School in a Box?
So you’ve decided to homeschool! Now what?
Well, first you probably want to know what to teach. Start with the requirements outlined by your state law – for example, Maryland specifies that instruction is offered in 8 subjects (math, English, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education), whereas Texas only requires reading, spelling, grammar, math, and a course in good citizenship. Other states do not enumerate courses but do require that the home instructor submit a curriculum.
“Curriculum” is a big word, not in letters but in what it encompasses. There are *many* choices. You can buy a full kit, or you go with what amounts to a DIY program. Choices range from a Rather Pricey to Totally Free.
Note: I am not endorsing any of the following. Just providing a list as a jumping off point.
School in a Box:
Calvert Education, Alpha Omega, Bob Jones Press – these are just a few ‘complete’ curricula you can purchase for use. The company will ship you a complete year’s worth of instructional materials – in the case of Calvert, the package will even include pencils, manipulatives, protractors or other supplies as needed per grade.
Pros: everything is planned out for you.
Cons: everything is planned out for you.
When these packages say complete, they mean it – it’s a full school day in there. Teachers manuals will help you run the classes, workbooks and other materials will ensure you student is never without an activity to complete. However, if you need some flexibility in your school day, you may find it difficult to keep up with the workload just to stay on schedule. Note that many of these boxed curricula are produced by christian publishers and so religion and bible studies are integrated with the materials.
Calvert Education (gr k-12) Purchase one year’s worth and everything but the kitchen sink will arrive on your doorstep. A completely scheduled calendar is included, which also means that if you deviate too far then you will subsequently fall behind. Online content available for the middle grades, and an wholly online high school academy was launched with ninth grade in fall of 2014. Unique in that they are one of the few publishers that also holds accreditation.
Note – accreditation is not what makes one curriculum better or worse than others. Re-read the previous sentence, replacing the word “curriculum” with “school”. See what I mean?
Alpha Omega (gr 3-12) Christian publisher provides multiple styles of complete curricula for homeschoolers. Online, offline, spiral, mastery, unit-studies, they have it all. You will see homeschoolers referring variously to Horizons, LifePac, AO, Switched On Schoolhouse (SOS), or Weaver – these are all the same publisher, different styles of product.
Digital Curriculum
You can “do school” entirely on the computer, it’s true. Some publishers will offer a software-based version of their product, so you can purchase a year’s-worth of school at a time. Internet-based providers do so on a subscription basis (monthly, yearly or both). These are similar to, but not necessarily the same as online virtual academies (see further down).
Pros: you can do everything on the computer. Want to go to another city for a weekend? School comes with you on the laptop! Going to another time zone? School comes with you on the laptop! Goodbye stack of textbooks, hello Route 66.
Cons: everything is on the computer, which leaves you confined to associated limitations. That is to say, if the computer can’t do it, neither can you. Entirely online curriculum mean your school is entirely internet-dependent – so car-schooling is probably out, unless you’re going to spring for a mobile hotspot.
Switched On Schoolhouse/Monarch – (gr 3-12) Both from Alpha Omega (see above). The main difference, from a usage standpoint, is that Switched On Schoolhouse can be used without an internet connection. Monarch is fully online, and purchased by subscription (monthly or yearly.)
Time4Learning – (gr k-12) A fully online, curriculum covering grades all the way to high school. Not religion-based. Uses a rewards-based system to motivate younger students when completing lessons (finish [set quantity] and earn time at the built-in arcade!) Students are given access to three grades worth of material, so they can accelerate or not as needed.
Virtual Academy
An online school differs from an online curriculum in that a live body is assigned to track your student. You as the learning coach are still responsible for facilitating daily work, but an instructor will also be watching your student’s progress and usually offering instructional assistance. In some cases, your student may even connect to a class run by an instructor with other students participating, but may or may not require scheduled attendance. For example, in the course of one week, an instructor utilizing a bulletin board format class may:
– Require that all students post a response to the instructor’s “lecture” no later than midnight Tuesday
– Require everyone to post a response to someone else’s comment by midnight Thursday
– Turn in the week’s writing assignment by midnight Friday
In some cases, individuals in the same class of students may be located anywhere from Boston to Guam, which is why the flexibility in class response is necessary. However, students will have an instructor and peers available to them, opening up the possibilities for lively discussions and collaboration.
Pros: another set of eyes is on the learning process, and can hopefully fill in gaps that you can’t handle.
Cons: you are now on someone else’s schedule. This may or may not be a downside in your eyes, but it does somewhat limit your flexibility.
K12 – (gr preK-12) you may live in a state where K12 is offered as a free virtual public school. If not, you can still enroll through a virtual private school.
Do It Yourself
Need a lot of flexibility, either in your schedule or your curriculum choices? On a tight budget? A do-it-yourself approach might fit the bill. These choices lay out a framework for you to follow, but you have the flexibility to select and purchase materials that work best for your student, in your classroom.
Pros: the guidelines are thorough and complete, and resource guides for selecting and choosing recommended materials are extensive. Good for someone on a tight budget who needs the flexibility to pick and choose.
Cons: you do all of legwork yourself in gathering materials. Purchasing materials a la carte can be pricier when compared to buying a acomplete package, but the trade off is not having to buy materials that turn out to be a bust with your student.
Ambleside Online (gr K-12) A complete curriculum framework using the Charlotte Mason style. A volunteer panel reviews and recommends a one year plan for each grade level. The plan includes a detailed schedule and extensive list of recommended and alternative materials selection. Some recommended materials may be more difficult to find, but the panel does include a bare-bones list for those on-a-tight-budget.
Well Trained Mind (gr K-12) The Well Trained Mind espouses what is generally referred to as “neo-classical” education. Written by a college professor who both homeschooled and was homeschooled herself, she lays out a plan of what subjects to cover and how, from primary years to high school. While absorbing the concept of a neo-classical education may seem daunting, take heart – the author does not intend for you to use all the materials all the time. Extensive list of resources, and she self-publishes many curriculum items that are compatible with this method.
Core Knowledge (gr K-8) The Core Knowledge Foundation publishes a series of “What Your (x) Grader Needs To Know” titles. This is sort of a manual/workbook combination covering core subjects, as well as music and the arts. What about math? you may be asking. In all subjects, the books explain concepts and examples but do not include worksheets or practice problems. Each year includes a selection of materials or concepts appropriate to that grade level, a good basic guide for an instructor who just needs guideposts to refer to as the class goes along.
