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Question: I will be homeschooling my 9 year old son (3rd grade) after the Christmas holidays. Since I am starting "mid-year" I'm struggling with how I integrate the CHC curriculum with only 5 1/2 months of school time remaining. Should I start on week 1 or try to assess where he is at in each core area? I am also trying to find a balance between overloading him (recreating the school environment at home) and underwhelming (giving him too much "free" time). Should I introduce all subjects as noted in your catalog or focus on core areas and add more in March/April? Thank you for your materials and website. We are excited to start this new journey together.
Answer:

Dear Parent,

Thank you for your question!

It would be a good idea to first assess where your son is in each core subject area. This will help you determine where to begin in the curriculum. You can perhaps use this Christmas vacation time, before starting the school year, to assess him in the core subjects. You might begin, for example, by using the math tests or reviews in the book. Give him one test per day, starting at the beginning of the tests or review pages. If he is getting 95% correct, he can move on to the next one, until you see that he has run into a new concept. [Be sure to ask him to tell you if he doesn't know how to do a particular problem, also.] Then, start his lessons at the point where he is in new territory, or starts to flounder. Don't push him ahead of his comfort zone at this point. Start with success at the beginning to build his confidence.

Do the same thing with spelling. Test him on the word lists, and start him at the lesson that shows a lack of mastery.

In his language book, use the review pages, beginning with the first one, as tests. If he isn't getting 90-95% of the answers correct, he probably needs to start the actual lessons at that point.

Do remember that each school, in each district, in each state, is at a different point in their texts than the others. When a student changes schools, he is changing books and teachers and programs. Your son might be ahead in some areas, and behind in some areas. That is fine, because you will see where he is, and take off from there. Homeschooling is a gift, because the one-on-one allows the student, over a period of time, to move ahead of his public-school classmates. [Studies show that, the longer a student homeschools, the farther ahead he is of public school students.] Even if he is a bit behind, he will catch up.

Because you are homeschooling, you can determine when to start the school year, and also when to end it. In the regular school setting, your son has to go at the same pace with the other students. However, it is different when you homeschool. You can set the pace, speed it up, or slow down according to his needs.

It isn't necessarily difficult to find that balance between overloading and underwhelming. However, it is always best to give him a lighter load at first than overwhelm him. By beginning with core subjects alone, you can gradually add lessons as you see he is able to do the work, without overwhelming him with everything at the beginning. Your suggestion of focusing on the core areas, with some science or social studies lessons included for fun, is a good idea for right now. This way you and he can get a good understanding of all the aspects of homeschooling. In the next school year, you will have a better idea of what you'll want to include in his curriculum. Then you will know if he needs more time for some subjects, or if he is ready to move on.

At the third grade level, it is common for the student to spend approximately 2-3 hours on school work. In the regular schoolroom, it takes longer, because teachers include recess, breaks, lunch, etc. into the school day.

God bless you and your family! A blessed Thanksgiving!

Laura Nicholson

   
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