What do you report? When they ask for curriculum and such what do you report? I was thinking about this the other day and could not figure it out.
In PA we have to send in Educational Objectives at the beginning of the year. I always keep it vague. The phrase "may include but not limited to..." is used a lot. Also I use "increase understanding of..." and "introduce and master new math concepts; review and improve math skills and concepts". I keep a daily log of what we've actually done and hand that in with the portfolio. Does your state actually ask for book titles?
We don't report here in Illinois. (we don't unschool anymore, technically, either) But when we lived in Iowa, we had to include text titles and publishers. I had lots of texts and other books here at home, so I just listed the books I knew we would use even if they didn't get used daily. For example, I would list the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia because we often would dig it out to read. Even though it isn't necessarily made to be a stand alone curriculum, we did use it to learn. I was never questioned on it, so I suppose it was ok.
We don't unschool, but we do list books. One thing I added on the end that might be helpful to you was "Trade books/videos from the library as applies to the subject" or some such thing.
Now I don't unschool I am very far from it, I was just curious how unschoolers reported. Now I have been told recently that a list of books is not proof of a progressive curriculum. That is what really made me wonder how unschoolers reported what they did.
Do you need "proof" of a "progressive" curriculum? And, just out of curiousity, what is a "progressive" curriculum?
I'm wondering that too. I'm with Amethyst, my objectives are VERY vague (and very generic, I pull them from askpauline.com..and turn them in as is, no tweeking!). We then need to keep a log for our end of year portfolio.. I keep a checklist and check off any subject that was covered on a given day. Our log also requires a booklist, so I keep a list of books used... I don't seperate them into what subject they covered, just a long list of books.. any books, books read independantly by the student, books that were read aloud, audio books and even books that were partially read, etc. I keep a seperate list for magazines and newspapers, and then another list for videos and tv shows (because we use a ton of them too). I also keep a handful of anything written for samples of work. If we build something, say a set of shelves, I have Garrett draw up a plan, figure the math for it, figure the math for the supplies (cost, needs, etc) and that counts as math and art and even shop class. If he does something for scouts I can almost always count that too (and he does tons for scouts). It's really all about out of the box thinking... but as far as your laws I'm not sure how you would prove a progressive curriculum
From what I understand it is a program that continually progresses on to new material or broadens their knowledge of current material. Like any math or any one for that matter curricula, you progress to harder and newer material. Now as some have pointed out to me a list of books to use is not an actual curriculum it is curricula. The curriculum is the topics and contents of what you are teaching and how/ what manner you are going to teach it.
Here is what our law states, so how would one unschool and provide necessary information? A “‘basic academic educational program’ is one that provides a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, civics, history, literature, and science." I am interested in unschooling, but don't see dh agreeing to it.
I'm not an unschooler, but I don't even like that line about 'sequentially progressive curriculum'. What if you are like me, and feel like the current pedagogies about instruction (intense spiralling, almost anything they teach in math right now at ps, the 'blend' of phonics and sight words that isn't a blend at all...) is completely WRONG? I'm not saying my kids are getting a 1880's education, here, but indepth learning on something like math and phonics isn't really considered 'progressive'. Sounds like it's written to force homeschooling families to use the same sort of curric that many of us are trying to escape from. Then again.. *sigh*, I'm just irritated that a crappy system (ps) is defended by the state as being the 'end all and be all' of learning, and that homeschoolers have to DEFEND what we are teaching and how. I wanted to deschool my ds this past year when I pulled him out, I felt like he desperately needed it. But I couldn't bring myself to do it- I have standards to meet for our review, and he had to show that he was making progress for me. So he and I suffered along... him dragging his feet and fighting because he was burned out, and me just trying to get something out of him as 'proof'. Just not a happy situation.
As much as I'm not a fan of the HSLDA, have you looked to see what they say about your state? The word "sequentially" in there bothers me, I don't know why. In PA we are one of the harshest states but even our law doesn't tell us that we have to order things in any specific manner.. just that the students show progression (like they can add 1+1 in first and by the end of second they have learned to add 1+2.. that there is progression in my book, and the funny thing in our laws, it doesn't ever say that that wouldn't be enough progression..lol
Jo Anna, how organized are you? Unschooling seems to be a very easy, carefree, almost unorganized way of teaching. But it isn't! I think you need to be MORE organized to unschool, because you need to keep track and record more carefully. I subbed in a classroom for "informal" education. It was very interesting, but there's SO MUCH going on, and the teacher really had to keep up on it. There's no way I could do it, I'm simply not THAT organized. (I have trouble keeping on top of things as it is, lol!)
I'm just going to guess that "sequentially progressive curriculum" would mean that it progresses in some sort of sequence from more basic to more in-depth as you go, that you're not just haphazardly introducing disconnected facts/skills. For instance, if you do addition in the first grade and subtraction in the second, and multiplication in the third and division in the fourth, fractions in the fifth, and so on, it progresses in a sequence. If you do history from creation in the first grade and get through to the modern world at least once, it's a progression in a sequence - even if it doesn't match the one public school uses - and presumably there's a progression in the reading level of the materials used, too. If you start with Bob Books in first grade and reach high school level of literature in high school, that's a progression in a sequence, too - again, it may not match exactly the PS plan of what to read when, but... Now, science - I think if you get through some physical, some earth-and-space, some life science, some health/nutrition, some chemistry at progressively higher levels in SOME kind of sequence (maybe taking a topic of each by turns), that's also meeting the letter of their law. PS doesn't always match other PS in what needs to be taught when...
I agree with your entire post, but this in particular. I print out the world book scope and sequence to give me a rudimentary running track. Just for... curiosity sake, I printed off the scope for CA. And I about fell out of my chair... The one for my own state is shorter, but written like a tax manual and imho isn't nearly specific enough for anyone to follow- ps or hs alike.
