Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Schooling

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ISBN: 9780789732774 | 0789732777
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 9/28/2004

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Who knew how simple Homeschooling could be?Tens of millions of parents like you have decided that the best way to prepare their children for life is by educating them at home instead of at a traditional private or public school. No matter the reason you are considering homeschooling for your children's education,Absolute Beginner's Guide to Homeschoolingoutlines all of the legal, social, educational and logistical considerations that are part of the decision. With helpful and easy-to-read advice about everything from building curricula and setting up a home school classroom, to incorporating extracurricular activities like sports and field trips, this book will provide valuable help and ways to expand your children's homeschooling experience.Absolute Beginner's Guide to Homeschoolingwill help you decide if homeschooling is the best choice for your children's education and then guide you to the curriculum tools and community resources you need to make the most of at-home classes and activities. Here's a small sample of what you'll find inside:Tthe benefits and drawbacks of homeschooling The legal and educational requirements for the state you live in Valuable lists of resources like homeschooling organizations, curriculum providers, and networking groups Different ways you can test your child's true educational level, personality type and learning style Sample plans to set up your homeschooling classroom including workstations, a library, audio-visual equipment, computer access and progress testing Examples of field trips, sports, music, work or volunteer activities, online courses and tutor or mentor programs

Introduction

(1)

About Homeschooling

(1)

About the Absolute Beginner's Guide to Homeschooling

(5)

I Making the Decision to Homeschooling

(52)

What Is Homeschooling All About?

(12)

What Is Homeschool?

(1)

Why Do People Homeschool?

(6)

Great Things About Homeschooling

(4)

Not So Great Things About Public (or Private) School

(2)

Homeschooling Isn't New: A Brief History of Education

(2)

How Many Homeschoolers Are There?

(2)

Deciding to Homeschool---or Not

(10)

Making the Choice: Is Homeschool Right for Your Family?

(1)

What Is Needed from You to Homeschool Successfully?

(3)

What Is Needed from Your Spouse to Homeschool Successfully?

(1)

What Is Needed from Your Kids to Homeschool Successfully?

(1)

What Is Needed from Your Family to Homeschool Successfully?

(1)

Making a Decision to Homeschool

(1)

You've Decided to Homeschool, Now What?

(3)

Determining the Legal Requirements for Homeschool in Your Area

(18)

What Has Your State Government or Local School System Got to Do with Homeschool?

(2)

Determining the Legal Requirements in Your State

(7)

Types of State Regulations Related to Homeschool

(1)

How to Determine Your State's Regulations

(3)

Indiana: An Example of a State with Least Regulation

(1)

California: An Example of a State with Minimal Regulation

(1)

Iowa: An Example of a State with Moderate Regulation

(1)

New York: An Example of a State with Significant Regulation

(1)

Determining the Legal Requirements for Your School System or Local Government

(4)

Determining the Legal Requirements for Your School System or Local Government

(2)

Managing Your Relationship with Local School Officials (if Necessary)

(1)

Notifying the State About Your Homeschool

(1)

Documenting Legal Requirements for Your Homeschool

(1)

Monitoring Legal Activity Regarding Homeschooling

(3)

Defending Your Decision to Homeschool

(10)

Responding to Other People's Concerns About Your Decision to Homeschool

(6)

Socialization

(2)

Effectiveness of Education/Qualifications to Teach

(1)

College

(1)

Sports and Activities

(1)

Legal Concerns

(1)

Public Schools

(1)

Defending Against Formal Attacks to Your Homeschool

(3)

II Preparing to Homeschool

(96)

Locating and Networking with Other Homeschoolers

(14)

Understanding Why a Homeschool Network Is So Important

(1)

Connecting with Other Homeschoolers (You Probably Know Some Already)

(1)

Finding Homeschooling Mentors

(2)

Understanding and Finding Local Homeschool Groups

(5)

What Are Homeschool Groups?

(2)

What Kind of Homeschool Groups Do I Want to Participate In?

(1)

Finding a Homeschool Group

(3)

Getting Involved with Homeschool Associations

(3)

Finding a Homeschool Association

(1)

Participating in a Homeschool Association

(1)

Participating in Homeschool Conventions, Conferences, and Seminars

(2)

Preparing to Teach Your Children

(16)

Preparing for School

(1)

Assessing Your Students

(1)

Determining Each Child's Current Education Level

(1)

Determining Each Child's Learning Style

(13)

Understanding the Basic Types of Personality That Impact Learning Styles

(4)

Putting the Preferences Together

(2)

Assessing a Child's Personality Preferences

(2)

Teaching Based on Personality Preferences

(4)

Planning Subjects and Obtaining Teaching Materials for a School Year

(20)

Choosing the Subjects You Will Teach in a School Year

(5)

Building the Curricula You Will Use

(2)

What Is a Curriculum and Why Is It Important?

(1)

Identifying Academic Elements of a Curriculum

(1)

Identifying Experiential Elements of a Curriculum

(1)

Identifying Needs for a Tutor or Outside Classes for a Curriculum

(1)

Understanding the Relationship Between Learning Styles and Curricula Choices

(1)

Using Unit Studies

(1)

Developing a Curriculum

100

(1)

Understanding and Obtaining the Teaching Materials Available to Your Homeschool

101

(6)

Determining the Teaching Materials You Need

102

(1)

Researching Available Materials

102

(2)

Choosing and Obtaining Teaching Materials

104

(3)

Learning About Your Teaching Materials

107

(1)

Organizing and Preparing Teaching Materials for Your Homeschool

108

(3)

Preparing a Classroom in Your Home

111

(18)

Developing a Home Classroom

112

(1)

Choosing a Location

112

(2)

Creating a Layout

114

(1)

Creating Workstations

115

(3)

Creating Learning Stations

116

(1)

Creating a Teaching Station

117

(1)

Building a Homeschool Library

118

(1)

Adding a Computer and the Internet to Your Classroom

119

(5)

Choosing a Computer

120

(1)

Connecting Your Classroom to the Internet

121

(2)

Stocking Your Computer with Software

123

(1)

Adding Audio-Visual Equipment to Your Classroom

124

(1)

Creating Storage and Archive Areas

125

(4)

Creating and Maintaining ``Active Storage''

125

(1)

Creating and Maintaining ``Archival'' Storage

126

(3)

Creating Lesson Plans and Schedules

129

(16)

What Are Lesson Plans and Why Are They Important?

130

(1)

Defining Your School Year

131

(1)

Planning Your School Year

131

(2)

Creating and Maintaining a Homeschool Calendar and Schedule

133

(1)

Creating Lesson Plans

134

(8)

Creating a Lesson Plan: A Simple Example

136

(1)

Creating a Lesson Plan: A More Complex Example

137

(2)

Putting Together All the Lesson Plans for a Student

139

(3)

Updating Lesson Plans

142

(3)

Transitioning a Child from Public or Private School to Homeschool

145

(10)

Understanding the Reasons for Transitioning from ``Regular'' School to Homeschool

146

(1)

Withdrawing a Child from Public School

146

(2)

Withdrawing a Child from Private School

148

(1)

Helping a Student Make the Change from Public or Private School to Homeschool

148

(4)

Dealing with Social Anxiety

149

(1)

Dealing with Increased Flexibility or Lack of Structure (Depending on One's Point of View)

150

(1)

Dealing with the Need for Separation from You

151

(1)

Dealing with the Need for Separation from Siblings

152

(1)

Helping a Child Keep in Touch with School Friends

152

(3)

III Managing a Homeschool

155

(116)

Conducting Homeschool Classes Effectively

157

(18)

Running a Homeschool

158

(1)

Developing Weekly and Daily Schedules

158

(5)

Teaching Your Students

163

(9)

Understanding the Basic Teaching Options

165

(3)

Adjusting Your Teaching Style to a Child's Age and Learning Style

168

(2)

Teaching Multiple Students at the Same Time

170

(1)

Having Students Teach Other Students

171

(1)

Updating Future Schedules Based on Current Results

172

(3)

Documenting Your Homeschool

175

(14)

Understanding Why Documenting Your Homeschool Activities Is So Important

176

(1)

Keeping Homeschool Records

176

(4)

Keeping Daily Records

177

(2)

Keeping Weekly Records

179

(1)

Keeping Test Documentation

179

(1)

Keeping Other Documentation

180

(1)

Organizing and Archiving Your Homeschool Documentation

180

(5)

Keeping Your Active Documentation Current and Organized

180

(3)

Archiving Your Homeschool Documentation

183

(2)

Documenting Homeschool Accomplishments with Portfolios

185

(4)

Planning and Taking Field Trips

189

(18)

Adding Field Trips to Your Homeschool

190

(1)

Identifying Potential Field Trips

190

(2)

Participating in Field Trips Other People Plan

192

(2)

Planning for a Field Trip

194

(7)

Identifying a Field Trip

194

(2)

Planning a Field Trip

196

(2)

Coordinating a Field Trip with Other Homeschoolers

198

(2)

Conducting a Field Trip

200

(1)

Documenting a Field Trip

201

(1)

Including Vacations in Your Homeschool

202

(5)

Incorporating Music Lessons, Sports, Service Work, and Other Experiences into Your Homeschool

207

(16)

Music and Your Homeschool

208

(4)

Appreciating Music

208

(2)

Attending Concerts and Other Music Performances

210

(1)

Learning to Read Music and Play a Musical Instrument

210

(2)

Exercise, Sports, and Your Homeschool

212

(4)

Making Exercise Part of Your School Days

212

(1)

Finding Sports Activities for Your Students

213

(2)

Incorporating Sports into Your Homeschool

215

(1)

Service/Volunteer Work and Your Homeschool

216

(2)

Finding Service/Volunteer Opportunities

216

(2)

Incorporating Service/Volunteer Work into Your Homeschool

218

(1)

Other Activities to Include in Your Homeschool

218

(5)

Using Jobs or Home Businesses in Your Homeschool

219

(2)

Adding Hobbies and Other Interests to Your Homeschool

221

(2)

Incorporating Home Projects into Your Homeschool

223

(8)

Identifying a Home Project

224

(2)

Integrating a Home Project into Lesson Plans (or Lesson Plans into a Home Project)

226

(1)

Working on a Home Project During School (or Doing School While Working on a Home Project)

227

(1)

Documenting a Home Project for Homeschool Purposes

227

(4)

Homeschooling with Tutors, Outside Classes, and Online Courses

231

(14)

Understanding Why Tutors, Outside Classes, and Online Classes Are Beneficial

232

(1)

Using Tutors in Your Homeschool

233

(5)

Finding Tutors

234

(2)

Working with Tutors

236

(2)

Adding Outside Classes to Your Homeschool

238

(3)

Finding Outside Classes

238

(2)

Working with Outside Classes

240

(1)

Adding Online Classes to Your Homeschool

241

(1)

Finding Online Courses

241

(1)

Working with Online Courses

241

(1)

Integrating Tutors, Outside, and Online Classes into Your Homeschool

242

(1)

Documenting the Results of Tutoring and Outside Classes

243

(2)

Evaluating the Progress of Your Students

245

(18)

Understanding the Evaluation Methods You Can Use

246

(1)

Testing Your Students Using Curriculum-Based Tests

247

(2)

Testing Your Students Using Reports and Other Projects

249

(1)

Testing Your Students Using Standardized Tests

250

(10)

Choosing and Obtaining Standardized Tests

253

(3)

Administering Standardized Tests

256

(2)

Obtaining and Using the Results of Standardized Tests

258

(2)

Giving Your Students Grades

260

(1)

Promoting Your Students to the Next Grade Level

261

(1)

Making Changes Based on Your Evaluations

261

(2)

Deciding If and When to Transition Students to Public or Private School

263

(8)

Knowing If and When to Move a Student Back to ``Regular'' School

264

(1)

Preparing a Homeschooled Student to Move to Public or Private School

265

(1)

Managing the Education of a Child Who Has Been Homeschooled in Public or Private School

266

(1)

Preparing a Homeschooled Student for College

267

(4)

IV Homeschool Resources

271

(2)

A Homeschool Associations and Conventions by State

273

(14)

B Homeschool Curriculum and Teaching Material Publishers and Retailers

287

(1)

Sources of Materials for Your Homeschool

288

(1)

The Elijah Company

288

(1)

Apologia Educational Ministries

289

(1)

Christian Book Distributors

289

(1)

Alpha Omega Publications

290

(1)

Dover Publications

290

(2)

God's World Book Club

292

(1)

Amazon.com

292

(1)

Barnes & Noble.com

293

(1)

Heart of Wisdom Publishing

293

(2)

Homeschool Supercenter

295

(1)

Oak Meadow

295

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Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Schooling

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials