Customer Reviews

Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

We've homeschooled for 13 years. I co-founded a homeschool group and buy for the group's library. I purchase many books every month and read even more than I buy. If I had to chose what two books I wouldn't be without, my choice would be two authored by Rebecca Rupp, this book and The Complete Home Learning Source Book.
In our homeschool group the comment I hear most from other parents about homeschooling is "I'm just not sure we're on track". Home Learning Year by Year provides the information parents need to guage if they are covering what their child needs to learn. I'm a believer in letting the child's abilities set the pace but by using Rebecca Rupp's book, I have now made a checklist of what I want my children to cover and I have confidence that we're on track.
If you don't homeschool your child, you'll still want this book. As a former special education teacher, I remember parent meetings where parents were lost about whether their child was being taught what he/she needed to learn. Home Learning Year by Year can guide parents in taking charge and making good choices for their child's education regardless of whether that education takes place in the home or in a classroom setting.
The book gives the most complete listing of education goals grade by grade I've seen in any book. Ms Rupp suggests resources for each grade and its apparent to me that her suggestions and her goals have been carefully researched.

I was looking for a book that had just checklists of what to teach when- for example, when a child is finished with first grade in a public school what do they typically know.

What I got was a book that had this information and much more. It lists one thing that kids should be able to do (identify colors and mix them to make new colors) and then provides some resources or books that will help teach this concept.

To get the information I wanted I am forced to wade through the references and suggestions. That is why I rated it four stars. I think I'd like to have a checklist at the end of each section that has just the expectations of each grade. However, I'm not sorry I bought this book. I have a feeling that as time goes on I'll refer to it more and more.

Great resources. There are a variety of books and webpages that are given in this book as places to look for more information. I have looked at many of these references and found them to be high quality.

I agree with the previous reviewers - this book is a great little resource. It begins by telling you that all kids are different and how that one of the great things about homeschooling is that you can adapt to your child's personal needs. That being said, for those of us interested in a guide to what types of things are generally covered at what ages, this is very helpful. I appreciate several things about this book - it does cover all ages preschool through grade 12. It gives some specific comments about what is expected - for example: identify pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar bills; recognize dollar and cent signs under money and measurement for kindergartners. It also gives information about books and resources to help the parent and student. It does not, however, dictate how the child should be taught (ie Grade 3 month 2 do the following, the progress to X in month 3). As the children progress (mine are only 4 and 2 at this point, but I look ahead of course!) this infomation gives you broad headings to cover as ideas - for example in Grade 10 History: Western Europe in the nineteenth century. Topics include the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna, the growth of democracy, the Revolution of 1848 and the British Reform Laws, the unification of Germany under Bismark, and the unification of Italy under Garibaldi. Subjects covered include math, history, literature, grammar, art, music, foreign language, health and physical education, sciences geography (this is not necessarily an all inclusive list).

This is my first year homeschooling, and we are using a fairly eclectic curriculum - meaning, I pick and choose from various materials and curriculums to teach my children. While I absolutely love the freedom this approach gives our family, there are times when I feel a sense of panic and think, "Homeschooling seems too easy! I must not be doing it right! Am I really teaching them what they need to know, or am I deluding myself?"

Then I just pick up this book before bed and read the subject guidelines for each grade, and I immediately feel better. "Well, yes, I am covering that; no, I haven't done that yet but I will; hmmmm, I still haven't figured out when to teach that and it does seem important, etc..."

I also have the "What Your 1st Grader Needs to Know" books by - is it Hirsch? - and I definitely prefer Rupp's book, as it is far more succinct and provides better resource lists.

This book has received much less publicity than it should have. It is an excellent resource that takes you from preschool through highschool using the "normal" standards schools use and citing resources you can obtain (most through your library) to help your child learn what they should. Instead of textbooks (some are recommended especially for math), the author recommends quality books, games, websites to make learning the adventure it should be. Excellent. I'm so glad I bought it.

