Planning with Other Types of Curriculum

It’s just as easy to write out plans for other types of curriculum as it is with textbooks. The resources I have used in years past have been primarily library books and DVD’s. I have also used online courses, co-ops and educational programs where I dropped off my sons for a class, and have  had family,friends, and local parks teach classes to my sons as well.

Planning for  the Year

The first thing I do is decide what topics we are studying.  I then look for resources that go along them. For example, when we were studying Ancient Rome and Greece I had my son take a month-long online class on the Emperors of Rome.  At other  times I had my sons take online writing courses. Here I didn’t have a say as to when we were going to do it, I just worked my other plans around those classes. I would plug them into the schedule so I didn’t plan other things in that time slot.

I have written out an overview using multiple resources that you can view here Overview of Year Other Curriculum Note that all of the books and resources I have listed can be found at the library or online.

Planning for the Week

After I have made a tentative yearly schedule I believe the month is filled out well enough to give me a general idea of what should be covered so I don’t make a monthly schedule. I believe in less is best when it comes to paperwork.  I plan one week at a time, perhaps two if I am fairly certain things are going to be “normal” around my house. Here is a weekly lesson plan based upon the yearly overview listed in the above paragraph. Weekly Lesson Plan

Remember, do one thing at a time. Planning provides huge dividends and provides you with direction, a sense of accomplishment, and will give you more free time in the long run.

Part 4  Journal Entries The last in the series about lesson plans.