
Writing, Handwriting & Typing
Discover our carefully curated collection of reputable resources for Writing, Handwriting, and Typing. We've selected our favourites based on content accuracy, expert authorship, and research-based educational practices. This collection is designed to give you a strong starting point for finding high-quality materials to support your family’s homeschool writing curriculum.
Writing Curricula
This program, which was developed by a Speech and Language Pathologist, uses a research-based, multi-sensory approach to teaching reading, writing and grammar. They also offer Professional Development courses for parents, as well as the excellent resource book, Trees in the Forest: Growing Readers and Writers Through Deep Comprehension, for those who want to better understand how to teach their children effectively. The Rooted in Language programs set a strong foundation for all readers and writers, and have a high success rate among children with dyslexia. We highly recommend the Pinwheels and the Grammar Bugs programs. Watch a review here.
This platform, which is a homeschool staple in many homes, provides a framework and a huge array of curricula for Reading, Writing, Grammar, History and Math. In addition to curricular materials, they offer highly academic synchronous online classes for students. If you’re looking for information about writing instruction, a good resource is the downloadable MP3 audiofile: A Plan For Teaching Writing.
Write by Number is a writing curriculum designed to simplify the process of teaching and learning writing for students of all ages. The program breaks down writing into manageable steps, guiding students from basic sentence construction to complex essay writing and can be used by students at at multitude of grade levels. Its structured approach ensures that students build a solid foundation in writing skills, making it particularly beneficial for those who need clear guidance. The curriculum's ease of use and comprehensive resources make it an excellent choice for homeschoolers and educators seeking an effective writing program. Although the books are relatively expensive, especially for Canadians and other International families paying shipping fees, the program offers an online subscription at a reasonable rate.
Julie Bogart has created a homeschool writing program that is both academically and pedagogically sound, using methods that follow the ideas of Dr. Peter Elbow (author of Writing With Power and Writing Without Teachers), and is best known for his work on the concept of Freewriting. We highly recommend Julie’s book, The Brave Learner, as well as her podcasts which provide support to parents on creating a homeschool environment and lifestyle. In particular, her discussion of Morning Routines is extremely helpful for new homeschoolers. Her insight into the Natural Stages of Growth in Writing will help you determine which curriculum is appropriate for your young writer.
The WriteShop curriculum stands out as an easy-to-use and well-crafted program for developing strong writing skills in students. Its step-by-step approach takes learners through the writing process, from brainstorming to final editing, fostering a clear understanding of each stage. The curriculum's incorporation of creative activities and prompts sparks students' creativity while also focusing on essential elements of effective communication. The gradual progression of difficulty levels ensures that learners of varying ages and abilities can benefit from the program.
Exploring the World Through Story
Exploring the World Through Story offers a captivating and innovative secular world literature curriculum. This curriculum employs techniques taught in the highly recognized writing methodology books, The Writing Revolution (Hochman), as well as The Writing Rope (Sedita) in a way that’s engaging for students and parents alike. By intertwining world literature with writing skills, literary analysis, memory work, and word study, the program not only develops students' reading comprehension and writing skills, but also fosters cross-cultural awareness. The carefully curated selection of stories from diverse backgrounds opens up new horizons and encourages global citizenship, making it an enriching educational experience that goes beyond traditional literature studies. For a detailed parent review, click here.
LitHouse Learning
Lit House Learning impresses with its innovative and dynamic curriculum that redefines novel studies. Through a combination of activities supported pedagogically through The Writing Revolution (Hochman) method, the program provides an array of novels as well as history sources to work from. With its engaging approach, Lit House Learning offers a refreshing and effective way to engage with literature while honing essential writing skills.
Logic of English is an exceptional language arts curriculum that combines phonics, spelling, grammar, and handwriting into a comprehensive and cohesive program. It utilizes research-based methods to help students understand the logic behind English language patterns, promoting deeper learning and retention. The curriculum is well-structured, user-friendly, and adaptable, making it an excellent choice for homeschool families seeking an effective and engaging way to teach language arts. We especially like the Rhythm of Handwriting Manuscript and Cursive books because of the varied line sizes provided for student handwriting practice.
