraph should tell us why you wrote about it, what’s so important about this, why should we care about this…make some sort of statement. Here’s my example of a conclusion:

• The pyramids are remarkable considering the time period in which they were built. Other cultures remained primitive, while the Egyptians were engineering colossal wonders. I think the pyramids prove that God was right when he decided to confuse the languages of the people on earth. He said, “Nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Genesis 11:6b, NIV 1984)

Lesson 45*

Writing*

1. Edit your essay.
2. *Here is an editing checklist. Aim for a check mark in each box.
3. Add a title, your name and the date. Print your essay when you are sure it’s your best. Give it to your parents to add to your portfolio.

Grammar

1. Alphabetical order

Lesson 46

Spelling

1. Put the months in alphabetical order.
2. If their first letters match, look at the next letter to see which comes first.

Grammar

1. Play this sentence game.
2. You need to decide if it’s a real sentence or not. Be sure to read the explanations.

Lesson 47

Grammar

1. Read through the lesson on dialogue tags. 
   
2. It is okay to use “said.” Most kids only use “said.” You will see in the books you read that authors use “said.” If they said it, they said it. But if they answered or whispered or retorted or yelled, then say so. Try and use words other than “said” in each dialogue you write.

Writing

1. Write a dialogue between two animals.

Lesson 48

Grammar

1. Choose the dialogue with the correct punctuation.

Writing

1. Write a dialogue between two characters in history. King Tut and Neil Armstrong…whomever you like!

Lesson 49*

Grammar*

1. Learn about dialogue punctuation rules.
   • Tip! Other punctuation always goes BEFORE the quotation mark.
2. *Print the practice. Correct the punctuation on the printed page.
3. When you are done, check your answers.

Writing

1. Write a dialogue between you and someone in your family OR anyone you like. You can use the bottom of your worksheet if you’d like.

Lesson 50

Writing

1. Write a fable with the moral, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.”

Lesson 51

Writing

1. Learn about the parts of a story.
2. If you had this same assignment in your reading course today, then watch this short rap video on the elements of a story.

Lesson 52*

Grammar*

1. Read this lesson on subjects and predicates.
2. *Complete this subject and predicate worksheet. You can check your answers.

Lesson 53*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.
2. Remember…short a as in hat, short i as in hit, short o as in hot, short u as in hut.

Writing

1. How would you come up with money? Write a paragraph. Make sure to start your paragraph explaining what you are going to be writing about. The person you give your paragraph to may not have read this assignment and may have no idea what you are talking about. Come up with two ways to get money – one reasonable, one crazy.

Lesson 54*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. Check your work to make sure you spelled everything right! You can check your answers when you are finished.

Writing

1. Write a short story (it can be just one paragraph) about a problem and how you solved it. It can be anything from getting gum stuck on your shoe to being new and not having any friends. Save your story so you can find it later!

Lesson 55

Writing

1. Read pages 7 and 8. It is a sample story written by a fifth grader. It also has the teacher’s comments in different categories. Pay attention to the corrections given by the teacher! They will make your writing better.
2. What was good and what was not good about the story?

Lesson 56*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Writing

1. Read pages 10 and 11. It is a sample story written by a fifth grader. It also has the teacher’s comments in different categories. Pay attention to the corrections given by the teacher! They will make your writing better.
2. What did the student do well? What could the student have done better?

Lesson 57*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Writing

1. Read pages 24 and 25. It is a sample story written by a fifth grader. It also has the teacher’s comments in different categories. Pay attention to the corrections given by the teacher! They will make your writing better.
2. What did the student do well? What could the student have done better?

Lesson 58*

Grammar*

1. Read this lesson on compound and complex sentences.
2. *Complete this worksheet. You can check your answers.

Writing

1. Write two compound sentences and two complex sentences. You can use the bottom of your worksheet if you’d like.

Lesson 59*

Writing*

1. Your voice as a writer is the way you sound when you write. Your voice can be humorous, serious, exciting, or boring.
2. A strong voice means interesting writing. To have a stronger voice, choose interesting words and descriptions. Don’t say you are happy. Say you feel like you could fly. Don’t say you were excited. Say you were shaking, unable to contain all the excitement you were feeling.
3. You also need to match your tone to the style of writing. If you are writing a letter to the president, you would use a different tone than if you were writing a letter to a friend.
4. *Complete this worksheet. You can check your answers.

Lesson 60*

Grammar

1. Review the different types of sentence structures.
   
   

Writing*

1. The main topic of your worksheet today is word choice. The emphasis is on choosing specific words. Don’t say; whisper. Don’t run; sprint. Don’t go to the store; go to Walmart. Don’t pet your dog; pet your beagle. Don’t eat dinner; eat chicken dumplings. Get the idea?
2. *Complete this worksheet. You can check your answers.

Lesson 61*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Writing

1. Get out your short story about the problem you solved.
2. Score it just like in the examples. Don’t just give it a number. Write each category and write what was good or bad about it.

Lesson 62*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Writing

1. Rewrite your short story. Fix all the problems so that it would get a perfect score.

Lesson 63

Writing

1. Read pages 29 and 30. It is a sample story written by a fifth grader. It also has the teacher’s comments in different categories. Pay attention to the corrections given by the teacher! They will make your writing better.
2. What did the student do well? What could the student have done better?

