Grade Your Homeschool child

Should You Grade Your Homeschool Child?
By Kristi Hagen

You have many options available to you when it comes to grading your kids. Some parents prefer to stick to the familiar letter-grades and percentage points because it makes sense to them or maybe their state requires it. Others rely on a portfolio system or simply hand out home-made awards and certificates. And then there are those parents who believe a job well-done and a concept learned is enough reward for their kids and steer clear of grades altogether. What kind of homeschooler are you?

Grades

If you've decided to keep grades - or maybe your state requires that you show them graded progress at the end of the year, you may be wondering how to get started. How do those teachers come up with A’s and B’s anyway? Here’s a quick guide to recording grades:

• Grading a Worksheet: Simply divide the number of problems correct by the total number of problems. For example, if the page has 14 problems and your child got 12 correct, divide 12 by 14 to get .857, or 86%. Download a free chart to translate percentages into letter grades from this page of homeschool printables.
• Grading an Essay: Grading an essay or project can be much trickier because you're not dealing with a simple correct or incorrect answer. In these cases, you need to clearly explain to your child what you will expect from them and then decided how close to that expectation they've come. Rubrics are a great way to grade written essays. Rubrics break down every element that is being considered and assigns points to each. Click here for some sample rubrics.
• Grading an Entire Year of Work: Your state may require that you show them grades for an entire year (or quarter or semester) of work. In this case, all you do is record the percentage points for each worksheet, quiz, or test, then at the end of the year simply add up the points and divide by the total number of assignments. For example, if you assigned 10 worksheets, 6 quizzes, and 4 tests, just add up the points and divide by 20. Once you have a final percentage score, consult our grades chart above to convert to a letter grade.

There is a problem with this system, though. All of the assignments are equally important here so that if your child does poorly on a few quizzes but always pulls through on the tests, they may still come up with a low grade. To solve this, count all important tests or projects twice (or even three times). This is called weighting the test so that it counts for more of the grade.

Portfolios

Portfolios are a great way to keep track of your child’s progress. Some homeschoolers keep portfolios for their own records and others are required to by their state. There are usually four main aspects to a portfolio system:

1. Journal: Keep a record of your child’s homeschool lessons in a journal. This can be as brief or as detailed as you want it to be, but be sure to write something every day or you might forget what you covered. This journal is also a good place to set goals for the upcoming year and record which text books (if any) you plan to use.
2. Photo Album: Take pictures of field trips, homeschool support group meetings, competitions, projects, etc.
3. Sample Papers: You can either keep all of your child’s completed papers in a large file box or simply save representative pieces throughout the year in a three-ring binder.
4. Summary: Most state reviewers want a summary of what your child has accomplished over the year and it can be helpful for you as well.

Awards & Certificates

Whether you're keeping grades, portfolios, or nothing at all, kids still love to receive home-made awards and certificates to commemorate a job well done. Check out this page of homeschool printables to find printable Awards for Kids.

A Note on Content Standards

So what is a grade, anyway? Well, if you think about it, it's an indication of how close your child has met a standard. But who sets that standard? Most public schools follow set lesson plans called Content Standards and many homeschoolers follow the same standards because they want to make sure that their kids are "keeping up" with the public schools.

Content standards are an official guide to what children of certain age groups should be taught. Every state has different standards and every private or charter school in each state uses the standards differently. Every state will set up their standards in a way they feel is best. To get a copy of your state's content standards, call your local or district superintendent's office. Tell them that you're a homeschooling parent and you're looking for easy to read content standards for your state. What you'll most likely get is a binder of somewhere between thirty to fifty pages.
Use content standards as the wonderful resource tool they are. See them as the compass pointing you in the right direction, but remember that they're by no means an outline of what you have to teach your child. They can just help you to be certain that something important isn't being left out of your children's education.

Kristi Hagen is a homeschooling parent and author of the popular Homeschool Book, "A Parent's Guide to Homeschool". She's also one of the editors of HomeschoolViews.com, which publishes an informative monthly Homeschool Newsletter.

