FROM THE DESK OF The Structured Writing Teacher

  Homeschool parents, you know the drill. You're halfway through grammar practice when your kid's eyes glaze over, and the moment you reach for another worksheet, the sighs begin. So you turn to an app. Maybe one that promises “learning through play.” But ten minutes later, your child is randomly clicking through answers, chasing stars, and learning… nothing. But when it comes to real learning that sticks , especially with grammar, I’ll take a hands-on card game over a screen any day. Here’s why: 1. Hands-On Learning = Better Memory When kids actually hold the cards, shuffle them, and lay them down, they’re doing something physical with what they’re learning. That movement helps their brains lock in the information. It’s not just clicking and guessing. It’s real, active thinking. Research even shows that when we physically interact with what we’re learning, we remember it better.  That’s why I created a Brain Battle grammar game... it turns grammar into something kids can tou...

When I first started teaching, I didn’t really know how to teach writing. I knew it was important. I had some textbooks. I had a stack of construction paper and glitter.  And I had a lot of hope. So we made pop-up books and paper-plate characters. We turned in Tall Tales written on scrolls of receipt paper. We displayed stories with cotton balls and googly eyes. It was creative. It was fun. But it wasn’t teaching writing. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and no one had really shown me how. Why Was Writing So Hard to Teach? Part of the problem was that writing is invisible. You can’t point to it the way you can point to a math formula. There’s no clear-cut path. There’s no single right answer. I tried rubrics. I tried sentence starters. I tried grading checklists. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was guessing. And that my students were guessing, too. The bright ones thrived. The quiet ones hid. And the reluctant writers? They copied from the board or wrote ...