SHARON’S BLOGHave you ever come across something unusual and wondered how it got that way? Robert Frost in his poem “Birches” does just that. He finds some birches in the woods that are bent down and wonders what happened to make them curve down. Did a boy come by and climb them, bending them down?…
SHARON’S BLOGHas something traumatic ever happened to you or your family? When Anne Bradstreet’s house burned down, she was heartbroken and wrote a poem about it. Read her poem below in which she pours out her grief, her pain upon losing everything, and what she learned from this terrible situation. What is unusual about this…
SHARON’S BLOGJonathan and David. Anne Shirley and Diana Barry. Calvin and Hobbes. Those are some epic friendships! The Bible has a lot to say about friendships. It warns us against foolish ones: “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character” (I Corinthians 15:33). Scripture encourages us that a “friend loves at all times” (Proverbs…
SHARON’S BLOGWe like to think we’re fairly intelligent today, but did you know that the ancient Greeks and Romans harnessed the power of steam and wind 2,000 years ago? Your students will enjoy these three prompts based on history and technology as they contemplate Hero of Alexandria, an ancient Thomas Edison, and how his inventions…
SHARON’S BLOG Do you ever wish you could look at a course before you buy it? Would you like to try out a lesson or two with your students to see if the course is a keeper? We have many free samples of our courses that you can download today. Get a feel for how…
SHARON’S BLOGWhy should students write about themselves? Reluctant writers are more apt to write about themselves and their experiences. Intrapersonal learners have their finger on the pulse of their hearts and thoughts, and they delight in journaling. And all writers enjoy a break from essays to splash around in personal writing from time to time. Designed…
SHARON’S BLOGLiterature holds an Aladdin’s cave of treasures that students can plunge their pens into. Whether it’s imitating good writing, pondering a topic in the story, or using the story to write another, your students will gain a healthy curiosity for great works of literature as they write. To enjoy these fun prompts, knowledge of…
SHARON’S BLOGThe beginning of a new year is a special time when your students can look back on their past year and cherish their hopes and dreams for the future. But do they know how to express those? Here are five prompts geared to help them express their ideas through opinion, personal narrative, personification, and…
SHARON’S BLOG You know you have them—those story writers who won’t come out of their bedrooms, the ones who faint at writing essays but love writing stories. They spend hours creating fictional worlds and populating them with characters in trouble who are looking for a happy ending. Fiction is a powerful tool to influence readers’ hearts….
SHARON’S BLOG So much anxiety about the future. Emotions running hot. Fearful thoughts about what lies ahead. As I pondered these for our nation, the world, and my own life, I was troubled. I recently heard a radio pastor mention that the Lord says one thing to us more than anything else:
