Homeschooling? How will you choose a writing program?
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Are you new to homeschooling this year? Are you looking for a new writing program? Are you headed to a homeschool convention?
I love to teach kids how to write. I have looked at many writing programs offered to homeschoolers.
Before you spend a lot of money trying writing programs that frustrate or do not work with your child, try these tips so that you will be prepared before you purchase and know exactly how to evaluate the curriculum.
Preparation
It is really important that you do some thinking before you look at buying a homeschool writing curriculum. My objective is not to tell you a great program to buy, but to guide you in the ability to find what works well for you.
Determine how you homeschool
Not all writing programs will “fit” with all styles of homeschooling.
- Traditional: the homeschool is in the home and the parent is the educator.
- Co-op: a location is found to “host” the school and a couple to several parents get together to teach several children, each parent taking a subject they have interest/passion in.
- Online: usually this is done at home with the child at the computer, mostly self paced and alone, following a curriculum online with the parent checking in.
- Experienced based: there are different options: unschool or road school, children are naturally curious and will determine their own path of learning.
- Secular/Non-secular: not a method, but a philosophy, simply know yours, you can get homeschool writing curricula that matches your value system.
- Units/Themes: these are usually curriculum based, so not entirely a way of homeschooling on their own, however, if this is your preference you can find homeschool writing programs based on these.
Involvement
Involvement
I attended a homeschool convention in 2019. Many of the vendors for homeschool writing curriculums had giant signs that said, “Very little parent time needed.” This was very attractive to many parents.
Spoiler alert, I do not think your child can become a good writer without feedback and guidance. They can learn to edit on their own, but not how to write really well.
How much time, realistically, can you give each week to helping your child develop this skill?
Before you look at the many homeschool writing programs that are available, you will need to determine if you are a 15 minutes or 60 minutes a week kind of parent. Note-this is the same amount of time, however, if you are able to work for more time with your child at one time, than the daily small allotments, this will be a different curriculum.
Learning Style
How does your child learn? Online programs are really popular, but what if your child doesn’t learn well on their own?
Worksheets are great, you just print them and give them to your child, but what if your child learns by actions and touching?
Kinesthetic kiddos are the hardest (in my opinion) to teach writing. Simply because, at some point, they do have to sit and write (or type).
However, there are some homeschool writing programs that cater to different learning styles.
If you previously had your child in a public school and your reasons for taking them out were based on your child “slipping behind,” or “being bored and acting out,” you may have a kiddo who is not a visual or auditory learner (the most commonly taught methods in a public school classroom).
If your previously public school taught child was doing really well in school and you pulled them out to homeschool because they were not being challenged, you may have a visual or auditory learner.
You can google many different ways to try to determine which learning style your child has if you are unsure.
Cost
Expense is a factor. Many homeschool writing programs are expensive. When you look at cost, look at how you can save money, or re-use the program.
- Can you buy the writing curriculum you have chosen used, cheaper?
- Can you reuse this program for younger siblings?
- Is this program part of a continuous homeschool writing curriculum so the cost is worth the continuity of learning for your child?
Now you are prepared. You know how you want to teach, the time you will be able to give to help your child, your child’s best way of learning for success, and you will be able to keep in mind factors for expense.
"How to Choose a Quality Homeschool Writing Program" Get the checklist!
If you want a more detailed description, please check out the presentation.
- 6 steps to prepare you before you look for a writing program
- Questions to ask or look for when shopping for writing programs
- Looking for more? We have a ton of resources for you
You are ready to shop homeschool writing programs!
Look at the program
You need to actually “thumb through” the materials that your child will be using. It is ideal if you are going to a homeschool convention or an actual homeschool supplies store. This way you can look at many different homeschool writing programs, compare them, ask questions-if someone is there who knows the curriculum well, and determine the “level” you should start your child at.
What should my child be doing?
This is a tough question. This will go back to your homeschool style and philosophy. I am geared towards the co-op style. So, I like having goals and outcomes for the students each year and having parents who love specific subjects teach to the kids.
What I would do?
I would go to your state standards online. This will simply tell you what the state expects a child at the end of third grade, for example, to be able to do in each subject. It is a lot like the “What to Expect the First Year” (an old book for moms when their child is just born that tells the “normal” milestones for a child each month that first year).
These state standards can help you in choosing a homeschool writing curriculum that grows your child’s skills towards graduation requirements. The assumption is that if your child is meeting/exceeding what is on the state standards, they will be able to do well on their standardized test for college entrance.
Specific to writing, the state standards also show when a student should learn how to do expository, opinion, persuasive, descriptive, and letter or memo writing.
Why is this important?
This is specific to my style. I am not comfortable with any (writing or other subjects) homeschool curriculum that someone “just put together.” I feel that your child should be growing in their academic skills. I would want to know why the author chose the specific activities they did.
Parent Education
Parent Education
Is there anything that teaches you, the parent, how to assess writing? How to use the curriculum? How to help your child if they are having difficulty with a specific concept?
The homeschool writing program you choose should have a way to help you, as your child’s teacher, walk into the program and help your child grow as a writer, assuming you are not a writer.
This is one of the challenges of being a traditional homeschooling parent, you are teaching every subject. This is not a bad thing. This just is. You are not expected to know everything. You are expected to figure out how to be there for your child so they can grow in subjects that you may not love or even be good at.
With a homeschool writing program, this is crucial. You will be helping your child learn to assess their own writing so they can grow and get better. You do not want this to be a battle of wills. Find a great program that teaches you how to do this.
Rubrics
Rubrics are a way of assessing without emotion and in a completely objective way. The student’s writing is assessed on pre-determined factors.
I love rubrics. I always used them for writing assignments. A student knew if I was grading on the use of introductory clauses, flow of ideas, and strong topic sentences for example or if I was concentrating on transition words, complex sentences, and a good introduction and conclusion.
The key is that whatever is stated will be assessed on the rubric, and that is all that is graded. Students know exactly what they are expected to do and where to concentrate their efforts.
As an instructor, you know that you can grow the child’s writing by putting more difficult tasks on the rubric as the student gains confidence and proficiency in other, easier objectives.
Beginning and End
Look at the expectations, hopefully it will be easy and there will be rubrics, for your child at the beginning of the year and at the end.
Your child should not be overwhelmed at the beginning of the year.
Just as importantly, they should not be underwhelmed at the end of the year.
Are the rubrics different from the beginning of the year to the end? Can you see, based on what your child is expected to do, that they have learned new skills and have grown in their writing abilities?
You can take a lot of the guesswork out of buying a homeschool writing program by being prepared. When you know how you homeschool, the time you can be involved, and your child’s learning style you are ready to dive into evaluating the program.
In order to find a great program, know what your child should be learning this year, look for rubrics for assessment, ascertain if the program teaches you how to use the program, and make sure the child learns new skills from the beginning of the year to the end.
If you want to know what you want to watch out for, read next weeks article:
What to Avoid When Purchasing a Homeschool Writing Program