The Best Homeschool Literature Curriculum

Although my state has few requirements for homeschoolers, we have a lot of requirements for homeschool language arts. We are supposed to teach five different subject areas: literature, reading, grammar, writing, and spelling. So, when my son finished his learn-to-read curriculum I was on the lookout for a comprehensive Language Arts and literature curriculum that would include all those elements in one resource. I am so excited that we found everything we need and more in Learning Language Arts Through Literature. We have used this homeschool literature curriculum for 4 years now in our homeschool. Keep reading to learn how you can use this curriculum to make Language Arts fun at any grade level.

I received compensation and the Learning Language Arts Through Literature Grade 4 Orange Books in exchange for my honest review, but all the opinions in this post are my own. 

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Homeschool Curriculum

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a comprehensive Language Arts curriculum for elementary through high school level students that is based on great books. Each level of the curriculum includes a teacher’s guide for homeschool parents. It also includes a student notebook that kids can use to work independently on their assignments.

This curriculum is created by Common Sense Press. Common Sense Press also offers a literary journal for kids, essay assessments, free book studies, and a wide variety of homeschool curriculum options.

They also offer customer service, including help choosing a homeschool curriculum and encouragement for homeschool parents, by phone or e-mail.

Choosing the Right Level

Learning Language Arts Through Literature offers books for students in elementary through high school. The elementary and middle school books are color coded by year.

Blue

This is the first book in the series, for young children in 1st grade. This book teaches kids how to read consonant and vowel sounds using phonics. It also includes handwriting practice for both uppercase and lowercase letters. The program comes with a set of 28 easy readers. It also includes activities for 13 classic books to read aloud.

We used the Blue book for review after finishing our learn-to-read curriculum. This book was the perfect bridge between a phonics-based reading curriculum and a more comprehensive Language Arts curriculum. The Blue book could also stand on its own as a learn-to-read program.

I love that this curriculum includes so many fun phonics-based activities for kids. My son enjoyed using the phonics dice and word cards to play games and review the letter sounds.

Learn more about The Blue Book here.

Red

This book is for students in 2nd grade. The curriculum includes both a student book and a teacher guide. The Red curriculum also comes with a set of 6 readers, which include short stories that correspond to the lessons. Kids also read aloud stories from classic literature like “Corduroy” and “Harry the Dirty Dog” as a part of their reading assignments.

At the end of this book, the lessons in the teacher guide are written directly to the student. This means that older students who are fluent readers can use this book to complete their lessons independently.

My son really enjoyed the readers that come along with the Red book. The stories inside were just the right length for him to be able to read confidently by himself, and he was so proud of the way that he could read the books independently. The stories were engaging and interesting to him, and his reading comprehension skyrocketed during the school year as we completed the assignments in the Red book.

Learn more about The Red Book here.

Yellow

The yellow book is designed for students in 3rd grade. In this book, no additional readers are required and the lessons are based on four classic works: The White Stallion, Madeline, Meet George Washington, and The Courage of Sarah Noble. This book is also written directly to the student so they can work independently.

My favorite part of this book was the “Literature Link” units that were based directly on the classic books. Each of the lessons included a short reading passage that could be used in place of the book. These passages are perfect for struggling readers who aren’t ready to read the full novel, or for families who can’t find the book. Because my son is a strong reader, we chose to read the entire book in each case.

The connections we were able to make between the book and the Language Arts lessons we were learning made my son so excited to study Language Arts.

Learn more about The Yellow Book here.

Orange

The Orange book is for students in 4th grade. This book also includes unit studies of four great literature choices: The Boxcar Children, Wilbur and Orville Wright, Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos, and The Sign of the Beaver. This book also includes both copywork and dictation exercises for students to complete. Dictation is an exercise common in Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum where students listen to a passage and then write what they hear.

My son was so excited about the Everyday Words units in the Orange book that are based on real books. He loves the Boxcar Children, and he loved getting to start out the curriculum with a three week unit studying the Boxcar Children books. This was a fantastic way to make Language Arts relatable to him and to get him excited to study Language Arts this year.

As a former elementary school teacher, I love the way that the Orange book is organized. Each week includes practice in grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading, and writing. Concepts are introduced sequentially and lots of review is included within the lessons.

I also love that this curriculum does not include busywork. Each day’s activities are thoughtfully designed to teach important concepts without a lot of extra worksheets or drills.

Learn more about The Orange Book here.

Middle and High School Language Arts Curriculum

Middle school students using Learning Language Arts Through Literature will use the Purple Book in 5th grade, the Tan Book in 6th grade, the Green book in 7th grade, and the Gray Book in 8th grade.

I love that this curriculum is available for homeschool students in high school as well. A high school student can study World Literature, American Literature, British Literature, and Literary Analysis and Criticism with Learning Language Arts Through Literature.

