elizabeth clare

practical solutions for the modern catholic

in Homeschooling

How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum: 10 Criteria

How to choose homeschool curriculum that WORKS!

It is spring, which means my mind is churning with thoughts of homeschooling! 

I thrive on this stuff and can get totally lost planning, making spreadsheets, reading books, and  researching curriculum. Thankfully, I have a method for planning that doesn’t take too long!

how to choose curriculum

The last year and a half we’ve been doing Mother of Divine Grace.  It helped our family progress into a more rigorous and structured homeschool. 

No lesson plans and focusing on the 4 R’s (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, and Religion) are fine for those early elementary years, but my oldest needed more of a challenge.  MODG provided that for us.

You can read more on Mother of Divine Grace here:

So what is on tap for this year?

For one thing, we won’t be following Mother of Divine Grace so closely. 

I plan on combining the things I see as the “best” from several Catholic curriculum providers as well as working in solid programs from a couple non-Catholic providers. 

(I plan on sharing the specifics of our 2017 -2018 homeschool curriculum and plans with you in a later post as well as the scope and sequence for our homeschool.)

So why did all this change come about?  There were two main reasons:

Between this and knowing the demands on my time will only increase with our other three children growing into school age, we needed to look for school options that were even less teacher dependent in both preparation and implementation.

Husband has been such a huge support in our homeschooling endeavor.  He makes sure I have everything I need (materials, time, budget, emotional support, etc.) to make school at home happen successfully. 

When I brought concerns to him this spring about several homeschool subject areas, he immediately dropped what he was doing and helped me come up with criteria for sorting through all the noise, marketing, and options available.

As we were making curriculum decision, I found myself constantly accessing the materials on these criteria.  It is immensely helpful to me to have a rule to judge curriculum choices by.

I thought it would be helpful to you to see that decision criteria along with what other considerations go into choosing our homeschooling curriculum.

How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum: 10 Criteria

(In this list, I get brutally honest about some of the homeschool curriculum I have used in the past or ones we are currently using.  These opinions are completely my own. 

Know that if you see a curriculum you are using on the “naughty” list, it does not mean I think you shouldn’t use it.  It is nearly impossible to find a curriculum that fits all the criteria, and I use several that make the naughty list in one area or another. 

It is also important to remember that each homeschooling family is different and what doesn’t work for me may be what works for you and visa versa!)

1.No Content Contrary to the Faith

This is for obvious reasons the #1 factor.  We homeschool primarily to hand on the faith in an unstained and solid manner. 

While we prefer Catholic curriculum, sometimes it is necessary to use non-Catholic material.

When we do go with non-Catholic material, we make sure the material does not contain anything contrary to the faith.  Not only is it damaging to our children’s faith formation, but we prefer not to “back” these institutions with our homeschooling funds.

Nice List:

(this list only includes non-Catholic resources that we have found to be non-contradictory to our own faith)

Naughty List:

  • anything from Bob Jones University (a down-right anti-Catholic institution)
  • Abeka materials (I know less about this organization, but I do know several of their subjects have anti-Catholic remarks in them.  For now, we have been able to steer clear of this provider.)
  • History or science materials from anti-Catholic religious affiliations

2.Solid Material

This also should be an obvious criteria. 

We want to give our children the best education we can.  Most of the materials we have used are solid materials so I don’t really have a naughty list!

3.Enough Practice

Practice is what makes perfect.  Curriculum needs plenty of practice if the material is going to “stick.” 

It is better to have WAY too much practice than too little.  A child does not have to do all the practice, but it is there should they need it. 

(ex. As an example, I assign only the odds or evens for each Saxon math lesson. If the child struggles with the lesson, I can give him extra problems to work from the evens.)

By having plenty of practice available, I’m not left searching the internet for printables to reinforce what the curriculum should be teaching them.  If I’m paying for a curriculum, I don’t want to be spending my time supplementing it.

Nice list:

Naughty list:

4.Lack of Busy Work

While I like to make sure each curriculum I choose has plenty of practice, I loathe busy work.  These are two different entities entirely. 

BUSY WORK

Busy work is work for the sake of eating up time (needed in a classroom setting). 

PRACTICE

Practice is implementing learned concepts until the idea becomes solidified in the learner’s mind. 

Each task our children do in their education should be motivated by some purpose.  (Again, no naughty/nice list for this one.  I’ve been careful to screen for busywork!)

5.Review

If our children are not constantly using their acquired knowledge, they will quickly lose it! 

I want a program that is either building on and implementing old material or constantly reviewing it.  With the demands on my time, I do not want to be cobbling together reviews for my children.

Review is different than practice.  Reviewing is using old material so they don’t lose it.  Practice is implementing new material.  Both review and practice are important.

Nice list:

Naughty list:

how to choose homeschool curriculum

6.Measurability or Testing

While I usually know exactly where my children are excelling or struggling, I still like to have a tangible way of accessing my children’s educational growth. 

