Practical Homeschooling For You and Your Child

If you have decided to forgo the school systems and to teach your child at home, a little bit of practical homeschooling advice may help you to do so successfully. After all, homeschooling is something that has really only entered into the mainstream in the past decade or so. Before that time, many parents would never have thought about teaching their children at home but now, it seems to be one of the healthiest choices that is available.

Although you may be able to get some good advice from the practical homeschooling magazine, there are plenty of ways for you to get tips that will help you to raise a balanced child. Many parents find that teaching their children at home presents some challenges, especially when it comes to learning the curriculum. Other than that, however, it can be one of the most pleasant experiences that a parent and a child can enjoy together.

One of the things that your child may be missing to a certain extent whenever you are teaching them at home is interaction with other children. For this reason, many parents of homeschooled children will seek out other parents who have like ideals. This will give the children the opportunity to enjoy the company of others their own age. There are many other practical homeschooling tips that can be found both in the magazines and through a variety of websites on the Internet. Take the time to learn as much as you can about it so that your child will grow to be balanced and healthy as a result of their home education.

Author Info:

Many more practical homeschooling tips can be found at http://www.homeschooling4you.com

Buying Used Home School Curriculum - Mistakes to Avoid

Buying home school curriculum can be expensive. Many people resort to purchasing their curriculum used, which usually works out very well for the buyer and seller. Here are a few warnings to watch out for to make your purchase of used home school curriculum, just what you need:

1. Do your homework - Check eBay and homeschoolclassifieds to see what the going rate is for the book or curriculum you are looking to purchase.

2. Check editions - What edition do you want to purchase? If it doesn't matter, then make sure the books in the set you are purchasing are all the same edition. If you want a particular edition, then make sure you ask questions before buying.

3. If you have any allergies be sure to ask if the books come from a pet-free, smoke-free home. You would hate to start sneezing or coughing every time you opened a used book that you purchased. Even if you don't have allergies, it's usually a good idea to buy a book or curriculum that doesn't smell like animals or smoke.

4. Ask the condition if not stated. Most people state the condition of the book(s) they are selling. If you have any questions about the description or if the description is incomplete - always ask!

5. Complete set - Make sure you ask if all the lessons are in the set if this isn't mentioned in the ad or auction.

6. Set your price. When bidding on an auction for your book or curriculum, make sure you decide ahead of time how much you want to spend. This will keep you from spending more than you want to at the end of the auction when the bidding can get a little crazy.

7. Check the seller's reputation. Make sure you look over any complaints at the site you are purchasing from. On eBay check the seller's feedback ratings and make sure you are dealing with a reputable seller.

Purchasing home school curriculum can be fun and rewarding. I have bought and sold quite a few home school books and have met many wonderful people. Hopefully these tips will help you have a positive experience with purchasing used home school books and curriculum.

Author Info:

For more tips on homeschooling, grab your free report "How to Home school using the Best Resources" at http://www.homeschool-how-to.com Heidi Johnson specializes in helping families find resources to simplify and improve their lives.

Grammar For Writing In College - Is Your Teen Ready?

Your teens drilled on college grammar, did worksheets to identify common grammar mistakes, practiced SAT questions to correct common grammar errors. They have grammar for writing down cold, right?

Possibly.

Standardized "bubble tests" don't test whether students can apply writing conventions like correct spelling and grammar in their own writing. What counts in the college classroom is the students' own writing. No matter how well students do on standardized tests, if they can't write grammatically, they will have a tough time in college.

In 1992, Connors and Lunsford did a study of the most common errors in the writing of college students. The researchers found 20 specific errors accounted for over 91.5% of all the errors in college students' writing. Here, in descending order of frequency, is their list:

1. Missing comma after introductory element

2. Vague pronoun reference

3. Missing comma in compound sentence

4. Wrong word, especially a wrong homonym

5. Missing comma(s) with nonessential (nonrestrictive) element

6. Wrong/missing verb ending

7. Wrong/missing preposition

8. Comma splice

9. Missing/misplaced possessive apostrophe

10. Unnecessary shift in verb tense

11. Unnecessary shift in pronoun

12. Sentence fragment

13. Wrong tense or verb form

14. Lack of subject-verb agreement

15. Missing comma in a series

16. Lack of agreement of pronoun with antecedent

17. Unnecessary comma(s) with restrictive element

18. Fused (run-together) sentences

20. It's/its confusion

Nothing on the list of common grammar mistakes should be above the ability of a sixth grader, should it?

If you can teach your students so throughly that they rarely let an error from that list slip into their writing, you will have equipped them with the grammar for writing required in most college and workplace situations.

Author Info:

Linda Aragoni is a writer, writing teacher, and editor of You-Can-Teach-Writing.com, the guide to enabling students grades 7-12 to become competent writers. Get a free copy of all five articles in the series "Is Your Teen Ready for College Writing? just by signing up for Linda's free monthly ezine by Aug. 1, 2008. Details at http://www.you-can-teach-writing.com/ezine.html

Copyright 2008, Linda Gorton Aragoni. You may reprint this article provided the whole text, the author's name, the links, and this copyright notice remain intact.