Which Curriculums Do Children Really Retain Information From?

[aprilsblessings]

I was just wondering if certain curriculums help children retain the information better than others. I know that it probably depends on learning styles but many curriculums claim to have aspects that target each learning style.

 

So does reading living books with narration really impact the information? Hands-on projects that tie into the lessons? Unit studies?

 

We are just getting started and I have found myself wanting to use something that my kids actually learn from and not just fill in the "homeschooling" time.

 

I believe they will learn things with all of the curriculums but I was interested in personal experience of some of you who have homeschooled quite a few years and how the information ends up sticking. KWIM?

 

Feel free to name drop your favorite curriculum that has worked for your family!:lol:

Edited November 16, 2011 by aprilsblessings

[Farrar]

I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but I think it's really more about the time you, as a teacher, put into your kids, checking that they really know and understand, be it through narrations, tests, hands-on activities, or whatever. The curriculum is a tool for doing that - some tools are better for the job of teaching certain kids than others perhaps - but I think that time put and that real ongoing assessment is probably the most important piece.

[hmschooling]

We spend about 10-15m daily (or not so daily usually...LOL) doing Rod and Staff english with GREAT retention and we do it mostly orally.

 

We have great retention for spelling from HOD's dictation and fanstastic science/history retention from HOD as well :)

 

(We have homeschooled since DD was 4 PK/K so this is our 7th year...3years with HOD and their recommended resources)

Edited November 16, 2011 by hmschooling

[ByGrace3]

I think it is a careful dance between teaching/curricula/learning styles/teaching styles. More than chosen curricula, for us, it is choosing something that we can make our own. However, there are some that because they are closer to your chosen style will work well with little tweaking. For us, that includes anything that has A LOT of review built in. Bible Study Guide for all Ages is wonderful and retention is fantastic. All about Spelling has major intrinsic review-- that works for us. Math Mammoth is fantastic conceptually- love the way it teaches, but my dd needs more time with a topic to master it, needs more review, so we tweak-- added Right Start games and we get to use the great math curriculum and more review (that is fun).

 

Know your goal, find something that works towards that goal, and then make it your own.

[abbeyej]

I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but I think it's really more about the time you, as a teacher, put into your kids, checking that they really know and understand, be it through narrations, tests, hands-on activities, or whatever. The curriculum is a tool for doing that - some tools are better for the job of teaching certain kids than others perhaps - but I think that time put and that real ongoing assessment is probably the most important piece.

 

I agree completely.

 

The programs that I think fare the *worst* are things like ACE and LifePac that attempt to eliminate the teacher as much as possible. Otherwise, it's really up to you (the teacher) to teach...

[southcarolinamom]

My kids REALLY loved learning history and literature through "real books" The Sonlight way, once we switched from BJUP textbook-style books. They didn't care that school would take them longer.

 

I also switched from BJUP to Apologia science. My son, who is a freshman nursing major and currently taking college biology and chemistry, said it was MUCH easier to learn, having had Apologia science in high school.

 

Now that they are older teens, it is a true delight to carry on meaningful conversations about current events, historical perspectives, literary happenings, etc. with them.

 

I guess the bottom line for us was, "is the curriculum we are using sucking the enjoyment out of learning?" That's what made the final decision for me to switch to different curriculums.

[Halcyon]

I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but I think it's really more about the time you, as a teacher, put into your kids, checking that they really know and understand, be it through narrations, tests, hands-on activities, or whatever. The curriculum is a tool for doing that - some tools are better for the job of teaching certain kids than others perhaps - but I think that time put and that real ongoing assessment is probably the most important piece.

 

This. Constantly checking, rechecking, talking, asking, and revisiting material are key to retention. I have begun to realize of late that it's not the curriculum that's the key, it's me. :tongue_smilie: If I want my kids to learn, to retain, to grow, even I choose the "best" curriculum in the world it won't matter if I check out.

