Assessing Where Your Child Is

[VisionaryMom]

We've had some major changes in our financial status and have decided that we will, in fact, be able to homeschool DS!

I've spent most of the day reading and thinking about where to go from here. How do you assess where you need to begin? I have no intentions of doing a "school at home" type of environment, but both DS and I need something a bit structured for our personalities.

I picked up a Barron's book called Making the Grade: What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know at the library. We breezed through it. DS can do all of the skills in the book, though I may use it as a topical reference (e.g. covering food groups but more in-depth) for a K curriculum. DS was upset when we finished going through it because he wanted to do more! They have the 1st grade version, and I'll probably get that tomorrow, but beyond that, I don't really know what information he may be lacking that are age- and ability-appropriate.

[Callimom]

Originally Posted by BrandiRhoades

We've had some major changes in our financial status and have decided that we will, in fact, be able to homeschool DS!

I've spent most of the day reading and thinking about where to go from here. How do you assess where you need to begin? I have no intentions of doing a "school at home" type of environment, but both DS and I need something a bit structured for our personalities.

I picked up a Barron's book called Making the Grade: What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know at the library. We breezed through it. DS can do all of the skills in the book, though I may use it as a topical reference (e.g. covering food groups but more in-depth) for a K curriculum. DS was upset when we finished going through it because he wanted to do more! They have the 1st grade version, and I'll probably get that tomorrow, but beyond that, I don't really know what information he may be lacking that are age- and ability-appropriate.

Congratulations!

Are you planning on homeschooling longterm? Because I would answer differently if that is the case versus homeschooling with the plan to put your son back in school in the next year or two.

Most school districts have online curriculum expectations that you can use as a guide. There are also lots of books which outline expectations year by year. My favourite is Homelearning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp.

Most math programs for homeschoolers have some kind of grade level attached to them - or online tests so you can see which level to start with.

If you are planning on homeschooling longer term I would suggest just following interests as broadly and deeply as your son is interested in taking them. You can structure your days using a rhythm rather than a curriculum - ie we hike with friends on Tuesday afternoons, volunteer after lunch on Wednesday, have friday morning co-op, spend mornings doing chores and table time (skill work like math, reading, grammar etc) and afternoons playing, reading alound, doing art or science activites etc.

hth
Karen

[PGTlatte]

I used this to check our son's "readiness" for grade 1 material:

http://lp028.k12.sd.us/first.htm

I found it with a google search.

For math, the Singapore Math website has assessments for determining which of their levels a child is ready for.

Also it is not an assessment, but the Calvert website has scope and sequence documents for each grade that might be helpful.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

Are you planning on homeschooling longterm?

I hope to. I really think with DS' personality and academic needs that's going to be best. DD is the 3YO. She's far more extroverted and may end up preferring to go to school if we can't meet her social needs.

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

My favourite is Homelearning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp.

Our library has this book, so I will put it on my list.

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

Most math programs for homeschoolers have some kind of grade level attached to them - or online tests so you can see which level to start with.

I am just beginning to look through curriculum choices but yikes! There are so many options! He can add, subtract, and divide. He's beginning to understand multiplication, but it takes him a bit longer to figure out the answer. OTOH, he doesn't know how to tell time or count money. (Although he can swipe my debit card. ) I hesitate to buy a K curriculum because we'll only use those few sections. I think I may just work on those things with him since they're pretty "life skills" kind of knowledge and then buy a 1st or 2nd grade curriculum.

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

If you are planning on homeschooling longer term I would suggest just following interests as broadly and deeply as your son is interested in taking them. You can structure your days using a rhythm rather than a curriculum - ie we hike with friends on Tuesday afternoons, volunteer after lunch on Wednesday, have friday morning co-op, spend mornings doing chores and table time (skill work like math, reading, grammar etc) and afternoons playing, reading alound, doing art or science activites etc.

I like this type of structure and think it can work for us. We are planning to do Earth Scouts, YMCA homeschool PE (super-cheap!), and he's in dance and plays soccer. Those activities should help give us the beginning of a structure. He also really needs to sleep later than the 6:30 I have to wake him now. His natural waking time is around 8, so I'm hoping that will help give us a good beginning to the day.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by laundrycrisis

http://lp028.k12.sd.us/first.htm

Yay! This looks really helpful. There are a few things I need to ask to see if he knows, but I think it should give us an idea of where we are.

[heatherdeg]

We're using the Core Knowledge K-8 sequence. They're due to publish it online free of charge soon. It's just a set of objectives--not a curriculum. You figure out how to teach the different objectives. I photocopy it and then cross of what he knows then plan around that.

I like the CK version of the book that you bought. Similar title ("What Your First Grader Needs to Know"). I used the series you bought when I was studying for my teaching exams, though. They were more lesson plan-ish. Although I just pulled out my 5th grade version of that book and noted that I may like it for teaching something specific that I don't know about. Hmmm... maybe I need both.

I'm finding that just having the objectives is enough for us now. And as he masters something because he has an interest in it, I find it and cross it off (or note that he has a foundation in it but may need more in-depth stuff later).

[skueppers]

I have three suggestions about math:

MEP

Math Mammoth

Miquon Math

The first is free, the second and third are inexpensive. In the case of the first two, you can download or buy the curriculum in electronic format, so you can print out only the parts you need. With MEP, the core of the program is in the lesson plans. It's very teacher-intensive. Math Mammoth is a "worktext" based program, so it's better for a kid who wants to do workbooks.

Miquon math is sold as collections of lab sheets, along with three teachers' manuals (I got the most out of the Lab Sheet Annotations and the First Grade Diary, both of which I highly recommend). It's "discovery-based," meaning that the child works together with you to figure things out for themselves. You can use the lab sheets in any order you want, and the pages are perforated -- I let my daughter pick for herself what she wants to do on a given day.

[elizawill]

as a general point of reference in figuring out where my kids are, i like rebecca rupp's book, "home learning year by year". it's fairly cheap at amazon. hth.