This website and blog is a wealth of information about teaching Language Arts to students in grades 4-12. Lesley was a school teacher for 20 years, and is a published author, teacher trainer and speaker. Her site focuses on providing various reading, writing, and vocabulary strategies, as well as public speaking techniques for students, teaching poetry, and helping students write effective research papers. What sets Lesley’s site apart, however, is her massive booklist of current Young Adult and Teen titles. Lesley focuses on providing reviews for newly released YA novels and memoirs, including books that contain characters whose backgrounds include diverse cultures, ethnicities, physical differences, learning disabilities, gender identifications and socioeconomic statuses. Follow Lesley Roessing and/or #TalkingTexts on Facebook for current posts and reviews.
This site offers a wide range of educational resources and materials tailored for middle and high school teachers, many of which are free. Their products include literature guides, vocabulary programs, writing aids, and diverse resources designed to enhance teaching effectiveness. The company is known for its high-quality, research-based materials that support both teachers and students in achieving academic success. Prestwick House's comprehensive solutions make it a valuable resource for educators seeking to enrich their curriculum.
Brian Tolentino's website, Tolentino Teaching, offers a variety of FREE resources and videos to enhance students' writing skills, including writing prompts, vocabulary activities, and editing strategies. The lessons are extremely engaging, fun, and relevant to students and he provides open links to his Google Drive for educators to download materials. We especially like his year-long vocabulary resources and his videos on Argument and Rhetoric for older students. For additional insights and updates, you can follow Tolentino on his YouTube channel and Facebook page or subscribe to his email newsletter. All of these platforms provide further support and ideas for effective teaching of writing.
Essentials in Writing offers a comprehensive language arts curriculum with clear, sequential video lessons that simplify complex writing concepts, making it accessible for various learning styles. The program includes a variety of practice activities and assessments to reinforce learning and track progress. It is particularly beneficial for students with learning disabilities due to its structured approach, but some may find the rigidity limiting for creative expression. Overall, it is a valuable resource for homeschoolers seeking an effective, structured writing program.
IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing)
The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) offers a structured, systematic approach to writing. Its clear, step-by-step instruction breaks down writing tasks into manageable components, reducing anxiety and building confidence. While some critics argue that its rigidity may stifle creativity and be less adaptable to individual learning styles, the use of multi-sensory techniques and consistent routines supports diverse learners, especially thosw with learning disabilities. Overall, IEW's comprehensive resources make it a solid choice for students who thrive on structure and explicit guidance.
The MCT (Michael Clay Thompson) Language Arts Curriculum from Royal Fireworks Press emphasizes a holistic approach to language arts, integrating grammar, vocabulary, writing, poetry, and literature. Pros include its engaging content and the way it fosters deep understanding and appreciation of the English language. However, the curriculum's advanced concepts and vocabulary might be challenging for younger or less advanced students. Overall, it is an excellent choice for gifted learners or those seeking a rigorous, enriching language arts program.
Supplementary Writing Resources
Did you know that every November is National Novel Writing Month?! For those of you (and your children) who love to write, and are looking for a challenge, check out their adult site and youth site. The youth site offers three FREE versions of their “Young Novelist Workbook” for Elementary, Middle School and High School students. The workbooks are extremely well-written and worth trying!
This is a massive list of writing and essay prompts for students in Grades 1-12, as well as free Teacher's Guides for teaching writing. In addition, this site also provides examples of grade-level writing samples in various styles to use as models when teaching writing.
The Writing Revolution & The Syntax Project
We highly recommend the book The Writing Revolution to anyone teaching writing. While the book provides fantastic resources on their website, supplementary lessons and writing activities for teachers have been compiled on The Syntax Project website. The project's tools provide interactive exercises that align with The Writing Revolution's focus on building strong writing skills through structured practice. By integrating these resources, users can enhance their understanding of grammar and syntax, leading to more effective and coherent writing. All Syntax Project materials are free, but login is required. Be sure to check out our Parent Professional Development page for other suggested books on teaching writing!
Killgallon's Sentence Composing
We highly recommend Kilgallon's program, which focuses on enhancing students' writing skills through the practice of sentence composing. These worktexts include exercises in various sentence structures, combining, and imitating professional writers to improve sentence fluency and complexity. The series is available for different educational levels, from elementary to college, ensuring a progressive development of writing proficiency. Kilgallon’s approach is particularly effective for engaging students in active learning and improving their writing through practical application.
Quill provides homeschool teachers with free tools to enhance students' writing, grammar, and vocabulary skills through interactive activities. Teachers can assign personalized practice exercises tailored to individual student needs, ensuring targeted learning. The platform offers detailed feedback and progress reports, helping educators monitor and support student development effectively. Quill.org's resources are ideal for reinforcing language arts skills in a structured and engaging manner.