 

In addition, I find when my child is truly inspired by something, he retains it. This applies particularly to science and history, which are full of exciting stories and information. My son has been on a shark jag lately, and has learned more about sharks than I ever will. And both children were very into the American Revolution studies we did, and have come away with a great understanding (for their age) of the events of the war.

[silliness7]

I don't know about specific curriculum but things that I find help retention are

1. If they *care* to know they figure out how to remember. If they don't care, it's an uphill battle.

2. Review, Review, Review

3. Interacting with the material: narrating, outlining, etc. The harder they have to think about what they read in order to respond, the better. Comprehension questions don't require much thinking especially if you can just skim the text and pick the answer out without much thought. Narrating is much better. Summarizing or outlining where the student has to pick out the main idea is even better, imo.

4. Discussion w/ Mom or others. I guess that's a form of interacting.

 

 

Oh, I did think of a curriculum. Saxon math is heavy on the review. I've been very happy with it. Many curricula have good potential. It really depends on how you use it.

[Testimony]

There is no real answer to this question.

 

Curricula (the plural for curriculum) are not synonymous with retention. In the lower grades (actually at any age or grade), retention is obtained by repetition. The old saying, "repetition is the mother of learning" is a true statement. It would fit more with repetition is the mother of retention. Learning styles come in as to how you as the teacher will present the information so that the child can grasp it. That's why it's important to know your child's learning style.

 

With that said, I guess it would seem appropriate to pick a curriculum that provides more repetition. A Beka is very good at that. I am noticing that Saxon does that also. However, I used for math Singapore Math and I created my own drills and ways of putting in repetition. When my children were little, I loved Five In A Row. Once again, the repetition idea with reading books five days in a row is the whole philosophy behind this program.

 

Just a thought!

 

Blessings in your homeschooling journey!

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[aprilsblessings]

I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but I think it's really more about the time you, as a teacher, put into your kids, checking that they really know and understand, be it through narrations, tests, hands-on activities, or whatever. The curriculum is a tool for doing that - some tools are better for the job of teaching certain kids than others perhaps - but I think that time put and that real ongoing assessment is probably the most important piece.

 

 

No, no this is great! I want to be completely involved. I guess I have to decide which topics (in subjects other than the core subjects) I want to teach and at what age. Then I can make sure they are retaining it.

[aprilsblessings]

I don't know about specific curriculum but things that I find help retention are

1. If they *care* to know they figure out how to remember. If they don't care, it's an uphill battle.

2. Review, Review, Review

3. Interacting with the material: narrating, outlining, etc. The harder they have to think about what they read in order to respond, the better. Comprehension questions don't require much thinking especially if you can just skim the text and pick the answer out without much thought. Narrating is much better. Summarizing or outlining where the student has to pick out the main idea is even better, imo.

4. Discussion w/ Mom or others. I guess that's a form of interacting.

 

 

 

 

This is VERY helpful, thank you! I think I like things listed.:D

[kalanamak]

So far the best retained things are stories and hands on science. The You Wouldn't Want To Be books stick like glue. I can't believe the details kiddo remembers. Same with Mike Venezia's Famous Artists. SOTW on audio, for repeats, has also stuck, as well as the Vox Music Masters (which tell stories and give samples). I've also had luck with the Cartoon History of the World.

 

I am speaking for ages 5-9.

[kalanamak]

This. Constantly checking, rechecking, talking, asking, and revisiting material are key to retention. I have begun to realize of late that it's not the curriculum that's the key, it's me. :tongue_smilie: If I want my kids to learn, to retain, to grow, even I choose the "best" curriculum in the world it won't matter if I check out.

 

:iagree: When it comes to the three Rs, it is me, me, me. Sometimes that's inspiring, sometimes that's a drag. :D

[Dahliarw]

I agree it's a lot of what you put into it. For example, you could read one section of SOTW every day, with no narration, questions, projects, or living books. Or you can slow down and add in all those elements. The retention is going to be better, in most cases, with the latter.

