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Basic
Homeschooling Information |
Goals & Planning “If you don’t know where you’re going,
how will you know when you get there?” First
you need to know what you’re trying to achieve. What do you want your children to
learn? Don’t purchase a bunch of
school supplies just because somebody recommended them or because they sound
good. First set your goals, then
figure out how to teach toward those goals. GoalsYour
children’s best education will only be attained if you purposefully work
toward a goal. Prayerfully determine
what your priorities are, then commit
your goals to writing. Vague goals
are difficult to assess; written goals can easily be reviewed. Every family is unique, so will have unique
goals. Nobody
has time to do everything that they would like to do. When you have written goals, you can
evaluate opportunities in light of your goals. No matter how good an opportunity is, if it
does not help you achieve your goals, it is not something in which you should
invest time. What is a goal? Goals must be specific, measurable, and
attainable. “Grow three more arms”
(the wish of many mothers), is both specific and measurable, but it does not qualify
as a goal because it is not attainable.
“Play golf better than Daddy” also does
not qualify as a goal; it might be attainable, but it is not specific enough,
and uses an arbitrary measuring tool (what if daddy shoots 75 one day and 113
the next). When you set your goals,
try to word them so that they are specific,
measurable, and attainable. Academic: Check
the law to determine which subjects are required in your state. Some states have no regulations, other
states are highly regulated. Take your
law into consideration in writing goals and selecting curriculum. For
example, when we started homeschooling, Washington’s OSPI had a flyer that
stated: “RCW 28A.225.010(4)
defines instruction as home-based if it consists of planned and supervised instructional
and related educational activities including curriculum and instruction in
the basic skills of occupational education, science, mathematics, language,
social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the
development of an appreciation of art and music...” Given this requirement, and taking into
consideration subjects required in other states, my
family’s academic goals are in the following subjects: Art Appreciation Foreign Language Health (Health Care, Anatomy, Nutrition, Physical
Education) History Language Mathematics (Arithmetic, Math, Probability &
Statistics, Logic) Music Appreciation Occupational
Education and Life Enhancement Science (Biology, Chemistry, Computers, Nature
Studies, Physics) Scripture Social Studies (Civics, Constitutions, Cultures,
Geography) Spelling Writing General: Our
family’s general goals are: The
children will grow to be Godly men and women.
They will not be simply religious, but will have a personal
relationship with God through Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior. They will acknowledge God in every aspect
of their lives, and serve Him in all that they do. The
children will maintain their child-like fascinations with learning new
things. The
children will have a solid academic foundation on which to build throughout
their lives. The
children will know how to learn. They
will apply this knowledge by following their God-given interests in discovery
of new skills and information. Note
that goals can change over time.
Nobody expects you to etch your goals in stone. Periodically review your goals and modify
them when appropriate. Curriculum PlanningAfter
you know what your goals are, you can plan how best to achieve them. Start
your planning by doing a general overview of what you need to teach. Here is one idea. Make your own list based on your local laws
and your written goals. History:
Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Middle Ages, Renaissance
& Reformation, World History, U.S. History, __ State History Math:
Arithmetic, Fractions, Decimals, Percents, Measurement, Algebra,
Geometry, Trigonometry/Pre-calculus, Calculus, Statistics Science:
Nature studies including astronomy, plants, and animals; anatomy;
biology; physics; chemistry, marine biology Health:
Nutrition, Anatomy, Physical Education, Health Care Reading:
How-to-read, then age-appropriate reading Writing:
Penmanship, Composition, Creative writing, Poetry Foreign Language:
Latin, Modern Language Now
that you have written your goals and know what you want to accomplish, take a
look at some of the curricula that is available. Order catalogs and browse through
them. Talk to experienced
homeschoolers. Ask what they like and
what they don’t like. Find out why a specific curriculum worked (or
didn’t work) for the people with whom you talk. The
planning process should make explicit which materials will be used for every
subject - required as well as electives.
If you are going to teach history, which portions of history will you
teach? Will you begin with your
family’s history, then work backwards?
Will you start with ancient civilizations and work forward chronologically? Will you hop around, touching on highlights
to get an overview of world history throughout time? Find a curriculum that meshes with the
approach you want to use. If
you are planning to homeschool for only one year, plan only the one
year. Here is a sample for first
grade. Math Math-U-See,
dominoes, cribbage, yahtzee, base-ten Science – Nature Studies Reading – Teach Your Child to Read In 100 Easy Lessons Writing – Penmanship w/ Getty &
Dubay’s Italic Social Studies – Greenleaf’s Ancient Egypt Art –
Mommy, It’s a Renior Music – Keyboard Capers Health – Meet Your Teeth, The Body
Book If
you intend to homeschool long-term, you can do all the initial planning at
once. Make a two-column chart. In the left-hand column, list your goal
subjects. In the right-hand column,
write what you plan to use in teaching that subject. Consider when it would be most appropriate
to each the subjects you have just listed.
Obviously you won’t be teaching high-school level composition to a
kindergartener, and hopefully you aren’t waiting until sixth grade to teach
basic arithmetic. Note that this is
only an initial plan. It is okay to
revise your plan after a year or two. Click here for an
example.
Writing course
descriptions, syllabi, lesson plans, and schedules are separate steps.
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