My children need to be able to demonstrate to me that they understand the material.

Built in testing is also a way I like to show the outside world that we are really schooling.  Tests and quarter reviews are proof of our homeschooling efforts.

Another reason we like to test our children is so they are used to the whole testing process. 

Husband (a homeschool graduate) feels that his lack of test-taking skills and experience hindered him in college.  Of course, this is just his personal experience, but we want to make sure we provide those skills and experience to our children.

Nice list:

Naughty list:

7.Ease of implementation

A program must be easy to implement.  I should not have to take a course in order to implement the program. 

A quick read of the material and I should know exactly how the material will work in our school.

Nice list:

Naughty list:

8.Prep Time

I don’t want to be spending the bulk of my time cutting, reading, pasting, printing, searching, organizing, etc.  I want to spend my time in the actual process of teaching. 

My children need one on one tutoring for subjects like reading and phonics instruction, early math, and writing. 

They also need thoughtful discussions about our faith.  I want to spend my time there and not on subjects that should nearly run themselves.

Nice list:

Naughty list:

  • Printables found on the internet
  • Preschool programs heavy with crafting

9.Amount of Teaching Time

A practice that pays dividends is making your children as independent as possible. 

For independence, curriculums need to have clear structure, easy to follow instructions, and minimal teaching time. 

Again, there are enough subjects that one-on-one tutoring is absolutely necessary (writing and math).  I choose to spend my time on those subjects and let others be independent as possible.

This does not mean I never look at my children’s work or that I don’t spend time teaching them.  I spend about one hour with my 4th grader daily going over his completed work, fixing mistakes, and teaching.

Nice list:

Naughty list:

how to choose homeschool curriculum

10.Needful

Husband and I are constantly asking ourselves, is this subject needful? 

We have come to some counter-cultural conclusions through asking that very question. 

  • teaching vocabulary not in elementary but in high school 
  • geography is only given 3 years
  • formally teaching science and history in high school only 

Instead of focusing on these in a formal manner, much of these subjects are taught through our required reading list that our reading children work through.

Of course, we teach music, music appreciation, art, and art appreciation, even though many would say these are not needful.  We see these as part of a well rounded liberal arts education.

Nice list:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Arithmetic
  • Religion

Naughty list:

  • Reading comprehension
  • Elementary vocabulary
  • Formal elementary science
  • Formal elementary history

So do you agree or disagree?  What are your homeschool curriculum criteria?

AWESOME! Thinking through in a systematic way of how to choose homeschool curriculum.. Is it busywork, needful, practical. What helps you decide what to use for English, Math, and language arts.

You’ll also like:

10 Must Do’s in Your Catholic Preschool

Quiet Time Activities for your Preschooler

Why We Chose Mother of Divine Grace

A Required Booklist for Your Catholic Child

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Comments

  1. Heidi Jones says

    Fascinating analysis! I just picked up MODG K plans (but we’re not enrolled), and I’m enjoying the simplicity (it definitely reduces what isn’t “needful”). I notice you’re not a fan of WRTR. We’re not there yet (we’re just at the beginning of phonics instruction), but I’ve already departed ways with MODG on 100EZ lessons. I see you recommend it, but it wasn’t a fit for us. I’m enjoying Reading Lessons through Literature by Barefoot Ragamuffin Press, which is an Orton-Gillingham method and also teaches spelling. They also have a series called English Lessons through Literature, which I think is similar to the Emma Serl, but for level 1 (which we plan on using next year in 1st grade), I like it much better. Just wanted to point out those resources. Curious to see your choices.

    • ellaclare85@yahoo.com says

      Thanks, Heidi! I’ve never heard of those resources and I always like hearing about new curriculum. I didn’t like 100EZ lessons with my first, but found it worked for my 2nd really well. I think this is more due to an much improved teacher – not so pushy, not so anxious, not starting too early, and not moving too fast.

      It sounds like those resources you mentioned are Charlotte Masony. I’m a huge fan of Charlotte Mason, her ideals, her methods, etc., but have found myself sticking to very easy to implement resources as I add on more students.

  2. Alicia @ Sweeping Up Joy says

    First off, I love seeing what other families use, so thanks for sharing! It’s not a source of competition…just general nosiness. 🙂
    That being said, I felt relief in hearing your picks.

    We stick pretty closely to the Seton curriculum, largely for my sake. I don’t have to spend a lot of time fussing over plans or grading, and the kids end up reasonably educated. But I feel guilt because I’m not searching out The Best Option for each subject. I know people who spend oodles of time choosing their curriculum each year, agonizing over what really is the epitome of perfection. I choose Seton mostly for my own sanity, but feel a little guilty admitting it.

    Seeing your list helped me remember that I’m not choosing the “watch TV all day” curriculum because it’s easy, I’m choosing a time-tested, well-regarded option. Thanks!!! 🙂

    • ellaclare85@yahoo.com says

      Alicia, you really put into words what a lot of homeschool moms struggle with. The grass is always greener on the other side of the “curriculum” fence. If we are using a boxed curriculum, we feel guilty for not trying to “choose the best.” If we are throwing together our own curriculum, we feel guilt for not following a proven sequence and rigor of a program.

      As per Seton, I’m not a huge fan, but find myself drawn to their programs because they are proven, easy to implement, and can, for the most part, be self taught. All this frees up my time and, like you said, maintains my sanity. Husband and his brother were homeschooled Seton all the way through and are both high achieving and functioning adults. SOoooooo, it can’t be all bad, right??? 🙂

  3. Amanda says

    I was a public school teacher for eight years before staying home with my kids. No curriculum is perfect; every single one has problems. When I taught, we had a math program that lacked problem solving so they bought a new one which was lacking in practice (facts, time, and money) so that company came out with an updated program to address it which lengthened our lessons each day so instead of an hour of math, it was 1 hour and 15 minutes a day but didn’t fully address those initial issues. I won’t even talk about our reading curriculum! Just know how common it is even for public school administrators and teachers to worry about gaps and jump from curriculum to curriculum. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can meet the needs of your kids better than I ever could with twenty kids in a public school. Take hearts, mamas, you are doing much more than formal schooling ever could.

    What a thoughtful and helpful post…though I was hoping to use Singapore Math so that is kind of a bummer but I love honest reviews!! Thank you for narrowing it down for me!

    • ellaclare85@yahoo.com says

      I don’t mean to scare you away from Singapore. It was what I started my first kiddo on and is what I plan on starting #2 on. I just found that by the time we hit 4th grade material (which when our son was in 3rd grade), there were enough new concepts that there should have been more review to make them stick. However, I like the way Singapore helps a child “think” about math (lots of mental thought processes are taught) and the color and length of lessons.

  4. Mayra says

    I am currently debating on curriculum. I might choose Memoria Press all the way and simply add religion or I might piece it together. I see you mentioned MP English Recitation. I’m curious about your thoughts on it? Also, I used The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and loved it! I am considering using First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease.

    • ellaclare85@yahoo.com says

      I found the English Recitation depended heavily upon my teaching time and that there wasn’t enough practice of the concepts to make them second nature. I wanted to try The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading, but ended up sticking with 100 EZ lessons since that is what we had. I think they are fairly similar though 100 EZ lessons has a marking system. Best wishes choosing your homeschool curriculum next year.

  5. valerie says

    I am seeing a lot of Seton. Do you plan to use them the next year?
    What didn’t you like about MODG Language/Grammar book? I am just curious because I planned to use it, not because I know much about it but because MODG uses it.

    • ellaclare85@yahoo.com says

      Here is the thing. I’ve been a big Seton hater for a long time. I find the materials somewhat dry and I’m not always crazy about the way the faith is presented (not that it isn’t orthodox). Husband was educated 100% with Seton all the way through, but he also has some qualms about it.

      I will most likely never be 100% Seton, but I do enjoy that it has a proven track record (especially in their language arts), and that it has a very easy to implement workbook approach. When life got crazy this year, it was so wonderful to know that I could tell my 9 year old to “do school” and that he could keep making progress without major involvement on my part (I just did not have the time when we were adjusting to our new normal after our 12 day hospital stay). So even though Seton is not 100% what I would choose, I like to use their materials because they are solid, thorough, represent an orthodox Catholic viewpoint, are grab-n-go, promote independent learning, and involve VERY little work on my part. Sometimes the best curriculum is the one that gets accomplished. If I find a perfect curriculum but life is too crazy to use it on a regular basis, then what good does it do me?

      I didn’t mind Primary Language Lessons, as I am a Charlotte Mason fan. I found it to be a nice segue into writing and grammar. However, having used Intermediate Language Lessons for 6 months this past school year, I came to realization that my son was not practicing what he was learning enough to make it stick. Granted, he is my math man and language arts is a weaker area for him, so this may just be our personal experience. Soooo, (I know a SUPER long answer to your question), as much as I want to be a boxed curriculum user, we have gone back to choosing from different curriculum providers for the different subjects. However, I’m grateful for the lessons I learned using MODG and I’m carrying those into our eclectic mix for next year.

      • Valerie says

        I completely get that ! I kind of have a love/ hate relationship with Seton. I love how easy it is for the mom, I love how visable progress is. I dislike how boring it is, how it lacks real books, how it seems like busy work. With that said in times of burn out, sickness, pregnancy and newborn days I completely plan to use it. I think I will always use some of their materials each year just life’s circumstances will dictate how much. Good luck ! Thanks for the response.

        • ellaclare85@yahoo.com says

          I totally agree on all those points, which is why I would never fully enroll in Seton. My curriculum MUST have real books, but I do that through our Required Reading List. And we certainly don’t teach all the Seton subjects like Vocab and Reading Comprehension. I just don’t see the need for those if you have your child in good books.

          • Valerie says

            Completely agree!! We will be skipping those things too… mostly for my sanity 😉