If you aren’t sure which level you need for your child, these placement tests can help.

Get a free Short Story Reading Guide featuring three Hans Christian Andersen stories! Use the coupon code freehansreading by August 31, 2022.

Reasons To Use Learning Language Arts Through Literature As Your Homeschool Literature Curriculum

Comprehensive

My favorite thing about Learning Language Arts Through Literature is that it is a complete curriculum that covers all of our required Language Arts subjects in one single resource. In my state, I am required to teach my child literature, reading, grammar, writing, and spelling each year. As a busy homeschool mom, I love that all five of those topics are included in the literature selections in this curriculum.

The subject areas covered include:

• Reading: The Blue first grade book is a full phonics-based reading curriculum. Kids continue to develop reading skills and practice reading comprehension strategies as they explore some of the best books in children’s literature.
• Spelling and Vocabulary: Spelling lists include words selected from the passages and teach common spelling rules. Students increase their vocabulary in a fun way as they study good books.
• Grammar: Students not only learn grammar rules but also study how authors use grammar in good literature.
• Handwriting: Lesson plans include both print and cursive handwriting as kids review the stories they read. Copywork and dictation provide continued opportunities for older students to practice handwriting.
• Writing: Kids continue to develop their communication skills through writing. Students write a variety of genres as they develop both writing mechanics and creative writing skills.

The fact that this curriculum is so comprehensive and makes it easy to follow the legal requirements for homeschooling in our state is so important to me as a homeschool mom.

Check out this scope and sequence to see everything that is covered in the Learning Language Arts Through Literature series.

Based on Real Books

My kids love to read, and it is important to me to expose them to a huge variety of the best literature available during their homeschool years. That’s why I love the literature-rich approach that Learning Language Arts Through Literature offers. Each literature assignment is from classic literature or children’s books, and these works provide context for what we are learning.

When I learned Language Arts as a child in the public schools, I studied each topic separately. I didn’t understand why I needed to study grammar or vocabulary because I never learned these subjects in the context of books. I love that my kids have the opportunity to understand why they are studying these subjects as we explore them in context.

Variety of Genres

I also love that Learning Language Arts Through Literature uses selections from a wide variety of genres of literature. Younger kids study readers and classic children’s books. Older children have the opportunity to explore novel studies, poetry, drama, nonfiction, and so much more.

High Quality

Teaching Language Arts can be intimidating, so I love that the Learning Language Arts Through Literature series is written by a team of experienced educators and homeschool parents. I know my kids are getting a high-quality education in Language Arts when we use these resources.

Read more about the authors of Learning Language Arts Through Literature here.

Easy to Plan

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is an open and go curriculum. As a busy homeschool mom, that means that all I need to do when it’s time for Language Arts is open the book to the next lesson, and we are ready to begin. I love that no additional planning time is required to use this curriculum.

Each level of the curriculum includes 36 weeks of lessons, with 5 days of activities per week. This organization makes it so easy to see at a glance exactly where we need to be in the lesson plans.

Easy to Use

I am always looking for a homeschool curriculum that my kids can complete independently. This is especially important in subjects like Language Arts where each child works on their own level.

I love that Learning Language Arts Through Literature is designed for kids to be able to use it on their own. Starting at the end of the 2nd grade book, the lessons in the teacher book are written directly to the student. This means that students can use the book to teach themselves the lessons.

One of my goals in my homeschool is to help my kids become independent learners. I love how Learning Language Arts Through Literature supports me in this goal.

Download free sample lessons for each level here.

Fun

The best way for us to tell if a curriculum is working is to see how much my son likes it. This curriculum definitely passes that test. My son loves using Learning Language Arts Through Literature, especially when we are working on one of the units that is based on a book. He loves reading the books that are featured in the curriculum. Studying these books is his favorite way to learn Language Arts.

Affordable

I love that this curriculum is designed to be affordable for homeschool families. The main out-of-pocket cost is for the teacher book and accompanying student book for each level. By the time kids are in 3rd grade, the rest of the curriculum is made up of classic books, most of which are available from the library.

I also love that all the consumable resources are grouped together in the student book. This means that families with multiple kids using Learning Language Arts Through Literature can purchase the full set of books one time, then re-use the Teacher Book for multiple kids.

You can use the coupon code Summer2022 to save 15% off your order until August 31, 2022!

Try Learning Language Arts Through Literature For Yourself

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a great way for kids to learn a variety of different Language Arts skills while enjoying classic works of literature at the same time. If you are looking for an easy way to teach a variety of Language Arts skills in the context of great books, I highly recommend this curriculum.

We have used Learning Language Arts Through Literature for the past 3 years in my homeschool, and I have seen tremendous growth in my son during this time. I highly recommend this curriculum to anyone looking to instill a strong Language Arts background and a love of literature in their children.