CURRICULUM & RESOURCES

1. Choosing Curriculum

Homeschooling offers the opportunity for craftsmanship in education.

Now is the time to think through your educational goals as you consider what curriculum/teaching materials would best meet your students' needs. Inquire of godly parents with experience in homeschooling. Find out what teaching materials they use, what they like and don't like about them and why. Read books and articles about homeschooling to broaden your perspective. Most important: pray and seek the Lord's direction.

2. Popular Options for New Homeschoolers

This style of curriculum teaches in logical steps, breaking each subject down into packets with tests. It works well for students to study on their own and customize the learning pace.

Self-Study Packets

Alpha Omega LifePac
- Christian material that can be purchased from their website. Easy to find and purchase. They offer grade sets.*
ACE School of Tomorrow
- Simple Christian material that can be purchased from their website. A good way to find material is to select level and subject. This is the same material that is used in Gateway's Extension Program and Campus School.

*A grade set is: a bundle for purchase that includes all the resources for the necessary subjects in that grade.

This style of curriculum teaches through online resources. Some require detailed parent involvement.

Online Materials

Alpha Omega Monarch
- Christian materials with many optional additional courses. Access by yearly or monthly subscription and assign the classes to your student. They also offer free placement tests.
Easy Peasy
- Budget friendly option using a variety of online resources. Access by the subject's web page, or sign up with a donation and have each day's work assigned to the student. This requires detailed daily involvement from the parent/teacher. They also offer free placement tests.
Discovery K12
- Budget friendly secular material. Payment for a teacher account is needed for the answer keys.

This style of curriculum has parents present the information, and then students read a textbook and do exercises and tests which the parent grades.

Textbook-Based Materials

Abeka
- Materials based on a traditional fact-learning style. They can be purchased on the website, and they offer grade sets* called “kits.” Teaching videos, with a professional teacher teaching the subject in a classroom can also be purchased on the website. Used, discounted Abeka material is easy to find.
Christian Liberty Press
- Budget friendly option with less intensive parent involvement and lesson planning. Materials can be purchased on the website, and they offer grade sets* called “curriculum kits.” They also offer standardized achievement and placement tests.
Bob Jones University Press
- Material with flexibility for a variety of learning styles and less emphasis on practice and review. They can be purchased on the website which offers grade sets* called “All-in-One Grade Kits.” This material requires significant time commitment from the parent.

*A grade set is: a bundle for purchase that includes all the resources for the necessary subjects in that grade.

This style of curriculum provides a plan for parents which brings together resources to teach most core subjects according to a unit theme. This enriches the learning experience with real books, hands-on activities, and more natural idea exploration.

Creative Unit-Based Material

Gather ‘Round Homeschool
- Studies based around topical month-long units containing 20 lessons. For K-1st grade, they offer separate courses with all subjects including math, but for all other students, math curriculum has to be chosen and purchased independently. The parent book clearly lays out the day’s tasks for each grade and notes when multiple grades can do an activity together.
- Add-on mini units and extra books are suggested for richer learning, but not required. The material leans toward learning through reading and research rather than hands-on activities. Digital versions of the materials are slightly cheaper. They also offer free one-week samples.