Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

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Nov 11 2016

How to use textbooks for homeschooling

I recently met with a couple who’d just received a large donation of textbooks. Among the things we chatted about were ways they could incorporate some of the books into the learning program they were developing for their kids.

Since textbooks sometimes get a bad rap in the homeschooling world, I wanted you to know there is nothing wrong with using textbooks if they fill a need in your family. The textbook stigma is really about not trying to duplicate public school at home, but leveraging the power of homeschooling instead. There are plenty of ways to use textbooks and still reap the rewards of a customized home education. Let me share some of the advice I gave them, in case these ideas could help you too.

First, a rule about textbooks and homeschooling:

There is no rule about textbooks and homeschooling.

Remember, when homeschooling, you can do whatever you want.

Next, some rules of thumb to help you decide which textbooks to keep, and which to donate somewhere else:

      • Publication date doesn’t always matter. Unless the subject is something likely to change every couple of years, an older textbook is just as good as a newer one. If you like it, and the information hasn’t changed since it was written, keep it. You might want to watch out for older “modern history” books and world geography books, for instance. You’ll probably also want to steer away from older computer books, too (unless studying the history of computing). It’s really up to you.
      • Whether the textbook is a “teacher’s copy” or a “student version” doesn’t always matter. Unless it bothers you when teacher’s notes are written in the margins, or answers to the test questions are in plain sight, a teacher’s copy has all the same text as the student edition. You can block out the answers with sticky notes if you like, or by folding (even cutting up) the pages if you want. But, probably, you’ll allow your student to read it for what it’s worth, no matter the format.
      • Even if you don’t have all the supplements that go with the textbook (like the test bank, some of the exercises, or the answer key) it still might be okay. Again, the value of the textbook is in your eyes only. If it’s something you’d like your children to read, maybe it won’t matter if you’re missing all the pieces that traditional classroom teachers use. You’re not a traditional classroom teacher, so there’s that.
      • The level or audience for the book doesn’t matter. I don’t care if the book was meant for 6th graders, 11th graders, or college students. If your kids can read it, it’s probably a keeper. Homeschoolers don’t always talk grade levels anyway, so if a textbook can be understood by your unique learners, what the author/publisher intended when they released the book doesn’t matter.
How to use textbooks in your homeschool:

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Now, here are some different ways to use textbooks when homeschooling. Remember, there is no right or wrong here, so feel free to use these ideas or any others you come up with on your own:

Using the Whole Book & Taking a School-Like Approach

If you like a certain textbook, and you think your child could learn from it, too, consider using it to teach an entire class. The class could last for a semester, a year, or any length of time, depending on how long the book is. Think of this like traditional school, where you assign chapters and pages, ask the student take notes or highlight important ideas, assign him questions to answer, and so on. Make up tests, assign papers, or other ways to assess learning. Think of completing the entire textbook (or a significant portion of) as finishing the class. When your student finishes the textbook, assign a grade or credit. Textbooks are perfect for this use, since they often contain enough “material” for an entire class in a single subject.

Hopping In and Out of a Textbook

If the trademark of American home education is freedom, that also includes the freedom to use as much or as little of any curriculum resource as we see fit. The notion that students need to “finish the book” is about as silly as forcing a child to eat everything on a dinner plate when he’s already full. Sure, your students may finish the textbook, if it’s best for the education and also best for the child. But there’s nothing wrong with taking a break from the book, using only selected parts of it, coming back to it over and over for several years, or abandoning it when it stops working. Actually, I highly recommend hopping in and out of textbooks as needed.

Using the Table of Contents & Designing Your Own Class

Probably the most valuable part of any textbook is the table of contents. The table of contents is a ready-made list of related topics, already arranged in some logical order, just waiting for you to follow. If you want to teach a class in something, but feeling intimidated trying to figure out what to teach, following the table of contents from a textbook is the perfect solution. The learning itself doesn’t need to come from the chapters of the book itself (though it could). Instead, what you’ll do is follow the table of contents, but fill in the learning in other ways, like with other books, with taking field trips, by using web resources, with workbooks, and so on. In this case, the table of contents is just providing the framework, but you’re in control of the activities you use to teach the actual lessons.

Using Textbooks for Reference

Finally, textbooks can make excellent reference books. They’re even better together, too, as the impact tends to multiply if you own several textbooks about the same thing. There’s nothing better for looking up the rules of grammar or punctuation than a collection of English textbooks on the shelf. Math books are excellent for seeing how different authors explain the same concepts, especially for struggling students who may need to hear it several different ways. History textbooks, in particular the index at the back of the book, are fantastic tools for learning about people or events.

