Selecting Homeschooling Curriculum—A Guide for Parents

As a homeschool parent, creating a comprehensive curriculum feels daunting with countless publisher options vying for your attention. Define your homeschooling priorities first, then evaluate materials aligning to your child’s learning style and future goals. While no one-size-fits-all solution exists, we offer guidance to inform your curriculum decisions across grade levels and subjects.

For high school particularly, outsourcing courses through established online academies lifts the burden of curriculum planning while providing structure, teacher access and potential accredited diplomas. Silicon Valley High School (SVHS) offers one such solution, helping homeschool students earn accredited high school diplomas recognized for college admissions and beyond.

Map Out Your Homeschooling Priorities

Clarifying key priorities upfront establishes an evaluation framework when researching curriculums. Outline must-have academics, subjects or skills you want covered along with any other non-negotiable needs like faith elements, flexible pacing, elective options and more. Some helpful clarifying questions include:

What specific skills and subjects do I absolutely want covered?
What teaching style best suits my child’s learning needs?
What schedule limitations exist impacting format choices?
What budget constraints exist regarding paid curriculum options?
What values do I want reflected in materials and lesson content?

Research Options By Grade

Once core priorities are defined, explore publisher and format options by your child’s grade first instead of getting overwhelmed browsing everything available. Start with their current grade level across core subjects, then augment with unit studies or online classes in specialized interests later. Some top picks across common cores subjects include:

Math: Singapore Dimensions, Math-U-See, Life of Fred, Saxon Math
ELA: BraveWriter, Literature guides, Good and the Beautiful
Science: Apologia Science, Berean Builders, Real Science 4 Kids
History/Social Studies: Mystery of History, Story of World

Grades K-5

The elementary years build an educational foundation across core competencies preparing students for increasing independence in learning. As attention spans grow, blend textbook structure with hands-on reinforcement. Here are top homeschooling curriculum picks across foundational academic domains for grades K-5:

Math:

Singapore Dimensions/Primary Mathematics (K-5): Models concepts visually through concrete-pictorial-abstract approach
RightStart Mathematics (K-6): Focuses on abacus and manipulatives for hands-on learning
Saxon Math (K-5): Balanced instruction, practice and assessments for math mastery

Reading/ELA:

Logic of English (K-5): Explicit phonics instruction combined with grammar, spelling and writing
Explode the Code (K-2) / All About Reading (2-5): Mastery path for decoding, fluency and comprehension
BraveWriter (K-5): Language arts program aligned to student interests

Science:

Berean Builders Science Series (K-6): Video-led courses building scientific literacy
SuperCharged Science (K-5): Project-based courses making science fun through experiments
Apologia Science Young Explorers (K-6): Hands-on introduction to biology, physics and more

History/Geography:

Story of the World (K-5): Integrates world history, map skills and related literature
Mystery of History (K-5): Hands-on history focused on key events and figures
Evan Moor History Pockets: Activity books reinforcing topics through projects

Supplement with:

Handwriting Without Tears (K-5): Proper letter formation
Grammar Flip Books by Evan Moor (2-5): Interactive grammar practice
Wordly Wise (2-5): Vocabulary building
Artistic Pursuits (K-5): Art instruction books

Adapt formats moving towards written work for older elementary students while maintaining interactive learning. Evaluate yearly, adjusting based on assessments to address developing skills and knowledge. Supplementary resources can always customize areas of passion or strengthen occasional gaps in chosen curriculum.

Middle School Grades 6-8

Guiding your child through early adolescence presents unique challenges when homeschooling in grades 6-8. As interests evolve, switching from elementary curriculum formats provides a fresh start keeping pre-teens engaged. Aligning materials to match their changing developmental needs and attention spans sets them up for high school success.

Starting in 6th grade, blend textbook structure with hands-on projects. Maintain consistent schedules and chunk academics in shorter segments interspersed with active learning. By 8th grade, begin transitioning towards more independent work to prepare for high school.

Here are some top curriculum picks for key middle school subjects:

Math

The middle school math curriculum introduces new concepts like ratios, exponents, equations, probability and more abstract applications. Options providing strong foundations include:

Saxon Math: Balances lessons, practice problems and assessments with in-depth coverage of concepts and procedures
Math U See: Mastery approach with instructional videos and hands-on manipulatives
Singapore Dimensions/Standards Edition: Models math visually and conceptually

English Language Arts

ELA curriculum should infuse grammar, writing, literacy analysis and reading comprehension using diverse texts to improve critical thinking. Recommended choices include:

Writeshop I (6th grade) and Writeshop II (7-8th grade): Structure for scaffolding writing skills from sentences to full essays
BraveWriter: Literature-based approach aligned to student interests
Literature study guides for popular middle grade novels

Science

Hands-on science curriculum with experiments and projects spurs engagement for these tactile learners. Consider:

Apologia Science: Creationist-based program focused on practical experimentation
Real Science 4 Kids: Project kits for chemistry, biology, physics and more
Berean Builders Science Series: Video-based courses to build scientific literacy

History & Geography

Connecting historical events to geographical relevance grounds learning. Options like:

Story of the World: Integrates world history, geography and literature
Mystery of History: Christian-based hands-on history focusing on key events and people worldwide

Adapt pacing and curriculum across these pivotal middle school years as needed. Supplementary resources can customize areas of passion or strengthen gaps as interests and skills evolve. Reevaluate yearly while providing consistent structure navigating their changing needs.

