This one-year curriculum can be completed by going through the books on your own, or by taking it as an online course (in which each lesson is taught on video). If taking it online (available April, 2026), it is not required to have your own copies of the books because the pages which accompany each lesson will be available as PDF downloads from the course site. Of course, you might like to have the entire curriculum available in book form so that you can see the big picture or because you’d like to use it as a reference in years to come.

While being able to watch the videos of each lesson is highly recommended, it is possible to complete the curriculum just from the books. The videos are recommended because most students benefit from hearing a teacher voice her thoughts out loud (modeling the thinking process) and from seeing the teacher model the work.

If completing the one-year curriculum just from the books, all 8 books are required. There is both a Teacher’s Edition and a Student’s Edition for each quarter of the year. The books may be available as eBooks in the future, though there would need to be a way for the student to write in the Student’s Edition.

This one-year program allows students to improve in both their critical thinking skills (seen in reading comprehension), and in their writing skills. Here is how it works:

First, much of the writing is done in response to reading literature. Before the student writes a literary analysis, the focus is on improving one’s critical thinking skills, and that in turn improves one’s overall reading comprehension. How is it possible to improve one’s thinking skills? I believe that students who don’t know what to say, or what to think about, are simply not sure what the question is. They depend on the teacher or the curriculum to tell them what the question is. But, if the student learns what questions to ask himself for every step in the process, they will become more independent thinkers.

One of the ways the student will learn this is by watching the lessons taught on video (separate purchase of the online course available April, 2026). In the videos, I (the teacher) model the metacognitive strategy of stating my thoughts out loud. Specifically, I state out loud the questions I am asking myself before, during, and after reading. In this way, the student is able to learn first from observing, then by imitating, and finally through repetition to the point of mastery. This process involves a gradual hand-off of responsibility from the teacher to the student. By the end of the unit, the student will feel empowered and confident to write independently using the same step-by-step process that has been repeated throughout the unit.

The curriculum could be of use in the following ways:

• Homeschoolers: grades 3-6

• Schools (for an entire class or grade-level)

• Teachers who are looking for an effective method of teaching writing

• Students who are not homeschooling but who would like to gain confidence as a writer.

1. Teacher’s Editions (4): These include step-by-step directions for how to teach the curriculum, examples of student writing, and guides for what a completed graphic organizer and paragraph or essay might look like for each assignment. There are four of these (one per quarter).

2. Student’s Editions (4): There is one of these for each quarter. Included in these books are stories I have written myself, and stories I have written with students.

3. Videos of each lesson being taught by a teacher. Access to the videos requires purchase of the curriculum as an online course.

4. Children’s books which are required or recommended for the curriculum are listed with links for purchasing. To see the list, click here.