Please scroll down for ideas for unit studies
With the Covid-19 crisis continuing to evolve, we’ve had a lot of questions from families who are trying to determine if this might be a good year to consider homeschooling for the first time. Deciding to homeschool can be a daunting choice--especially now, when there is so much general uncertainty. Everyone's schedules were thrown into turmoil this spring when schools were unexpectedly forced to close. We all had to adjust abruptly, scramble, and make do--no one was quite prepared for the many repercussions of a global pandemic! Schools and teachers did their best to continue providing a quality education from a distance, but conditions were far from ideal, and many families struggled with finding a work/school/life balance amongst so much chaos and uncertainty. Please realize, however, that the frustratingly makeshift home/online/school combo that you may have experienced this spring is not at all reflective of homeschooling. Homeschooling your children, even for just a year, can be an exceptionally rewarding bonding experience for the whole family. Even if everything doesn't go perfectly smoothly (and really, what does??) it will definitely be a year to remember and treasure!
In Alaska, we are extremely fortunate to have a large community of homeschooling families along with excellent homeschooling support via several formal programs that are administered through local school districts. You do not have to enroll in a program to homeschool in Alaska, but the programs are an amazing resource. They provide advice, record keeping, and a large allotment budget that families can use to purchase educational materials and pay for activities.
One educational approach that lends itself very well to homeschooling, even for families who may only want to homeschool for a year, is Unit Studies. One educational technique that utilizes a unit study (or main lesson) approach is Waldorf. Adapting some of the techniques that traditional Waldorf schools utilize in a home environment can be an effective and rewarding approach for families who are new to homeschooling. Enchanted Forest offers many supplies that help support a Waldorf education approach.
With the Covid-19 crisis continuing to evolve, we’ve had a lot of questions from families who are trying to determine if this might be a good year to consider homeschooling for the first time. Deciding to homeschool can be a daunting choice--especially now, when there is so much general uncertainty. Everyone's schedules were thrown into turmoil this spring when schools were unexpectedly forced to close. We all had to adjust abruptly, scramble, and make do--no one was quite prepared for the many repercussions of a global pandemic! Schools and teachers did their best to continue providing a quality education from a distance, but conditions were far from ideal, and many families struggled with finding a work/school/life balance amongst so much chaos and uncertainty. Please realize, however, that the frustratingly makeshift home/online/school combo that you may have experienced this spring is not at all reflective of homeschooling. Homeschooling your children, even for just a year, can be an exceptionally rewarding bonding experience for the whole family. Even if everything doesn't go perfectly smoothly (and really, what does??) it will definitely be a year to remember and treasure!
In Alaska, we are extremely fortunate to have a large community of homeschooling families along with excellent homeschooling support via several formal programs that are administered through local school districts. You do not have to enroll in a program to homeschool in Alaska, but the programs are an amazing resource. They provide advice, record keeping, and a large allotment budget that families can use to purchase educational materials and pay for activities.
One educational approach that lends itself very well to homeschooling, even for families who may only want to homeschool for a year, is Unit Studies. One educational technique that utilizes a unit study (or main lesson) approach is Waldorf. Adapting some of the techniques that traditional Waldorf schools utilize in a home environment can be an effective and rewarding approach for families who are new to homeschooling. Enchanted Forest offers many supplies that help support a Waldorf education approach.
INTERIOR ALASKA HOMESCHOOL PROGRAMS
There are several homeschool programs in Interior Alaska that provide support in the form of advice, record keeping, resources, and a monetary allotment that you can use to purchase homeschool supplies and to pay for various activities. These programs are administered through several different school districts with local offices in Fairbanks and helpful staff members who can explain specific details, requirements, and policies. When you enroll, you will be assigned to a contact teacher who can help develop a curriculum plan for the school year and direct you toward appropriate resources. Some of the programs also offer a variety of enrichment activities and clubs. They are all fantastic programs, and operate fairly similarly, but there are slight variations and they do occasionally adjust their policies, so please consult directly with each program for the most current information.
