About This Lesson
Whether you are a seasoned homeschool teacher or one by necessity only, there are things you can do to prepare yourself for a great school year. Plan for the best year possible in a way that meets the needs of not only your children, but you as the teacher as well.
Physical Education
It’s important to plan a physical education unit as part of your curriculum whether your child misses team sports with friends or is the type to eschew any activity that makes him sweat. Not only is vigorous activity necessary for health, but it also provides a much-needed brain break from staring at the computer. At home, you must embrace different ways to get your kids moving. It might be worth it to consider the cost of inground pool installation or perhaps a trampoline or freestanding basketball hoop. The entire family might want to invest in a set of nice bicycles. Whatever you choose, make it part of your daily curriculum.
Block Schedule
Many traditional schools follow a block schedule calendar which is also a good choice for homeschooling. Not only does it give your children a chance to spend quality time with any given subject, but it allows you time to focus on lesson preparation. Instead of rushing to get through all the subjects, your child can dig deeper into two or three for longer periods of time. Decide in advance how you want to link your subjects. Math and science make a natural fit, but science and reading also go well together as it allows you to pair fiction and non-fiction texts that reflect what your child is learning scientifically to deepen his or her understanding and connections.
Project-Based Learning
Homeschooling is a great forum for project-based learning because its interdisciplinary approach is especially easy with one teacher. Your child chooses her own problem to research and solve based on what interests her. As the teacher, you guide her towards resources in books, the internet and out in the world. Your child explores the problem and works to create a solution. Because project-based learning is student-focused, it’s okay if, as the teacher, you don’t have all the answers.
Student Choice
When student interest helps drive curriculum decisions, you generally get a more interested student body. Giving your child a choice in the instruction vehicle will make the tasks more interesting for him or her. For example, it’s imperative that your children develop excellent reading skills, but they can do so with a variety of texts. Consider what they’re interested in such as cars, recycling, princesses, bears, etc. and find reading material that reflects these topics. If you want them to read a certain type of text, such as historical fiction or a persuasive speech, give them a choice of two or three options. Getting to make decisions about what they read gives students ownership over their own learning.
Home Economics
For your own sanity as the teacher, make sure to include an on-going unit in home economics that enables you to keep the household running while teaching important skills at the same time. When you change the oil in your car, let your daughter help. When it’s time to cook dinner, teach your son how to chop and measure. When you sit down to pay bills, use it as a real-world math lesson including how you budget your money and whether your family was able to stick with that budget on any particular month. Don’t forget that teaching youngsters how to wash baseboards, sew buttons on and clean gutters will surely make them more competent adults.
Homeschooling is challenging and doing so during a pandemic is even more so. The key to a successful homeschool year is to set up your “school” not to mimic traditional education but to expand on the best parts of it by adding in student-focused lessons that don’t overwhelm the teacher.