 

I think it also depends on your child's interests. My ds LOVES history. He's eager to learn and looks forward to it and wants extra books on it. So naturally he retains it well. Other subjects, not as much since the interest is just not there.

[PeterPan]

When you're in the moment, you think retention of the information is important. (Since that of course is why you covered it!) About 7 years from now you're going to realize that things get covered over and over again and that the *skills* they learned along the way were much important than the facts.

 

If you want retention of facts, your best bet is to go with VP stuff. They actually build repetition and an emphasis on fact retention into their curricula (Bible and history) and chose things like Shurley and Saxon that nail the basics. But there's no reason all kids need things things, and all kids won't do well from them. As long as your kids have the SKILLS they need when they hit junior high, the rest won't matter exceptionally. I mean do *you* remember what you learned in 1st grade? 2nd? 3rd?

 

It's definitely a good thing to consider learning styles. Your kids may be similar to either you or your spouse, so it's definitely good to talk about your school experiences and see if any of it can transfer over. It's good to harness what you see in your kids and use those bents to approach things. But beyond that, only the skills really matter.

[oneddmanybooks]

When you're in the moment, you think retention of the information is important. (Since that of course is why you covered it!) About 7 years from now you're going to realize that things get covered over and over again and that the *skills* they learned along the way were much important than the facts.

 

...As long as your kids have the SKILLS they need when they hit junior high, the rest won't matter exceptionally. I mean do *you* remember what you learned in 1st grade? 2nd? 3rd?

 

...

 

I'm a newbie so I probably shouldn't even be posting on this thread. :) But I had a "lightbulb" moment recently when I realized that I DO actually remember some things I learned in 1st-3rd grade! I went to a small Christian school and we learned Bible verses. I can still remember saying "he that hath clean hands and a pure heart" and pretending to wash my hands and putting my hand over my heart. As I help my dd memorize verses, I realize that I still remember many of the verses I learned a long time ago.

 

I agree that skills are so important. Two of the reasons that I love Heart of Dakota are skills and Bible content.

[....]

When you're in the moment, you think retention of the information is important. (Since that of course is why you covered it!) About 7 years from now you're going to realize that things get covered over and over again and that the *skills* they learned along the way were much important than the facts.

 

:iagree: I am very skill-focused. We use facts to build skills.

 

On that note, my kids seem to retain info from projects they do and living books that we read.

[Hedgehogs4]

All of this is true...I have to be involved, the kids have to care, etc. etc. but we do have one thing that because of the pure enjoyment the kids have received from it SOTW is one thing that they remember--better than I do (but that is not saying much). They remember and tell me the stories all the time, "Mom don't you remember about that guy in ....?"

[Jaz]

For the younger years, my dc retained the most information learning with Five in a Row. The hands on activities made all the difference! :)

[Missouri Okie]

When you're in the moment, you think retention of the information is important. (Since that of course is why you covered it!) About 7 years from now you're going to realize that things get covered over and over again and that the *skills* they learned along the way were much important than the facts.

 

I recognize the wisdom in this, and (for what it's worth) I agree.

 

For facts retention, Classical Conversations is incredible. It makes it nice in studying grammar, for example, that my son already knows the definitions of the parts of speech. Or, in studying history, we can provide context to facts and geography locations he has previously learned, further solidifying the information. The beauty of CC is the repetition of the cycles, the positive peer pressure provided by the classroom setting, and the outside accountability which helps motivate mom to make sure memory work gets done.

 

I cannot say for certain he'll remember forever. I can only rely on personal experience. Certain things I learned as a young child by rote (the 23rd Psalm, the 12 apostles, or books of the Bible), I can still recall at a moment's notice. My 82 year-old father can still quote speeches from Shakespeare he learned in grammar school.

[PeterPan]

I can still remember saying "he that hath clean hands and a pure heart" and pretending to wash my hands and putting my hand over my heart. As I help my dd memorize verses, I realize that I still remember many of the verses I learned a long time ago.

