Using Quotes To Teach (almost) Any Subject
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Inspired curriculum ideas you can incorporate today.
There’s no reason to spend a lot of money on a boxed curriculum when it’s not in the budget. If you are Daring, Creative, and a Hands-on teacher, or just want to shake things up, this week’s DIY Curriculum Tips and Tings may be what you’re looking for.
Who loves a good quote?🙋🏾♀️
They are useful for more than motivation you know? In fact, I’d like to share multiple ways quotes can be useful in your homeschool curriculum from History to Performing Arts.
Get Ready to Unleash Creativity with Quotes.
HISTORY
History commonly uses quotes to connect with past events and people. We should explore how to use quotes to make these connections more meaningful.
Timeline: US Presidential Quotes Throughout History
Try creating a historical quote timeline.
Use this worksheet to help you get started.
You can use a timeline in different ways. You can go in order of time, by quote, event, or public figure.
Quote Only. Encourage older learners to research and explore the quotes to uncover their respective speakers and events independently.
Event Only. Search for timely quotes from first-hand players that best encapsulate the event.
Person Only. Search for the part they played in history along with their immortal words.
Historical quotes can also serve as a stand-alone activity that fosters research skills by asking Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
ESSAY WRITING
Literature can be approached using quotes from novels, newspapers, poems, and more.
Exploring Context Quote Worksheet
Teach research skills by assigning a historical quote and essay question designed to analyze the meaning and impact of the quote within context. Encourage the use of sources, structure, thesis, etc.
Use this worksheet to help you get started.
In middle school and beyond, long-form papers are introduced, along with reading and writing nonfiction essays. The English Language Arts curriculum encompasses the standard 5-paragraph essay format, as well as the incorporation of primary and secondary sources, hooks, and thesis statements in composition.
Writing and research can be practiced using historical, business, motivational, and political quotes.
Quote: “E Pluribus Unum.”
Essay Question: “Discuss the historical and philosophical origins of the Latin phrase ‘E Pluribus Unum’ (‘Out of many, one’) and its adoption as the official motto of the United States.
Quote: “All that glitters is not gold.” -William Shakespeare
Essay Question: “Examine the profound wisdom contained in the aphorism ‘All that glitters is not gold.’ Discuss how this concept applies to various aspects of life, such as relationships, career choices, and material possessions. Provide real-life examples to illustrate the significance of looking beyond appearances.
Of course, you have the flexibility to craft essay questions that match your child’s writing level, whether complex or simple. Just make sure the questions encourage deep thinking, research, and analysis.
The collection of quotes for writing and research is huge. They can be used in different school programs. Quotes talk about life, society, love, and conflict. They come from poetry, movies, books, speeches, the Bible, and cultural sayings. Quotes also come from actors, scientists, inventors, leaders, and rulers.
One Google search will take you to any quote you want.
CREATIVE WRITING
Creative Writing Worksheet
Have your student write an entire narrative around an assigned quote.
Use this worksheet to help you get started.
Unleashing Creativity with Quotes:
My boys love this approach because it draws the imagination using a creative boundary.
Consider using a quote as an anchor text. Take the example quote below.
Quote:
“Don’t start nothing. Won’t be nothing” - A colloquialism used in my childhood.
Encourage students to create a narrative in which a quote such as ‘Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing’ must be spoken by one of the characters in their story. Alternatively, you can have your child craft a story based on their interpretation of the quote.
Additionally, you can invite your student to tell a story using each word from the quote like an acrostic.
Any type of quote works here. Historical, inspirational, familial, and cultural colloquialisms, etc.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Quote Analysis
Have students identify what makes the quote effective apart from its original speech.
Use this worksheet to help you get started.
Revising Quotes with Rhetorical Devices
Encourage students to analyze full speeches to identify rhetorical devices and select potent quotes. For example, they can explore Winston Churchill's speech and uncover devices such as parallelism, repetition, and ethos.
Quote: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”
In doing so, they can propose alternative quotes that may resonate more powerfully and effectively with the intended audience. This exercise not only hones their understanding of rhetorical strategies but also cultivates their ability to discern impactful language for diverse contexts.
Join The Home Educator’s Hub to gain access to the entire Quotes Curriculum Packet with over 25 worksheets and printables to complement your History, Language Arts, and Theater Arts curriculums.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Encourage your kids to take turns picking or making a quote each week. In visual arts, they can draw, paint, or write the quote somewhere everyone can see. For performing arts, they can share why they chose the quote and what it means. Focus on themes like kindness, gratitude, perseverance, and leadership. Have your kids come up with their own uplifting quotes and talk about what they mean. Keep a journal and write the quotes on a whiteboard. They can also make a poster using paint, leaves, and glitter.
PERFORMING ARTS
Start with a quote from a play or screenplay. Discuss its meaning at face value. Assign the play as reading material and let the students discover the true meaning within the context of the play. Take this quote from August Wilson’s Fences.
Quote: “You got to take the crookeds with the straights.”
Discuss its meaning at face value. After which, read the play together or independently. Let the discovery begin.
Where can I find good quotes?
As mentioned above, quotes can be found everywhere: speeches, books, plays, articles, poems, movies, your childhood. A simple Google search will lead you to all the quotes you need. ChatGPT is also a great place to obtain specific quotes from specific sources.
Are you a believer yet? I’ve shown you the abundant possibilities of using quotes within your curriculum without breaking the bank. Crafting your own curriculum can be an exhilarating and fulfilling journey. I hope this inspires you along the way.
How are you inspired to add the Quotes Curriculum to your homeschool studies?
As a homeschooling mom for more than 9 years, I have created most of the curriculum for my boys, who are now in 7th and 9th grade. I am excited to share my curriculum ideas through my blog, workbooks, guides, and workshops. Join The Home Educator’s Hub to learn how to develop your own unique curriculum in our free Curriculum Development Course.
I offer both free and paid resources, as well as curriculum ideas, in the areas of English Language Arts, Performing Arts, Biblical Studies, History, and High School Planning. You can find my store through the link provided and stay in touch with me through my website or Instagram.