Start Homeschooling

How to Start Homeschooling
By Lorraine Curry

You are the best teacher your children will ever have because you love them more than anyone else possibly could. Your mandate comes from God, and your "certification" far surpasses what governments or colleges could give. Add a commitment to homeschooling, and you are well on your way to giving your children the best education possible.

Photo: pixhosting.com

But what about skills and knowledge? Although it is helpful to know how to read and write, even these things can be learned, or re-learned, right along with your children. You can teach what you know, and when your knowledge of a subject isn't quite what you think it should be, you can read aloud and learn together, or your children can learn to teach themselves.

Low Cost
Would it surprise you if I told you that homeschooling can be free or nearly-free? There are options that can keep costs down, if you choose to use them. We spent very little on homeschooling. Each year we have purchased some items, but only because I wanted to, not because we needed them. Spending on curriculum should be done prayerfully, even if you can afford it, because many items are purchased and not used. Books can be resold, but usually for a fraction of what has been paid for them.

The Library
The library can save you a substantial amount of money and offers a cornucopia of books, from non-fiction for science and history to classic literature and biographies, as well as other materials as varied as current events magazines, research volumes, Shakespearean videos and tapes, painting technique videos, homeschooling programs, foreign language tapes, phonics tapes and computer equipment.

Christians are sometimes cautious about the library. But if you read-aloud, you can skip over objectionable parts. Recently I discovered that Charlotte Mason, in her book, A Philosophy of Education, also suggested this skipping of anything not appropriate for children. You could even skip the book entirely. If a book that you are reading has an anti-Biblical view, such as evolutionary theory, you can discuss what the Bible does say. Children need to know opposing thought to better defend the faith and become independent thinkers.

Another fine resource is the library in your home which you can build by finding high quality old books at auctions, garage sales, thrift stores, and library sales or right here at http://www.easyhomeschooing.com/rare-antique-books.htm l! We have been collected for so many years and had such great books here at home that we eventually used our own library more than the public library. I prefer this as it keeps us home and saves us time.

Reading Aloud
The actual schooling process begins with the basics - the skills that your children will need to use almost every day throughout their lives. Professionals' opinions back up our family's experiences - reading aloud gives children the best possible start in education.

An emphasis on the written word at all ages (especially important when very young) rather than on visual stimulation will result in bright children. Reading aloud or reading silently will "exercise" your child's brain as he builds hisvery own "pictures," based on the words that are read. When good books are read, those "pictures" will stir up proper judgment, rational thought and result in wise children with character. Contrariwise, with the visual, the work has been done for them. No need to think; no growth in maturity.

What if your children are not interested in hearing you read aloud, or in reading themselves? In this case, proclaim a fast from videos, TV and computers. Keep reading, and before long they will develop an appetite for good books.

Starting to Homeschool
If homeschooling is started when children normally start school (5-7), there can be an easing into routines. One subject can be taught at a time, staying with that subject until some measure of achievement is reached. Start with phonics, then, none at a time, go on to reading, handwriting, creative writing and finally basic math. This simple technique keeps the pressure off, which in turn keeps a love for learning alive. Moreover, there is only a minimum time requirement. If your child is older and you are taking him or her out of institutional schooling, there might be more time required at first. In order to find the time for homeschooling, you may have to make a decision to eliminate unnecessary activities, wasted time.

Teaching Phonics
All school subjects will be built upon the mastery of reading. Today many parents with children in public or private schools find themselves having to re-teach reading. This shouldn't be, as the school has the child many hours per day to teach this basic of basics. In the schools and in the home, the exclusive use of phonics will result in children who can read well.

There are many tools available for teaching phonics. But most are far too expensive. You can teach phonics for free! Mothers, tutors, and governesses have been teaching this way for hundreds of years. Your tools are a book such as a Bible, a paper and pencil or a black or white board. With your choice of tool, teach the sounds of the individual letters, starting with the short vowels. Then teach the consonants, and finally the combinations ("sh," "ch" and so forth). Then after your children know several letter sounds, use a simple playground slide diagram to help them blend the sounds into words. Write the "ch" at the top and the "at" at the bottom. Then tell your child to make the "ch" go down the slide and run into the "at." Go on to the long vowels. You can also emphasized patterns in groups of words (such as "gate," "mate," "grate" and "plate").

