Setting Priorities

In the modern world, it is impossible to teach or learn everything. Knowledge is currently doubling every few years. Teach so that your children will:

1. Remain excited about learning.
2. Grow in self-confidence.
3. Acquire a solid framework of basic skills and factual information.
4. Acquire a coherent Christian world view.

Some of God's top priorities (II Peter 1:5-8)

1. Faith. Know Jesus, trust and obey. (I Cor. 2:2)
2. Goodness. Desire to do what is right and good.
3. Knowledge. Academics, training of the mind.
4. Self-control. Self-discipline, ability to focus and stick to a task.
5. Perseverance. Ability to set goals and achieve them despite discouragement.
6. Godliness. Development of Godly character.
7. Brotherly kindness. Focusing on what you can do for others rather than what others can do for you.
8. Love. Love the Lord your God. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:30-31)
9. Productive work and a lifestyle that wins respect. (I Thess. 4:11-12)
10. Independence. Do not be dependent on anybody.
11. Physical education and health. Our bodies are God's temple. (I Cor. 6:19-20)
12. Integrity. Alignment of mind, heart and will in obedience to God. (I Chronicles 29:17)

Passing School, Flunking Life

A survey of employers reported in The Washington Times on January 3, 1992, showed that the following percentages of entry level employees were rated as adequate in the following areas:

1. 57% could work cooperatively with fellow employees.
2. 46% had the desire to learn more and the capacity to do so.
3. 42% could deal well with those under them.
4. 39% dress and behave well.
5. 39% have a good attitude toward their supervisors.
6. 33% are able to read and understand written and oral directions.
7. 30% are able to concentrate on long-term projects.
8. 25% give all they have to the job they are doing.
9. 25% are capable of doing arithmetic functions.
10. 20% show a sense of dedication to their work.
11. 19% are disciplined in their work habits.
12. 10% are able to solve complex problems.

Know the answers to these questions and share them with your children.

1. Where are we going?
   Clarify your mission, vision and philosophy. Set specific long and short-term goals. (See philosophy handout for help in doing this.)
2. How fast do we have to get there?
   Learning is not a sprint. Allow "wait time" and let God set the pace. Learning "pushed" into a child too soon may do more harm than good, so be aware of readiness and take full advantage of prime times for learning certain things. Be persistent and patient. Continue in the right direction at the best speed.
3. Who's in the driver's seat?
   Don't let texts or tests "drive" the curriculum. Use them as needed or adapt.
4. What's the power source?
   Student interest and motivation are ideal sources of power. Take advantage whenever possible.

Remember, expertise requires mastery of fundamentals. Aim for quality and keep standards high. An educated person has a vast, interconnected network of knowledge. Help students connect new learning to what they already know in as many ways as possible. Unorganized knowledge can be worse than no knowledge because it can interfere with retrieval.

Many home school families organize instruction around units. This allows children of all ages to learn together. Use the lists below to make sure you're covering basic objectives, or as a resource to help you plan to teach or review as many objectives as are appropriate within a specific unit. Mastery means the child has overlearned the objective, can do it with ease, and rarely if ever makes a mistake.

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Reading and Language Objectives for Elementary Grades

• Decoding
  • Alphabet. Upper and lower case letters.
  • Initial consonants in words.
  • Final consonants in words.
  • Rhyming words.
  • Consonant blends and digraphs.
  • Sight words such as the, was and you.
  • Short vowels.
  • Long vowels.
  • Variant vowels.
  • Contractions.
  • Compound words.
  • Roots, suffixes, prefixes.
• Comprehension
  • Oral language. Summarizing.
  • Directions, following and writing directions.
  • Main ideas and details.
  • Cause and effect.
  • Making inferences.
  • Elements of literature: setting, characters, plot, theme.
  • Dialogue.
  • Synonyms, antonyms.
  • Figures of speech (metaphore, simile).
  • Symbolism.
  • Point of view.
  • Critical thinking: fact v. opinion, fallacies, propaganda.
• Reference
  • Types of literature: fiction, nonfiction, reference.
  • The library.
  • Parts of a book.
  • Alphabetical order.
  • Dictionary skills, index, other reference skills.
  • Skimming and scanning.
  • Outlining, note-taking.
• Language skills (can be taught through dictation)
  • Sentences and paragraphs.
  • Homophones (special emphasis in 3rd grade).
  • Capitalization (sentences, titles, proper nouns).
  • Punctuation (ending punctuation, apostrophe, comma)
  • Word building (roots, prefixes, suffixes).
  • Letter form, outline form, bibliographic form.
  • Correct word usage (can v. may, lend v. borrow)
  • Quotations and dialogue.
  • Grammar (in-depth, formal study can wait, unless your child is ready for it)
    Fourth grade: nouns, pronouns, adjectives.
    Fifth grade: verbs and adverbs.
    Sixth grade: prepositions, conjunctions, interjections.

