Why make a plan?
Ever have the unsettling feeling that you’re doing this homeschooling thing by the seat of your pants? That’s only one of the many reasons why making a long-term homeschooling plan is well worth your time.
Some of the benefits of having even a sketch of a plan are:
- You are not at a total loss when you sit down to choose next year’s curriculum. Are we studying chemistry or physics this year? Should we include a foreign language yet or wait?
- You’re not so worried about missing something. You can see at a glance when subjects will be covered or re-covered so you lose that Do-All-The-Things-Now feeling.
- You know what subjects to prioritize and when.
If you want to know that you have got it all under control . . . if you want to lift the shroud of mist over the homeschooling years ahead . . . you need a plan.
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“But it all feels too confining,” you say?
Some people just don’t want to feel tied down to a plan . . . especially with homeschooling. But a long-term plan doesn’t mean you give up the flexibility to follow your child’s interests down rabbit holes or be spontaneous. Even unschoolers can make great plans.
In fact, I’ve got a revolutionary truth for you. A plan actually gives you MORE freedom.
*gasp*
Yes! More freedom.
Because when you’re pulling your hair out to make this unit on rocks interesting, but you know you will be covering Earth science again in 6th grade, and little Suzie is asking you about weather instead, it becomes a lot easier to ditch the rocks and go with Suzie’s interests.
There will be more time for rocks. It is not the last time you will be able to explain what metamorphic means. (And she will probably understand it better and care more later anyway.)
Go. Find a water cycle chart. Be free!
It’s important to remember, plans are tools and this is YOUR plan. Honey, we’re not gonna go get these plans tattooed on our backsides. The whole point of crafting a plan, or a schedule, or a philosophy is that it is a tool that is supposed to work for you.
So, if it’s NOT working for you, change it.
What is a trivium anyway?
Some homeschooling styles have a plan built right in. Classical education—our family’s primary style—is one of those. It’s called a trivium.
“Trivium” comes from a Latin word meaning “the place where three roads meet.” In Medieval times, it referred to the three basic subjects of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These were introductory courses in universities that prepared students for more advanced liberal arts courses to follow.
Today, the meaning has changed a bit. “Trivium” in modern classical education means three distinct stages of learning from first through twelfth grade. These different stages are called, guess what, the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. And a curriculum based on them will:
- address the different ways that children learn and process information at different ages, and
- prepare the student thoroughly for more advanced college-level learning and thinking later on.
Each stage of the trivium builds upon the next for a cumulative wealth of knowledge and skills.
Find more tools for creating an organized, stress-free homeschool in our Homeschooling 101 resources.
The Grammar Stage: Grades One through Four
The grammar stage focuses on learning (a.k.a. memorizing) facts and lots of them! Phonics rules, spelling rules, grammar rules, math facts, and basic science and history facts. Children at this stage are wired to memorize. This is why we call them little sponges. They actually love to do it and enjoy repetition!
In addition, the grammar stage prioritizes practicing the foundational skills of reading, writing, and basic math until these things become routine and automatic. This is so critical. In later years, their minds will be focused on the more sophisticated tasks of reasoning and critical thinking. Now is the time to master tasks like writing legible, complete sentences and spelling basic words. Later, this will free up their concentration for more advanced thought, allowing them to pour what they have to say onto paper without agonizing over mechanics.
The Logic Stage: Grades Five through Eight
Next comes the logic stage. This is where the child connects all those facts they’ve been learning and begins to dive deeper.
Now, instead of simply studying what happens in the world, they begin to study why it happens. They learned earlier that the Roman Empire fell. Now they research why it did and see how events relate to one another. This is the stage in which students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, after they are equipped with a foundation of facts to think logically about.
Now, they can devote full focus to reading, writing, reasoning, and thinking without spending gobs of time and effort on basic skills like simple multiplication facts or how to craft a complete sentence. Those things were automated long ago.
