Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, Life Strategist

Plan Your Own Homeschool Curriculum

 

Purchase this title in our e-store

Gathering homeschool resources is easy and fun!

Who doesn’t love shopping for new materials and fresh supplies?

But…pulling them all together is a different story.

Once that box of goodies arrives by mail, well…that’s when the hard work begins.

 

Which one of the books should your kids start first?

How long will all those lessons take an average kid to finish?

Is there enough material to cover all the subjects you wanted to teach this year?

Should you assign all of the chapters in every book — or just some?

Do any of the resources overlap?  Should any be combined?

What other supplies do you still need to buy?  When do you need them by?

How much work should you assign every day? Every week? Every year?

 

Every parent faces the same challenges at the beginning of a new homeschool year.

 

Reviewing materials, planning lessons, and scheduling the year is no small task!

 

Sure, buying a comprehensive curriculum makes things easier.  BUT, it doesn’t always guarantee the system and schedule will be exactly right for your family.

 

Choosing materials from many different sources means you have to develop a schedule and lesson plans entirely on your own.  That’s a time-consuming process, too.

 

That’s why I developed Plan Your Own Homeschool Curriculum — the solution for creating a well-planned and cohesive homeschool year.

 

This is NOT a calendar.  It is NOT an ordinary planner, either.

 

What is it?

 

It’s an e-book that acts as your personal guide for planning an entire homeschool year.  You’ll receive a step-by-step system, including all of the forms you’ll ever need, to gather all of the books, worksheets, lesson plans, DVDs, web links, educational games, flash cards, MP3s and anything else you want to use during the homeschool year.   AND, you’ll receive a guided system for organizing everything into one giant set of lesson plans that work for YOU!

 

By the end of the e-book, you will have developed an organized plan for the ENTIRE HOMESCHOOL YEAR.

 

Buy it now

 

Plan Your Own Homeschool Year offers a system for:

  • Taking inventory of homeschool materials for the year;
  • Getting familiar with each specific resource, and how each should be used;
  • Determining how many lessons to plan and how much material to cover each time;
  • Deciding how to schedule the year and when to take time off; PLUS
  • Writing up a set of lesson plans to last the whole year.

In Plan Your Own Homeschool Year, guided instruction is used to:

  • Give parents a jump-start on what is covered in each homeschool book or product
  • Help parents organize the year into manageable chunks, avoiding last-minute planning and frustration
  • Explain how to calculate the number of lessons or number of chapters to assign every day/week
  • Demonstrate how to write lesson plans to keep the year running smoothly
  • Leave parents with a sense of confidence and readiness for an outstanding year!

 

ALL reproducible worksheets are included.

 

DETAILED easy-to-follow instructions make following the guide easy.

 

This system works for ANY family using ANY kind of homeschool resources.  Whether you’re a curriculum user, an eclectic resource family, or anywhere in between, you CAN have an organized homeschool year.

 

I’ll show you how!

 

Listen to what this parent said:

“…thank you so much for putting together an ebook about planning out a homeschool curriculum.  I have been searching the internet for a long time trying to find EXACTLY what you have put together.  I am grateful, that you took the time to create this ebook.”

~ C.T.

 

Approximate length: 35 pages

 

Are you ready for a well-planned homeschool year?

 

You can purchase this book in our e-store.

Click here for pricing and purchasing details.

Answer Keys

 

What is an answer key?  Do homeschoolers always need them?  For which subjects are they most helpful?

Here are some answers to these common questions:

What is it?

When purchasing homeschool curriculum products, many come with an answer key.  Sometimes, the answer key is included in the price.  Other times, it must be purchased separately.   Sometimes, answer keys are located within a larger teacher’s instruction manual or a test booklet.  Other times, answer keys are separate booklets all their own.

Answer keys may also be called Teacher Keys or Solutions Manuals.

The purpose of an answer key is to provide answers to all of the questions asked in the lessons.  This means that teachers (in this case, homeschool parents) do not have to solve all of the problems themselves, making checking student work quick and grading papers accurate.  Older kids can also be asked to grade their own papers using answer keys; thus, they work for both parents and students.

Do you need one?

Besides providing the correct answers, answer keys can be very handy for homeschoolers for another reason — they can be used for teaching and learning.  Particularly in math and sciences, they often show solutions in a way that teaches or reviews material again.  Thus, students who do not arrive at the correct answer on their own can sometimes learn by watching how the answers are derived in the answer key.

As a parent, I see nothing wrong with using an answer key as a teaching tool, and sometimes refer to it myself when I am unable to explain a concept to one of my students.  My philosophy is one of learning how to find information and solve problems.  Therefore, I allow my students to use any materials they need to learn something they may be struggling with, even if it includes the answer key.  I always ask students to solve problems on their own, but then provide help — including the answer key if necessary — if a book or other resources are just not enough.