The bottom line is that there are plenty of ways to control textbook use, instead of allowing them to control you. I hope this has given you a new understanding of how textbooks can be used in freedom, for whatever they’re worth in your unique homeschool program.

To your success,

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago.  A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast.  Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever.  A writer, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT,Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide.  Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: books, classroom resources, free, freebies, high school, lesson plans, middle, middle school

Mar 13 2015

I don’t do history, but I can teach it anyway

I’ll be honest with you.  History isn’t one of my strong points.  Actually, any study requiring the piecing together of events and examining how they’re interconnected is not my strong point.  I stink at the “bigger picture”, as it were.

Instead, I’m a fact person, a logic person, and a detail person.  (I also have what I refer to as a ‘semi-photographic’ memory, though I’m not sure if that’s even a real thing.)  I can easily remember facts, minutia, and random trivia; and as a bonus, I easily remember what things looked like the moment I first saw them, making it that much easier.

Ask me the phone number and address of someone I met years ago, and I’ve got it.  Ask me the score of the ball game on TV – even if I’m not watching, just happened to see the screen – and I’ll know it.  But ask me to examine themes as they result from events and artifacts in history, and I’m left sorting through a database of mental facts to recreate the pieces and answer your question.  The way my brain works served me well growing up, because memorizing facts is what schools were after at the time.

But, fast forward to becoming a homeschool mom, and though I remembered  zillions of random things about history, I felt I actually knew very little about history at all.

How was I gonna teach it?

Though I could perform parlor tricks all day long, certainly long enough to do history lessons with my kids, I was afraid I couldn’t help them connect the dots for the long term.  I worried I could only remember facts yet not get the significance.  I needed my kids to remember both.

So, how is a mom who is pitifully unable to “do” history herself able to teach history to her kids?

how to teach history

I had several things going for me as I homeschooled history.  The first was my amazing husband, a history buff if I ever met one.  Though he wasn’t around during the day when we did our lessons, he could always scoop up the pieces in the evenings and on weekends.  I’d clue him in on what we were up to, and he could discuss what they’d learned, ask questions, review projects or spark the kinds of discussions I just wasn’t capable of having. Between the kids’ assignments and watching them interact with him, I could gauge if anything actually sank in.

Another resource I heavily exploited were history courses, books and lesson plans.  Those were great, as all I had to do was follow along with the kids, monitor the lessons, grade the papers, then fetch more courses, books and lesson plans.  There were gads of great products to teach history when we first started — even more now – so I just chose the ones I thought my kids would like the best.  Sometimes, I let them choose, too.

In addition to those, I bought every kid’s history book and biography I could get my hands on — encyclopedias, too (Usborne and Kingfisher becoming favorites). I filled our shelves with something about everything. Plus, I took full advantage of television programming, and series after series of DVDs I ordered from a variety of teaching services and web sites.  Oh, and I bought project books so we could create scenes, dioramas, lap-books, foldable cities, and all the rest.

Turns out, history in our home was an absolute blast!  Most every lesson was successful, and my boys thoroughly enjoyed everything we did.  And though I can’t remember the upshot of lots of our lessons to save my own life, it’s okay. Because they do.  Phew.

And though I can’t remember the upshot of lots of our lessons to save my own life, it’s okay….

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As my kids got older, they began taking history classes outside the home the way some kids take math.  (Math is easy for me, and I teach most levels myself.)  In high school, virtual programs, co-op classes, online college classes, and history courses on DVD were our friends.

I’m happy to report my kids continue to enjoy reading and learning about history all the time, both on their own, and as a shared activity with my husband.  I don’t know many people who know as much about World War II, the Vietnam War, or ancient civilizations than my boys.  Again, phew.

I don’t know many people who know as much about…ancient civilizations than my boys. Again, phew.

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In my defense, I really do love history and I love learning it beside my kids.  And relationships in science and other areas come easily to me, for some reason.  But, I am not embarrassed to say I could not have been nearly as successful in history without the many, many resources I brought into our home to help me.  And because my kids move on to college, graduate with top honors, and are functioning well in life, I am fully convinced we did something right.

So, now, do you see how homeschool parents don’t always need to know everything?

Told you so.

Marie-Claire Moreau, Quick Start Homeschool

 

More like this:

Parents don’t need to know everything. In homeschool, that’s ok.

