It came without warning, the day our son fell out of love with his Language Arts curriculum. The Captain had thrived in the same system from kindergarten all the way into the fourth-grade course book. Then one day, about a third of the way through, the lesson fell completely flat for our young scholar. The same happened for the next lesson, and the lesson after that. Three weeks of monotonous drudgery dragged on for the Captain before I realized what was going on. It wasn’t merely boredom or that his mind was fixated more on Legos than Literature. And the “I-need-a-break” Thursday slump wasn’t to blame either. It was something far more unexpected and delightful.
As it turned out, our scholar had not fallen out of love with language, literature, or learning in any way. In fact, the Captain was more hungry for the world of Language Arts than ever. He’d simply outgrown the curriculum, to no fault of the curriculum itself, I might add. Indeed, our son’s sudden mastery was actually a compliment to the curriculum program because . . . it had done its job!
As a famous proverb tells us, “Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.” The same is true for curriculum. The day our student groans over a math lesson saying, “I know how to do all of this review already!” . . . that is a day of triumph. The day our scholar casts his eyes heavenward when asked to diagram another sentence and then proceeds to do so as indifferently as Grandma chops up a pile of stew vegetables . . . that is a day for celebration!
Has your student also developed a sudden distaste for a certain coursebook?
If so, this *could* signify a wonderful milestone; she may simply be yearning for a bit more challenge and perhaps a bit more freedom to explore a subject at her own pace and in her own, unique way!
How to determine if your child has truly outgrown the curriculum?
To get to the root cause of your child’s distaste, you could try asking this question: “What is it about this curriculum that is frustrating you?”
Answers and possible solutions:
“It’s too hard.” Consider backing up, reviewing, and slowing progression rather than ditching the curriculum right away.
“It’s too easy!” Ahhh. The curriculum may indeed be ready to shelve. First, however, ensure that the material is indeed “too easy” by correcting your student’s work or having them complete an oral or written assessment.
“It’s so boring!” This one’s trickier. The curriculum may be challenging your student appropriately but for whatever reason, the style of lesson is not appealing to your student. That being said, not every lesson can be wonderfully inspiring for every child and a bit of “sticking with it” may be a valid choice. Then again, transitioning to a curriculum that excites your student or more uniquely suits his or her personal style may be a wonderful change for the both of you.
“I’ve done this same thing so many times!” Few kids love review but that doesn’t, in and of itself, necessitate skipping it. We must each assess our scholar and proceed accordingly. Does your child need to complete every review section or is he or she retaining the material well and merely being tortured by endless repetition? If the latter is true, two options come to mind. One, you could proceed with the current curriculum and simply skip the review sections, or you could consider switching out for something that keeps your student guessing a bit more.
What’s your verdict? Is it time to buckle down, or bail out? We decided it was time to bail.
“So . . . what do we do now?”
At first, I was excited that the Captain no longer needed to diagram sentences for weeks on end. I was encouraged that he found the reading passages and suggested books “too easy and babyish” and the questions “no-duh” (although he could have put both more eloquently). My enthusiasm was quickly overtaken, however, with that “oh-no-now-what” moment so familiar to any veteran homeschool parent. It can be debilitating when a child graduates from a curriculum and you are suddenly forced (yet again) to face the overwhelm of the resource world.
I was stumped on more than a few details and struggled to find a curriculum that would meet the Captain where he stood on the bridge.
What was I looking for exactly? Just a few things . . .
I sought a Language Arts curriculum that would:
1. Indulge my voracious reader to respond in lessons to what he is already, voluntarily reading. (In other words, no more saying: “Ok, you need to put that book down so you can read this passage in Language Arts.”)
2. Liberate my scholar to work at his own pace, in his own style, independently each day through an open-ended and customizable lesson format.
3. Bundle the content areas of Bible, literature, spelling, grammar, and writing into one, streamlined, reproducible system.
4. Cover multiple years/grades of Language Arts (in the range of 5th-9th grade) for multiple students.
5. Emphasize discovery and delight along with diligence.
6. Compel my student to daily utilize good, old-fashioned reference books in order to complete lessons (you know, the ones made of paper which can double as weapons, including the dictionary and encyclopedia).
7. Equip my student to gain mastery in grammar without browbeating or endless repetition.
8. Challenge my pupil to excel in spelling and expand his vocabulary a bit organically.
9. Inspire my scholar to write creatively rather than simply regurgitate or break apart information.
10. Stretch my student to recognize and utilize a wide-range of literary devices in order to take both his reading analysis and writing ability to the next level.
