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Homeschool Curriculum Options for ADD/ADHD Students
Prepackaged curriculum. These soup-to-nuts packages include teacher guides, student workbooks, study sheets, tests, activities, report cards, and more. Completed work is mailed to an assigned teacher, who corrects, comments on, and grades your child. Students receive a diploma and an academic transcript after completing the program. A few of the popular home-study providers are Calvert School, Sonlight Curriculum, and Clonlara School Home Based Education Program.
Prepackaged curricula prices range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. They often “look and feel” like regular school programs. Parents looking for a fresh approach to school often find these bundled packages inflexible.
Customize your teaching method. Some families use a different teaching method for each academic subject, taking advantage of the strengths of various programs. Some teach literature following the Sonlight Curriculum, math with the Calvert School materials, and science using the hands-on learning style of the Oak Meadow School.
Combining curriculum methods requires time and effort, and it complicates the academic recordkeeping required in every state. For information on the requirements in your state, contact the National Home Education Network, Home School Legal Defense Association, or the U.S. Department of Education.
Traditional homeschooling. If a highly structured, do-it-yourself approach appeals to you, this is the answer. The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, is considered the gold standard of traditional homeschooling. It provides lesson plans, tips, and lists of resources. Another popular resource is Home Learning Year by Year: How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School, by Rebecca Rupp. The author uses a slightly less structured approach, but highlights key subjects that should be taught in each grade to meet the requirements and standards of mainstream school.
Nontraditional -- informal -- homeschooling. This approach is less about curriculum, textbooks, and teaching than about the student’s abilities and passions. Nontraditional homeschooling is often activity focused, providing the experiences that fuel a child’s natural curiosity. Because of the informality of the curriculum, parents who choose this approach must document in detail how their child met state educational requirements in order to earn a diploma.
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