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Written by Alice Pauquette
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 |
It is week number two in our quest to create our curriculum plan for next
school year. Have you thoughts about what you want to teach next year?
I had some questions
sent in that I wanted to address:
Do I have to plan everything if I am just going to order a big box for
2nd(or whatever grade you are teaching) grade from big publisher company?
No matter what educational resources, books, or experiences you choose
to use, you will still need a plan. You need to be aware of what your child
will be learning
and studying.
What do you plan?
I plan both daily school work and supplementary classes. I also see what
area field trips will fit in with our curriculum. Some years I have planned
our family
vacations to coincide with our studies for the year.
Where do I start? We will answer this today! So get your supplies and away
we go.
Today you will need a notebook, a calendar and any schedules you may need.
You may need the school calendar or the college calendar as well if you have
other children enrolled or if your child is dual-enrolled at a school or college.
Be sure to grab a pencil and pen. I like to use a high lighting marker too
sometimes.
Calendar Time – this is where I gather my big year view of a calendar.
1. I begin to draw a line through all days I know I will not homeschool.
For our family that is the weekends. So I draw a line through each weekend
day.
2. Then I note each holiday with my high lighting marker.
3. Mark off your vacation times. I know some families schedule the time between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s off. Personally, it changes for us each
year. So I am thinking that we will start later than any other year. I am thinking
I
may not want to start the fall semester until we have Nick situated at his
college. So maybe we will start in September. But then again, Nick will be
working all summer, so we can actually start early in June and just schedule
a break to take a trip while taking Nick to college. See? I really do understand
how difficult scheduling school can be!
4. I then give myself 5 freebie days. You do not need to write these down
anywhere, just note on your calendar you have 5 personal days. You are
giving yourself
permission to take a day off when you need it, but not an excessive amount.
5. Now, count how many days you are homeschooling this year. I average
20-22 days a month. Remember, a field trip day is still a school day!
6. In Florida we do not have attendance requirements, but for planning
purposes, I hover right around 180 days. Check your state requirements
before proceeding with your planning.
7. Now that I have a calendar, I know exactly how many days I have
to complete my goals. Cool, huh?
I have my calendar completed. I have a list of some ideas of what to teach
my children. I want to examine my child’s strengths and weaknesses next.
Check back on Friday this week for some printable forms to help with your plans.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 February 2010 )
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Written by Alice Pauquette
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Wednesday, 17 February 2010 |
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What do I teach and when? Does this question ever run through your head?
Of course it does! As homeschool parents we find ourselves looking for
the best of the
best materials to use to teach our children.
But where is the list? THE LIST
does not exist. I can honestly sit here and type that as a professional
curriculum designer, there is no list. Sure everyone thinks there is this elusive
list
to be found somewhere on some website or in a book somewhere. But let
me assure
you, it does not exist.
The good news is that there are many websites and numerous resources for
creating your own list of courses for your child. Your state may offer
a list of standards
or typical course of study. And of course looking through catalogs of
homeschool materials is always fascinating. You may also find some resources
within
your style of homeschooling be it Charlotte Mason style or classical
education style.
You will quickly find that I am quite eclectic in the resources I use
in our homeschool plan. Here are some resources I use when creating my
list
of subjects
and/or courses to teaching my children:
Sunshine State Standards
Florida Course Descriptions
World Book Typical Course of Study
Sonlight Website
The Well-Trained Mind Website
So this week, I want you to think about your child and create a list of subjects
and courses you want to teach next school year. Of course you can email me
any questions you might have at alice at excellent quests dot com. This task
may seem a bit out of order for those of you who have been in a workshop with
me or are reading my book along with this series of articles. This week I want
you to get inspired and interested by researching a bit. You can get an idea
of what I will be teaching my children next year over at my personal
blog.
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Welcome to ExcellentQuests |
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Written by Web Master
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Saturday, 01 August 2009 |
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*****Fall Special***** Order Curriculum Workshop for only $10! (plus shipping) We know budgets are tight right now and many of us are making do with less. You can write your own unit study or even your own courses with this book. Excellent Quests offers homeschooling families the tools needed to homeschool for excellence. Along this quest you will find within this website how to navigate your way to design your own curriculum, include technology in your homeschool, visit far away places right on your computer screen and many other adventures. This website is just a part of what Excellent Quests offers the homeschooling community. So take a journey through this website and see what treasures you can find. If you are still looking for something further don't hesitate to ask. 
Looking to design your own curriculum? Curriculum Workshop: A guide to writing homeschool curriculum is the book for you! Alice, a homeschool mom and a Curriculum Developer has written this book just for homeschool parents. Curriculum is a course of study, not the books you use. So gather all the books and supplies you have purchased for your school year and Alice will walk you through how to make the best curriculum plan for your homeschool. What if I havn't chosen my materials yet? Well, the first chapter is just for you! Want to see inside the book? Inside Curriculum Workshop Check out Curriculum Workshop: A guide to writing homeschool curriculum which has recently been reviewed by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Click here to read their review. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 29 September 2009 )
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