Homeschooling: Curriculae

On this page:

Free online curriculae
Buyer be aware
Where do I find curriculum?
Links and Websites in the order they were added to this page

 

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Free online curriculae

• Toddlers and young children: 
  Brightly Beaming
   
• School-age to teens:
  Ambleside Online
  Hoagies Gifted Site:  online high school curriculum
   
• World Book, Typical Course of Study.   If you use this site, you'll need to acquire most of your own materials, but the basic course guidelines are provided, and links to supplemental information are provided
   
• Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching, Mathematics Enhancement Programme (Primary Extension)
  This is a math site with lesson plans for elementary mathematics instruction, with practice pages for each lesson available for downloading.  The texts are written in British English, so cross-cultural experience will be gained along with math.  Tests do not appear to be downloadable.
   
• AP Courses:
  Monterey Institute for Technology & Education AP Courses
  Advanced Placement Calculus AB
  Advanced Placement Calculus BC
  Environmental Science
  Advanced Placement Physics B
  Advanced Placement Physics C
  Advanced Placement United States Government
  Advanced Placement United States History
   
• Annenberg Foundation
  Online via Video on Demand
  
  You can view Annenberg Media programs of your choice online with a broadband connection whenever you see [the video on demand] icon. There is no charge for this service.
  
  Free sign up is required for first-time users.
  
  Simply select a program and go to the individual program description listing and click on the icon. To hear the sound and view video, you should have Windows Media Player, DSL, a cable modem, or a LAN connection to a T1 line or greater, and have Javascript enabled. For more information, please visit our broadband FAQ.
   
• College:
  Open Learning Initiative from Carnegie Mellon
  MIT OpenCourseWare
   
• Online text materials:
  Hoagies Gifted site:  free text materials
   
• Also see links on the Subjects page of this site.  Not all links are to free sites, but many are.

   

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Links and Pages in the order they were added to this page

June 2006

• The Most Ignorant Boy in the School
  
  I was inspired by the books written by Gerald Durrell, and by his biography, so I wrote an article about him.  No one has wanted to publish the article (it doesn't fit neatly into homeschooling categories) so I put it on this site.  I hope he inspires you, too.

 

January 2005

• This Curriculum Will Teach the Kids, Wash the Dishes AND Do the Laundry!
  
  As homeschoolers we have a lot of products and services to choose from. There are a lot of really great companies and individuals marketing homeschooling supplies and services. There are also a few `bad apples' in our basket. How can you tell the difference, and how can you know whether the products or services are worth what you are paying for them?
  
  When we hear about new products and services on an Internet list where someone is promoting them the first place to look is at the source. Is this person a homeschooler? Do they know the product or service they are promoting? Can they answer your questions? Are they paid to promote this product? Do they use it themselves?
  
  You can also ask other homeschoolers if they've used the product or service and their opinion of it. That's the great thing about the Internet - there is almost always someone who has already purchased the product and can tell you what they thought of it.
  
  When you are at a curriculum fair, you can examine the materials and ask the merchant questions, but when it's on the Internet or comes in the mail that's not so easy.
  
  *If you are proud of what you are marketing, you put your name on it.*
  
  It's easy to use the Internet to learn more about a product or service. To find the name of the company search the product literature or web site. Google is a wonderful tool to search for more information. I like to start by `googling' the name of the product or service and seeing what comes up. You can also `google' the name of the person that owns the company and learn more about them and their background and whether they have homeschool experience. If you can't find it, perhaps this person doesn't want
  you to know who they are. "Google" the address given for the product. While it's not necessarily a bad thing to find out its a box at the UPS Store, it can give you pause to know there is no real physical address for the company.
  
  Most states put their corporate filings on line. "Google" `secretary of state' and `specific state the address is in' and you should be able to find the corporate records. Most corporate filings include the names of the principle owners and their street address. While you are there search for other companies the individuals have registered. Do they go in and out of business regularly? Want to know if they've ever filed for bankruptcy? Ask http://www.privateeye.com . Want more personal information? Try
  www.intellius.com .
  
  If you discovered from the corporate records that the school was incorporated 3 months ago, does it seem reasonable for them to claim thousands of students are enrolled already? A staff of hundreds? If the product claims endorsements from unnamed experts, who are they?
  
  What's in the Box?
  Examine carefully the information you have. If, for example, you are looking at a curriculum that costs $600 hard-earned dollars, ask for a complete list of what you will receive. If it's a cyber or virtual school, find out if a computer is included (own? borrow? cost of shipping and returning if borrowed?) Will you have to pay for the Internet connection and possible long distance phone charges? Will you be expected to purchase more supplies, for example, science experiments or gym memberships? Do they tell you specifically what you will be receiving, both in products and services? Is there `assembly required"? Are there any additional fees?
  
  It never hurts to ask the Department of Education if the school is licensed, and you can check the schools accreditation by going to the accreditor's web site and searching the list of schools it has accredited. Find out if the school includes written transcripts so
  if you want to later transfer to another school, there will be a record of you child having completed their grade.
  
  If you go ahead and purchase the materials only to find out they are  not suited for your child, is there a return or cancellation policy? Can you get all your money back if you are not satisfied?
  
  If it's a curriculum, does it meet or exceed the requirements for you to legally homeschool in your state? If you state requires testing or a portfolio review, does the school provide those services and are they included in your cost? What about individual states that require state history be included in the curriculum? Is the curriculum compatible with your personal beliefs?
  
  When it's your money and your child's education, you have a responsibility and a right to see that the products and services you need are provided and worth what you are paying for them.
  
  Mary McCarthy on HEM-Networking

 

 

 

October 2004

• "Where Do I Find Curriculum?" Acrobat file at the Yahoo group, New To Homeschooling:  join group (set preferences to "No Mail" if desired), click on "Files" in the list site's left navigation bar.

September 2004

• World Book Parent Resource Center

• Tammy's (Mostly) Home Schooling Curriculum and Book Reviews
  "I like hanging out at some of the home schooling bulletin boards. It seems like some of the same curriculum questions keep popping up over and over. So I've put a few reviews up here to live permanently."

 

August 2004

• Used materials
  Rainbow Resource
  VegSource:  Look on the SwapBoards navigation bar at the right
  The Well-Trained Mind:  Sale and Swap Board
   

• Curriculum review from The Well Trained Mind
   

• The Truth About Curricula
   

 

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