Teaching Series | Ch. 3 | Choosing Your Curriculum

The first step to using Old Fashioned Education's Free Online K-12 is the getting started guide.  It's simple!

1. Choose a plan that fits your family - Choose 1 volume per program per year for a complete curriculum.
2. Gather the booklist for each program - links are included, however we offer some parent choices.  
3. Get started learning together with our day-by-day lesson plans or make your own.

Now, what about those parent choices?  In this chapter of our teaching series, we'll look at each program's curriculum choices and offer guidance to help you choose the best curriculum for your family.

#1 - Choose a Book of Centuries.

You will need one per child. Your first priority will probably be your budget. Remember, when you see a star (*) add in your home printing costs.

Book	Details	Cost
​Composition Notebook	​Simple and inexpensive, this can be bought at Dollar General.	$1.00
​Book of Centuries	​Simple, beautiful, and affordable - choose Printable or Spiralbound.	$0* - $10.00
​History Through the Ages Timeline	Simple, beautiful, but pricy - Printable version only.	$15* - $85*

Our Pick!  We wanted a simple, beautiful, and affordable timeline, so  we made a Book of Centuries (Spiralbound - due to printing cost).
​Is pdf or printed version more economical for your family? For lowest cost option, stick with the Composition Notebooks. 

Special Mention! The Timeline Figures Printable are a lovely add-on if you have a large homeschool budget, however I feel torn about using premade art, as a child can be very creative drawing their own figures and artifacts rather than cutting and pasting.

#2 Choose a family together Latin Study. 

You will need one Beginner's Latin that your whole family will enjoy together.

Book	Details	Cost
​Latin for Beginners	Free online, best for older students - also consider Henle Latin	$0*
​Getting Started with Latin	Simple, short lessons for the whole family ​free audio online	$21.00
​Prima Latina	Simple, orderly lessons for the whole family with audio CD's**	$35.00

**sets you up for serious Latin study later
​
Our Pick!  For our lesson plans, our pick is Prima Latina which includes teacher book, student book, and audio CD. To save money, have your children complete copywork in a Composition Notebook.

​

#3 Choose a family together French Study.  

​Charlotte Mason had her students study several foreign languages using short and engaging lessons.

Book	Details	Cost
​Hachette's Illustrated French Primer	Free online, lovely illustrations, best for younger students (grades 1-6)	$0*
​Getting Started with French	​Simple, short lessons for the whole family ​free audio online	$21.00
​​French for Children with Three Audio CDs	Simple, short, and fun lessons for the whole family with Audio CDs	$42.00

Our Pick!  We love and include, in our lesson plans, French for Children with Three Audio CDs.  Filled with songs, vocabulary, activities, and stories, even your Preschool and Kindergarten children can join in. Warning! The songs are catchy, so you might find yourself singing them around the house.

Special Mention! First Start French by Memoria Press is orderly, but it did not engage our children.

#4 Choose a Handicraft Kit. 

You will need one project per child per term. Let your children help with this decision. For Enrichment Study 1, we suggest:

• Term 1: Hand Sewing Project of your choice (1 per student)
• Term 2: Cross Stitch Project of your choice (1 per student) 
• Term 3: Crochet Project of your choice (1 per student)

​Purchase these kits at your local craft store or order our old-fashioned Handicraft Kits.

#5 Choose a math curriculum. 

Our lesson plans give you time suggestions only for math work based on your child's grade, so choose a math curriculum that engages your child and your budget!​

Book	Details	Price
​Centre for Innovation in Math	Free Printable ​Recommended by Miss Maggie	$0*
​Everyday Arithmetic Primer	Free Printable Beautifully Illustrated Recommended by Parent Advisory	$0*
​Ray's FREE Arithmetic	Free Printable ​Includes Parent Support Teaching Videos	$0*

Our FREE Pick! Ray's FREE Arithmetic offers free video lesson, so it's a great free pick that includes teaching support. To save money, children can copy math problems in a Composition Notebook. 

Our PURCHASE Pick!  For a purchase option, we have used and recommend Rod & Staff Arithmetic ($52+ per year) for younger students as it is very thorough and Teaching Textbooks ($72+ per year online) for older students for its teaching support. 

A sample math sequence to follow: 

• Grades 1 to 6 - Rod & Staff Arithmetic or Free Resource
• Grade 7 - Pre-Algebra by Teaching Textbooks
• Grade 8 - Algebra I by Teaching Textbooks
• Grade 9 - Geometry by Teaching Textbooks
• Grade 10 - Algebra II by Teaching Textbooks
• Grade 11 - Pre-Calculus by Teaching Textbooks
• Grade 12 - Calculus of choice

Special Note! We do not recommend using Teaching Textbooks for younger students (grades 1-6) because this program lacks methods we believe younger students need:

1. verbal interaction (Children should talk with a parent, teacher, or other students to absorb and process math concepts.)
2. memory work (Children should use repetition to memorize math facts and math terms.)
3. hands-on activities (Children should use hands-on activities such as counting objects, measuring, etc. to bring life to lessons and make them more concrete.)

#6 Choose a science curriculum.

For your science choice, think less about the booklist, and more about how you want to approach teaching.

• Individual - Do you want your children to read science passages independently from a list of living books (by grade)? or

• Family Together - Do you want your children to Enjoy Science Together using a family together program that uses both living books and a single science focus?

Our Pick! We feel a family together science is simple to schedule and engaging to children, so our pick is Enjoying Science Together. 

Summary Tips!

1. Keep it simple!  If you are using our day-by-day lesson plans and want everything to line up, go ahead and choose our picks!  Math is the exception as we suggest time only based on grade.
2. Keep it affordable!  If you are working with a small budget, go for the lowest cost but do remember to add-in home printing.
3. Keep it engaging!  If you have a child with a strong learning style (hands-on versus bookish), consider your child's need.

​Questions You Might Have:

• If I want a different curriculum (not on your list), can I still use your lesson plans? Yes. For example, when a lesson tells you to work on Latin, use your pick, but stick to our suggested time (15-20 minutes).
• If I picked a different curriculum, do I need to schedule it out?  No.  Don't worry about scheduling out your curriculum, just move on when you master a lesson. You can use the same book for more than one year!
• How do I know if I chose the right curriculum? If your children are engaged and learning, it's right!  Give your child a month to get into the flow.
• When should I change curriculum? Don't be too quick to jump to the next curriculum. It can cost a lot of money and hinder a child from moving forward. Try changing your teaching method first. Here are 3 ideas: 
  

​​

1. ​Start the lesson with a hands-on activity to introduce a new topic. (Example: Counting to 10 with goldfish crackers or coloring the number 10.)
2. Keep the lesson short such as 15-30 minutes. Not all exercises must be completed. Review daily and pick-up where you left off yesterday. (A child's goal is to master a concept, not complete 100 exercises to fill-in time.)
3. Finish the lesson with a culminating activity to review such as a memory song, game, chalkboard review, or recitation of new facts.  (Example: Sing "One Little Indian" to review 10.)