Wow. (Homeschooling Simplified Again)

This (PDF) is *exactly* what I’ve been wanting to find.

I don’t know if school districts elsewhere do this, but, thankfully, mine does, and this (again) has simplified my world.

I’m sorry if that sounds like the all-consuming goal of my life just now, but it nearly is. To be able to add the necessary new things to my life (e.g., children’s schooling) with limited upheaval is *highly* desirable— at all times.

I googled my school district and found their curriculum page.

At the bottom of the list of of curriculum guides, there is a Parent Guide to Elementary Curriculum.

Just, Wow.

Talk about your checklists. And I like lists. They make comparisons so simple.

For example, I can look at goals for kindergarten Language Arts:

  • letter names
  • most sounds
  • recognize and write first name
  • begin to listen without interruption
  • express ideas through speaking, drawing, or writing
  • demonstrate awareness of relationship between speaking, writing, listening, and reading
  • hold pencil, crayon, or paintbrush correctly
  • share enthusiasm for literature

and Language Arts for 1st Grade:

  • use decoding and comprehension strategies to read and understand simple stories
  • write an original sentence beginning with a capital letter and ending with a period
  • use spelling patterns and some high frequency words
  • form manuscript letters correctly
  • speak audibly in complete sentences
  • demonstrate age appropriate listening skills

and know what I need to teach next (or first, as our case now stands).

With these lists to look at, I can quickly see that we’ve accomplished everything in the kindergarten list, and some from first grade, so we are definitely starting ahead of the curve.

~

Knowing this isn’t the case for all subjects I’ve been trying to determine what I should teach at the 1st grade level and what at kindergarten level.

At my library I had found the “Core Knowledge” books for Kindergarten and 1st grade, but trying to compare overviews (in paragraph form) and tables of contents was not really working. It was too unwieldy.

That’s why these lists earned this reaction— they were *such* a relief to find.

Another encouraging thing is that the listed points for Mathematics lend themselves, at least for my imagination, to exercises and physical activities that don’t require any textbook yet (being mostly about concepts).

This aligns with my goal of minimizing pencil-and-paper work as much as possible in the beginning.

~ ~ ~

You know, I’ve never questioned whether homeschooling was what God “wanted” us to do. Jay and I just knew we were going to teach our children.

Some people might say making that assumption was foolish.

But as I continue to prepare and (a little bit) start, I see “the floodgates of God’s mercy” opening on us, and the assurance that His provision is proceeding us here as it has led us before, guiding us on the right paths.

Call it a honeymoon if you must (though “engagement bliss” might be a more accurate term just now), but remember, please, that is something to be enjoyed— not scorned.

It exists for a good purpose.

3 thoughts on “Wow. (Homeschooling Simplified Again)

  1. Since you are both on the same page, why not? There’s nothing stopping you since God has given you the green light AND put it on your heart.

    BTW, how’s the book coming along.

    love chrisd from Write and Whine

  2. Chris– that’s basically the way Jay and I feel about it.

    I’ve just had conversations (about other things) where it was implied “assumptions” meant you weren’t seeking God, and isn’t not-seeking-God ________ (fill-in-the-blank negitive)?

    Anyway, I don’t feel that way.

    I am thankful when God starts us in unity on a particular issue. More lovely simplicity.

    ~

    As for the novel, I’m in a read-through/revision just now.

    (Anytime you’re interested in the latest you can click on the “Developing Novel” category and it’ll probably say where I’m at. I just did a post recently about what counts as “working” on my novel.)

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