Curriculum Be the Right Choice

I used to look down on "canned curriculum." I think my attitude came partly from my first teaching experience at a private school in Southern California. I didn't have a teaching credential when I was hired. In fact, I was still about a year of "course work" away from finishing my bachelor's degree. In spite of this I was offered a position as a second grade teacher. The school granted me as well as the rest of the teaching staff an amazing amount of freedom. We were encouraged to innovate and create interesting lesson plans to reach the learning objectives for our particular grade levels. Along with this freedom came two full-time teachers whose sole task was to source instructional materials from a "mini warehouse" on the school campus for us.

Three years later I accepted a teaching job in Oregon. This school ran differently. To accomplish their objectives a "canned curriculum" was used. What I mean by "canned" is that the curriculum guide had a very specific plan that told you what to teach and when to teach it for every day of the school year. It was timed to the minute and even told the teacher when the students should take a break and use the restroom. No kidding! I balked at using it, and eventually replaced it once I took the elementary principal position.

Not all "canned curricula" is the same, however. In hindsight, I probably over-reacted to the extreme micro-management nature of what we used in Oregon. I was guilty of "throwing everything overboard" when much that was good could have been salvaged.

As I mentioned in a previous article, some of you might be considering a break from the state system. If fear of the unknown is holding you back, my suggestion to you is to find a good "canned curriculum." Here are six things a good "canned curriculum" will do for you:

give you an overview of what will be covered during the year.

keep you from having to "re-invent the wheel." They're simple to use because a lot of the thinking has been done for you.

keep you on track. We all tend to gravitate back to teaching our favorite content which leads to a lack of balance and content gaps.

provide a structure for you.

provide you with step-by-step lesson plans.

help pace you through the course, so that you complete the course.

Are you weary of the mindless micro-management of many public charters and home school programs? Is the local charter school becoming "too helpful" and too involved? Tired of the weekly check ins by your friendly academic advisor who is there to make sure you're not using any three or five letter words like "God" or "Jesus?"

Homeschool Writing About Best Topics for a Personal Narrative

Your home-school teen will write, yes. But what will he or she write? They have lived their own story; they know themselves. But how will the reader know and see and touch what they have experienced? Show your teens to look at their own story with the eyes of the reader.

Always start with a personal narrative. Your child will select some event or activity they participated in or something that happened to them, sometime in the last few years. You want them to pick an event that has interest and action, with a little suspense if possible. Narratives with no "problems" are usually not interesting. Difficulty and solution is what makes any personal narrative enjoyable reading.

I always have my students write their narrative rough draft in one sitting. The more prepared they are beforehand, the better success they have in writing that first Paper. There is a pre-writing process that will make it much easier for your children to write their own story. But first, what event should they pick?

Ideas for a Narrative Topic - think about:

a time of overcoming adversity

an event that altered the course of one's life

a period of uncertainty or great fear

a thrilling experience

an accomplishment that brought acceptance, recognition, or a feeling of pride

an unexpected or dramatic happening

Have your teen jot down three possible topics or events or things they did or things that happened to them that would make a great narrative paper. Have them circle the one they prefer, remembering that suspense and difficulties of some sort (even humorous difficulties) make the best narrative.

The narrative chosen should cover one event only. Do not try to include more than one event. Some events do happen over time, for instance, a school year. When this event happened should be clear in a general way such as, "A couple of years ago," or "Last summer," and so on. The setting should also be clear - where things happened.

(Sadly), accidents always make great topics for personal narratives. It is easy to write about an accident and craft it into a powerful paper. Getting stranded in a bus depot far away from home, or catching that big fish, or winning the big game all make good topics. Tense and difficult times such as hurricanes or house fires are easy to write about. Humor is difficult to pull off well, but humorous narratives, done well, certainly never fall into the "boring" category.

The best topics, however, are those events or incidences that have the deepest meaning to your child. I still remember well the 14-year-old girl who was asked to sing at her beloved grandmother's funeral. She was certain, all the way up to the moment she stood in front of friends and family, that she could not do it, that she would fail in tears. But something happened, there, on that platform. She sang from her heart, more beautifully than she had ever done. There was not a dry eye in the room.

That paper was written over ten years ago. I, the reader, remember it well, out of hundreds of other narratives I have forgotten since. I remember it because of how much that moment meant to this teenage girl.

The lives of your teens are filled with more stories and meaningful things than they realize. The right topics for their personal narrative papers will set them on the course of writing well.

Homescooling About Choosing Elementary Math Curriculum

As you begin your search for a math curriculum that works for your elementary aged child, you need to remember that there are three areas of math to cover: facts, computation and concepts. If math has already become a struggle for your child, then you will especially want to break math down into these three areas. Spread math over the course of the day with short sessions covering these areas in separate sessions.

1. Math Facts - Math facts are primarily a function of auditory memory so be sure you present this new information to your child auditorily as well visually. Whether you have a full math curriculum or find materials that cover the different parts, you must include this in your child's day.

