Audio Classics for Children
Here’s one for Ginny
The Light Princess

DAILY GRAMMAR – – – – by Mr. Johanson
Lessons 1-5
Lesson 1
Parts of Speech – Verbs
Verbs are the most important words in a sentence. Verbs are the first of the eight parts of speech that we will be studying. Most verbs are action words, but a few verbs indicate state of being or existence. The first lessons will be about verbs, and how they are recognized and used.
Find the verbs in the following sentences. They are action verbs.
The wolf ran across the sand.
Sit down.
The dog barked at the man.
Lesson 2
Parts of Speech – Verbs
Find the verbs in these sentences. These verbs will be state of being verbs.
My uncle is a pilot.
The pie looks good.
You seem upset.
Lesson 3
Parts of Speech – Verbs
Pick out the verbs in these sentences and tell whether they are action verbs or linking verbs.
Suddenly someone sneezed loudly.
There are holes in my shirt.
He appears happy.
The image appeared in the mirror.
Lesson 4
Parts of Speech – Verbs
Sometimes a verb can be more than one word. When a verb is more than one word, it is called a verb phrase. Verb phrases can be two, three, or four words. Verb phrases are made by using auxiliary or helping verbs. What are the verb phrases in these sentences?
You are going to Seattle.
You have been resting too much.
We must be early.
I will be finished shortly.
Lesson 5
Parts of Speech – Verbs
Some of the helping verbs can be used alone as the main verb. Is, am, are, was, and were can be used alone as linking or state of being verbs. Has, have, had, do, does, and did always show action when used alone. Be, being, and been can be used with other verbs either to show action or state of being. The other helping verbs cannot be used alone but only as helping verbs.
Find the verb or verb phrases in these sentences.
She has too many friends.
You do beautiful work.
I was in Canada last week.
You are being very stubborn.
Quiz for Lessons 1-5
List the verbs or verb phrases in the sentences, and tell whether they are action verbs or state of being verbs. For extra credit, find the helping verbs.
1. Jim plays basketball.
2. They will return on the airplane.
3. Badger is a funny dog.
4. I have been here a long time.
5. I should have been playing the drum.
6. Go home.
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Synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, do you know the difference? Here’s a fun game that keeps your attention that will concrete into your brain what a synonym is and also increase your vocabulary.
Syn City game from the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary site.

I have taken on a new hobby at my older age. I want to learn the literary as I teach it to my children and instill in them a taste for the finer things in life and a passion and excitement for knowledge of all the best and most interesting kinds! I want them to know the aesthetic beauty of the finer things in life.

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Learn the Literary. Here’s a site called Today in Literature that gives bios of famous authors and highlights each day an interesting article relating to literature. They also send out email newsletters.

The English Zone (Verbs)– scroll down and choose sites that have sunglasses by them. Examples: Lie or Lay, Be Verb Present Tense, There Is There Are, Be Verb Present Tense, Be Verb Past Tense
Grammar Blast Verbs
verb tenses exercises–This site has exercises for each form of the verb within the verb tense
Other Verbs (infinitives, gerunds, etc.)
Irregular Verbs
Main Page for Grammar Sites

I just gotta add this site to my list of educational sites. It contains easy to understand writings of history. Mrs. Happy Housewife uses it in teaching her children. Here are a couple of good books found on this site, God’s Troubadour, The Story of St. Francis and American History Stories, Volume I. It’s called the Baldwin Project.

My sister is teaching English as a Second Language in another country. She said her classes really like American idioms. I want to teach my children the most creative and best idioms to make their speech more colorful also. Here are some website I found:
Clichesite.com
Dave’s ESL Cafe
The Idiom Connection
Self-study Idiom Quizzes
EnglishZone.com
Teaching Idioms
Fun Brain: Paint by Idioms

Last week I gave my children a vocabulary word,
abstract.
I was trying to describe its meaning outside what the dictionary said. I contrasted it with the word concrete and then told of the difference between a concrete and an abstract noun. I gave them the example that freedom is an abstract noun.
I found a quote that gives several examples of the abstract and it also sends a good message. It is by a former president, Calvin Coolidge. I found it on Mrs. Happy Housewife:
We do not need more material development,
we need more spiritual development.
We do not need more intellectual power,
we need more moral power.
We do not need more knowledge,
we need more character.
We do not need more government,
we need more culture.
We do not need more law,
we need more religion.
We do not need more of the things that are seen,
we need more of the things that are unseen.”
-Calvin Coolidge

Here is a site listing short stories and describe the elements that make a good story. It is called the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. The lesson plans are intended for upper grades (7-12).
Here is a list of the stories (most if not all can be found online):

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