There has been a gradual increase in the number of children and teenagers opting to get homeschooled over the years. This is because families want the benefits that come with homeschooling, such as its versatility, the academic benefits and the opportunities that come with it. They are looking for an education and even a lifestyle not based on minimum expectations and a one-size-fits-all plan.
Making a holistic homeschool teaching curriculum can be challenging. It involves several different factors, such as ensuring that the curriculum is customised to fit the students requirements and his/her learning methods. You’re in charge of the whole process, right from creating a schedule, teaching and sometimes even planning the graduation requirements. Educators at Expert Assignment Help can help you tackle these challenges by helping you plan homeschool curriculums.
Here are 10 steps you can take to plan a holistic homeschool teaching curriculum for children and teenagers:
While planning a curriculum the following should be kept in mind :
The Content: This involves what topics should be covered throughout the academic year. Teaching plans are extremely important and necessary as they not only keep lessons in order, they also make the children goal-oriented. You can get help with teaching lesson plans from experts at Assignment Essay Help.
The Approach: if you prefer a structured curriculum approach then emphasis should be laid on learning from textbooks. However if the preference lies with ‘living books’, then the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling should be applied.
Delivery: the pros and cons of each method should be studied carefully. The pros and cons of an all in one curriculum as well as pros and cons of learning through activities should be weighed before one or a combination of the two are used in teaching the child.
1. Check your local regulations
Every state has different rules with regard to homeschooling. In some states, you will be required to report to the district supervisor, get your lesson plans officially approved and keep a detailed record of daily lessons. In other places, the rules are more relaxed with annual testing only.
2. Do not feel obligated to recreate a classroom experience
It is important to keep in mind that while homeschooling you do not have to recreate a classroom experience. A homeschooling day does not have to last for eight hours,
relying on chalkboards or whiteboards, involve hours of sitting from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. As long as your kids are learning what they need to learn, you can adjust the schedule, start later and take shorter days. It’s all up to what you deem fit for your child’s learning.
3. Create a Fixed Schedule
Creating a routine helps everyone. It is easier to fit homeschooling into your lifestyle by setting aside a specific number of hours each day to it. Even family chores can be counted into planned lessons under certain curriculums as these help develop children’s motor
skills. DIY projects and assignments are also a great opportunity for hands-on learning. Aspiring teachers can reach out to ExpertAssignmentHelp for help with their teaching assignments and plans.
4. Prepping a space
In most homeschooling families they have a dedicated “classroom” in the house where lessons are taught. This can be done if you want to recreate a school-like atmosphere and draw clear boundaries around home schooling time. However, you don’t necessarily need a dedicated space, lessons can be taught throughout the house. Often everyday chores areturned into for example: Teaching kids to measure ingredients for a recipe can be a math lesson, for example — they’ll learn fractions and understand real-life applications of math.
5. Customize the curriculum
All children belong to different ages, have different levels of development, learning preferences, personality types, and activity levels, and they have different interests.
While preparing homeschooling curriculum for children belonging to age group 4-5 it should be kept in kept children learn through play, and that they should be engaged in various activities before focus is spent on setting and meeting goals. The suggested curriculum for a 4-year-old or 5-year-old or 6-year-old is one that will help them develop skills that are vital, build their relationships. Curriculum could consist of reading to them, playing blocks puzzles etc. going to the park, zoo etc. While preparing curriculum for a student struggling in math, the following can be used:Visual pictures and diagrams, flashcards can be used for child who are left brain oriented,manipulatives, colour blocks, modelling can be used for children who are right brain oriented etc.
6. Figure out their way of learning
Some children learn more by creating and making things; while other children learn through
reading or talking to people. When you choose your home school curriculum, take these preferences into consideration and explore different learning styles and teaching methods. There are three types of learners,
- Visual learners,
- Auditory learners, and
- Kinaesthetic learners.
In cases of children who are visual learners: use bright colours in folders, notebooks, and presentations, Allow the child to use colour coded highlighters, use flashcards in presentation of material and for studying, sketch out or draw the concept you are teaching, create charts and graphs of information being studied.
In case of auditory learners: use phonics to teach reading, use auditory CDs and books on CD to teach lessons, give oral reports and have students answer questions orally, use music, poetry or rhythm to convey new concepts, Make up songs to teach new concepts.
In case of kinaesthetic learners: use lots of experiments in science, use Math manipulatives, Use hands-on learning tools such as cards, interactive books, puzzles,models, abacus, markers and crayons, scissors etc.
7. Know what you’re getting into and commit
Certain things need to be kept in mind about yourself while choosing a curriculum for children. Will you be able to provide first hand assistance to the children or will they outsource all parts of child’s learning to a personal tutor or someone else because of time constraint,parental health limitation, or any other factor. If you are up to the challenge, it’s important for you to dedicate your time towards their learning process, plan your lessons and assignments on a regular basis
8. Understanding the situation
While choosing a curriculum one should keep in mind their situation. Did the parents always want to homeschool their children and were never for the idea of a public school or did they become accidental homeschoolers- due to certain events, or are they temporary home schoolers who intend on sending the child back to school after a period. You might have considered homeschooling to accommodate a child who has been labelled as “ADD/ADHD” or because the child is considered to be behind or ahead by public education standards.
Sometimes parents may have the limitation of time, money, technology or merely attempt at meeting the requirements of helping the child prepare for future educational or career opportunities.
9. Get Advice
Try to connect with parents who have more experience in homeschooling their children and who are willing to answer questions, share tips, and be a part of groups with other homeschooling parents for group lessons and social events, field trips etc.
Author Bio: As an academician by passion, Jane delivers online sessions at Expert Assignment Help (UK), helping students with writing essays and assignments. She is also one of the co-founders and education consultants at Top My Grades. Beyond work, you can find her perfecting her yoga postures.
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