- BEST (Fairbanks North Star Borough School District)
- Cyberlynx (Nenana School District)
- Focus (Chugach School District)
- IDEA (Galena School District)
- Raven (Yukon Koyukuk School District)
Curriculum
There are a lot of choices when it comes to curriculum including a wide variety of prepared commercial options, or you can design your own, tailoring it more specifically to your students’ interests and needs. Your contact teacher can help with curriculum information and will help develop an individual learning plan for each student, which is an outline of the major subjects that will be covered throughout the school year. It's simple to alter or amend the plan if you decide to explore different subjects/topics or discover new learning materials as the school year progresses.
Prepared curricula vary significantly in approach, content, and presentation. Fortunately, most of the homeschool programs have resource rooms where you can take a look at them before purchasing. A prepared curriculum can be reassuring and help avert some of the guesswork, but they can also be expensive and confining, especially if you realize partway through the school year that the approach isn't a good fit for your family. Some of the available commercial curricula require very little preparation or extra materials, but others may place fairly extensive lesson prep and instructional demands on the parents. Screen time requirements, via online lessons, videos, etc may also be a consideration when choosing a prepared curriculum.
Designing your own curriculum is an opportunity to create a truly personalized, individual education, but it can be intimidating, especially for those without much previous homeschool experience. With a little forethought and planning, however, this approach is completely manageable and can significantly contribute to a rewarding homeschool venture.
High School classes often require more record keeping than K-8, but your contact teacher can help with this. It may also be possible to attend some classes at your local school while continuing to homeschool with other subjects. It’s also possible to participate in public school sports teams, activities, and clubs.
Prepared curricula vary significantly in approach, content, and presentation. Fortunately, most of the homeschool programs have resource rooms where you can take a look at them before purchasing. A prepared curriculum can be reassuring and help avert some of the guesswork, but they can also be expensive and confining, especially if you realize partway through the school year that the approach isn't a good fit for your family. Some of the available commercial curricula require very little preparation or extra materials, but others may place fairly extensive lesson prep and instructional demands on the parents. Screen time requirements, via online lessons, videos, etc may also be a consideration when choosing a prepared curriculum.
Designing your own curriculum is an opportunity to create a truly personalized, individual education, but it can be intimidating, especially for those without much previous homeschool experience. With a little forethought and planning, however, this approach is completely manageable and can significantly contribute to a rewarding homeschool venture.
High School classes often require more record keeping than K-8, but your contact teacher can help with this. It may also be possible to attend some classes at your local school while continuing to homeschool with other subjects. It’s also possible to participate in public school sports teams, activities, and clubs.
grading and work samples
You’ll submit grades and work samples throughout the school year, usually quarterly. Your contact teacher will explain the program’s specific requirements. This is simple--don’t stress out about it! Generally, submitting one work sample for each subject each quarter is sufficient. Sometimes utilizing one work sample for multiple subjects will even work. For example, an essay about a famous historical figure can function as both a language arts and a social studies work samples. Work samples can be many different formats--original work, printed, scanned, photocopied, photographed, removed from a workbook, or depending on the subject even a video or audio recording. Some of the prepared curricula might offer quizzes and tests that can be utilized to assign grades, but these are not necessary. The homeschool teacher (the parent) assigns grades based on a wide range of personalized criteria. Your contact teacher can help with grading guidelines.
Allotment budget
The homeschool programs provide an allotment that you can utilize for many different educational purposes. The allotment amounts vary by grade level and program. Some programs also offer smaller allotments for preschool aged siblings. Specific details vary by program, but generally the allotment is yours to utilize as you see fit. It can be used for curriculum (already prepared commercial products as well as resources that you choose for your own specific plans), enrichment materials (books, art supplies, kits, etc), and lesson, class, or camp fees. The allotment is allocated and available on a yearly basis, usually beginning July 1 and ending before the end of the school year. Each enrolled student will receive a separate allotment. If you re-enroll with the same program for the following year, any unused allotment may roll over into the following year's allotment budget, but be sure to check with your program for specific details.
There are several ways of utilizing your allotment:
There are several ways of utilizing your allotment:
- The program can order materials on your behalf, or pay certain vendors directly for materials and services.
- You can pay for the materials/activities yourself, and then submit receipts for reimbursement.
- Some local shops (including Enchanted Forest!) also provide a convenient service in which you choose items from the shop. The shop submits a Purchase Order request direct to the homeschool program. When the items are approved, you may pick up the items, and then the shop will bill the homeschool program directly.