Evaluate High School Options

As high school approaches, extra diligence ensures credits align to college acceptance requirements should your child seek higher education. While some parents DIY all curriculum, others outsource to online academies specializing in digital courses for grades 9-12 to ease planning. These schools lift curriculum research while providing accredited diplomas.

Grades 9-12: Silicon Valley High School

Silicon Valley High School (SVHS) offers one such digital curriculum solution for homeschool high school students. As an accredited online school focused on homeschool learners’ needs, SVHS provides over 60 self-paced courses across core academic and electives backed by licensed teachers. Their engaging video-based courses allow flexibility for students to learn at their own pace to accommodate variable schedules.

With specialty support staff assisting homeschool families through enrollment, course selection and progress monitoring, SVHS simplifies parents’ workload. Their structured curriculum relieves parents from full curriculum planning and development across every subject. Students receive an accredited transcript meeting college admission standards upon completing courses.

Specific benefits for homeschool families include:

Teacher-supported video courses available 24/7.
Flexible self-paced format on student schedule.
Accredited transcripts accepted by colleges.
Specialist support staff dedicated to homeschoolers.
Progress dashboards to monitor student work.
Tutoring from credentialed teaching staff.
Affordable course pricing at $125 each.

Meeting state curriculum standards while earning accredited transcripts combines the best of both worlds when outsourcing high school courses.

Build an Eclectic Curriculum Mix

Do not feel confined to one particular curriculum or publisher year-to-year either. Blend textbook portions for structure with hands-on unit studies around related topics for engagement. Mix and match language arts programs with completely different science curriculum methodologies to meet your child’s learning needs across changing interests and skills.

Evaluate and Tweak Approaches

Check student progress consistently through assessments to pinpoint what’s working versus struggling. Be prepared to tweak approaches year-over-year to align materials as interests and comprehension levels evolve. Homeschooling is an iterative journey unique to each child.

Key Curriculum Planning Resources

Navigating catalogues and marketing claims feels overwhelming with countless materials targeting homeschoolers. Rely on curriculum review sites to launch research before evaluating specific publishers against your priorities. Homeschool networks provide crowdsourced opinions to inform decisions too.

WellTrainedMind.com – classical education curriculum options
CathyDuffyReviews.com – detailed curriculum evaluations
RainbowResource.com – homeschool materials catalogue
Local Facebook Groups – crowdsource opinions
Homeschool.com forums– connect with fellow homeschoolers

Combining insider tips with personalized selections matching your child’s needs illuminates curriculum optimized for their success. Outsource tricky high school planning to accredited academies like Silicon Valley High School simplifying your workload too.

"..I want to express my gratitude to you for providing my son an educational experience where he is able to find success! You may remember, (my son) was falling out of high school and headed for the alternative school before we made the change to SVHS. What a life changing experience this has been. Not only is he getting As and Bs (which he NEVER has received) he's also so much happier. Everyone has noticed the positive difference in (my son). I am so grateful for the education you are providing my son. Many, many thanks to your school and teachers!!!"

"Silicon Valley High School has been the perfect online resource for my home-schooled high school student. The SVHS.co online courses are easily accessible and easy to understand. SVHS.co has allowed my son complete flexibility with his schedule and even more importantly the ability to move at his own pace. I particularly appreciate how the program breaks down the material into bite size chunks, making the material less intimidating and more manageable. This allows him a stress free way to stay with a topic until he feels he has mastered it, before moving on to the testing portion of the program. This program has made home schooling through high school a true possibility for us. I highly recommend you give it a try!"

"..he is enjoying the course (as much as a 15yr old can enjoy a math course) and likes the format. Thanks again for your help and patience!"

Why would you recommend SVHS to a friend? "It was easy to pass as long as I did the work, as school should be. The material was even interesting."

"Thank you. (Daughter) has thoroughly enjoyed this course. Wish there was another one!"

Why would you recommend SVHS to a friend? "It allows you to be very flexible and it teaches you the subject really well. I like the combination of videos and articles that it gives."

"I love SVHS, by the way, and refer your courses to all of my high schoolers! The class format is so straightforward and the content is very accessible for all students. The classes have met the needs of my college prep students, those with 504 plans, and students with IEPs and disabilities! They all have enjoyed the course content. Thanks for all you do!"

I would recommend SVHS to a friend because the course gives a lot of helpful information, and all the videos that are provided make sense and are easy to understand. The assignments are also very involving and fun! I also really like the teachers, and they make it easy to want to communicate with them.

.. And I am very impressed with the course and its straightforward focus on assignments that emphasize learning, thinking, and interpreting. (I am a former college professor.)

.. your school has been such a blessing to us, allowing (my daughter) to work at her own pace.. The content is laid out clearly, expectations and grading is clear, communication with the school is super. I give you guys an A!

This course has helped prepare me for the real world! I feel more confident in my knowledge of finances and in making wise decisions with my money. Not to mention the fact that I'm now more attentive when using my debit card and cautious when I receive any unknown emails or messages. I am very thankful to have taken the Money Math course this semester.