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Math Objectives for Elementary Grades

• Teach in every year of elementary school at an appropriate level:
  • Measurement: temperature, weight, volume, length.
  • Word problems.
  • Estimation and mental math.
  • Money.
  • Graphing: picture, circle, bar and line graphs.
• First Grade
  • Place value: units / tens / hundreds.
  • Greater than, less than.
  • Count to 100. Number line to 100.
  • Calendar. Know the days of the week.
  • Tell time to the hour.
  • Recognize and name 2-dimensional shapes.
• Second Grade
  • Even / odd numbers. Count by 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s.
  • Master addition facts to 10+10.
  • Master addition with regrouping.
  • Calendar. Know the months of the year and holidays.
  • Tell time to half hour, quarter hour.
• Third Grade
  • Place value to thousands and beyond. Commas.
  • Number line to 1000. Write numbers to 1000s.
  • Master column addition and adding by endings (see Marvelous Math handout for instruction on adding by endings).
  • Master subtraction facts up to 20 - 10.
  • Master subtraction with regrouping, including zeros.
  • Tell time to the minute, a.m. and p.m.
  • Cardinal and ordinal numbers.
• Fourth Grade
  • Place value to trillions and beyond. Write any number from dictation.
  • Rounding, comparing and ordering large numbers.
  • Master multiplication facts to 10 x 10.
  • Master multiplication (2 place) including multiplying with zeros.
  • Roman numerals.
  • Calculating elapsed time (example: how much time is there between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.)
• Fifth Grade
  • Master division facts to 100 ÷ 10.
  • Master division with 1 and 2 place divisors, zeros.
  • Basic fractions. Add and subtract fractions.
  • Decimal fractions. Place value. Adding and subtracting.
• Sixth Grade
  • Multiply and divide fractions and decimal fractions.
  • Geometry.
  • Graphing, plotting points on a grid.
  • Statistics, ratio, percentages, probability.
  • Integers, exponents, calculators.

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"Flesh and Bones" Curriculum Organization

Bones give structure and form to our bodies, but life and energy are in the flesh. This analogy helped me organize time to accommodate both structured and flexible time.

"Bones" of the Curriculum, Structure

Create a structure and routine for "school days" to include some or all of the following. The times shown are merely suggestions and should be adjusted to fit your family. Many people prefer to structure the mornings and allow more freedom and flexibility in the afternoons.

• Body
  • Adequate rest (8 hours)
  • Planning the day, briefing everyone on plans (15 minutes)
  • Exercise (20 minutes or more, preferably "fun")
    For strength, flexibility, endurance and agility.
  • Eating (90 minutes or more)
    Eat together as a family and discuss what you're thinking and learning. This is one of the best ways to teach children how to think.
  • Grooming (30 minutes)
    Showers, dressing, etc.
  • Chores (30 minutes or more)
    Whenever possible, assign two or more people to do routine work together, to allow for discussion, fellowship and cooperation. Consider listening to educational audiotapes while working.
• Spirit
  • Bible reading and study
  • Scripture memorization
  • Prayer and meditation
• Mind
  • Vocabulary (5 minutes a day, 10 words a week)
    Choose words from any books or any subject. Teach word roots, prefixes, suffixes, origins.
  • Reading aloud to children (15 minutes)
  • Silent sustained individual reading (15 minutes)
  • Silent sustained individual writing (10-15 minutes)
  • Spelling list (10 minutes, not every week)
    Master 1000 word core spelling list (see Spelling for Success handout for this list). Take additional words from student writing.
  • Language and dictation (15 minutes)
    Review spelling and homophones.
    Teach and/or review suffixes and prefixes.
    Teach capitalization, punctuation, usage, parts of speech, sentences, paragraph form, letter form, etc.
  • Math facts (5 minutes a day until mastered). Books to help you set up a system.
  • Math skills, concepts, problems (30 minutes)
  • Maps (5 minutes several times a week)
  • Teach only one of the following at a time until mastered:
    Phonics (10-15 minutes)
    Penmanship (10 minutes)
    Keyboarding (10 minutes)
    Dictionary (goal is to locate 10 words in 10 minutes)

"Flesh" of the Curriculum

Allow for flexibility and "delight-directed study" with cross-curricular units involving the whole family. Focus on one theme at a time and rotate Bible, social studies, science and health units.

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Tips for Planning Your Own Units

• Choose unit topics based on your interests and those of your children. See list below for ideas.
• Set up a 3x5" file box with a divider for each unit you want to do within the next year or so.
• As you run across resources or have ideas for the unit, write them on a 3x5" card and file behind the appropriate divider. Use them when you plan the unit.
• Children, especially older children, can help you locate resources, plan activities and gather materials.
• Look for opportunities to include all "subjects" in each unit and any or all of the following:
  • Goal-setting
  • Planning
  • Time management
  • Maps, graphs, charts
  • Time lines
  • Measurement
  • Math
  • Literature (all types)
  • Nonfiction books
  • Biographies
  • Reference, research
  • Note-taking
  • Codes
  • Word studies
  • Poetry
  • Letter writing
  • Story writing
  • Report writing
  • Essay writing
  • Interviews
  • Field trips
  • Films, videos
  • Discussions
  • Oral reports, speeches
  • Computer
  • Projects, experiments
  • Arts and crafts
  • Music, drama
  • Cooking
  • Service to others
• Choose a few key concepts and some vocabulary words to emphasize and teach to mastery. Prepare a test in advance or decide how mastery will be evaluated.
• Outline the unit (long-term planning), then do lesson plans by the day or week as you go along (short-term planning).
• Consider setting up contracts with individual children to direct their work and facilitate evaluation.
• The first activity in a unit should be having the kids generate a list of specific questions about the topic. Note the answers as you find them during study and research.
• Have supplies ready the night before.
• Conclude each unit with an event, sharing of projects, written work, or recitation to Dad or others.
• Start a scrapbook or portfolio for each child, with a divider for each unit. Include copies of contracts, written work, photos of projects and tests.

