a quickie: curriculum/ curricula?

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Which is it when you are referring to the plan for all the subjects? It would be a collective noun -- for example, if I've chosen SOTW 3, JAG, SM, BJ bible, Wordly Wise, SWO, and Spanish for my childs 5th grade year, would that be the curriculum for 5th grade or the currcula for 5th grade.

 

I guess I'm getting confused because wikipedia said it was a set our courses and dictionary.com says:

 

 

 

cur·ric·u·lum Audio Help /kəˈrɪkyələm/

 

 

 

–noun, plural -la

 

 

 

1. the

aggregate of courses

of study given in a school, college, university, etc.: The school is adding more science courses to its curriculum.

 

 

 

 

2. the regular or a

particular course

of study in a school, college, etc.

 

Plaid Dad and others, which would I use?

 

TIA

Alane

[obiandelismom]

It would be curricula (plural), because it's different sets. If you were using K12 or Sonlight or some other all-in-one, it would be curriculum, but since you're using different sets, it's curricula. :)

[angela in ohio]

There is a hysterical passage in Carpe Diem about this! After reading it, I will never say curricula again. :D THe basic idea is that while curricula is more proper, it has fallen from use, and so to use it makes you a... well, I can't really repeat it here.

[Once]

Ugg! I hate this word. I should have put it in the other thread about word you hate. I can not spell it to save my life. I did not even think there was a plural form.:confused:

 

I'm subscribing to this thread so I can learn. Bumping it for Plaid Dad or anyone else.

:bigear:

[Ellie]

if you are talking about which publisher's math text you're planning to use.

 

ABeka is a publisher, not a curriculum. BJUP is a publisher, not a curriculum. Veritas Press is a publisher, not a curriuclum. Beautiful Feet Books is a publisher, not a curriculum.

 

Most hsers misuse "curriculum," as in "What curriculum should I use to teach dc to read?" Actually, teaching a child to read is your curriculum; what you use to accomplish that might be instructional materials (which is what California says), or textbooks, or trade books, just whatever-it-is-you're-using-to-teach-reading.

 

IOW, that pile of books there is not your curriculum. Your curriculum would be history (and all the specifics you're planning), science (ditto), math (ditto), Latin (ditto), etc. When you decide what your *curriculum* is, then you decide which materials will best achieve your goals.

 

The Well Trained Mind helps you first to figure out your curriculum.

 

Colleges pay big bucks to people to write curriculum. Then the teachers of each course decide what they will use to cover that curriculum--textbooks, labs, discussion, etc. People who write curriculum are not the same people who write textbooks. Textbook companies write their textbooks based on what they have determined will be the curriculum for schools in their particular market, and then they pitch their textbooks to those schools.

 

See?

[genie]

 

Most hsers misuse "curriculum," as in "What curriculum should I use to teach dc to read?" Actually, teaching a child to read is your curriculum; what you use to accomplish that might be instructional materials (which is what California says), or textbooks, or trade books, just whatever-it-is-you're-using-to-teach-reading.

 

 

 

Thanks for pointing this out, Ellie. I remember thinking about that at one point, but promptly forgot, and went with the flow.

 

So here's a question I've been pondering. When do you go with the flow, and when do you stand your grammatical ground? A friend of mine was laughing at people for saying cactuses instead of cacti. But with repeated misuse of words, the misuse eventually becomes acceptable. Not that I agree with it, but that's what happens. So at what point do you give up and go with the flow?

[Ellie]

Thanks for pointing this out, Ellie. I remember thinking about that at one point, but promptly forgot, and went with the flow.

 

So here's a question I've been pondering. When do you go with the flow, and when do you stand your grammatical ground? A friend of mine was laughing at people for saying cactuses instead of cacti. But with repeated misuse of words, the misuse eventually becomes acceptable. Not that I agree with it, but that's what happens. So at what point do you give up and go with the flow?

 

I guess it depends on what your particular obsessions are, lol.

 

I won't use "curriculum," because in my mind, it is so misused, KWIM? Saying "catuses" instead of "cacti" doesn't really affect anything; we still know it's a bunch of those cactus thingies.

 

Of course, I still refuse to use "hopefully," as in "I hope to be able to go to Disney World next year," instead of "Hopefully, I'll be going to Disney World next year," so I might not be the best one to answer that question :D

[genie]

I guess it depends on what your particular obsessions are, lol.

 

Well, I do like to be correct! :D

 

I won't use "curriculum," because in my mind, it is so misused, KWIM? Saying "catuses" instead of "cacti" doesn't really affect anything; we still know it's a bunch of those cactus thingies.

 

But hasn't curriculum also gotten to that point? At least on homeschooling boards? I doubt anyone misunderstands what one means when using curriculum to refer to particular materials. I understand having certain things you refuse to say. It still bothers me to end a sentence with a preposition, even though it seems to be perfectly acceptable by most standards these days. I also vary my style depending on if I'm writing a business letter or just chatting on these forums (fora :)).

 

Of course, I still refuse to use "hopefully," as in "I hope to be able to go to Disney World next year," instead of "Hopefully, I'll be going to Disney World next year," so I might not be the best one to answer that question :D

 

Because the latter implies that you will be going to Disney World full of hope?

[melissel]

Dump "curriculum." Use "resources" or "materials" instead! :D

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

Yes! That certainly would solve the problem, wouldn't it? LOL

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

IOW, that pile of books there is not your curriculum. Your curriculum would be history (and all the specifics you're planning), science (ditto), math (ditto), Latin (ditto), etc. When you decide what your *curriculum* is, then you decide which materials will best achieve your goals.

 

The Well Trained Mind helps you first to figure out your curriculum.

 

Colleges pay big bucks to people to write curriculum. Then the teachers of each course decide what they will use to cover that curriculum--textbooks, labs, discussion, etc. People who write curriculum are not the same people who write textbooks. Textbook companies write their textbooks based on what they have determined will be the curriculum for schools in their particular market, and then they pitch their textbooks to those schools.

 

See?

 

Yes, I see! I guess when my blog gets remade, I'll be more specific and indicate our curricula and or resources.

Thanks!

[tristangrace]

My only rule? Don't write "CURRICULUMS"!! It physically pains me to read it.

 

Susan

[tristangrace]

Ellie,

 

Your curriculum would be history (and all the specifics you're planning)

 

Does that mean that you would refer to your first grade course of study as "curriculum" and you would also refer to the history course of study as "curriculum"? (E.g., "I'm almost done planning Billy's first grade curriculum--just need to work out the final details of his history curriculum.")

 

Under what circumstances would you use "curricula"?