Storyboard That is a fun online tool that allows users to create and write storyboards. It offers a wide range of scenes, characters, and templates to make visual storytelling easy and engaging. The platform supports teachers with lesson plans and activities, businesses with professional templates, and individuals with creative tools for projects like comics and graphic novels. With free and premium options, Storyboard That makes storyboarding accessible and versatile for various needs. We encourage parents to sign up as teachers and take advantage of the excellent lesson plans!
"Write with Front Desk" by Kelly Yang is an interactive curriculum designed to teach kids writing through engaging lessons and activities. Inspired by Yang's own experiences and her popular "Front Desk" novel series, the program covers literary techniques such as metaphors, similes, and personification. This is a valuable tool for parents and educators looking to enhance children's writing skills with fun and inspiring content.
"A Plan for Teaching Writing: Grades K-12" by Susan Wise Bauer is an audio workshop available for download from the Well-Trained Mind. The workshop provides a systematic approach to developing writing and thinking skills from elementary through high school. It focuses on progressive steps, including copywork, dictation, narration, and essay writing, to build a solid foundation in writing. This resource is especially useful for homeschool parents looking for structured and effective writing instruction.
Handwriting Resources (Printing/Manuscript and Cursive)
There are many free handwriting worksheets online that provide manuscript printing and cursive practice, but they often use conflicting fonts styles and rarely teach proper letter formation.
We feel that it’s worth the investment to learn proper technique and to NOT waste time sourcing and printing individual handwriting pages or booklets from the internet. If you feel that your child is struggling with handwriting, please consult an Occupational Therapist. For more information on handwriting intervention, see our resources section on Dysgraphia.
Handwriting Without Tears by Learning Without Tears is a handwriting program designed to simplify the handwriting process for children. It uses multi-sensory techniques and developmentally appropriate strategies to teach handwriting skills in a fun and engaging way. This program is ideal for students as it helps build confidence and competence in writing through a structured yet flexible approach. Read a review here.
Rhythm of Handwriting
This is a comprehensive and effective handwriting course that takes students through the stages of basic manuscript printing through cursive letter formation. Through its systematic approach and clear explanations, it ensures that learners understand the principles behind letter formation. The incorporation of multi-sensory techniques and practice exercises further solidifies the learning process, making it a fantastic program for students striving to achieve mastery in penmanship. We like that this program offers students the ability to practice forming various-sized letters on specially-lined paper, and that it teaches a slightly different font than other programs, which may be easier for some students to learn.
Getty-Dubay Handwriting Success
The Italic Handwriting Series from Handwriting Success offers a structured and effective approach to teaching italic handwriting, ideal for homeschool parents. The program is designed to be easy to implement, with clear instructions and practice materials that help students develop legible and attractive handwriting. Its focus on fluid, natural strokes makes it suitable for learners of all ages, promoting ease and consistency in writing. This curriculum is a great choice for homeschool families looking to improve their children's handwriting skills in a systematic and enjoyable way.
Typing Resources
TTRS (Touch, Type, Read, Spell) TTRS is a remarkable program designed to enhance literacy skills through a multi-sensory approach. By combining touch typing with reading and spelling exercises, TTRS offers a comprehensive learning experience for individuals of all ages. The course's interactive and adaptive nature caters to various learning styles and paces, making it effective for learners with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences. TTRS's philosophy revolves around empowering individuals to overcome reading and spelling challenges while boosting confidence and fostering independent learning, making it an excellent resource for those seeking to improve their language skills. This program is well worth the cost, but parents may want to watch social media for sales and/or group discounts to lower the price.
Typing.com is a comprehensive, FREE platform offering typing lessons, tests, and games for students. It includes customizable lessons, gamified learning, and reporting features that cater to a wide range of skill levels. The site also provides tools for teachers/parents to manage multiple students, track progress, and prepare students for standardized testing.
Dance Mat Typing, offered by the BBC, is a fun and interactive typing tutorial designed for kids. The program is structured into four levels with twelve stages, each featuring animated animal characters that guide students through typing exercises. The characters provide visual and auditory instructions, making the learning process engaging and entertaining. Dance Mat Typing is entirely FREE to use and does not require any sign-up or login, making it accessible and easy for young learners. We love this program (although we recommend having headphones handy!)