Monday, July 2, 2018

Step 2: Choosing Curriculum for 2018-19

First Second in a Series About Homeschool Planning


I'm no expert on planning for homeschool--nothing like the Big Names in Blogging--you know who they are--with the expensive cameras, fabulous computer and graphic design skills, and the homeschool rooms that belong in Pintrest pictures.

That said, I am entering my seventh year of homeschooling full-time (eighth year if you count that I did formal, daily preschool for one year) and I know more with each year that goes by, so maybe there will be some readers who will learn something from what I can offer . . . for whatever it's worth!

Take what works and leave the rest behind.

Step 1 2 in planning my year is . . . PLANNING! I'm not an unschooler, or even very relaxed. I'm a DIY homeschooler who likes to create my own curriculum based on our family's needs. I am Catholic and prefer choosing religious materials that teach the traditional Latin Mass. I appreciate the rigor of Classical education and the "living" books and literature encouraged by Charlotte Mason. I like books that are old (anything newer than around 1950 has to earn its way past my suspicions) and free of twaddle. And, of course, all of these ideals are being balanced by the fact that I have six children and cannot manage teacher-intensive curriculum anymore, and am instead moving them all toward educational independence.

If that's you, too, maybe you'll like to read of some of my curriculum choices.

With each year, I've had to start planning sooner: this year, adding a fourth grade to the mix and foraying into middle school, caused me to begin serious hours of planning in the spring for the following fall.

(Plus, isn't planning always more fun than implementing the homeschool?!)

I will be homeschooling Kindergarten, second, fourth, and sixth grades in 2018-19. Our Mater Dei Catholic School "mascots" will be one- and three-year-old boys!

I've developed a Scope and Sequence in a Word document, which lists every scholastic subject across the top and grades K-12 along the side. The boxes are small, the font size is smaller! I've listed out what curriculum choices work for us and what I plan to use for all the grades. In some subject areas, I know what I hope to use all the way through twelfth grade! In other areas, blank boxes await my research and ideas. Even though plans may change each year, as different opportunities arise locally and online, or our own family situation changes (pregnancy, illnesses, job changes, etc.), at least I have a framework for what can work.

I look at my Scope and Sequence, then start drawing up lists for each child/grade in the coming year.

(One can read all of my past years' curriculum choices by clicking on my Homeschooling Page.)

Grade Kindergarten

The Kindergarten plan for my fourth child, when I have olders with a heavy workload, plus two wee ones in the mix, looks different than what I planned for my firstborn. Whatever I pick, my Kindergartener will get about one solid hour per day from me.


Grade 2

My particular second grader is fairly independent and will probably be doing about 75% of her work independently.


Grade 4

My particular fourth grader is almost entirely independent, and will be trying the first online classes of any of my students.


Grade 6

This year will represent a big change with our oldest entering middle school, which itself represents a significant increase in workload, study skills, and self-management, as well as attending a hybrid homeschool two half-days per week. This is the first year ever that someone else is assigning most of his curriculum. Although we wouldn't have signed him up for the program if we did not approve of the curriculum, it still feels very weird to me!

My next installment will be Step 23. Creating a Daily School Schedule.

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2 comments:

  1. KarynJuly 2, 2018 at 4:43:00 PM EDT

    Oh my goodness, a woman after my own heart, lol. People look at me like I'm nuts but I actually enjoy it. Plus I feel like "winging it" is actually way more stressful to me. Is John doing a co-op or an online class?

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  2. Jason and KatieJuly 3, 2018 at 5:24:00 PM EDT

    i can't believe John is old enough for Fraternus! wow! i love your homeschooling posts :)

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