Curricula, Unit Studies, and Syllabi! Oh, My!

It's that time of year again.

I got the letter from the school board today - although a response isn't due until August 15th. The letter requests that I verify my credentials, my daughter's progress, and - most importantly - submit my curriculum for next year.

There is no autopilot setting for homeschool education. You don't get a report card passing your child up the line to the next grade and then focus on reservations for summer camp.

No.

This is the time when homeschooling parents are scouring the internet for the best deals and most appropriate approaches for teaching our kids. Decisions have to be made in the next couple of months: where, how, and with what will we be educating our children? We have to think about content, too. How closely will we follow a set curriculum? How much will we supplement? Where are we going to get the money for all this?

These are the questions that come in late spring and early summer, along with the "for sale" notices on the materials we used last year.

It's one huge, educational swap meet!

So, what are the options?

There is "school in a box." Complete sets of materials, heavy on the computer work and on worksheets. These are often organized along traditional content area classes and focus on mastering reading, writing, and arithmetic in the early grades.

Then there are the looser, more flexible curricula that are designed to facilitate tailoring to the child's needs. While these still tend to center on the traditional content classes, they also work at integrating them. Boundaries blur and skills are applied across the curriculum.

Then there are unit studies. Themes are used to explore a variety of skills. Planning an imaginary trip out to California in a covered wagon can involve math, science, art, history, and literature.

Finally there is the choice to "unschool." Teaching as topics come up, and as the child shows interest. The parent acts as a facilitator, resource, guide, and cheerleader rather than as a traditional teacher.

Which approach is best for you? Most likely it will be a combination.Certainly, I've used elements of all of them this year.

I'm going to be looking at each of them in a bit more depth over the next few postings as I look to how we will be structuring our homeschool time next year. The Girl's self motivation will have to be encouraged as it is likely that I will be working nearly full time and it will be Grandma taking her to the library and looking over the first drafts of her papers.

Who said we get a break for summer?

Oh, right - NO ONE.