The logic stage is where they begin to form connections between everything they’ve learned and a solid education begins to take form.
The Rhetoric Stage: Grades Nine through Twelve
In high school, the emphasis turns to using the knowledge and thinking skills acquired earlier to master rhetoric, the art of expression.
Orally and in writing, students practice turning factual information and well-reasoned arguments into highly effective expressive work. They learn how to present information so that people will understand it or be persuaded by it. This is a high-level skill necessary for success in higher education and professional life.
Here students study complex pieces of literature and advanced math and science topics. And in this final stage, they may begin specialized study in areas of interest or aptitude to prepare for potential career paths.
How subjects work in the trivium
Math and Language
As one would expect, math and language subjects are progressive. You build your solid foundation in the early years, and then you just keep building. This is not so different from any other curriculum or long-term education plan. Things get more advanced as you go along.
There are a few unique things that classical education brings to math and language, which I will dig deeper into in another article. But it is enough to say that these subjects are the cornerstones of the child’s education. There is a real effort put into becoming very proficient in them because they are the key to effectively studying every other subject.
Science and History
Science and history are done in a cyclical pattern. There are many ways to customize this, but the premises is the same. Repeat subjects every four years, each time diving deeper into the topic and studying them in a way that complements the stage of the trivium you’re in (see above).
We break history into four basic periods:
- Ancient history through the fall of Rome (Grades 1, 5, and 9)
- Middle Ages through the early Renaissance (Grades 2, 6, and 10)
- Mid-Renaissance through 1850 (Grades 3, 7, and 11)
- 1850 through modern times (Grades 4, 8, and 12)
Again, your plan is yours, so you should feel free to modify this for your needs. We are fans of a chronological study of history, but you could just as easily have a year devoted strictly to American history or whatever you like. The point of the classical trivium is the repetition designed to build deep knowledge and skill over time by focusing on the way the child best learns at that stage.
For science, we break it down like this:
- Life sciences (Grades 1, 5, and 9)
- Earth science and astronomy (Grades 2, 6, and 10)
- Chemistry (Grades 3, 7, and 11)
- Physics (Grades 4, 8, and 12)
These are the “natural” sciences. But there are an ever-growing number of applied science subjects that you may want to work in: engineering, computer technology, and coding, to name a few. The possibilities are endless!
Once again, this is just an illustration to give you some ideas. It’s not so much about what you chose to study. It’s about the pattern of repetition and reinforcement, the diving deeper, and the learning tailored specifically to the child’s developmental level.
How to make your plan
Do your homework. The plan outlined here is very typical of a classical education homeschooling style. But there are great examples out there of four three-year cycles and others. Study up on a few and assess what lines up with your philosophy of education and your goals.
Ask yourself a few questions. What sciences do you want to cover and how much emphasis do you want to put on each? Do you want to study history chronologically or do American history first? When and what type of electives do you want to introduce, like music or a foreign language?
Write it out . . . in pencil. This is your guide and a tool you will reference when selecting curricula. (Or when you need to remind yourself to calm down and that it’s OK to not cover it all NOW!)
But remember, your plan is supposed to work for you, not the other way around. Give yourself permission to adapt your long-term plan, your routine, and even your educational philosophy as you grow as a homeschooler.
Read about our homeschooling philosophy—why it’s not what you think— and why you should have one too.
The biggest benefit of a long-term plan is that it keeps you from being reactionary. Don’t make homeschooling decisions based on how you feel in this second. Don’t plan next year’s curriculum because of what the lady you just met at co-op is doing.
Homeschooling is a marathon event. Your long-term plan is your map that lays out your direction and your milestones. Don’t be the lost-in-the-wilderness homeschooling momma. Be the I-got-myself-a-plan one.
For more articles about setting up an organized and stress-free homeschool, visit our Homeschooling 101 resources, and subscribe to Mercer Homeschooling to receive the latest in your inbox.