Do homeschool parents need special qualifications?

Chemistry and Calculus: Solutions for teaching tougher classes

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Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: history, lesson plans, social studies

Jan 19 2015

Where to find high school curriculum

By the time homeschoolers get to high school, parents don’t have to teach (or oversee) everything any more.  In high school, sourcing products and outside experiences is the name of the game.

Parents often ask where to find curriculum for their teens.  They’re usually frustrated after searching for some universal high school curriculum that really doesn’t exist.

In high school, sourcing products and outside experiences is the name of the game.

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I love meeting with parents of teens and speaking to groups about homeschooling the high school years. When I do, I explain there is no standard high school curriculum, and that high school is different for every student.  I let parents know there are lots of ways for teens to learn in high school, and I offer suggestions for where to begin looking for curriculum options, too.

[Need a high school speaker? Contact me here.]

Are you that parent?  Have you been having trouble finding curriculum and products for your high schooler?

Let me give you some ideas.

But, before you scroll down, remember this: the sky’s the limit in terms of what can be included, excluded or combined in a home curriculum for high school.

Now, here’s a list of places to help you source high school courses, curriculum and experiences:

Curriculum Products: You’re less likely to find all-in-one curriculum products for high school, but what you will find are tons of great products to teach individual subjects, such as Algebra, Architecture or Ancient History.  Browse what your favorite homeschool author, homeschool publisher, online curriculum vendor, book retailer, or homeschool blogger  has to offer.  Glean ideas for which ones you can choose for your teen.  Better yet, have your teenager choose for himself.  By combining many of those products together, you’ll have enough curriculum for an entire year of high school.

Community and Junior Colleges: Often called “dual enrollment”, most American students now have access to programs for early college at community and junior colleges.  Check your state’s requirements first, then visit a local campus to learn about placement tests and other requirements for homeschoolers.  Depending on the area, your high schooler may be able to attend part-time — even full-time – for free or a fraction of the tuition cost.  Best yet, your student earns college credit for courses taken there, too.

Your Local High School:  Although you have opted-out of public high school, there’s nothing wrong with dropping back in for a class or two.  Many areas allow homeschoolers to attend high school part-time while still holding on to homeschool status.  Ask how things are done in your district, and then browse the high school’s course descriptions to find classes your high schooler can use.

Adult & Community Education Programs:  Most cities offer continuing education through adult and community programs.  Since these classes are offered year-round, it’s easy to combine several classes for high school credit.  Community courses are great for picking up new skills, learning alongside other people in classroom settings, and experimenting with topics for a few weeks before launching into year-long studies.

Technical Schools: Just like colleges, trade and tech schools are great places to pick up classes during high school, too. Visit a local campus to find out about opportunities for homeschooled teens.

Online High Schools: There are at least 2 kinds of online high schools, some designed for school kids who want to study from home, and others for those who want to hold on to homeschool status.  Check with each school to learn about homeschool options before enrolling.  Learn more about online high school and correspondence programs here.

Online College Courses: Today’s learners have access to an amazing line-up of lectures that have been archived from courses taught at Columbia, MIT, Harvard, Yale and other top colleges and universities.  Teens can take advantage of these lectures to  learn just about anything.  When using these courses, parents can choose to award credit based on the lectures alone, or by adding a writing or other physical component to help document learning.  No matter how it’s done, it’s like learning from top university professors, only without the cost of tuition! Learn where to find some of these courses here.

Free Online Classes: Lots of companies, businesses and individuals offer training courses online.  Teens can learn many high school-worthy things online, such as web design, coding, world languages, business skills, home making, SAT study skills and more.  Free definitely does not mean worthless, by the way, because many quality courses are offered free, requiring nothing more than signing up.

Free Online Videos: Khan Academy (though excellent) isn’t the only name in free video online learning any more.  Lots of people offer free online learning content via Youtube or other video streaming service.  These lessons can be used to supplement existing courses, or for stand-alone high school credit, too.  Find a favorite, and then list videos in order to create a set of lesson plans.  Assign labs or written work in between — curriculum solved!

High School Co-ops: Parents searching for ways for teens to make friends, learn alongside other teens, or receive simulated classroom learning, may want to look into into (or form) co-ops.  Co-ops are perfect for learning things that are hard to teach at home, learning in groups, and sharing expensive equipment.  I love co-ops and strongly recommend them at least once during the high school years.  Never heard of a homeschool co-op?  Read more about co-ops here.