Lesson 64*

Writing*

1. We’re going to keep learning about sentences. Today’s lesson is on sentences that aren’t really sentences.
2. There are two types:  run-on sentences and sentence fragments.
   • A run-on sentence is when more than one sentence is smooshed together.
     • Example: I love dogs I would have a million if I could.
       • That’s really two sentences. I love dogs. I would have a million if I could.
   • A sentence fragment is just a sentence part, not the whole thing.
     • Example: Ready or not.
     • That’s not a complete sentence. There is no subject and verb.
3. *Complete this worksheet. You can check your answers.

Lesson 65*

Grammar*

1. Possessives show ownership: That’s my ball. It’s Jerome’s bat.
2. Apart from possessive pronouns like my and your, we use an apostrophe to show possession.
3. To show that the collar belongs to the cat, we write that it’s the cat’s collar.
   • You add an apostrophe and the letter s.
4. The only trick here is that if the word is plural and ends with an s already, you don’t add an extra s. You just write the apostrophe.
   • boys, girls, children
   • boys’ game, girls’ game, children’s game
5. *Complete this worksheet. You can check your answers.

Lesson 66*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete the top part of this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Grammar

1. Complete the rest of your worksheet.  (Answers will vary, but each one should contain a possessive, meaning a word with an apostrophe showing that something belongs to it.)

Lesson 67*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete the top part of this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Writing

1. Complete the bottom part of your worksheet.

Lesson 68

Grammar*

1. An adverb tells when, where, or how something was done. Adverbs are used in describing verbs, but can also describe adjectives. Example: That was really hard!
2. *Complete this worksheet. Answers will vary for the most part. You can check suggested answers here, but please read the top of the page to understand the answer key.

Lesson 69

Grammar

1. Practice the comma rules.

Lesson 70

Writing

1. Write a letter to a friend that tells the story of something you lost and how you found it. Using commas correctly, list all the places you looked and all the people who helped you find it.

Lesson 71*

Spelling*

1. *Print and complete this spelling worksheet. You can check your answers when you are finished.

Lesson 72

Grammar

1. We are going to practice subject and object pronouns.
   • Subject pronouns are the subject of the sentence, who we are talking about, the one doing the action in the sentence.
   • Object pronouns come after prepositions, such as with me, from me, to me. Objects have things being done to them. Tell me, show me.
2. Let me give you some hints. Look at these examples:
   • The dog chased my brother and ____.
   • What goes in the blank above, me or I? An easy way to check is by taking out the extra person.
   • The dog chased ____.
   • Now it’s easy to know the answer, right?
   • Try it the other way. Read the sentence below. Should you add in I or me?
   • My brother and ____ ran home.
   • Take away the extra person.
   • ____ ran home.
   • Now you know!
   • (answers: The dog chased my brother and me. My brother and I ran home.)
   • Try this quiz on subject and object pronouns. You are going to choose between I and me for each one.

Lesson 73

Writing

1. Today you are going to write a summary of a novel you have recently finished reading. This is going to become part of a book review. Type your summary and SAVE IT!
2. When you write your summary, it should be in the present tense.

• Here’s an example of the present tense: In the beginning of the story, life is happy for Cinderella, but then her father dies. Her step mother makes her a slave to the family.
• This is the same thing in past tense. (Don’t do this!): In the beginning of the story life was happy for Cinderella, but then her father died. Her step mother made  her a slave to the family.

Lesson 74*

Writing*

1. *Complete this worksheet. When you write, choose great verbs like these!
2. Write two reasons why you liked the book (the one you wrote your summary about). Follow the directions below. Type your work on the same document as your book summary.
3. Write your reason as a topic sentence, the first sentence of a paragraph. In The Book Title, the author….
4. Now try to think of examples from the book that show what you are talking about.

Lesson 75

Writing

1. Start with your two topic sentences from Lesson 74.
2. You are going to turn each of these into a paragraph.
3. Follow each reason with an example from the book that shows what you are talking about.
4. Write a concluding sentence to each paragraph stating how the example shows the point you are trying to make.
5. You should have two paragraphs written when you are done.

Lesson 76

Writing

1. Write an introduction and conclusion for your book review.
2. The last sentence of your introduction should mention the two reasons why you liked the book. That’s your thesis statement, your main idea.
3. The next paragraph will be your summary. That will be followed by your two paragraphs on the reasons you liked the book.
4. Your last paragraph is your conclusion. Restate your reasons for liking the book — in a new way! Don’t use the same sentence as before. Say whether or not you recommend the book and who you recommend it to. Write your final sentence with the word “I” in it. What is your final thought on the book?

Lesson 77

Writing

1. Look again at the examples and think about all of the different categories that the teacher commented on.
2. Assemble all of the paragraphs for your book review together if you haven’t already.
3. Think about how you could make better word choices or make longer sentences.
4. Read your book review out loud.  Listen for trouble spots where it doesn’t sound right. Fix them.
5. Take your time and make it right. This is all you have to do today.
6. When you think your book review is great, add your name and date in the top right corner and a title to the top middle of the page.
7. Print it out and give it to your parents to include in your portfolio.

Lesson 78

Writing

1. You discover a bottle that says “Drink me.” Write a short story about your discovery, what you do with it, and what happens next.

Lesson 79*

Grammar

1. Do you know when to use -er and -est and more and most? Read through the lesson.
2. *Print this comparative and superlative worksheet.
3. Complete the worksheet and then check your answers. Did you spell them correctly?

