Pre-reading Strategies Will Increase Reading Comprehension Have you ever been reading and stopped to ask yourself, “What did I just read?” Often our minds wander, and for a variety of reasons. Perhaps dinner plans were on your mind, or you lost focus because you could not stop thinking about the unfinished report you had at…

How Do I Teach My Homeschool Student to Choose a Point of View When Writing Fiction? When writing fiction, one of the most important features to consider is point of view. Many famous works of literature are defined by the narrative technique chosen by the author. Can you imagine Catcher in the Rye if it…

Character Development in Literature Without characters there would be no plot and no conflicts. Readers should take note of the author’s methods of character development, the characters’ traits and actions, and how the characters change (or don’t change) over the course of the story. Direct and Indirect Characterization Character development is a matter of show…

Conflict in Literature The study of any work of fiction wouldn’t be complete without examining conflict. Conflict often drives the plot of short stories, novellas, and novels. It’s what keeps readers hanging on until the last page and movie-goers in their seats until the closing credits. As characters work to overcome conflicts, their motivations, values,…

Virtual Book Talks Many homeschool parents ask, “How can I help my child develop a love of reading?” We all know that reading is important, but some children just don’t seem to enjoy it very much. The answer is to connect kids with books that appeal to their interests. Kids will often reject reading recommendations…

It is not uncommon for a student’s reading fluency to outpace his or her reading comprehension. That means that even though the student can decode words accurately and at a reasonable speed, he or she may have little recollection of the text after the reading. Homeschool parents are often puzzled when their students seem to…