Textbooks:  Though many homeschoolers shy away from standard textbooks, I am actually a fan of high school texts when used in certain ways.  One way is to use textbooks as a framework for what to study about a subject (a detailed table of contents can be your best friend).  Another way is to use textbooks combined with other resources (texts don’t have to stand alone).  Finally, because texts are designed to provide a full year of high school work, they can help to gauge just how much is considered worthy of a transcript credit.  There are other ways to use textbooks, but I caution against blindly following standards found in textbooks, because in my opinion, meeting national standards is not the same as real learning. Read how to use stand-alone textbooks here.

Internships/Mentoring: Some of the best learning comes from doing, and that’s where this idea comes in.  By working with individuals in your community (or communicating with mentors online) teens can learn first-hand the things others only read about in books.  Finding internships and mentors isn’t always easy, but great places to look include church groups, community groups, a local Chamber of Commerce, area professsional organizations, and the workplaces of people you know.

By now, you have seen that high schooling can be made of many different experiences, each tailored to the specific needs and goals for that student.  Combine many of these options to design a customized high school curriculum, then sit back and observe the rewards of personalizing an education for your teen!

For more high school articles, be sure to follow the high school tag at the bottom of this post.

Marie-Claire Moreau, Quick Start Homeschool

This is a great article to share with friends with middle and high schoolers.

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Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: books, classroom resources, college, high school, lesson plans, middle school

Apr 25 2013

Creating Homeschool Lesson Plans — The Easy Way!

Mon. 6/12
 
Read chapter 4, complete questions 2-14, do assessment at the end of the chapter
 
Fri. 3/18
 
Practice letter “r”, make a list of red things, cook ravioli for lunch, color with red crayons
 
Tues. 12/10
 
Take quiz #17, time with stopwatch, check your answers 
Fri. 9/02 
Continue working on research paper, complete bibliography today, save on disc, print it out, turn it in to mom or dad

 

The idea of “lesson plans” may come from traditional classrooms, but lots of homeschool families benefit by using lesson plans, too!  The good news is that lesson plans for homeschooling don’t need to be nearly as detailed as the ones used in schools (unless you want them to).  The even better news is that customized lessons plans offer even greater organization and peace of mind, since they’re tailored to the specific family using them.

There are no hard and fast rules for creating lesson plans for homeschooling — every family should put their own personal spin on the process.  For instance, some parents create very detailed lists of topics and dates on which every topic will be addressed, accompanied by the readings or written projects to go with them.  Others merely photocopy the table of contents from books and resources, write dates next to each, and check off chapters as they are completed.

Today, many homeschool products come with a scope & sequence and plus detailed lesson plans (even scripts for parents!) within the product, making the process easier still.

No matter how homeschoolers choose to create & use lesson plans, these plans offer the chance for families to think — in advance – about which concepts, skills, ideas and practical activities – to focus on each day.  Although sticking to lesson plans is always optional, many parents enjoy the sense of peace it gives them, knowing they possess a general guide for what their students will be doing all year.

Creating lesson plans isn’t hard.  These general steps may be helpful for families who want to create their own!

Creating Homeschool Lesson Plans — The Easy Way!

1. Begin by laying out all of the materials you think could be used to teach a course or learn a specific skill.  These can be books, worktexts, board games, DVDs, software, links to online courses, toys, kits, names of web sites, or anything at all.

2. Once all materials have been identified, spend some time looking through every book or resource to get a general idea of what is required, how each could be used, and how long each might take to finish.  Once familiar with the resources, keep the ones you’ll most likely use, and put away the rest.

3. Using paper & pencil and a calendar, plot out a course of action for the year (or month or semester)  Figure out how much work to assign every day or week.  Use the number of lessons/units/chapters as a guide.  Assign page numbers or projects.  Or, identify individual ideas to cover daily/weekly.

4. Review the list by thinking about the goals of the class and the abilities of the student who will be performing the lessons.  Make any changes that are needed (keeping in mind it can always be tweaked as you move throughout the year).

5. Type or neatly re-copy the list and hang it where you and your student can see it daily.  For non-readers, you can also add visuals (drawings, stickers, illustrations) to make following the plans easier and more fun.

For very detailed information about creating lessons plans, printable forms, and valuable tips about the process all along the way, take a look at THIS E-BOOK.  And, always remember, lesson plans (in most cases) are optional for homeschoolers, and should be there to help — never hinder – the process of learning at home.

 

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: books, classroom resources, elementary, high school, lesson planning, lesson plans, middle school

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