Lesson 80

Spelling

1. Play this spelling game.

Grammar

1. Play a verb game.

Lesson 81

Grammar

1. Play this homophone game.
2. Remember: homophones are words which sound alike but are spelled differently.

Spelling

1. Complete this word search.

Lesson 82

Writing

1. Write a short story using a pair of homophones. (See Lesson 81 if you need a reminder.)
2. Make sure they are spelled correctly!
3. Get a hug and/or high five if you use more than one set.

Lesson 83

Writing

1. “If everybody minded their own business…the world would go around a great deal faster than it does” (from Alice in Wonderland). Another character disagrees with the woman who says this.
2. What do you think? Should people mind their own business or not? Which is better and why? Answer in complete sentences.

Lesson 84

Grammar

1. Read through the review lesson on possessives.
2. Do the quiz.

Lesson 85

Writing

1. Write about what you think makes a good leader. Is a good leader like a queen who rules with threats? What qualities make a good leader and why? How would those qualities affect those they lead?
2. Answer with complete sentences.

Lesson 86

Spelling

1. Unscramble the words. Do your best. (These are words from Alice in Wonderland.)
2. Here are definitions to help you if you need help. The first and last letter of each word is in parentheses:
   1. not authentic or real, but without the intention to deceive (m, k)
   2. to try to persuade someone (c, x)
   3. without respect, acting as if it is worthless (c, y)
   4. slow, lacking in interest (l, d)
   5. to make an opposite statement (c, t)
   6. pathetic or deserving pity (p, s)
   7. a feeling of intense aversion, dislike, or hostility (a, y)
   8. marked by or showing deep sincerity or seriousness (e, y)
   9. as a noun it’s a groove or trench; as a verb it means to wrinkle (f, w)
   10. to anger, enrage, exasperate (p, e)

Grammar

1. Choose the correct conjunctions, those words that connect two parts of a sentence.

Lesson 87*

Writing*

1. Read the list of compare and contrast transition words. You will need some of these words in your next writing assignment.
2. You are going to start writing a compare and contrast essay. You will compare (tell how they are the same) and contrast (tell how they are different) the last two novels you have read. I will use these books as an example: Treasure Seekers and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
3. *Use this sheet to list things that are the same about the books. In my example, they were both written in the last half of the 19th century and they were both written by English authors. Those might not be important to your essay, but we’re not thinking about that now. You are just trying to think of as many ways they are similar as possible. Here’s a question to get you started: who is the main character in each book? If you are really stuck, you can go here for some ideas to get the juices flowing: Answers.

Lesson 88*

Writing*

1. *Use this sheet and write ideas for what’s different about the two books. One thing to do is to look at your list of how they are the same, and think about when they stop being the same. From my example, they both have a child for the main character, but the one book has four children. They both start at a family home, but the one leaves reality and goes to a surrealistic land. They both have adventures, but… They both are trying to solve problems, but… (Answers – just some ideas)

Lesson 89

Writing

1. You are going to write your thesis statement today, the point your essay is going to make. FIRST, you need to decide on three different things that you can compare and contrast in your essay–ways they are the same and ways they are different. You can use my examples or your own. Use your lists for ideas.

•  The differences and similarities in settings and characters.
• The differences and similarities in their adventures.
• The differences and similarities in how their problems were solved.

1. Write your thesis statement, your main point. This will be your last sentence in your first paragraph. It should mention the three things that you will compare and contrast in your essay.

Lesson 90

Writing

1. Write your introduction. Start with an interesting sentence–a quote, a question, or a comment. Then introduce each book in a sentence or two. Then comes your thesis statement, which you have already written.
2. On Lesson 89, you decided on three things to compare and contrast in your essay. For each one, write at least one way the books are similar and at least one way the books are different. (This isn’t part of your essay, it’s just preparing for the next part of your essay.)

Lesson 91

Writing

1. Write one of your three middle paragraphs. Those three paragraphs are called the body of your essay.
2. The first paragraph of the body should be about the topic you listed first in your thesis statement.
3. The first sentence in the paragraph is the topic sentence for that paragraph. It’s your introduction for the paragraph and will tell what point you are going to make in that paragraph.
4. Then comes the body of the paragraph. In this part you will include your examples.
5. Then comes the conclusion of your paragraph. This sums up your point.

Lesson 92

Writing

1. Write one of your three middle paragraphs. Those three paragraphs are called the body of your essay.
2. The second paragraph of the body should be about the topic you listed second in your thesis statement.
3. The first sentence in the paragraph is the topic sentence for that paragraph. It’s your introduction for the paragraph and will tell what point you are going to make in that paragraph.
4. Then comes the body of the paragraph. In this part you will include your examples.
5. Then comes the conclusion of your paragraph. This sums up your point.

Lesson 93

Writing

1. Write one of your three middle paragraphs. Those three paragraphs are called the body of your essay.
2. The third paragraph of the body should be about the third topic you listed first in your thesis statement.
3. The first sentence in the paragraph is the topic sentence for that paragraph. It’s your introduction for the paragraph and will tell what point you are going to make in that paragraph.
4. Then comes the body of the paragraph. In this part you will include your examples.
5. Then comes the conclusion of your paragraph. This sums up your point.

Lesson 94

Grammar

1. Correct the capitals.

Writing

1. Today you are going to write your conclusion.
2. The first sentence of your conclusion restates your thesis. Don’t use the same sentence though!
3. Add something new.
4. End with a comment that sums up your thoughts on the books.

Lesson 95*

Writing*

1. Look again at the list of compare and contrast transition words. Do you use any of those? Would they help you write better sentences? Add at least one of those words or phrases into your essay (other than but).
2. Read your essay out loud. Change anything that doesn’t sound right.
3. *Use this checklist to see what needs improving.
4. Fix your essay. Make it right.
5. When you are pleased, print it out.

