Have you chosen your curriculum yet? I have compiled a list of helpful resources from around the web that will help you make your decision.
Remember, your curriculum is a tool that you will use to accomplish your goal. It isn’t the goal. If you choose a curriculum that you are unhappy with, choose something else the next time around.
Many people think that if they could choose the right curriculum, their homeschool year will be a success. Not so. You can teach your children without any curriculum if you wanted. The role of any curriculum is to help you with three essential things:
- Time.
- Teaching
- Touchpoints
Time
As you look for the best curriculum for your school year, think about the amount of time that you have to put into teaching. Are you working from home? Do you have other children to teach? Are you overwhelmed with household duties? Do you have time in the evenings and on the weekends to devote to planning your children’s lessons for the upcoming week?
How you answer these questions will help you narrow which curriculum to purchase. If you do not have extra time to spend planning assignments, activities, and supplemental material to help with the learning process, look for a curriculum that will take on those responsibilities for you. The larger, traditional homeschool publishers often have everything you need in a box, ready to teach.
On the other hand, there are online programs that are attractive if you have time to plan lessons and curate assignments for your children. You might consider an all in one grade book for younger children (preschool and kindergarten) that can be purchased from a big box store or online. These options require you to do a bit more work. You will need to determine what the child is required to learn for the grade that you are teaching are, and make sure that the material that you are using encompasses those learning objectives.
Action Step: Determine if you have unrestricted, unstructured time to teach, or a limited, scheduled time to teach. Based on your answer, you will know if the company that you choose to work with will offer the plan that you need.
Teaching
Are you comfortable teaching your child at their grade level? Are you confident in your abilities to teach, grade, and determine if your child is meeting his or her learning objectives?
When you are comparing the curriculum, look to see if the program offers any help in teaching concepts to your children. Some curricula have toll free phone numbers that you can call to get assistance if you run into any problems teaching the material. Some publishers’ books will walk you through step by step, what to say to your child, what to show your child, and what to expect to hear and see from them as evidence that they understand the material.
If you are uncomfortable teaching, you might consider looking into a company that will give you the help that you need until you feel confident enough to teach without any step by step help.
On the other hand, if you are comfortable in your teaching ability, you might be more discriminant with the books that you want to purchase, including books from larger boxed set publishers. For instance, you might buy the grammar book along with the answer key, but not the teacher’s manual and lesson planner.
Action Step: Decide how much help if any that you would like with teaching, and find a company that will provide what you need. Do you need a lot of help, a little hand-holding, or would rather do it all yourself?
Touchpoints
What I mean by touchpoint is, finding out what the learning objectives are for each given subject that your child is taking. Many of the publishers have already figured out what the learning objectives are for a particular grade level. They have built their curriculum around those objectives. All you need to do is get the appropriate grade and teach the material.
If you are piecing together your own curriculum, then you will need to source good resources to find the learning objectives for a particular subject and grade. You can do this by looking at a few different scope and sequences found on many publishers websites. You will need to find the material that will meet the criteria. Then make a plan for your child to get through the material. This approach works well with the younger grades if you have the time. It will require even more time if you are working with highschool children.
Action Step: Do you know what the learning objectives are for your child to complete the grade level that they are beginning? Determine if you have the time to source the information and material needed to meet the objectives or if you would rather have that done for you.
Action Step: Take a look at the above and talk through how much time you have to teach. Determine your level of confidence in teaching. Decide if you want to research and source the learning objectives for your child. Then decide on a curriculum that will meet your needs.
What a curriculum will not do for you
Now that you know what a curriculum will do for you let’s touch on what it will not do for you. It will not teach your children. As a homeschool parent, you are in charge of either hands-on teaching or facilitating the information. You will need to check in with your children to see if the learning objectives are being met. Even if you decide on a curriculum that will grade your children’s work for you, it is your responsibility to make sure that they are gaining the knowledge that they need. No curriculum can replace you.
A curriculum will not make your days as chill as a delicious sweet tea on a hot summer day. No. It will not make your children jump out of bed, eager to complete their next assignment. No. It will not pump sunshine and rainbows into your home and turn your children into obedient balls of fun. No. You are still the teacher. Your home is your classroom, and your homeschool will be what you make of it. A curriculum is just a helpful tool that will assist you in getting the job done. So, investigate a couple. Choose one and begin the journey of a lifetime.
Helpful Resources:
All in One Curriculum :
Abeka https://www.abeka.com/
Alpha and Omega https://www.aop.com/
My Fathers World https://www.mfwbooks.com/
Time 4 Learning https://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum/kindergarten.html
Christian Liberty Press https://www.shopchristianliberty.com/curriculum-kits/
Sonlight Curriculum https://www.sonlight.com/
Switched on Schoolhouse https://www.aopschools.com/curriculum/switched-on-schoolhouse/
Popular Limited Subjects :
Master Books https://www.masterbooks.com/homeschool-curriculum
Singapore Math https://www.singaporemath.com/
Teaching Textbooks http://teachingtextbooks.com/
Five in a Row https://fiveinarow.com/
Easy Peasy http://www.allinonehomeschool.com/
Other Resources
I recommend you check out Cathy Duffy’s site for curriculum reviews. I recommend that you decide on a couple of programs that you would like to check out before hitting the website, or you might find yourself stuck in a curriculum review bubble.
https://cathyduffyreviews.com/homeschool-reviews-core-curricula/unit-studies-all-in-one-programs
Check out Christian Book Distributors Homeschool Page for reviews and purchase information.
https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool?navcat=Homeschool
Check out Rainbow Resources. This is a great site if you are looking to compile your own material. Again, you might want to spend some time thinking about what you need before heading to this site.