"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." ~Proverbs 24:3-4
SCOPE & SEQUENCE
Many homeschool families like to have an idea of what children are expected to learn at various ages. Especially if you lean towards creating your own curriculum, it can help to familiarize yourself with a typical scope and sequence. A scope and sequence is a curriculum plan or course of study, often in the form of a chart, with an outline of skills and instructional objectives organized according to the successive levels at which they are usually taught. Most major curriculum publishers provide a complete scope and sequence that lists the contents of every course. See also the websites and books listed below. Keep in mind that unless you are using a prepared curriculum that tells you exactly what to teach at each grade level, these scope and sequence resources should be used for ideas – not as directives set in stone. In a relaxed homeschool setting, grade levels have very little meaning. But using a scope and sequence as a general checklist can boost your confidence by showing you at a glance what your children have already learned so far.
World Book’s Typical Course of Study http://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study.html
The World Book Typical Course of Study reflects general curriculum requirements across North America for Preschool to Grade 12. The information is categorized by grade level and general skill type or discipline. This is the original scope and sequence that many homeschoolers have used over the years. Secular, but can be placed within a Christian worldview.
LIFEPAC Scope and Sequence http://www.aophomeschooling.com/product/ar8236/
This resource offers a complete LIFEPAC curriculum overview of topics and themes studied in every unit in grades K-12. Elective topics included. You can purchase the complete LIFEPAC Scope and Sequence in booklet format, or download in PDF format and print out which pages you want to guide you in lesson planning. Christian.
Abeka's Scope and Sequence http://www.abeka.com/Resources/PDFs/ScopeAndSequence.pdf
A complete scope and sequence for 2-year-olds through Grade 12. Download the Abeka Scope and Sequence in PDF format, to see what you might want to cover. Christian.
BJU Press Scope & Sequence http://www.bjupress.com/product/029397
An overview of the BJU Press elementary and secondary curriculum covering concepts, instructional objectives, skills, etc. and the grade levels at which they are taught. Christian.
Christian Light Education http://www.clp.org/store/browse/283_scope_sequence
You can buy a paperback copy of the 60-page scope and sequence for a nominal cost OR you can download it for FREE to see what is in each booklet. They have both elementary and high school. (To download a copy, don’t click “Add to Cart” but instead click on “View Details,” then “Samples and Files.”)
Christian.
Rod & Staff Scope and Sequence Charts http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/item/1-19118/?list=Free_Stuff
Printable charts for each subject of Rod and Staff's Bible-based curriculum, showing what new concepts are taught at each grade level. Christian.
Ambleside Online Scope and Sequence for Language Arts http://www.amblesideonline.org/LangArtsScopeSeq.shtml
This may look a little different from the usual scope-and-sequences you will find, but it provides an overview of the way language arts are covered in a Charlotte Mason approach. Can be Christian or secular.
SCM Curriculum Guide http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/
A free Charlotte Mason-style curriculum guide. Feel free to use this guide as is or simply as a starting point that you can tweak to best fit your family. Christian.
Timberdoodle Grade Level Planners http://www.timberdoodle.com/Articles.asp?ID=158
Homeschool planners pre-filled in with Timberdoodle's suggested curriculum and supplemental activities for Baby, Toddler, Preschool, and K-10. You can also use these free online PDFs to plan out any curriculum. Christian or secular, depending on which curriculum you choose.
Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence http://www.coreknowledge.org/the-preschool-sequence
The Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence outlines a comprehensive, coherent progression of knowledge and skills in all developmental areas. Secular.
Core Knowledge Sequence for Grades K-8 http://www.coreknowledge.org/the-k-8-sequence
An overview of major topic headings in the Core Knowledge Sequence, allowing you to see how topics build from one grade to another. Secular.
Arizona Academic Standards http://www.ade.az.gov/standards/contentstandards.asp
State learning standards from the Arizona Department of Education. Secular. (Your state most likely has a similar resource; check your state's department of education website.)
What Your Child Needs to Know When, by Robin Scarlata Sampson.
The goals outlined in this book will help you prepare, teach, and evaluate your children according to the State – and according to the Bible. It includes detailed evaluation checklists for grades K-8 in Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Science. Highly recommended!
Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum, by Rebecca Rupp.
The author lists suggestions for things that you might want to teach at each grade level from preschool through high school, and recommended books to use as texts. A great book for relaxed and eclectic homeschoolers.
Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style, by Harvey & Laurie Bluedorn.
Long ago students were first taught how to learn. This was called The Trivium. Today, students are taught an encyclopedia of subjects - trivia - but they are not taught the basic skills of learning: to discover, to reason, and to apply. As early as 1989, the Bluedorns were writing on classical education for homeschoolers - way before any other book on the topic emerged. They have a workable plan for every subject and for every age.
The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Susan Wise Bauer.
This book gives a rigorous plan for teaching from a classical perspective. With this model, you will be able to instruct your child in all levels of reading, writing, history, geography, mathematics, science, foreign languages, rhetoric, logic, art, and music, regardless of your own aptitude in those subjects. (This plan seems stronger in history and English than it is in science.)
What Your _ Grader Needs to Know, by E.D. Hirsch.
In one convenient volume per grade – from What Your Preschooler Needs to Know through What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know – the popular Core Knowledge Series provides an engaging, illustrated introduction to the fundamentals of a good education. These books are excellent and many homeschoolers use them. Secular viewpoint, but most information can be placed within a Christian worldview.
Core Knowledge Sequence: Content Guidelines for Grades K-8(ISBN: 1-890517-20-8)
The Core Knowledge Sequence provides a detailed outline of specific knowledge to be taught in grades K–8 in Language Arts, American and World History, Geography, Visual Arts, Music, Math, and Science. Complements the general skills and objectives typically found in state curriculum.