Lesson 96

Grammar

1. Find where the capital letters belong.

Spelling

1. Read the list of spelling rules and find the correct plurals.

Lesson 97

Spelling

1. Take it to the next level. Find the correct plural of each word.

Grammar

1. Do your best to put in the missing commas.

Lesson 98

Grammar

1. Do you know? Choose the correct past tense of the verb. That doesn’t work the greatest on mobile devices. If that’s you, then maybe just use the quiz (same questions).
2. Learn from your mistakes! Read the explanations of the answers.

Lesson 99

Grammar

1. What’s the correct past tense?
2. You can say or write the past tense. If you get it wrong, make sure to write down the correct past tense and read it out loud in the sentence.

Lesson 100

Grammar

1. Read rule number 1 about the apostrophe.
2. Can you put in the missing apostrophes?

Lesson 101

Writing

1. There were several others on the walls, but the boy thought there must be something peculiar about this one, for it had a graceful frame of moss and cones about it, and on a little bracket underneath stood a vase of wild flowers freshly gathered from the spring woods. (p. 48, Little Men)
2. Let’s write a sentence like this one.
   • There were several others on the walls. That could be a sentence all by itself. The subject is SEVERAL OTHERS ON THE WALLS. There is a predicate (the rest of the sentence containing the verb): THERE WERE  
     
   • Usually subjects come first, but not always.
   • Write a sentence.
   • My example: I ran home.
   • What is the subject and predicate of your sentence. (Hint: EVERY word is either part of the subject or part of the predicate.)
3. Now let’s look at the next part of the sentence.
   • but the boy thought there must be something peculiar about this one
   • Without the BUT at the beginning, this could also be a sentence. The subject is THE BOY. The predicate is THOUGHT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING PECULIAR ABOUT THIS ONE.
   • The BUT is a conjunction.
   • If we use a conjunction and are following it with what could be a complete sentence, then we use a comma before the conjunction.
   • Take your sentence from before. Replace the period with a comma. Write a conjunction. Add another subject and predicate.
   • My example: I ran home, but the front door was locked.
   • What is the conjunction, subject and predicate of the new part of your sentence?
4. Now, let’s move on.
   • Next we find another comma and the word “for.” That’s considered a conjunction, so we should find a subject and predicate in the next part of the sentence.
   • for it had a graceful frame of moss and cones about it…  What is the subject? What is the predicate?  (Answers)
   • Now you write. Take your sentence and change the period into a comma, and add a conjunction (and, or, but, so, for, yet, nor). Then add another subject and predicate.
   • Here’s my example: I ran home, but the front door was locked, and the back door was locked.
   • What is the subject and predicate you added?
5. Last part…
   • and on a little bracket underneath stood a vase of wild flowers freshly gathered from the spring woods.
   • What is AND? Could this part of the sentence be a sentence on its own? If so, it has a subject and predicate. What is the subject? What is the predicate? Pay attention. The subject “does” the verb. What’s the verb and what’s doing that? (Answers)
   • Now finish your sentence. You’ll need another comma because you are using a conjunction and what could be its own sentence.
   • Take your sentence. Change the period into a comma. Add a conjunction and a subject and predicate.
   • Read your sentence to an audience.
   • Here’s my example: I ran home, but the front door was locked, and the back door was locked, but I found my way inside through a hole in the porch screen.
   • It’s not complicated to write long sentences once you see how they are put together. I expect your sentences to grow!

Spelling

1. Unscramble the words. Do your best.
2. Here are definitions to help you if you need help. The first and last letter of each word is in parentheses:
   1. suggest or hint (something negative) in an indirect and unpleasant way. (i, e)
   2. of or relating to water (a, c)
   3. having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual (p, s)
   4. lying down (r, t)
   5. a cause of harm or damage (d, t)
   6. try to acquire or develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill) (c, e)
   7. a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition (m, e)
   8. having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner (a, e)

Lesson 102

Grammar

1. Do these punctuation exercises.Correct the punctuation. This is practicing quotation marks.

Lesson 103

Writing

1. The sun shone in as if he enjoyed the fun, the little stove roared beautifully, the kettle steamed, the new tins sparkled on the walls, the pretty china stood in tempting rows, and it was altogether as cheery and complete a kitchen as any child could desire (p. 72). (I just marked the simple subject and simple predicate in each part–that means just the noun and verb from the subject and predicate.)
2. What mood/feeling does the sentence produce?  (Answers)
3. These commas are followed by subjects and predicates, but not conjunctions. Why are there commas, then?
4. Write a list of things containing subjects and predicates.
5. My example: On our street there are boys playing soccer, a bulldozer digging, a post man making his rounds, and pigeons watching it all.

Grammar

1. Complete the grammar exercise. Put the commas in the correct place. Commas go before the conjunction in an compound sentence.

Lesson 104

Grammar

1. Complete these grammar exercises. Correct the capitals.
2. Find the irregular past tense verbs in the puzzle and then match them to the present tense on the books.

Lesson 105

Writing

1. Choose a character from a book you are reading for school or one you finished recently. Write a paragraph about ways you are like that character and ways you are unlike that character.
   • Your first sentence is your introduction: There are a few ways I’m like ________, but there are many ways we are different. (just an example)
   • Then you give examples from the book of what the character is like and tell how you are like that or not like that.
   • Then write your concluding sentence: I think that… I hope that…  (just examples of ways to start the final sentence.)