11. Keep my kiddo curious and just a little bit on his toes.
12. Allow me to sit back and take on more the role of observer and facilitator.
Like I said, just a few, little things.
And so. . . the brief search began.
Obviously, I didn’t find all that I was looking for above. This turned out to be a happy problem, however, because I had long desired to create a Language Arts curriculum of our own but had been unsure how exactly to approach it. Then suddenly, sitting right in front of me was all the inspiration I needed: our son! And so, I set out to create a curriculum that in every detail would celebrate the Captain’s unique style of scholarship while honoring my own need for simplicity and sustainability.
Enter SCOUT.
I created SCOUT to suit our son and other independent, voracious learners like him, checking each of the twelve items on the wish list above.
Please note: SCOUT may not be right for your student. If your student is a struggling or reluctant reader, is not self-motivated or curiosity-led, has yet to fall in love with learning overall, or has not yet mastered the basics of Language Arts (such as the most common parts of speech, diagramming simple sentences, writing basic paragraphs, and answering simple comprehension questions), then I would not recommend starting SCOUT, at least not until he or she has mastered these basics.
Curious if this curriculum may suit your scholar? Here’s a fun little questionnaire to try on for size, in Jeff Foxworthy “You-Might-Be-a-Redneck” style.
Your Student Might Be a SCOUT (Questionnaire)
If he voluntarily looks things up in his dictionary or encyclopedia. . .
Your son might be a SCOUT.
If she can’t put down that novel but has no interest in the curriculum-chosen reading material and assigned passages . . .
Your daughter might be a SCOUT.
If the comprehension questions are a yawn . . .
Your student might be a SCOUT.
If he wants to discuss “why” and “how” more than merely “what” . . .
Your son might be a SCOUT.
If the mention of diagramming another sentence seems to shrivel her soul . . .
Your daughter might be a SCOUT.
If curiosity and discovery rule the hours of the day . . .
Your student might be a SCOUT.
If he longs to chart his own course and learn a bit on the wild side . . .
Your son might be a SCOUT.
If she is voluntarily writing a poem, short story, or the next great-American novel . . .
Your daughter might be a SCOUT.
If meaning and merit matter as much if not more than mastery . . .
Your student may be a SCOUT.
For our young scholar and yours! Introducing…
SCOUT; Self-Guided, Bible & Book-Based Language Arts for Adventurous Scholars!
I’d say that this curriculum is hot off the presses, but actually the Captain has been trialing it and I have been tweaking it here and there for nearly two years now! Today, at last, the two of us declare it done and ready to share! We hope you love it as much as we do.
This course is designed for the middle-grade student (5th-9th grade) who loves learning, lives to read and explore (when choosing the material, of course), longs to write (again, what he or she chooses), and is positively itching to forge one’s own path through the wild, untamed world of language and literature. In other words, this curriculum is designed for the independently-minded, adventurous scholar.
How has the Captain’s experience been with SCOUT?
In using SCOUT, the Captain has excelled in Bible memory, reading, spelling, grammar, and writing. In fact, his progress in Language Arts these past two years has wildly exceeded our expectations.
The fact that he has excelled, however, pales in comparison for me to this single triumph: the Captain is truly lit up for lessons in literature and language again; delight has joined diligence.
Ready to offer SCOUT to your scholar? Summer break may be the perfect time to give it a try!
Our SCOUT curriculum, with its completely customizable pacing, is wonderfully suited both for a refreshing summer-school option (even for just one or two days a week) and/or as a year-round, stand-alone system! It also allows you the freedom to print whatever you need whenever you need it for years and other students to come; a one-time download and SCOUT is yours for the duration of your homeschooling adventures!
This project was a big one for me, friends. My final day of editing this curriculum, I sent this text message to my mom:
“How do you know you’re in deep on finishing a big writing project? You realize you’re wearing two different slippers.”
Happy trails, SCOUT!
Please help us get the word out on this new, creative curriculum by liking or commenting on this post and sharing with friends! Thank you so much for your support!
With love and gratitude, ~Candace Arden
*The content and photos in this post are original to the author and subject to copyright. You are welcome to pin photos, share this post, link to this post, etc. Photos may not be used for other content or purposes without linking and crediting to our website. Likewise, written content may not be duplicated unless quoted and cited. Thank you.
