Getting Started with Homeschooling
Practical Considerations for Parents of School-Aged Children
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
Examples Of Learning Programs
(continued)
Roger will participate in a range of science, art and craft activities using a range of materials, resources and equipment, both individually, with siblings and small groups of children. Emphasis will be placed on themes arising from daily life and individual interests, with introduced activities building on interests. Continuing family interests in the environment, focussing on conservation, Trees for Life, gardening and permaculture, will be featured.
He will continue to use the computer and television in educational ways, to broaden his knowledge and understanding about the world, in all curriculum areas. He will be encouraged to watch media programs critically.
Roger will focus and complete his studies in Personal Computer Repairs through International Correspondence Schools. In addition, he will be encourage to pursue his interest in programming using Basic, and to explore the computer as a tool for learning.
Responsibility for personal hygiene, fitness, health, safety and nutrition will be encouraged through daily practice and emphasis on healthy practices. Maintenance and selection of personal items such as clothing shall be encouraged, including basic sewing skills, laundry and shoe care. Roger will be involved in organising and preparing nutritionally balanced meals, including food and household budgeting, shopping and kitchen safety. In addition, attention will be given to staying safe in the community, focussing (mainly through discussion and media) on issues relating to peer pressures to conform, unwanted attention, invasion of privacy, safety in the home and community, and understanding of issues relating to substance abuse.
Roger will be increasingly involved in participating in voluntary and paid work situations, including tuition in work place health and safety conditions, both in the home and community, with adult supervision and guidance.
Program Outline -Thomas
Emphasis will be placed on learning to read, with daily reading practice. Weekly trips to the library will supplement his collection of books. The focus will be on enjoyment of reading as a pleasurable past-time, and an understanding of, and personal response to, the text. A variety of levels of text will be accessed, as well as different types (for different purposes). Thomas will be required to read aloud daily, with progression based on personal comfort and confidence levels. In addition to fiction he will be required to make sense of writing in practical and stress free situations.
He will participate in look, read, say, cover, write and check spelling lists based on a phonetic approach to spelling, commonly used words, and from his own writing. He will be required to regularly complete worksheets designed to give him practice and confidence in reading, writing and spelling. With help, Thomas will write in a journal daily, and will be encouraged to write stories and captions. He will be encouraged to record data and information in a variety of ways, and to display his work.
Thomas will continue to work through the Mathematics Curriculum Guide- lines using the Modules and other texts as references, completing exercises in areas where he needs reinforcement. Use of division, fractions and decimals will be shown and practiced. Explanation and use of calculator functions will be shown. Practice in numerical skills will be facilitated by use of math based games and activities, including the computer. Practice in measurement and spatial maths will be focussed on by introducing practical activities, with recording encouraged. Graphing will be introduced, and related to other areas of learning (especially science and geography). Thomas will continue to update and maintain his bank account.
He will participate in a range of science, art and craft activities using a range of materials, resources and equipment, both with siblings, on his own, and with small groups of children. Emphasis will be on interest related activities, with some activities introduced to further develop his abilities, knowledge and understandings in all curriculum areas. Continuing interests in the environment, focussing on gardening and permaculture, conservation, and Trees for Life will be featured. In the area of arts and crafts, technological skills and knowledge will be encouraged, although aesthetic appreciation and critically appraising his own, and others’, products will continue to play an important role.
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Excerpt from Getting Started with Homeschooling, Practical Considerations
© Beverley Paine, 1997
