CAMPFIRE’S LANGUAGE ARTS APPROACH!
We also have a podcast on this over HERE if you would prefer to listen!
Here’s the rundown of this post:
1. Our comprehensive strategy
2. Understanding Spiral vs. Mastery
3. A Note
OUR COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY
Campfire Curriculums offers an in-depth language arts approach for those utilizing our Core Connections. We focus on different levels of skill for different age groups, tailored to each student’s stage of learning. For instance, Campfire has some units that teach on adjectives, nouns, predicates, verbs, etc. for the younger students. Meanwhile, the older students are finding and fixing run-on sentences (in ways that are often missed even at the collegiate level). Still, all students are engaging with the same or similar overarching concept.
Our curriculum includes but is not limited to topics such as speech, evidence-based research, literary analysis, literary devices, poetry, word choice, linguistics, the art of communication and editing. Mastering language arts with Campfire extends beyond the basics. It’s about achieving proficiency in communication, fostering original thought, critically assessing creativity, and more.
SPIRAL VS. MASTERY
Our units are designed with a dual focus. This allows for the mastery of specific skills within an individual unit, while simultaneously revisiting and reinforcing related concepts throughout different units. This approach allows learning to be both spiral and mastery-based. For instance, while one unit may concentrate on honing presentation skills (public speaking) through the use of adjectives, another might incorporate adjectives into a creative writing project, reinforcing the concept through varied applications.
Furthermore, with our tiered approach, if your younger student has fully mastered the lower level of a particular skill, he or she can easily “bump up” to the next level in that unit.
Remember: completing a single unit study with language arts doesn’t mean you’ve covered the entire subject. That would be similar to thinking you’d finished a course after only going through a few chapters in a textbook. Typically, a unit takes 4 to 6 weeks to complete for most people, and you’ll need to complete several units throughout the year.
The language arts skills in these units are designed to be applicable to the real world and will actually serve to help students excel in universities or careers.
WHAT IS NOT COVERED
One point to reference is that our older units do not have quite as much explanation or “hand holding” in the language arts sections. Originally, our Core Connections approach was simpler, when the units were predominantly designed as an extracurricular. Each unit’s description on the product page will detail what language arts is included and if it is a newer or older unit. The older units still have language arts (in fact, some of our favorites!), but it’s just a less guided approach.