As a homeschool mom as well as author of homeschool materials, I feel it is important to make sure that I cover all the bases and don't leave anything out. I've seen a lot of scope and sequences, but most of them are so vague, they don't tell me anything. Home Learning, on the other hand, is extremely detailed. It also has high standards, rather than being watered down education. I know that if we cover what is listed in Home Learning, that we'll be right where we should be and doing even better than what is expected in the public schools.

It's not the kind of book you read once and pack away. It's a book that you keep pulling out again and again.

I agree that as a resource this is a quite useful reference, especially if you need to find book titles for a myriad of subjects. However, and I say this with new homeschoolers in mind, do not expect to cover half of what Rupp recommends for each academic year. You'll drive yourself and your child insane. My criticism of this book lies in the way it positions itself; that is, as a comprehensive guide for what your child *needs* to know each year. The degree of content per academic year (or, the "integral subjects" as the back cover has it) is overwhelming and unrealistic. Had Rupp positioned this book as a resource list divided by age and then, further, by subject, it would be less threatening and more heartening for newer homeschoolers. Of course, a person can take or leave what one cares to. But my fear is that a person contemplating homeschooling, or a person not yet having found their sea legs, might take a few looks at this book, break out in a cold sweat, and send their child to school.

Despite the word "curriculum" on the front cover, this book is the one resource I most often recommend to unschoolers, eclectic learners and out-of-the-box families alike. Our well-thumbed copy was the single best "home-school" purchase I've made. So small, yet so chock-full of goodies! I reach for it often.

Rupp's welcoming attitude is very appealing. She makes it clear that there's room for every style in homeschooling. But even for folks who like it laid out for them in black and white, she demystifies the notion of hallowed, pedestal-bound curricula, explaining "There is No Such Thing as a First Grader" (subtitle of her forward). She wins my heart by quoting Douglas Adams from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Don't panic."

The beauty of Rupp's book lies in its balance between brevity and detail. She's given us short, pithy and well-organized chapters -- just flip to a grade level chapter to see brief items listed under traditional subject headings. On the other hand, each item is actually specific enough to be useful.

As an example, one entry under Grade Four Mathematics, Number Theory reads "Know numbers through the millions; be able to write these in both numerals and words." Rupp then lists four different resources beneath. We might decide to borrow or purchase or visit the resources she describes, but most ordinary days in our family life will also offer opportunities to tackle the concept of millions. At least having the item in my mental list ensures that will happen. Maybe we'll read Cosmos by Carl Sagan today . . . .

Yes, an updated edition would be wonderful. But if I were Rebecca Rupp, I'd find it hard to avoid the temptation of cramming in too many new web pages, books, games, and other resources. That would just clutter up a nifty handbook. Consider it condensed soup. Fits well on our crowded shelf.

This book is excellent for those thinking about homeschooling, those just starting out and even those who have been doing it a while! Rebecca Rupp explains different styles of homeschool from "school-at-home" to "unschooling" and the pros and cons of each. She discusses what expectations there are for what children should learn and accomplish in each grade level (from preschool to highschool). The thing that Rupp does best, however, is share a wealth of resources. From software to books, from weblinks to packaged curriculum, there is a wealth of knowledge contained in this relatively small and unintimidating volume.

I LOVE this book! There is no way I could use a pre-packaged curriculum with my daughter; her math skills are so far ahead of her reading, and I wouldn't want her to be either bored or frustrated.
Each chapter lists what your child needs to have a firm grasp of in each subject in each grade level. Math, Reading, Writing, Art, Social Studies, Science, Foreign Language, Music and even Sex Ed are all included.
I refer to this book constantly to make sure we're on track with the subjects that she finds a little bit challenging. I go through the book and make lists of what my objectives are every few months to keep us on track and challenged. And designing your own curriculum gives your family a little more "wiggle room" to spend extra time on the subjects that really interest your child.
It's just a fantastic way to make sure your homeschooled child is learning appropriate subject matter at the proper time.