Lesson 106

Spelling

1. Fill in the missing  letters in this spelling game.

Lesson 107

Grammar

1. Learn what a preposition is. Don’t get weirded out over the diagrams.
2. Take a book. Place it in as many different places that you can think of and tell the prepositional phrase that describes where it is (e.g., near the door, with the paper, etc.).

Lesson 108

Writing

1. Write a few sentences about an imaginative game that you and your friends have played.

Grammar

1. Read the story. There is at least one preposition on each page. Make a list of all of the prepositions in the story.

Lesson 109*

Writing

1. Write a few sentences about a time that you apologized to someone for spoiling their fun and tried to make him/her happy again. You can use the bottom of your grammar worksheet for this if you’d like.

Grammar*

1. *Print out this worksheet and follow the directions. In the first sentence, the subject is “Kinley and William.” The predicate is everything that is not the subject. The prepositional phrase is “to the librarian.”
2. When you are finished, you can check your answers.

Lesson 110

Writing

1. Write a story describing your travels getting to ____________. Use at least ten prepositional phrases.

Lesson 111

Writing

1. Write about a time when you wanted to “be good” or improve some weakness in your character.  Did you ask God to help you?

Lesson 112

Grammar

1. Here’s a simple list to remember some of the different prepositions.
2. Do you remember that prepositions come in phrases?  Next to the door is a prepositional phrase. NEXT is the preposition. DOOR is the object of the preposition.
3. “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…” Do you know that song? What are the prepositional phrases? What are the prepositions? What are the objects of the prepositions? (Answers)
4. Find the object of a preposition.

Lesson 113

Grammar

1. Write in the prepositions.
2. Take the quiz.

Lesson 114

Writing

1. Write a nursery rhyme. Need an idea? Make it about huckleberries.

Lesson 115

Spelling

1. Which one is which?
2. Spell words.

Lesson 116*

Grammar*

1. *Print out and complete this prepositional phrase worksheet. You just need to underline the prepositional phrases. You can check your answers.

Lesson 117*

Grammar*

1. *Print out and complete this prepositional phrases worksheet.
2. Check your answers. You can give this to a parent to add to your portfolio.

Lesson 118*

Grammar*

1. *Print out and complete this worksheet on pronouns in prepositional phrases.
   • behind ME,  with US,  toward HIM   (not “behind I, with we, toward he” — those sound weird, right?)
2. Check your answers.

Lesson 119*

Grammar*

1. *Try the adverb and preposition quiz. Check your answers.  Learn from your mistakes!
2. The answers are on page 2 for when you are finished. Learn from your mistakes! Go back and see what the right answer was.

Writing

1. Read the reminder on point of view at the top of the page, and then click on each video and watch just a wee bit until you can determine if it’s in first or third person.

Lesson 120

Writing

1. Write a fractured fairy tale.
   • Choose a fairy tale.
   • Read it or watch it (or make sure you know it well).
   • Then write the story from another point of view. Type it in a word processing document.
   • Choose a character to be “I” in the story. For instance, in the Three Little Pigs you could write it from the wolf’s point of view. He could be the “I” and tell the story from his perspective.
   • You could give this to a parent to add to your portfolio. (You could also add one of your character and/or setting sketches.)

Lesson 121

Grammar

1. Review plurals and possessives.
2. Try the quiz.

Lesson 122

Speech

1. Read out loud to an audience one of the essays or poems from this chapter. If you choose the shortest, you will have to decipher it first. Do not read it incorrectly as in the book. Figure out what each word really is and read it correctly.

Grammar

1. Play word invasion. Leave everything checked.

Lesson 123

Writing

1. Choose one of the essays in the chapter. Write feedback to the author. Here are the instructions for giving feedback (alternate link). Here is the editing checklist. Write a note to the author. Tell what was good about the essay. Then offer specific feedback for how to improve it.

Lesson 124

Grammar

1. Test out your preposition knowledge.
2. Play word invasion. Choose all parts of speech.

Lesson 125

Writing

1. Write a letter to a friend or family member. Use a word processing program.
   • The second page of this is an example of a friendly letter (alternate link).
2. Pay attention to the capitalization and punctuation of the letter. Send your letter!

Lesson 126

Spelling

1. Which is which? Make sure you know by the end!

Lesson 127

Spelling

1. Complete the word search.

Lesson 128

Grammar

1. Play word invasion. Leave all parts of speech checked.

Lesson 129

Writing

1. Summarize.

Lesson 130

Spelling

1. Which one is which?

Lesson 131

Writing

1. Describe the main character of a story you’ve recently read for school. If this character were to be bullied, how would he respond? If this character was in a spelling bee, would she win or run away with stage fright? What do you think? You are going to be writing a short story. You need to know your character so well that you would know how he would react in any situation.
2. Read about the 6 traits of writing. (We learned about these earlier this year.)

Lesson 132

Writing

1. Read the first two pages of the first chapter of What I Learned Over Summer Vacation. (These stories are part of Reading 5, but I want to use this one chapter as an example here.)
2. Describe the character’s “voice.” What’s the tone? Is it serious? Informal? Funny? Conversational? Can you hear the “I” character talking in your head? What does the main character sound like?
3. What are some things you think this character would say? What are some things this character would never say?

