Thomas More and King Henry VIII, their relationship

How to Create Your Own Homeschool Curriculum

How to Create Your Own Homeschool Curriculum Many homeschooling parents- even those who start out using a pre-packaged curriculum- decide somewhere along the way to take advantage of the freedom homeschooling allows by creating their own course of study. If youve never created your own teaching plan, it can sound daunting. But taking the time to put together a customized curriculum for your family can save you money and make your homeschooling experience much more meaningful. Here are some general steps to follow to help you design a curriculum for any subject. 1. Review Typical Courses of Study by Grade First, you may want to research what other children in public and private schools are studying in each grade in order to make sure your children are covering approximately the same material as other students their age. The detailed guidelines linked below can help you set standards and goals for  your own curriculum. Typical Course of Study for Elementary SchoolTypical Course of Study for Sixth GradeTypical Course of Study for Seventh GradeTypical Course of Study for Eighth GradeTypical Course of Study for Ninth GradeTypical Course of Study for Tenth GradeTypical Course of Study for Eleventh GradeTypical Course of Study for Twelfth Grade 2. Do Your Research. Once you have determined what subjects you will cover, you may need to do some research to make sure you are up-to-date on the particular topic, particularly if its one you are not already familiar with.   One solid way to get a quick overview of a new subject? Read a well-written book on the topic aimed at middle schoolers! Books for that level will tell you everything you need to know to cover the topic for younger students, but still be comprehensive enough to get you started on a high school level. Other resources you can use include: Popular nonfiction young adult books;Websites about a subject for students;Review books written for high school students;Self-help books for adults (such as the For Dummies series);Textbooks, particularly ones that are recommended by other homeschoolers. As you read, make notes on key concepts and topics you may want to cover. 3. Identify Topics to Cover. Once youve gotten a broad view of the subject, start thinking about what concepts you want your children to learn. Dont feel you have to cover everything- many educators today feel that digging deep into a few core areas is more useful than skimming over many topics briefly. It helps if you organize related topics into units. That gives you more flexibility and cuts down on work. (See below for more work-saving tips.) 4. Ask Your Students. Ask your children what they would like to study. We all retain facts more readily when were studying a topic that captivates us. Your children may be interested in topics that fall right in line with what youd want to cover anyway, such as the American Revolution or insects. However, even topics that may not seem educational on the surface can provide valuable learning opportunities. You can study them as-is, weave in related concepts, or use them as a springboard for more in-depth topics. 5. Create a Timetable. Figure out how long you would like to spend on the subject. You can take a year, a semester, or a few weeks. Then decide how much time you want to devote to each topic you want to cover. I recommend creating a schedule around units instead of individual topics. Within that time period, you can list all the topics you think your family would like to learn about. But dont worry about individual topics until you get there. That way, if you decide to drop a topic, youll avoid doing extra work. For instance, you may want to devote three months to the Civil War. But you dont need to plan out how to cover each battle until you dive in and see how it goes. 6. Select High-quality Resources. One big plus of homeschooling is that it lets you use choose the very best resources available, whether they are textbooks or alternatives to textbooks. That includes picture books and comics, movies, videos, and toys and games, as well as online resources and apps. Fiction and narrative nonfiction (true stories about inventions and discoveries, biographies, and so on) can also be useful learning tools. 7. Schedule Related Activities. Theres more to learning a topic than accumulating facts. Help your kids put the topics you cover into context by scheduling in field trips, classes, and community events that relate to the subject you are studying. Search out museum exhibits or programs in your region. Find experts (college professors, craftspeople, hobbyists) who might be willing to talk to your family or homeschool group. And be sure to include lots of hands-on projects. You dont have to put them together from scratch there are lots of well-made science kits and arts and crafts kits, as well as activity books that give you step-by-step directions. Dont forget activities like  cooking, making costumes, creating ABC books, or building models. 8. Find Ways to Demonstrate What Your Kids Have Learned. Written tests are just one way to see how much your students  have learned about a subject. You can have them put together a research project that includes an essay, charts, timelines, and written or visual presentations. Kids can also reinforce what theyve learned by making artwork, writing stories or plays, or creating music inspired by the subject. Bonus Tips: How to make writing your own curriculum quicker and easier: Start small. When youre writing your own curriculum for the first time, it helps to start with one unit study or one subject.Keep it flexible. The more detailed your teaching plan, the less likely you are to stick to it. Within your subject, pick a few general topics you want to touch on. Dont worry if you come up with more topics than you can possibly cover in one year. If one topic doesnt work for your family, youll have options to move on to. And nothing says you cant continue on with a subject for more than a year.Choose topics that interest you and/or your kids. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you child is fascinated with a subject, chances are you will pick up some factoids about it as well. The same goes for you: Teachers who love their topic can make anything sound interesting. Writing your own curriculum doesnt have to be a daunting task. You might be surprised to discover how much you enjoy personalizing your familys curriculum- and how much you learn along the way. Updated by Kris Bales

Present Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Present Value - Essay Example Interstate Travel Centre will borrow $2.5million to start-up the business. Hence the discount-rate for this project will be considerably higher compare to other two projects as the other two businesses do not intend to borrow long-term finances and rely on only short term financing and as their project start-up costs are very low compare to Interstate Travel Centre hence their discount-rates will be lower. Ice Dreams project would be more riskier than the RJ Wagner & Associates Realty project because the Ice Dreams project is 100% being financed through a loan and they would have to make interest payments even if they do not make a profit, whereas RJ Wagner & Associates Realty project is equity financed as well as debt financed and their interest payments will be considerably lower than   Ice Dreams hence RJ Wagner & Associates Realty project will have the lowest discount rate compare to the other two projects. The owners of Interstate Travel Centre, Steven and Janet Smith do not h ave the relevant experience or exposure to run such a business. Steven Smith had years of experience in the automotive repair industry, but this was a totally new domain for him. On the other hand Janet Smith had twenty years of experience of budgeting and book-keeping services for small companies. Janet Smith may not be capable enough to handle and manage the finances of a considerably larger business compare to her past experience. The owners would face many hardships due to their relative inexperience in handling or being part of bigger projects. Interstate Travel Centre have mentioned in their business plan that the restaurant business will generate the third highest revenue for the business. Both the Co-owners Steven and Janet Smith have absolutely no experience of working in the restaurant industry so the lack of knowledge and skill may hamper the sales of the company as they may not know the actual requirements of the customers visiting the restaurant. Hence Interstate Travel Centre business is very risky. On the other hand the owner of the Real Estate business, Regina J. Wagner, a broker by profession has credibility in the Real Estate market as she recently published a real estate book and due to her credibility she would be able to attract customers and as she had experience of the Real Estate market she would be better able to understand the needs and wants of the customers. She would also have contacts in the market which will help her in developing the business further. The experience of the owner in the same industry compare to the owners of Interstate Travel Centre makes this venture is less risky compared to the Interstate Travel Centre business. The Ice Dreams business has the advantage of being first movers in the area as there are no businesses who sell shaved ice at a large scale and their indirect competitors like Snow Shack do not provide good quality syrups and the weather in the city of El Centro, California is warm for seven months. He nce Ice Dreams have a good chance of establishing themselves as the market leaders in this city. On the other hand Interstate Travel Centre faces less competition but they are not the first movers in t