While preparing for our homeschooling registration visit, I compiled a list of learning activities, and provided evidence of my girls’
achievements and progress. Then I had to write a program for the next period of
registration. So how does an unschooling mother write a program for a two year
period when she doesn’t even know what her girls will be doing tomorrow?
I sat and thought about this for a long time, reading and
rereading the following requirement:
Are you prepared for
the visit from an Authorised Person by having records
of:
– the
educational program covering all relevant curriculum requirements
including an overview of the curriculum planned for the next period
of registration?
I then decided to do what I have done for every other
registration application we have submitted in the past 20 years...
I decided that my list of learning activities, from the last two years, would be my evidence of the type of learning that would occur in our next
registration period. Then I ‘planned’ one term’s learning, as an example of
what kind of activities my girls will be involved with.
There are some things I can almost be certain the girls will
do each term, week or day:
- They will say morning prayers every day.
- They will exercise.
- Of course, they will make sure I read them lots of books out
loud, at least three books on the go at a time. These books will probably
include historical fiction books.
- Each day of the week, the girls will practice the piano and
have weekly lessons.
- We will visit the library on a regular basis.
- Gemma-Rose will
want every opportunity to read to me.
- I can’t see a week going by without the girls picking up their
drawing pencils and other art materials.
- Someone always has a handicraft project on the go.
- Everyone will encounter maths in their everyday lives.
- The girls will write blog posts, and a letter or two every
now and then.
- If it is a NaNoWriMo month, they will be novel writing.
- etc
These are all activities my girls will probably be doing.
Then there are the possible learning activities. It is
possible that they will be interested in many of the resources I strew in front
of them.
And finally there are things the girls come to me and say, “Can
you help me learn about…, please, Mum?”
So for each key learning area, I made a quick plan that
included the probable, my possible strewing resources, and the individual requests
my children have made to me. I added in a few resources which we frequently use, and a
few outcomes we want to achieve.
Here’s my program for Human Society and its Environment:
Program for Sophie and Gemma-Rose
2013
Human Society and its Environment
Australian history and geography
- Read The Girl From
Snowy River by Jackie French,
- Read and research Australia 1919, Snowy Mountains, Brumbies,
Bush poets such as Banjo Paterson, using library books, internet, own books
- Watch appropriate videos and DVDs
- Look up maps
- Discuss, draw, write, share
World history and geography
- Read historical fiction associated with New Zealand: The
Barn Chronicles by Rosie Boom and The Drover’s Road Collection by Joyce West
- Research New Zealand using Internet and library books
- Watch online videos about New Zealand
- Look up maps
- Discuss, draw, write, share
Here’s our English program:
Program for Sophie and Gemma-Rose
2013
English
Literature
- Reading, listening, sharing, reading out loud, discussing
- Listen to a chapter or more of a selection of books each day
including fiction associated with other Key Learning Areas: The Barn Chronicles by Rosie Boom, The Drover’s Road Collection by Joyce
West, Little Women by Louisa May
Alcott
- Encourage discussion of books read
- Read own choice of books, visit the library once a
fortnight, add to collection of own books
- Add a record of books read to folder
- Share a book or a piece of writing with others on a regular
basis
- Read out loud: Little
House at the Crossroads for Gemma-Rose, Bible readings
Poetry
- Choose poems to enjoy and discuss: romantic ballads from the
book Poems Every Child Should Know:
·
Lochinvar
·
Lord
Ullin’s Daughter
·
The Glove
and the Lions
·
Lady Clare
·
The Lord
of Burleigh
- ·
Recite poems, maybe memorise some
- ·
Listen to poems on Youtube if available
- ·
Look at any poetic devices used in each poem
Drama
- Join siblings reading a Shakespeare play out loud,
one play per term eg. Romeo and Juliet
- ·
Read children’s version of the Shakespeare play
- ·
Quotes from the play
- ·
Draw and describe the characters
- ·
Join in discussion of themes of play to own
ability level
- ·
Watch a production of play
- ·
Watch animated version on Youtube
Writing
- Encourage keeping of a journal, use journal entries to
contribute to a family scrapbook
- Write at least one post for blog each term
- Write frequent letters
- Correct own writings to improve punctuation, grammar and spelling
- Use a grammar and punctuation workbook to work on specific
skills when needed
- Continue to work on novels
- Write on human society, science, and creative art topics
Media:
- Continue to read the magazine Learn the News
As you can see, the program is very basic. It’s not a day-by-day program, or even a week-by-week one. It’s really just an overview of a
possible term’s work.
So what if my girls don’t like the novels or the poems I
have listed? What if they aren’t even in the mood for poetry at the moment? What if they don't want to draw characters from Shakespeare? That’s fine. I will follow their lead (like I normally do) Obviously my ‘plan’ doesn’t suit their
needs. I remember reading years ago, in a BoS document, about how a
program has to suit the needs of a child. My husband is always adjusting his
own school program to suit the needs of his students. It doesn’t make sense to
persist with a method if a child is not learning or interested for some reason. So I think I can put aside any 'plans' without worrying that the girls won't be doing what I said they'd be doing. I am sure they will achieve something just as good, even better probably, with the reins of education in their own hands.
So I had a ‘plan’ for one term but what about the rest of
the registration period? When our Authorised Person (AP) came to visit, I
explained that ‘successive terms will be planned in the same way’ as the
example I showed her. It is impossible
to predict a child’s needs too far into the future, certainly not two years
ahead of time. The AP accepted this.
How did I know my program covered all relevant curriculum requirements? I have to admit I didn’t. I
just hoped the curriculum hadn’t changed too much since my last registration
visit, and I guess it hadn’t. If you are writing a program and have any doubts,
you could look up the appropriate BoS documents. You could probably make your program more impressive by quoting sections of the curriculum. I took a chance and didn't bother.
I guess it would be prudent to look up ALL the BoS documents
before submitting a homeschooling registration application. I wouldn’t rely on
the information I have given you, even though our registration went very
smoothly. All families and all APs are different. And our records with the BoS which
are a mile long, having already graduated 4 children, might have aided our
application.
For any new registrations, the best suggestion I can give is
to be very well prepared. It is worth taking the time compiling records into impressive documents and then slipping the pages into a display folder. Add the
outcomes and curriculum requirements as reference material, to show you have consulted
them. Gather any evidence of learning activities and progress. Make a display of all the arts and crafts,
experiments and projects you can find. We gathered so much it was impossible
for our AP to look at everything during our visit.
We achieved our aim: we
showed that our children have learnt A
LOT during the last two years. Unschooling is a very effective way of learning (though we didn't mention the word 'unschooling'!) Our AP declared the girls very 'accomplished' and said our application complied in all ways with what is required. It will be two years before she (or another AP) is back...
Our homeschooling registration visit is now out of the way. Two more wonderful years of unschooling stretch ahead of us. Enough of the dry and boring, but essential, aspects of homeschooling. Onto some proper unschooling stories!
PS: As I asked in Part 1: PLEASE don’t copy any of my records I post here. You are quite welcome to use my records as models if they suit your way of doing things, but please don’t submit my family’s documentation as your own. Homeschooling registration will only become more tightly controlled, if it is discovered that families are not submitting their own records.
Homeschool Registration Visit Part 1
Homeschool Registration Visit Part 2