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Ideas for Cross-Curricular Units

Units can be organized around the following academic themes. There is not enough time to study all of these units in elementary school, so choose those of most importance or interest.

• Bible Unit Ideas
  • Creation to the Flood
  • The Patriarchs
  • Moses and the Exodus
  • The Promised Land
  • The Judges
  • The Kings
  • Prophecy
  • Job
  • Jesus' Life and Teachings
  • The Apostle Paul
  • Geography of the Holy Land
  • Biblical Angels and Demons
• Social Studies Unit Ideas
  • World Religions
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Ancient Greece
  • Ancient Rome
  • Ancient China
  • Nordic Peoples
  • Aztec / Inca / Maya
  • Mythology
  • Middle Ages
  • Renaissance
  • Reformation
  • Age of Exploration
  • Globes and Maps
  • World Colonization
  • History of Great Britain
  • Colonial America
  • Holidays
  • Revolutionary War
  • Law, Government, Politics
  • America's First 50 Years
  • Native Americans
  • Westward Expansion
  • Slavery and the Civil War
  • American Presidents
  • Industrial Revolution
  • Inventions
  • Technology
  • Transportation
  • Communication
  • World War I
  • Roaring Twenties and Great Depression
  • World War II
  • The Past 50 Years
  • Economics and Business
  • Grocery Store
  • Where Things Are From
  • Geographical Regions (Jungle, Desert, Arctic)
  • Careers
  • History of Money
  • History of Education
  • History of Agriculture
  • History of Words and Languages
  • Musical Instruments
  • History of Art / Drama / Dance / Architecture
  • Sports
  • Aviation
  • Sailing and Navigation
  • Great Disasters in History
  • Planning a Trip
  • Migration and Immigration
  • Our Family History
  • Our Community, City
  • Our State
  • Flags and Symbols
  • Codes
  • United States, Northeast Census Region (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY, PA, NJ)
  • United States, Southern Census Region (AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV)
  • United States, North Central Census Region (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI)
  • United States, Western Census Region (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY)
  • National Parks
  • Washington, DC
  • Canada
  • Mexico, Central America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Middle East
  • Australia and New Zealand
  • Communism
  • United Nations
  • Entertainers, Artists
  • Composers
  • Frontiersmen, Outlaws
  • African-Americans
  • Women in History
• Science Unit Ideas
  • The Scientific Method
  • Classification
  • Seasons
  • The Ocean
  • Earth Science
  • Geology, Rocks, Minerals
  • Fossils
  • Universe, Solar System
  • Space Exploration
  • Weather, Climates, Air
  • Light and Color
  • Tools and Machines
  • Ecology, Environment
  • Animals (insects, wildlife, birds, whales, pets)
  • Electricity
  • Energy
  • Electronics
  • Properties of Matter
  • Creation v. Evolution
  • Heredity
  • Metals
  • Acids and Bases
  • Cells and the Microscope
  • Gasses
  • The Food Chain
  • Chemistry
  • Plants
  • Radioactivity
  • Sound
  • Water
  • Waves
  • Famous Scientists
  • History of Science
  • Careers in Science
• Health Unit Ideas
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Nervous System
  • Senses
  • Circulatory System
  • Respiratory System
  • Skeletal Muscular System
  • Digestive System
  • First Aid
  • Dental Health
  • Disease and Medicine
  • Disabilities
• Language Unit Ideas
  • Literature and Authors
  • The Newspaper
  • The Library
  • Reference Resources
  • Logic, Propaganda
  • Word Play, Codes
  • Figures of Speech
  • Poetry
• Additional Unit Ideas
  • Sewing and Crafts
  • Cooking
  • Consumer Education
  • Hosting Events
  • Time Management
  • Etiquette
  • Photography
  • Woodworking
  • Printing, Bookbinding
  • Computer
  • Auto Mechanics

Recommended Reading

• Healy, Jane. Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think and We Can Do About It. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. ISBN 0-684-85620-4. $14.00
• Clifton, Donald O. and Paula Nelson. "Win with Your Strengths." Reader's Digest (May 1993), pp. 74-77.
• Lewis, Jo H. & Gordon A. Palmer. What Every Christian Should Know. Wheaton, IL: Christianity Today, 1989. ISBN 0-89693-711-9.