 

 

Isn't kinesthetic memory amazing! I have memories of *smells* from when I was 5 and 6.

 

And yes, I would differentiate memory work (which I do think is valuable) from teaching with the goal of hoping for retention. VP bridges those two, intentionally doing memory work of the facts and reviewing them over the years to create a foundation they can build on in junior high. But with general teaching methods, to me it seems kids retain what they want, not necessarily the things you want. We have had threads in the past on the board where people went into what went wrong, blah blah, their kids didn't "retain". Some kids will, some kids won't. Some kids will retain the enjoyment or just certain aspects that fascinated them. There was even a post a while back on the high school board where someone was shocked when her now college age student came back, all excited about the things he was learning in college, things they had DONE in their high school years at home. He didn't remember a lick. ;)

[aprilsblessings]

Thank you everyone! This really gives me a better idea about how to view curriculum and the part I play as teacher.:D Lots of great ideas to help retention too.

[Mommy22alyns]

Hands on activities are huge for Rebecca. We did SL one year with no extra activities and I'd be shocked if she remembered a single thing from it. :glare: Somehow, she also retains really well from Spelling Power. I started using it on MFW's recommendation and I was nervous at first because the book is overwhelming. But she is really learning and remembering from it!

[mystika1]

For my children they learn best using things that are fun. Even things that seems not so fun should be presented in a fun engaging way. We cover Reading/Phonics and Math with traditional style workbooks but for the rest...history, science and so on is covered in unit study format. Five in a Row was perfect for us in the younger years(retention is amazing) and now we use both BYFiar and Konos. Both are wonderful. Both of my girls have loved the things we have done so far.(cow eye dissection, having a fire outside while having activities related to Native American culture)When my dd's see the Konos manual come out they get so excited.

 

I have read in past threads that children don't have to love school but it sure helps when they are having fun while learning. It makes my job 100x easier and I feel like we are getting somewhere. Nothing worse than trying to teach something and you notice the kids eyes are glazed over in boredom. You can bet when that happens the info is going in one ear and out of the other.

 

I do however think it also has to do with the parents likes and dislikes. IOW..if Mom loves what she is teaching then so should the kids.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

Edited November 17, 2011 by mystika1

[kalphs]

This. Constantly checking, rechecking, talking, asking, and revisiting material are key to retention. I have begun to realize of late that it's not the curriculum that's the key, it's me. :tongue_smilie: If I want my kids to learn, to retain, to grow, even I choose the "best" curriculum in the world it won't matter if I check out.

 

In addition, I find when my child is truly inspired by something, he retains it. This applies particularly to science and history, which are full of exciting stories and information. My son has been on a shark jag lately, and has learned more about sharks than I ever will. And both children were very into the American Revolution studies we did, and have come away with a great understanding (for their age) of the events of the war.

:iagree:

[laughing lioness]

I'll jump in on the repetition bandwagon. I like to take the layering approach to learning. Layer info-read a book,watch a video, go to a museum, memorize a time-line –all about a related topic.

 

Also, I like memory work. I like skill building, too -we do a lot of that. But I think memory work is an oft-overlooked tool to teaching kids "knowing" in a way that they know what they know. My kids memorize a lot of poetry. Will they remember it all when they are 90? Maybe, my great gram does. And they will have the tropes and lyrical pictures of the poems in their heads for life.

 

Also, time-lines. Will my kids remember every detail? No. But they'll remember more details than if they didn't do the do the timeline. They are building a grid/ framework to plug info into. My kids can pick out a time in history based on the weaponry because they have a clear time line in their head. All of that to say- skill building is good stuff. Learning to memorize and doing it is one of those skills that will serve your kids very well. They'll know what they know.

 

And as far as activities being a proof positive teaching tool, I think it really depends on the kid. My 11 ds is NOT an activity guy (believe me, I've tried). Give him a book or CD and he'll get it - can probably tell you verbatim, with quotes, what the thing is about. Give him an activity and he'll get frustrated and throw things to the floor.