Lesson 133

Writing

1. Read the next two pages of the first chapter of What I Learned Over Summer Vacation, pages 4-5.
2. Here’s a quote from the Balderdash stories.
   • “Mrs. Carp came over with her tomatoes. That was just a ruse. She wanted a reason to come over to complain. No irony there.”
3. Irony means that something is the opposite of what you would expect. Why is it not ironic that Mrs. Carp came over to complain? (hint: look up the definition of carp)
4. Want an example of something that is ironic?  A fire station burning down is ironic. You wouldn’t expect that to happen. Write an example of an ironic situation, something that’s the opposite of what you would expect.

Lesson 134

Writing

1. Read the next two pages of the first chapter of What I Learned Over Summer Vacation, pages 6-7.
2. Another characteristic of good writing is organization. Did the story “hook” you? Are you interested in reading from the first paragraph?
3. Also, when you get to the end of a story, you should feel like the story is complete, that your questions have been answered, that the story has been wrapped up. Mostly endings make you feel very happy and satisfied. When you write, you want your stories to leave your audience feeling that way.

Lesson 135

Reading

1. Read the last two pages of the first chapter of What I Learned Over Summer Vacation, pages 8-9.
2. Word choice is another important part of writing. What about word choice in the stories? What are some words or phrases that make the story exciting and interesting?
3. What strong, exciting verb is used in this part of a sentence from the story?

• • “a hail storm ripped through the sky like my big brother opening a box of marshmallow cereal”  (answer: ripped)
  • Why is this better than just saying that it started to hail?
  • Does the simile make in image in your mind?

Lesson 136

Writing

1. “There was no way I was going to run away with the circus. That would be cliché and I’m full of surprises.” (from one of the stories)
2. The word cliché refers to something that has been overused. “Run away with the circus” is the obvious, usual thing that’s done in stories.
3. When you write your story, avoid clichés. Be unique!
4. The final traits of good writing are sentence fluency and proper use of grammar and punctuation. If you read the stories out loud, do they flow smoothly? Does it sound nice or does it stumble and fall flat?

Writing

1. If you are using the Reading 5 course and have read the whole collection of Balderdash stories, use this Balderdash writing assignment and today choose your title and be thinking about what your story could be. I suggest looking at this assignment every day to make sure you are following all of the directions. You might even want to print it out. I want to add that you need to make sure you include your word in your story and make sure your story really shows the meaning of the word.
2. Otherwise, today I want you to choose your main character. You need to know this boy, girl, animal, robot, whoever or whatever it is, inside and out. Know what they look like, sound like, act like. See them in your mind. Hear them in your head.
3. When you write your story, the main character is going to be the narrator.

Lesson 137

Writing

1. Make a list of plot events. What’s the character going to do first? Then what’s going to happen? What will the character decide to do next? There should be at least three major plot events.
2. Today think about your plot. What are some things that the character could learn along the way? List a few ideas.
3. Play this idioms game.
4. Here’s a list of idioms. Have a list of at least five that you like and want to try to use if you can.

Lesson 138

Writing

1. If you are using the Balderdash writing assignment, make sure you read it over again. Why? You always need to keep your goal in mind. Otherwise, it would be easy to get off track and forget where you were headed.
2. Make sure the story shows the meaning of your word, and make sure you include your word in your story.
3. Start writing. Write a half of a page or more. Use your character’s voice. You don’t have to use dialogue. Let “I” tell the story. Write as the main character.

Lesson 139

Writing

1. Write. Write at least a half of a page.

Lesson 140

Writing

1. Today finish writing.  (If you just can’t stop writing because it’s so exciting, then you will just have to keep working on it when you have free time until you are done.)
2. Read your story out loud to someone. Mark the spots that don’t come out right.
3. Fix anything you found when reading it out loud.
4. Print it out.

Lesson 141

Grammar

1. Here is one last grammar review before you work on your big writing project that you will edit to perfection with your ace grammar skills!
2. Do numbers 1-20. Read each question first and then go to the paragraph to find the answer. You don’t have to read the paragraph first. You’re just going to have to go back to find which sentence the question is referring to anyway.
3. When you get to the end, click on Score Test. It opens a pop up. If you don’t see anything happen, look in the top right corner of your browser and see if there is anything about a blocked pop up that you can click on to see it.

Lesson 142

Writing

1. You are going to be writing a book. Yes, you! Writing a book can be fun! I’ve done it!
2. Today you are going to learn about genres. (I’m going to be using bits of lessons from the Little Blue School blog.)
3. Dessert comes in genres — ice cream, candy, cake, pie. Within these genres are individual examples, but there are certain characteristics of candy bars as opposed to pie that make each one recognizable. Pie is not frozen, cake is not mushy, ice cream doesn’t come in a wrapper, etc.
4. Books come in genres. They are similar to movie genres. Maybe you’ve seen a sports movie or a comedy movie or an action movie or a sad movie or a spy movie or a space movie…
5. You could write a mystery story or a fantasy story in a made-up world…There are many choices. Here are some to think about.
   • FableNarration demonstrating a useful truth, especially in which animals speak as humans; legendary, supernatural tale.Fairy TaleStory about fairies or other magical creatures, usually for children.FantasyFiction with strange or other-worldly settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality.FictionNarrative literary works whose content is produced by the imagination and is not necessarily based on fact.Historical FictionStory with fictional characters and events in a historical setting.HumorFiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain; but can be contained in all genresLegendStory, sometimes of a national or folk hero, which has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material.MysteryFiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets.Realistic FictionStory that can actually happen and is true to life.Science FictionStory based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets.Tall TaleHumorous story with blatant exaggerations and swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance.
6. Your turn. Open a brand new word processing document. You can save it as “My Book” until you have a title. Write at the top of the page your genre.
7. You should start thinking about your book, but we’re not ready to start writing yet.