My Best Recommendation for Learning Math Facts: Rapid Recall System

2. Math Computation - At a different time of the day work on computation skills. Computation is primarily a function of visual memory so I recommend 75% visual instruction. That is you do three problems for your child as he watches. You say only a few words to identify steps as you go along. Then your child does the fourth one. Repeat for the duration of the session of say, 10 minutes. You start with simple addition and work up to long division, fractions etc. If the child doesn't remember a math fact, tell them so that the process of computation is learned without interruption. You work on the math facts during a separate time. You can get the computation problems from any math book, but if you just want to pay for the computation problems, get a book that has only those problems in it.

My Best Recommendation for Learning Math Computation: Straight Forward Math and Keys to Fractions (Decimals, Percent, Measurement)

3. Math Concepts - The first two items are the nuts and bolts of math. Concepts are how the basics are applied to real life. If you want a regular curriculum, look into Math U See, Singapore Math and Right Start Mathematics. They cover the whole spectrum of math in a fresh way, but it makes it harder to separate out the three parts and concentrate on one at a time. There are a host of math games available that apply these math concepts in an interesting way. You can spend big bucks. Perhaps a better way is a book of games that you can play as a family. My best recommendation is actually a series of books, but the original is the best overall for K-8 math games. Family Math arranges the games in sections according to the different math concepts. Each game has an objective, instructions and sometimes a page that serves as a game board. You may need to add some household items for game pieces. Each game is labeled for one or more of the three age groups within K-8.

My Best Recommendation for Learning Math Concepts: Family Math

Bonus Recommendation for Mental Math / Auditory Skills: The Verbal Math Lesson Level 1 and 2 for early learners or those who struggle.

Since math skills build on each other, home educators find it helpful to use a "Scope and Sequence" for navigating through math. Downloadable lists of skills can be found on the Internet. By includinf math facts, computation and concepts you can prepare your children for Algebra, Geometry and beyond.

Homeschooling About Can I Begin at the High School Level?

I am often asked if it is okay to start homeschooling at the high school level when you have never homeschooled before? The answer is a definite, YES!

It's perfectly fine and actually I am seeing this happen an awful lot as public schools are having more and more difficulty. A growing number of parents are trying to find the best possible education for their children. Yes, it's perfectly possible.

When you are a beginning homeschooler it is sometimes nice to have someone to hold your hand and help you through the process because it can be a bit scary until you get your feet wet. I usually recommend for beginners to take a look at Sonlight curriculum. That is the curriculum that I used when I started homeschooling and it really helped me figure out how much schoolwork was a normal amount each day as well as what I needed to cover.

Sonlight is a literature-based curriculum, and it is not right for everybody, but I do like recommending it as the first place for people to look at when they start.

It is very easy for you to begin homeschooling high school. The only difficulty is if you want to put your children from homeschooling back into a public school. The reason for that is that public schools care very much about accreditation, unlike homeschoolers and unlike colleges. While homeschoolers can continue all the way to high school and get into college without difficulty, sometimes the public schools have a great deal of difficulty accepting your transcript as a homeschooler.

One thing that you should make sure of is that at the high school level you are pretty much committed. If you don't feel like you can commit then you should make sure that you are going to commit for the first two years and then have your child perhaps do dual enrollment or some other option afterwards.

Yes, I believe that homeschooling is a great option for your high schooler and it is very possible to begin homeschooling in high school.

Some parents may want additional hand-holding and that's one of the things I can help you with if you become a member of my Gold Care Club. Then, I become your best homeschool buddy and we can talk each week. There are also classes on my website that will help you learn how to homeschool high school.

The Classical Education Model

Touted to be the return to a proven method of past centuries, the Classical Educational Model is gaining in popularity among homeschooling parents. The model is characterized by exposure to history, art, culture, languages, philosophy, and literature of Western Civilization. With a Christian emphasis (it also concentrates on the development of a biblical view of the world and Theology is considered to be the queen of sciences), the core of this model is the Trivium, which tailors curriculum subject matter to a child's cognitive development.

The Trivium is based on three levels, or stages of teaching and learning based on the age and ability of the child. The goals of the Trivium are Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.

Grammar Level

This stage is the based on concrete learning. In Bloom's taxonomy, this is considered to be the base of the learning pyramid. In this stage, rote memorization is the emphasis. Many public school systems call this "kill and drill." The idea is for kids to learn the vocabulary, rules, and basics first. This level is recommended for the elementary ages of children.

During this stage, children are taught Art, Bible, Geography, History, Literature, Math, Music, Oratory, Science, and Writing.

Dialectic Level

Also considered to be the analytical thinking and understanding stage, this is recommended for the middle school age kids.

The student learns to reason and to string isolated ideas together.

During this stage, students are taught more in-depth concepts in Art, Bible, History, Literature, Math, Music, Oratory, Science, and Writing. Language, Logic, and Government are introduced at this time.