 

Also, I've been interested in a lot of things but my ability to retain isn't based on my interest alone. I have to make an effort to understand it and process it. I'm a random/global thinker so I get the big picture, but details (unless I get focused and intentionally specific) aren't my forte. My dh, a logical sequential thinker gets details ad nauseum. So, I don't think ability to learn and understand is based on interest alone. It depends on the type of learning/thinker/processor your kid is.

 

I used to think that learning had to be "fun" for my kids because I found school very boring (could have been due to an processing disorder- I really couldn't hear most of what was going on). We have a lot of fun, but some things are just hard work. Grammar is, for the most part, not really "fun.†Latin, same thing. That's o.k. Some things are not fun, but the benefit of knowing them brings about circumstances and opportunities that not knowing them wont. Like I said, we do a lot of "fun" things but we also talk to our kids about the value of hard work and do some things that they don't consider fun (my ds 11 hates to garden, but this year in Lego League the theme is "food." He now sees the value of organic, healthy food in a way that he didn’t before even if he still doesn't think that gardening is "fun.")

 

Your kids can be engaged and learning and focused and not necessarily thinking they are having "fun" at the same time. It's not a one or the other thing. We talk to our kids about this, teaching them about the value of work and engaged, focused energy so that they learn what their part in the educational process is.

 

This is a long winded answer to your simple question: What curriculums work best? The ones that you will use with intentionality, the ones that fit your educational pedagogy; the ones that train your child's character (rather than cater to their character) building on their strengths, and shoring up their weaknesses, and the ones that build your child's intellect.

[aprilsblessings]

I'll jump in on the repetition bandwagon. I like to take the layering approach to learning. Layer info-read a book,watch a video, go to a museum, memorize a time-line –all about a related topic.

 

Also, I like memory work. I like skill building, too -we do a lot of that. But I think memory work is an oft-overlooked tool to teaching kids "knowing" in a way that they know what they know. My kids memorize a lot of poetry. Will they remember it all when they are 90? Maybe, my great gram does. And they will have the tropes and lyrical pictures of the poems in their heads for life.

 

Also, time-lines. Will my kids remember every detail? No. But they'll remember more details than if they didn't do the do the timeline. They are building a grid/ framework to plug info into. My kids can pick out a time in history based on the weaponry because they have a clear time line in their head. All of that to say- skill building is good stuff. Learning to memorize and doing it is one of those skills that will serve your kids very well. They'll know what they know.

 

And as far as activities being a proof positive teaching tool, I think it really depends on the kid. My 11 ds is NOT an activity guy (believe me, I've tried). Give him a book or CD and he'll get it - can probably tell you verbatim, with quotes, what the thing is about. Give him an activity and he'll get frustrated and throw things to the floor.

 

Also, I've been interested in a lot of things but my ability to retain isn't based on my interest alone. I have to make an effort to understand it and process it. I'm a random/global thinker so I get the big picture, but details (unless I get focused and intentionally specific) aren't my forte. My dh, a logical sequential thinker gets details ad nauseum. So, I don't think ability to learn and understand is based on interest alone. It depends on the type of learning/thinker/processor your kid is.

 

I used to think that learning had to be "fun" for my kids because I found school very boring (could have been due to an processing disorder- I really couldn't hear most of what was going on). We have a lot of fun, but some things are just hard work. Grammar is, for the most part, not really "fun.†Latin, same thing. That's o.k. Some things are not fun, but the benefit of knowing them brings about circumstances and opportunities that not knowing them wont. Like I said, we do a lot of "fun" things but we also talk to our kids about the value of hard work and do some things that they don't consider fun (my ds 11 hates to garden, but this year in Lego League the theme is "food." He now sees the value of organic, healthy food in a way that he didn’t before even if he still doesn't think that gardening is "fun.")