Lesson 143*

Writing*

1. Read the first page of this lesson on specific nouns (specific nouns lesson).
2. *Print and complete this worksheet.
3. Make a list of six specific nouns that you might use in your book. Be specific. Don’t write snake; write python (for example). Type these in your book document where you wrote your genre.
4. This list is for when you don’t know what to write next. You can look at this list and find an idea for what to write next. I did this before I wrote my book, and I put every one of them into my book.

Lesson 144*

Writing*

1. Every story has a protagonist, the hero of the story. This will be your main character. (Listen to how protagonist is pronounced.)
2. *Fill out this worksheet about your main character (Protagonist).
3. Open your book document and write a description of your main character. Be as specific as possible. Does he have lots of friends? Do people think he’s handsome? Is she loving towards her little sisters? Who is this person? The better you know your character, the better your story will be. You’ll know just what he or she would do in a situation. Make sure your main character is not perfect. He or she needs at least one major flaw. She can’t sing but she thinks she can. He can’t whistle (and he’ll need to in the story). She’s painfully shy. He can’t eat spaghetti. Whatever it is, it has to be part of the story.

Lesson 145 

Writing

1. What adjectives would you use to describe your protagonist?
2. Adjectives help your readers picture just what you are picturing. If I wrote, “I saw a dog,” then each one of you would picture something different! But imagine I wrote, “I saw a dog hairy enough that his eyes were concealed and large enough that he could lick my knee caps; I know because that’s just what he was doing.” Do you think we’re picturing something more similar now? You need to describe what you are talking about. Specific nouns will help; so will adjectives.
3. Work at a computer with a printer (or you can just do this on paper). You are going to write one adjective for every letter of the alphabet.
4. Do all that you can. At the end, when you can’t think of any more and your brain is getting sore, then you can look here for ideas.

Lesson 146*

Writing*

1. Now your hero, your protagonist, needs a sidekick. Who is the best friend? It could be an animal. (Those using Reading 5 – Pollyanna’s sidekick is her game! She keeps it with her at all times.) Who is always there for the hero?
2. *Describe this character just like you did your hero using this worksheet. Know everything about this character. Draw a picture.

Lesson 147*

Writing*

1. Now your story needs a villain, the antagonist, the bad guy. Your main character is out to do something and your antagonist is trying to stop him. He always gets in the way. (This doesn’t have to be a person. In some books/movies it’s the weather, for instance. The weather, technical difficulties, or “bad luck” keeps getting in the way of the main character accomplishing their goal.)
2. *Describe your villain using this worksheet. Know everything about your antagonist. Don’t leave anything out. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your antagonist? Any quirks, habits? Draw a picture.
3. Listen to how antagonist is pronounced.

Lesson 148*

Writing*

1. Now your antagonist needs a sidekick. Who is there to help carry out the tricky schemes?
2. *Describe the character using this worksheet. Name, address, phone number…just kidding, unless you really want to, that’s great! Know everything about this character. Draw a picture.

Lesson 149

Writing

1. Every story needs a conflict. Otherwise it will sound like this: “He woke up. He went outside to play. He ate dinner. He went to bed.” No excitement! Something needs to happen!
2. Earlier in the year you studied the parts of the Cinderella story. The background, or setting, is her losing her father. The incident that sets off the conflict is the announcement that the prince will choose a bride at the ball. Cinderella (protagonist) wants to go. The evil stepmother (antagonist) doesn’t want her to. The conflict is set. The question is raised, “Will Cinderella marry the prince?”
3. What is your conflict? What does the hero try to do and the villain try to stop?
4. What incident will happen in the beginning of the book to set up the conflict and raise the question that will be answered at the end of the book?
5. Ideas? Something is lost and needs to be found. Someone starts a journey. Something needs to happen to set the course for the whole rest of the book.
6. Write it all down in your document.

Lesson 150

Writing

1. You’ve practiced choosing specific nouns. How about verbs?
2. Write a specific verb for each of these verbs and adverbs. Choosing more exciting words will make your book more exciting.
   • Walked quickly
   • Laughed crazily
   • Talked slowly
   • Walked proudly
   • Laughed quietly
   • Talked quickly
   • Walked unevenly
   • Laughed squeakily
   • Talked loudly

Lesson 151

Writing

1. Today you are going to describe the setting of your book. There will actually be many settings (specific rooms, places the character goes, etc.).
2. Here are some things to think about with setting:
   • Place (the castle, Chicago, the woods)
   • Location (the dining room, the top of the Sears tower, beside the old oak tree)
   • Objects (a vase of tulips, a pair of binoculars, a ring of mushrooms)
   • Time (morning, midnight, dusk)
   • Weather (stormy, clear sky, hot)
3. The time, weather and maybe location will change throughout your novel. You need to make sure you let the reader know the setting of the chapter you are writing. If your novel takes place over a long time, the weather will need to change!
4. Today write a description of the overall setting of your book. Include:
   • Time (today, 500 years ago, 500 years in the future)
   • Location (in South Philadelphia, the Great Wall of China, in the Pacific Ocean, in space)
   • Location, part 2 (playground, store, apartment, castle, house, village, school, space station, planet–more specific this time)
   • Weather (what time of year is it? what is the weather generally?)
   • Description of your location, part 2: Draw a picture and write a description, and add as many details as possible. Does it have an apple tree? A good climbing tree? A place to hide? A fence? A secret tunnel? How will this setting help or hinder the good guy? the bad guy?