Rhetoric Level

This is where abstract thinking and self-expression come in. It is recommended for the high school years.

During this stage, students take all that they have learned and develop the ability to apply that knowledge to abstract ideas. Rhetoric and Philosophy are added to the studies while Government and Logic receive less concentration.

On a side note, history hs taught throughout all stages in four year cycles. Repeating the cycle allows for further understanding as the child's cognitive development advances.

Dyslexia and Homeschooling About Decoding Solutions for Struggling Readers

"I hate reading. Don't make me do it. I don't want to read anymore." These are not simply the sounds of an obstinate child. If you've heard this before, and are hearing it frequently, then your child may be in need of some extra help. Dyslexic children often have difficulty with decoding, which is important for reading proficiency. When your child experiences difficulties matching sounds and letters, frequently gets stuck on words while reading, or guesses words based on the first letter or two, he becomes frustrated. And it's easy to understand his or her frustration. No one wants to read this way. So don't get yourself worked up into a frenzy every time your child's daily reading lesson nears. These are simple clues that you can use to help improve your child's decoding skills.

While there are many solutions for struggling readers, it's important to know that these strategies are dependent on your child's unique learning style. And that the presentation of these strategies will make a difference in how they are received. A few of the most common of these strategies include sounding out words, using picture clues, and chunking or breaking up word parts.

Sounding Out Words 

There are a number of ways to practice this concept with your child. You could try implementing a 'sound of the week' into the reading lesson. Simply use letters or letter blends to create a sound that will be practiced throughout the week. Keep this in an area that your child can see easily (wall, white board, billbo`rd, etc.) and use as a reference. Allow him or her to practice this sound each day during reading time. Create a list of spelling/vocabulary words that contain the sound. Include additional practice by having your child find objects in the home that use the sound as well. Making the activity more fun or hands-on will help keep your child engaged and reading time more enjoyable.

Using Picture Clues 

Reading can also be made to be more fun and engaging by using pictures to decode content and text. Use visually appealing books and encourage your child to look for clues in the pictures to help make sense of the reading material. Use sound recognition from the week's lesson to reinforce the learning concept. Identifying words through meaning using pictures and then practicing or applying the sound being taught can help link the two strategies together and make reading less of a struggle. Additionally, you can create anagrams using picture that provide a clue to each answer while still employing the sound of the week (act/cat, tar/rat, tab/bat, etc.).

Chunking/Breaking Up Word Parts 

An additional method to help struggling readers with decoding is by chunking or breaking up words. Chunks of words can be found in the beginning, middle, or ending. Recognizing these chunks help struggling readers to figure out new, unfamiliar words when reading. A great way to practice this concept is through the use of word walls. Use key words from the reading material and vocabulary words to build a colorful wall of words. For instance, each week may have a word wall using new word chunks from spelling words formed from the sound of the week. Little "a" sounding words, for example, could be used to create the chunk word "at," which can then include the following: cat, hatch, atom, bat, etc. Have your child practice writing and saying these words each day. You can also have your child find pictures or objects of these words as well.

Getting and Keeping Your Homeschool Room Organized

At the end of last year's school, I found that my homeschool cabinet was quite the mess. It's easy to let the shelves and drawers become a catch-all for all the stray papers and cute drawings that the kids have done throughout the year. But, if I remember right, that became a problem towards the end of the school year. Things were falling out of the cabinet as I would reach for each child's books for the day. That became quite a nuisance, especially since I was nine months pregnant at the end of the school year. Bending down to pick up various objects over and over was not a fun thing to do.

This year, before school started, I cleaned out that school cabinet. It is now back down to the essentials. No more little toys hanging out in there or stray pencils or broken crayons. Everything has its place and everything is in its place. I purchased some of those disposable plastic containers and put all the crayons in one and all the markers in another. All the pencils are in their own container, too. The scratch paper and the construction paper have their own homes on the bottom shelves and all the scissors and tape and glue sticks are safe in their own special basket, too.

It's so much more pleasant to reach in and grab a book and not have to worry about a dozen other things potentially falling out. It's great to be able to know exactly where a certain supply is and be able to get to it quickly without having to dig for it through the mess. But truthfully, that's how last year's school started out, too. Nice and clean and organized.

So what am I going to do differently this year, to make sure that the mess doesn't sneak back into the cabinet?

Well, here's the plan of attack. At the end of each school day, all school books will return to their place in their proper boxes or on their proper shelf. Any stray papers that are not needed will go directly into the garbage. Anything that is just too cute, like drawings or super well-done papers, that I don't have the heart to throw away, will go in a special binder. At the end of each month, I will go through that binder and cull out the things that I don't think are truly necessary. (That's not gonna be easy, but it will be essential with as many kids as I have! Otherwise, our school room would be overtaken with all the "cute" papers that I want to save!)

If you have any cool ideas for keeping your homeschool room area neat and organized, I'd love to hear about them!