Can you do without?

The answer depends on the student and the parent.  If parents are comfortable with material and able to explain to students, answer keys may not be needed.  But, if family members are unable to solve problems and grade papers on their own, and if there are no outside resources, no homework help, no tutor, no expert, no friends who have taken the class before, and no other source of information, having an answer key can be priceless.

Some parents do without answer keys when children are very young, then rely heavily on them as children advance, course material becomes more and more difficult, or students are given more autonomy for learning and scoring their own papers.

Some families buy answer keys for some subjects, and not for others.  Whatever works best given the existing level of mastery that exists in the home, and the comfort zone when it comes to evaluating student work, will determine if they’re needed or not.

A final note

When purchasing used homeschool products, check to see if the answer key is included.  If it isn’t — and if you want one — check to see if one can be purchased new or used, to match the same edition of the textbook, curriculum or lesson plans.  If not, consider whether not having the answers will make any difference during the year.  Sometimes, this can make or break the entire experience.  Though, as always, it’s entirely your call.

Lastly, keep in mind that not all families assign written work, evaluate student work or assign grades.  If this is true for your family, answer keys are probably not necessary in your home, unless used as a learning tool.

Image 1 Credit

Image 2 Credit

 

 

 

Books, books everywhere! (Help for reluctant and non-readers)

I love books.  And I really believe that kids should read.  If you’ve been following my personal blog for any length of time, you probably already know that.

Really I prefer the classics for children.  Or any good quality literature I can find (i.e., well-written with something valuable they can think about).  But overall, I’m all for any genre, any format — just books – as long as they read.

Enough has been written about the value of reading that I don’t need to repeat that here.  But as a reminder, the benefits of reading extend far beyond language and reading…the effects of being raised to read are lifelong and priceless.

Some children like to read and do so easily on their own — bravo!  Others read only when books are assigned — that’s good, too.

But what about students who don’t know how to read? Or prefer not to read? Or those that balk at the idea of reading, or for whom just about anything else in the world is more appealing that leafing through the pages of a book?

What do we do about those kids?  They miss out.

Though I cannot guarantee that these tips will produce readers, I have compiled some ideas here that may help. They’re based on my experience with my kids, other people’s kids, and lots and lots of kids in general.  And research, too.

See if any of these tips entice your non-reader to start, or your reluctant reader to continue:

  1. Read to your kids.  One on one, or in groups. Aloud.  As often as possible.  Even after the children know how to read on their own. Do it as long as they’ll let you — throughout the teen years if possible.  And not just at bedtime.
  2. Let your kids see you read. Read in places they can see. Leave your books in conspicuous places. Just read, read, read.  And ask your spouse or other family members to do the same.
  3. Talk about what you read. Either about what you read on your own. Or about what you read with the children. Mention things you read. Discuss ideas you learned. Or just simply tell children what your books are about.
  4. Leave books everywhere.  On the kitchen counter. On the coffee table. In kid’s rooms. In the bathrooms. Leave books everywhere and anywhere.  Make them visible. Change them out after they’ve been there a while. Gather groupings of similar books, or just place random titles everywhere.
  5. Visit libraries and bookstores. At least once each week. Make these places regular hang-outs. Get to know staff. Learn the layout. Spend significant amounts of time there. Make these fun outings that children look forward to.
  6. Make books. As school projects, or just for fun. Write poems and stories, or copy them from books. Type, cut apart, bind them in interesting ways. If successful, then do this a lot.
  7. Create a comfy reading area. Or not. You know your children. If you think this may help, do it!
  8. If you find a book somewhere in your home, leave it there.  Someone may be looking at it.  Resist putting it back on the shelf so as not to spoil the fun.
  9. Make book alternatives available.  Junk mail. Magazines. Catalogs. Instruction booklets. Pamplets. Anything in print that may pique a child’s interest. Leave those laying around. Notice who reads what.
  10. Let kids pick their own books.  It might be that your choices aren’t the same as theirs. Then, accept what they choose, as long as they’re reading.
  11. Make a reward chart.  Books read can equal rewards earned. Cheesy I know, but some children are motivated by this.
  12. Ask a lot of questions. If you feel the child wants to talk about his or her reading, that is (see next tip). Give praise.  Express interest.
  13. Don’t ask too many questions. If you think this may embarrass or otherwise sap the fun out of the reading, that is. When a child views reading as work, this just might take all of the fun out of it.  Resist the temptation to praise or talk about reading if this may backfire (see previous tip).
  14. Unless the circumstances require it, don’t force a reluctant reader to finish a book if they don’t want to.  Little is gained by completing the book, but great strides may be lost by forcing a child to read something they do not like (or may not understand).
  15. Consider reading for pleasure versus reading for school.  Pleasure reading comes with no strings attached.  None whatsoever. Some children need to know that.
  16. Never “write off” a child as someone who doesn’t like to read. A child who doesn’t love reading now might love reading later on. Don’t stop trying.  All kinds of things may affect a child’s reading.  Changes may happen in a day, a week, or a year. Don’t give up.

