Welcome to the Homeschool Language Arts Department. Pile onto the sofa with a warm afghan and a glass of milk. Everyone in this department is reading a good book, or maybe even writing one.

Language arts includes reading, writing, spelling, handwriting and grammar. The reading and writing, after the basics are taught, can usually be combined with other subjects to save time. A history class on the Revolutionary War might use Johnny Tremain for reading and include a report on why the loyalists stayed loyal to England. The point is to show that reading and writing are the tools that make all other learning possible, and this is the most important department in the whole school. If you can't read, your ability to learn is severely limited.

Here's an overview of how I handle these subjects:

I start preparing my children to be readers from the day they are born. That is covered in my article on raising readers. I start teaching reading as soon as they can speak in complete sentences with a good vocabulary and sentence structure. We start with matching, as described in my preparing to read article. We move to sight reading a small number of words after they know the alphabet. All the while, I'm introducing phonics by talking about letters and sounding out new words. Once they have the basic idea of reading, I move to a preprimer and teach formal phonics as well as sight-reading. I'm working on finding good links to explain the argument between phonics and sight-reading, and will get those up as soon as I find good ones. I firmly believe you need both to be a good reader. Phonics doesn't work for every word, and is a slow way to read. On the other hand, no one can learn every word. Teach them to memorize the most common words, and be sure they can sound out the rest.

I teach writing when they have the small motor skills to do so. I don't have any articles on this subject yet, but I start by having them trace letters and write them in sugar. As they learn to write, I have them learn to write words they are learning to read.

Grammar training, creative writing and report writing start very early at our house, and I have articles on all of these.

Here are the classes currently meeting in the Language Arts Department. Check back often to see what's been added.

Raising Kids Who Love to Read The best readers are those who love to read. The process starts at birth. Here's how to make sure they beg for books.

Book Reports for the Bored Book reports don't always have to be boring written reports. Try these projects to liven up your literature class.

Writing Stories One way to help children become good readers is to help them learn to write their own stories. Methods for preschoolers to middle schoolers.

Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives and Adverbs You don't have to sit at a desk doing dull worksheets to learn the first parts of speech. Here are some fun ways to get started.

Phonics: Lesson One A short introduction to the first steps in phonics instruction.

Getting Ready to Read Before your child starts to read, he needs to know colors, shapes, matching, the alphabet. This article will also show you how to introduce a few simple sight words and even sentences before you start your formal phonics lessons. No reading book necessary.

Writing Reports Writing reports is an essential skill. Even preschoolers can get started on simple dictated reports. This article will help you go from toddler tales to high school term papers.