Once you decide to walk away from Big Box curriculum, it is easy to start worrying about missing something. (Not that you can teach it all!)
Use these tools to help you form a plan:
~ World Book Typical Course of Study – grade-level lists of what should be covered in each subject
~ Core Knowledge K-8 Sequence – you are probably familiar with their What Your –Grader Needs to Know series
~ Assessment Tests – resources for every grade
~ Check your state’s Department of Education website – it should have a scope & sequence listed, and will probably have practice tests for any state testing
Some ideas for using these resources:
- Assessment tests can give you a starting point by pointing out the gaps in your child’s education.
- A scope & sequence will give you a skeleton plan. You can create your own curriculum, or use it as a guide when ordering curriculum.
- State tests will give you an idea of the minimum requirements in public school. I used this when my oldest was in 6th grade. We hadn’t done any formal science at that point, and I wanted to see what gaps we might need to close up. I was afraid we would have several months of catch-up, but it turned out that she could have passed it with flying colors!
Just remember . . .
A topic randomly taught still educates your children!
