This September has been a month of clarity in our homeschool. If you’ve been following along, you already know my son LOVES grammar. It’s his jam. He gets the biggest kick out of completing his Fix It Grammar lessons every morning. This year he’s working through Level 5: Frog Prince, and let me tell you, this level has been testing my own gangster in grammar. Real talk I’ve started questioning all the grammar instruction I got in high school!
The best part? My son is thriving. He knows his stuff, he’s teaching me things, and grammar has become our daily warm-up before we move into literature studies.
Why We’re Choosing Literature Over Grammar This Year
Here’s the deal: I don’t have to push grammar with him. He’s naturally gifted, motivated, and has an outside writing teacher (Write with Mrs. Brown) who keeps him sharp. Instead of doubling down on something he’s already excelling at, I want to focus more energy on literature studies reading, analyzing, and engaging with stories that challenge him.
We tried an online literature class earlier this semester, but honestly, it was a mismatch. He wasn’t crazy about the book choices, felt unchallenged, and after three weeks, he was done. I don’t let him quit things easily he knows he has to give it a real shot and come to me with a valid reason and replacement plan. He did just that, and I respected his decision.
Now, we’ve shifted into using MyPerspective Language Arts 2025 as our anchor. It’s rigorous, literature-heavy, and provides plenty of resources through the online portal. When we’re not using MyPerspective, we pull from our African American Literature Textbook. Together, these two give him both depth and diversity. We wrapped up Oak Meadow English 8. We have put Oak Meadow Hero Journey for the Spring.
What We’ve Been Reading
If you want to know why literature is our focus it’s because my boy has been inhaling books like air. Here’s a snapshot of what he’s already read just this month:
- Shatter Me
- The Giver
- Twilight and New Moon
- Forgotten Girl
- Wabi Tales
- D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths (reread)
- D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths (reread)
- The Land
- Michael Vey (Book 2)
Coming up for October:
- CKLA Unit 8: Us, in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos
- Gathering Blue (The Giver series, Book 2)
- Michael Vey (Book 3)
- Angel of Greenwood
- Marcus No Habla Espanol
- And for November: The Hobbit Illustrated Edition (special thanks to Johana from How We School for the recommendation). If you haven’t checked her out I highly recommend she has a YouTube, and two Instagram accounts. )
- Indigenous chapters book.
Honoring Our Heritage
October will also be special because we’ll be focusing on Hispanic Heritage Month. As a family with both Dominican and Puerto Rican roots, we’ll be diving into events, food, culture, and history that celebrate and honor our heritage. This adds such a rich layer to our homeschool connecting literature, history, and personal identity all at once.
How We’re Choosing Books
I’m intentional about his book list. We read classics, but not the dusty, put-you-to-sleep kind we were forced to read back in the day, you know in the 1900’s. Instead, I’m curating relevant, diverse, and thought-provoking works that make for strong Socratic discussions. Check out stories of color if you are looking to change things up. I sprinkle in “must-reads” while also letting him choose. The balance keeps things fresh and prevents burnout.
We don’t do a novel study for every single book because let’s be real that’s the fastest way to kill the joy of reading. Instead, we pick one about every 6–8 weeks and dive deep. Right now, I have a few from Moving Beyond the Page lined up for later in the year.
Classes, Math, and Beyond
Outside of literature, he’s thriving in co-op this year with four excellent classes that keep him engaged. One big lesson I’ve learned? Some online classes just don’t fit. Especially in subjects where he’s already advanced, he needs a direct, interactive approach without all the extra noise.
Take his honors biology class he loves the teacher but was pacing ahead of the group, so he transitioned to pre-recorded lessons with the teacher’s support. That flexibility has been golden and allows him to dig deeper into the concepts over the course of the week.
In math, we’re wrapping up Algebra I with Denison Math, and it’s been a great fit. We’re also using Mr. D Math as a supplement. While Mr. D Math is excellent, my son says Denison “gets straight to the point” and eliminates extra fluff. Both have their place in our homeschool toolbox. Speaking of Mr. D Math did you know that Mr. D Math has ELA courses? We will be checking these out for next semester as an option, he is still undecided if he wants to do self paced or live. The great thing is Mr. D is accredited with WASC.
What’s New on the Schedule
I’ve tweaked our schedule to carve out time for:
- His passion project
- Community service
- A few extracurricular activities
These additions are giving him outlets for creativity and leadership outside of academics, which I think is just as important at this stage.
Wrapping Up September
This month, I’ve really seen how shifting the focus to literature has opened doors for deeper learning, critical thinking, and joy in our homeschool. Grammar will always be his strong suit, but now literature is where he’s growing, questioning, and connecting the dots.
So here we are grammar still our daily warm-up, but literature? Literature is our feast.
Stay Tuned because the kiddo is guest writing on the blog………….!!!!
Little Learner and Mom 