Homeschoolers Helpful Hints :o)

A very cool website.  While the focus is on "writing," I think this can be
adapted to all skill levels, using art media or any form of expression so
desired. Imagination sparks!

Some creative approaches for homeschoolers:

http://www.teachersdesk.org/writnurse.html

Nursery Rhymes can be wonderful springboards for all kinds of Language Arts
activities. The following activities are designed to give middle school
students practice with the aspects of purpose, voice, and audience in their
writing.
Directions:
Select a nursery rhyme, such as "Sing a Song of Sixpence."

Sing a song of sixpence,
a pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn't that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

The king was in the counting house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
When along came a blackbird,
And snipped off her nose.

Brainstorm a list of characters in the rhyme and a list of places and
things.

>From these lists, develop writing assignments similar to the following:

Imagine that you are the royal cook. Write an article for Kingly Gourmet
cooking magazine about your magic blackbird pie. Your purpose is to reveal
the secret of the blackbirds in the pie.

Imagine you are the queen. Write an entry for your diary about the day's
happenings.

Imagine you are the court doctor. Write a medical report about the treatment
you performed for the maid who had her nosed snipped off by the blackbird.
Your purpose is to explain the condition of the patient when she was brought
to you and the what you did to help her.

Imagine that you are the king. Write a memo to the royal treasurer about the
shrinking gold reserves in the royal treasury. Your purpose is to learn
where the money has gone.

You are the royal treasurer. Write a reply to the king's memo.

Imagine that you are one of the blackbirds in the pie. Write a letter to a
fellow blackbird in which you explain what you went through in being baked
in a pie and then released.

Imagine you are one of the blackbirds in the pie. Write a letter to the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals complaining of the
treatment you and your fellow blackbirds have received in the kingdom.

Enjoy developing assignments for other nursery rhymes. You might even want
some of your more creative students to develop writing assignments based on
nursery rhymes that they can share with their fellow classmates.
http://www.teachersdesk.org/writnurse.html


~*~ Tink