Want to know which books were scattered all around my home this morning?  Here are just a few that I spied during my morning rounds:

And there were more.  In addition to “real” books, I also found a bunch of brain-teasers/puzzle books, too. And I haven’t even checked all rooms yet.

In our home, we value and prioritize reading.  Everyone in the family knows this, and the children have grown up with it.  So, for most of us, the reading mostly just happens.  But for those of us who do not, the gentle suggestions I listed above can prove very helpful.

If reading doesn’t happen so naturally in your home, give some of these ideas a shot, and sit back and watch the results.  You just may create a book-lover, too.

Teaching Character Education

When deciding whether to formally teach a particular subject in homeschool, parents often ask themselves two questions:

1. Do the homeschooling laws of my state require it?

2. Am I already meeting this requirement some other way?

When it comes to teaching Character Education, the answers to these two questions can be somewhat significant.

That’s because, although many families teach character ed at home with no formal curriculum and little or no effort, some places actually require them to do so in an accountable way.  This creates a situation where a lifestyle of learning combined with the simple act of modeling and reinforcing good behavior at home must actually be included in the homeschool teaching program.

Character Education needn’t be a difficult requirement to meet, and there are multiple ways besides books and curriculum materials to help document character ed requirements.  But some families like to have these products on hand, as they offer activities and exercises, stories and scenarios, and a variety of different viewpoints to look at when discussing these topics.  Ultimately, though, it boils down to the family homeschooling philosophy and what the words “good character” mean to them.

For those who choose to go the book or curriculum route, options exist from most homeschool suppliers and online booksellers.  Some examples are linked below.  This is not an exhaustive list of ways to teach Character Education, just a sampling of some of the products one might find on the shelves.  Start with these, and then find others on your own:

Frank Schaffer’s Character Education (pictured)

10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids 

Noah Webster’s Advice to the Young

Good Manners for Today’s Kids

Lessons in Manners Copywork in Charlotte Mason Style

George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior

Note that some states also list the teaching of Good Citizenship or Patriotism.  And while these are clearly different ideas altogether (often viewed as a part of Civics or History), they can certainly be woven into Character Education, if a family feels they fit well there, too .

So, where do I get the books?

When parents first start thinking about homeschooling, one of the first things they ask is,

“So, where do I get the books?”

I cannot tell you how often I am asked this question.

Particularly when parents have little or no homeschooling background, there is often the assumption that either: 1) the school district provides a stack of books to use each year; or , 2) that there is some place locally to go and pick up whatever books are required.

Not so.

Not unless a student will be enrolled in a home study program where books are provided and shipped directly to the home, that is.  But that is not the way the most families homeschool their children.  (In fact, it may not really be homeschooling at all.)

The truth is, in MOST cases, homeschooling families DO NOT receive books for homeschooling.  Parents must choose their own books — and pay for them, too.

And, for many, that is exactly the reason they homeschool – to make their own curriculum decisions – some even choosing not to buy books at all.

For others, however, like some of the parents who ask the book question, this comes as a great disappointment.

In fact, when families make the decision to homeschool children, they become separate, independent education programs all their own.  They must not only decide what to teach, and how; but they must also decide which materials to purchase. Or not to purchase.  The choice is entirely theirs to make.  And, unless state homeschooling laws dictate which subjects to teach or what tests will need to be passed (some states do, check your laws HERE), families can decide exactly which books to buy, and where to get them.

So, where do homeschooling parents get their books?  This is where a little bit of research will come in handy.  Asking friends and acquaintances who are homeschooling is one way. Joining local or online support groups and finding out where people buy their books is another. Going to homeschooling book sales and conventions is still another idea.  Or, scouring the Internet to find the web sites of reputable sellers of homeschooling materials will work, too.  And lest the prices scare families away, parents needn’t worry, as they are many inexpensive ways to homeschool that do not involve purchasing costly textbooks at all.  My book has a list of resources that can help.

Regardless of how the books are ultimately obtained, it is important for homeschoolers to realize that book choices are theirs to make, and that they remain in complete control of all purchases made for the purpose of home education.  And as for tax breaks for these kinds of purchases?  Read this post for answers.