Lesson 152

Writing

1. Today describe four different smaller settings in your book. They could be different places, different rooms, different buildings. Include as many details as possible. What objects are there? How could those objects help or hinder your characters? Think of how you could use them in your book.

Lesson 153

Writing

1. Do you know your basic story?
   • It’s going to start with the background, setting the scene.
   • Then there’s going to be an incident that sets off the conflict and asks the big question.
   • Then there is going to be conflict, complications, ups and downs.
   • Then there is the climax. This is the last big scene where we are about to find out the answer to the question. It’s tense. We are in suspense.
   • Then comes the final scene, where we find out what happens to everyone, and everything is tied up neatly with a bow, and we are satisfied and happy.
2. Write out each of those steps for your book. Add a few complications, conflict points, where your character seems to get ahead and then is knocked back down. In the beginning we think, “Of course, he’s going to get there. Of course he’s going to win.” At some point we need to wonder, “Maybe he’s not going to…” It needs to look bad for our main character!

Lesson 154

Writing

1. Let’s think a little more about your story. There can be smaller stories within your story. Maybe he wins the big game, but by the end, winning isn’t as important anymore because he’s made friends. Or maybe he’s always fighting with his brothers, but in the story they need to work together and they become friends. Maybe he’s failing at school, but he discovers the secret formula needed to save the planet and gets an A+ in science.
2. Think about it. What would be the beginning, middle, and end for this smaller story?

Lesson 155*

Writing*

1. *Print out both pages of this plot chart. Fill it out for a book or movie that you know really well. Fill the second one out for your book.

Lesson 156*

Writing*

1. *Print and fill out the chapter list.
2. Each chapter is its own little story. This the chapter where he finds the …..  This is the chapter where he gets lost in… This is the chapter where he meets…
3. Your first chapter is your introduction, setting the background to the story.
4. By the end of that chapter or in the next chapter, you should have your incident that will set off your question, or set your story in motion.
5. Your last chapter is your resolution – what happens to everyone in the end.
6. The last few chapters before that is your climax, the exciting last event.
7. In between, your protagonist and antagonist each need to have times when they are ahead and when they are behind.
8. You may not be able to fill in all the chapter spots on the worksheet. That’s okay. Do your best. Aim for ten.

Lesson 157

Writing

1. Today is the big day. You are going to start writing your novel. Aim at working on it for 30 minutes each day.
2. The most important thing is to write. Just write something. Momentum is very important to authors. Get on a roll. It’s hardest to get the ball rolling. It’s easier to keep it rolling. So just start writing. Write something.

Lesson 158

Writing

1. Write! Write! Write! Aim at working on it for 30 minutes each day.

Lesson 159

Writing

1. Write your book! Yeah!
2. Use all of the things we worked on together. Use all of your descriptions. Make sure to use your characters’ strengths and weaknesses.

Lesson 160

Writing

1. Write! Make sure to describe your settings so that your audience is picturing what you are picturing.

Lesson 161

Writing

1. Write! Keep going! Don’t stop!
2. When you write a dialogue, “hear” the people talking in your head. What do they sound like? How do they talk?

Lesson 162

Writing

1. Write! What object can you put in your story that will help out your character?

Lesson 163

Writing

1. Write! What’s going to happen today?

Lesson 164

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 165

Writing

1. DON’T Write!
2. Today, go back. Read your whole story from the beginning. It’s best to read it out loud.
3. Is there anything you’d like to change?
4. Can you add more detail to your description of your characters or settings so that your audience pictures what you picture?
5. Can you picture your story as a movie in your mind?
6. Picture it as you read. Are there any gaps that you need to fill in?
7. Now, go back and read all of your answers from the days you described your characters and settings. Look at your answers when you wrote nouns and verbs.
8. Look at your chapter list and plot summary pages.
9. Are you happy with where you are? Fix what you aren’t happy with.

Lesson 166

Writing

1. Time to write again. Get going!

Lesson 167

Writing

1. Write! What problem is going to hinder your protagonist?

Lesson 168 

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 169

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 170

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 171

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 172

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 173

Writing

1. Write!

Lesson 174

Writing

1. STOP!
2. Time to go back and read again.
3. Picture the movie of your story in your mind. Does it make sense? Fix anything that doesn’t work right.
4. Think about your characters, settings, chapters, etc.
5. What haven’t you added yet?
6. What needs to happen in your story?
7. Have you made conflict and complications for your protagonist?
8. What is going to happen next?
9. How are you going to get to your exciting climax?

Lesson 175

Writing

1. Write. Write lots and lots.

Lesson 176

Writing

1. Write. Write lots and lots.

Lesson 177

Writing

1. Write. Write lots and lots.

Lesson 178

Writing

1. Write. Write lots and lots.

Lesson 179

Writing

1. Write. Can you get to the end?

Lesson 180

Writing

1. You made it to the last day of school. I don’t know where you are in your novel.
2. Keep writing if you have more to go.
3. If you got to the end, spend lots of time reading your novel and making it better.
4. Choose better words, change the lengths of your sentences. Add to your descriptions.
5. If you want to turn it into a real book, you can use a free service called Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP (they do paperback books too, not just Kindle books) through Amazon.com. Follow their directions and you can publish your book for free. It will help you make a cover and everything. Then your friends and family can buy your book!

Congratulations! You are finished! Way to go!