April 14, 2018
Any Book is Curriculum
In our homeschool curriculum, we have base books that everyone has to go through. These are standards like Arithmetic and Language Arts.
I add vocabulary workbooks to teach etymology. Once etymology is learned, the student usually finds spelling and vocabulary far easier so only some use vocabulary or spelling workbooks. The main way students continue learning spelling and vocabulary is along with writing assignments.
We have a base of standard History. After the first book, we move to whatever textbook teaches a section in which they have an interest. Any history book is accompanied by writing assignments at the end of each unit, chapter, or small book to recount what has been learned and how it compares with other texts.
Literature study usually coincides with history of an era or region. I find it fun to teach history as a story of the people; which includes their writings, lifestyle, scientific achievements or lack thereof, and culture.
Basic science is usually learned hands-on in our house through the chemistry that can be found in the kitchen, biology learned from our animals, and physics discussed when someone trips on something or while building a new project. Our final science books require a command of Algebra; these Biology, Chemistry, and Physics books set the foundation for and help with the transition into college learning.
But any book can be a part of a curriculum!
We’ve used novels and storybooks to write about and study culture. We’ve used classic literature to teach etymology and practice translation. We’ve used history books to build Lego cities. We’ve used Lego sets to cross into history books and study culture. We’ve used cookbooks to teach fractions, chemistry, and time management. Any book a student reads can be turned into a book report, which requires practicing the skills of writing, grammar, and comprehension.
Therefore, we’ve discovered that any book can be incorporated into our home school curriculum with positive encouraging results!
Thanks for reading!
Type at you later…
~Nancy Tart