God designed receptive and expressive language to work together in a child’s learning. The child takes in and absorbs ideas and knowledge then gives them forth, expressing them through his own unique voice by choosing and combining words in a way all his own. This is why notebooking is so valuable and essential. It gives opportunity to strengthen expressive language skills which are vital to a child’s growth in every area. In this episode, Shiela explores the benefits of notebooking and how through written and visual narration, a child finds his voice and builds his confidence to grow into and express the unique person God made him to be. She gives practical, creative ideas for notebooking through the homeschool subjects and how this age old methodology can bring joy to your children’s homeschool days. Go to Shiela’s website to request her free pdf that accompanies this podcast. 

About Shiela

Shiela Catanzarite is an author, speaker, editor, and communication coach. She's a 20-year Charlotte Mason veteran homeschooler and has worked as Jeannie Fulbright’s editor and designer for 20 years helping develop Jeannie’s award-winning Apologia science curriculum and most recently her Charlotte Mason products published through Jeannie Fulbright Press. Shiela is the author of the newly published Living Verse Language Arts in Poetry and is finishing up her second book in the series Living Verse Language Arts in Scripture, to be released spring 2024.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a master’s degree in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, Shiela has been teaching language arts in some capacity for 40+ years. Her passion remains helping students understand the elements of language and how to use these elements artfully to communicate effectively. Shiela is currently a language communication coach, working one-on-one with students who have language learning and communication challenges. She also writes curriculum for her private middle and high school English language communication classes that focus on writing and speaking.

Both of Shiela's and her husband Bruce’s daughters attended private universities on scholarship and went on to pursue graduate studies in medicine and global business. She attributes their love for learning and academic achievement to homeschooling with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and methodology.

Resources

S9 E10 | Homeschooling Out and About

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