If you want to purchase a phonics course, I suggest Simply Phonics or Alpha-phonics.
As soon as your child knows how to read a few words, he or she needs practice. You can borrow Hop on Pop or similar phonics based books from the library, or use a simple phonics based reader. Don't try to use a Dick and Jane book. These see-say books have too many sight words in them, and will just frustrate your new reader. We used McGuffey's, which we received as an introductory offer from a book club. You needn't continue with reading classes until you have completed the books. I am very much against all the unnecessary work for both teacher and student that some "experts" consider to be part of a well rounded program. Such things as spelling and comprehension do not need to be learned separately. If a child is read to, learns to read phonetically, is read to, starts reading fluently, is read to, and continues to read individually, he or she will learn and learn well all the peripherals of our language.

Writing
Writing goes hand in hand with reading, for a winning "language arts" program. Encourage your children to be storytellers. If they can't yet write, write their stories down for them. If you have a tape recorder let them record their stories, and replay them. Have them draw a picture to go with their story. As soon as they can write, have them write their own stories, but don't pay any attention to errors at this point. You don't want to discourage them! If your children want you to spell the words for them, do it. Eventually they will know several words. Then you can point out those that are misspelled for them to learn. (Your student can either write each word ten times or spell them aloud several times to learn them.) Save all your students' papers, or at least the best ones - they will be treasures someday!

Arithmetic
For arithmetic make your own flashcards for drill. And for all other subjects, first plan what you want to teach over the school year. Then using the library or your own library, read-aloud together. Have your children tell back, or write on what you have read. We gathered for read-alouds sessions even when our children were perfectly capable of independent study.

After all, isn't being together as a family what homeschooling is all about?
If you have been thinking and praying about homeschooling, or if you have been feeling overwhelmed or financially burdened by what you think you must do - or must buy - to homeschool, I want to encourage you. Homeschooling need not be expensive nor difficult. The public schools give us a great example that spending does not equal quality education. A better choice is to use simple, tried and true techniques and reap the fruit of Godly, well-educated children.

Lorraine Curry is the author of 5 Star Easy Homeschooling books. See and link to more articles, FREE copywork, subscriptions, ebooks and more at http://www.easyhomeschooling.com/

Children Home School

Home School Your Children?
By Ethan Mettaroy

More and more parents are choosing to home school their children. They do so for a variety of reasons. Some feel they can give their children a better education at home, that the uniform teaching methods required for classes of 30 or 40 students do not sufficiently account for each student’s different learning styles and aptitudes.

Others home school for religious reasons, preferring to include religious information in the curriculum, which is not found in public schools. Still others prefer to inform their children about various education topics from their own point of view, rather than what they would receive in public schools. Some parents may be choosing home schooling because they fear for their children’s safety. We do hear many reports of violence in our schools.

Obviously, home schooling is not new. Public schools are really the new kid on the block. According to Patrick Farenga, in his article “A Brief History of Homeschooling,” compulsory education, as we know it, is less than 200 years old. He points out that education used to be handled by parents, the church and the occasional tutor for special subjects. He also mentions that education was intentionally left up to parents by our founding fathers. There is no mention of it in the Declaration, Bill of Rights or the Constitution of the United States.

Farenga dates the current trend toward home schooling from the 1970’s, particularly from a book called “Deschooling Society,” written by Ivan Illich that year. You can find his article at www.hsc.org, which features many, such articles and resources for home schooling. There is also a page of home schooling jokes. Some of them are hilarious.

If you are considering home schooling your own children, you can find many more resources on the web. There are articles, curriculums, stories from other parents, textbook recommendations, school projects, and more. Home schooling families usually interact with other home schooling families so that children do get social time with other children. They may get together to put on a play, practice music or learn a sport.

It seems like there is a good chance that home schooling is a trend that will only increase over the coming years. Check hslda.org for information on home schooling laws in your home st
About this writer - Ethan Mettaroy is a self-made expert on home schooling and has, with his wife, home schooled their own 7 children, 3 of whom they adopted. You can read more on the subject or home schooling at KC Home Schoolers