 

Your kids can be engaged and learning and focused and not necessarily thinking they are having "fun" at the same time. It's not a one or the other thing. We talk to our kids about this, teaching them about the value of work and engaged, focused energy so that they learn what their part in the educational process is.

 

This is a long winded answer to your simple question: What curriculums work best? The ones that you will use with intentionality, the ones that fit your educational pedagogy; the ones that train your child's character (rather than cater to their character) building on their strengths, and shoring up their weaknesses, and the ones that build your child's intellect.

 

Wow! I will be re-reading this and printing it out. Thank you for the insight! Now to figure out what my educational pedagogy/philosophy is.....I like aspects from all the methods.:lol:

[aprilsblessings]

For my children they learn best using things that are fun. Even things that seems not so fun should be presented in a fun engaging way. We cover Reading/Phonics and Math with traditional style workbooks but for the rest...history, science and so on is covered in unit study format. Five in a Row was perfect for us in the younger years(retention is amazing) and now we use both BYFiar and Konos. Both are wonderful. Both of my girls have loved the things we have done so far.(cow eye dissection, having a fire outside while having activities related to Native American culture)When my dd's see the Konos manual come out they get so excited.

 

I have read in past threads that children don't have to love school but it sure helps when they are having fun while learning. It makes my job 100x easier and I feel like we are getting somewhere. Nothing worse than trying to teach something and you notice the kids eyes are glazed over in boredom. You can bet when that happens the info is going in one ear and out of the other.

 

I do however think it also has to do with the parents likes and dislikes. IOW..if Mom loves what she is teaching then so should the kids.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

 

I do want my kids to enjoy learning and have fun in the process of retaining information. We are using FIAR for part of our schooling right now so that is great to hear that kids to remeber the lessons!

 

Do you also follow a history cycle with the unit studies or do you just hit on the topics within the unit?

[Beth in SW WA]

I'm a newbie so I probably shouldn't even be posting on this thread. :) But I had a "lightbulb" moment recently when I realized that I DO actually remember some things I learned in 1st-3rd grade! I went to a small Christian school and we learned Bible verses. I can still remember saying "he that hath clean hands and a pure heart" and pretending to wash my hands and putting my hand over my heart.

 

What a wonderful memory! Thanks for sharing. :)

[mystika1]

 

Do you also follow a history cycle with the unit studies or do you just hit on the topics within the unit?

 

There is a lot of history covered in Konos and BYFiar. Obviously Konos has more but I find it more than adequate to cover the topics as they arise in our studies. We have created a nice timeline and that puts things in perspective for the girls. I think that it would be quite easy to read SOTW before bed(as a bedtime reader)if I wanted a four year cycle.

 

Penny

[mystika1]

I still present unliked topics in a fun way...

I wanted to add that there are topics that are not well liked in our school too. Instead of forcing the child to "get it done" I try to present things in a different way and that usually works much better. Math..for example has been our thorn but I purchased a white board just for the girls to practice on and now they no longer fuss. Or...I ask my dd to teach me how to solve a difficult math problem on the white board when she really starts getting frustrated with math worksheets.

 

And repetition or memory work....

Even though we strive for a fun learning environment..that does not mean we have no memory work. For example...Easy Grammar has the child memorizing prepositions. We made a song out of it along with all of the helping verbs. Now my four year old runs around the house singing both songs along with my oldest. Much better than a set of flash cards...at least in my house anyway.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[birchbark]

Great thread!

 

For us, living books have been a key to retention. First of all, they capture the interest and secondly, they get re-read for enjoyment (as opposed to dryer texts and workbooks) and the info gets refreshed each time.

 

The other thing I have noticed is that things stick really well when wed to a song or a picture. Bible memory put to music is almost effortless. Times Tales (multiplication and division tables) and The Sentence Family (Grammar) through story and pictures have been almost miraculous in their ability to make dry subjects memorable to my DS.

 

The points made about skills over content are well worth considering.

 

8FillTheHeart wrote an excellent post about retention.