Researching Curriculum - how do You do it?

[3 Only Children]

I have been on these boards many a late night in the past couple of weeks researching curriculum.  

 

I like doing the research and have learned a lot here but my brain can only remember so much.

 

My method of the moment is to either scribble titles on the nearest piece of paper or throw it in Amazon or Pinterest.

These are okay but I'm wondering if there might be an easier way?

 

How do you research curriculum?

[CrunchyGirl]

I've hung out for awhile and found a few people who seem to have similar goals and similar children and for the most part only pay attention to what they are using.

 

I think that while there are a ton of options, if you know what your philosophy and goals are, what are non-negotiables in your home (we won't use religious science books for example), and have some idea of your kids' learning style, the options decrease drastically.

[Paige]

I read and search for hours keeping all the promising options open in separate tabs. When I am sufficiently overwhelmed, I go through my tabs one by one comparing each to the last one on the right. I decide which of those I like better and close the loser tab. I do that again and again until I only have 1 tab left. That curriculum wins. If I am torn between two, I'll save the runner up in my bookmarks.The winner gets a place in my spreadsheet. My kids and husband tease me for my abundance of tabs and it is a sad, sad day if my computer locks up and I lose them before I'm done. I tend to keep them open and my computer on for days.  :blushing: I do that for each subject because I rarely find something that takes care of multiple subjects that I want to use.

 

 

[songsparrow]

I either keep a Pages document open or set up a new post on my blog as my place to hold my research - for example, this blog post is my current running list of resources and materials I am using as I work on developing an ornithology course for science this year. (I like to make a blog post because I can add to it from anywhere, if I am away from my computer; but if I want to use a table then I use Pages because doing tables in HTML is a PITA.)

 

First, I think about and write down my tentative goals for the year - what I want to accomplish and what material I want to cover will help me to find the right materials.  Usually as I go through this process, those goals will change or be refined.

 

Then I come here and search threads to see what curriculum others are recommending for that particular subject and grade.  I look at why people recommend them, or don't recommend them.  I keep a list of any titles that look interesting to me in my Pages document or blog post with any pertinent comments, and with a link back to the thread in case I want to go back and look at it again. 

 

Then I go and look at the books on Amazon.  Hopefully they have the "Search Inside" feature so that I can see the Table of Contents to see what material is covered and how it is organized, and some of the text to see if the style of the writing would be good for my child (not too easy and not too hard, not too dry, etc.).  Again, I save the Amazon link in my Pages document or blog post.    I also look on Amazon in the sections "Customers that bought this item also bought" and the "Customers that viewed this item also viewed", to see if anything there looks interesting.

 

If I can't Search Inside on Amazon, I'll do a Google search for the book to see if the publisher has a website where they've put up samples or where you can request a sample, or see if Google Books has a sample. 

 

If the samples online look promising, I will go to my library's website and see if the book is available through interlibrary loan, so I can look at it in more depth.  Most books are.  If it isn't and I'm really interested, I'll search to see if I can get an inexpensive used copy to look at (I use DealOz to search - Amazon Marketplace often has the least expensive copies, but not always).

 

Once I'm narrowing down to a few titles, I'll often look to see what sort of supporting material is available - teacher's guides, student worksheets, etc. - and how much they cost.  

 

I might cycle through this process several times if I see other potential books.  I'll come back here and search for threads about them and see what others here have to say or I'll post questions.  Etc.

 

Once I think I've reached a conclusion, I generally write out my decisions - for example, in this blog post about Hakim's A History of US that I did a week ago.  This step works for me because I think and organize my thoughts best when I am writing them out.  This helps me to identify anything I might have overlooked or anything I still need to research.  

 

Then I order the books - almost always used, so back to DealOz.  

 

 

[bethben]

When I was first starting, I came here a lot, looked at samples on the curriculum websites, and printed off the ones that I liked.  I have figured out that if it looks interesting to me and something I could teach, I would get it.  For example, I chose a spelling curriculum (All About Spelling) that was scripted because I had no idea what to do.  For history and science, I went with stuff that looked interesting to me.  For brand new homeschoolers, I often will suggest a packaged curriculum because then you have someone else helping you homeschool.  You can always figure out things better the next year once you see how it goes.

 

Beth

[candicane]

Catalogs help a lot. I have a huge Rainbow Resource one, a Sonlight, My Father's World, and one for Notgrass. They help a lot to figure out what people are referring to. All of them were free too! After that, research around here for people's opinions on things, what worked for them, etc. Then from there look up the websites from the publishers for samples, prices, etc.

[Renai]

I keep my handy dandy notebook and a pen near at all times to jot down notes. A la Blues Clues :-D

[Mrs Twain]

I have Word documents for each grade.  When I find something I want to remember for the future, I type it into the document under the subject (English, Composition, Math, etc.).  It is an easy way to keep all of your research straight.

[SebastianCat]

When I first started homeschooling, Cathy Duffy's 100 To Picks for Homeschool Curriculum was a big help. It didn't give me exact answers, but helped me understand what options might work for my kids, and narrowed down the choices.

 

My preference is to look at everything in person at my state Homeschool convention each year in May, so I try to have a short list ready by then so I'm only looking at 3-4 options rather than 20.

[Farrar]

If it's really something that looks good, I stick it on a wishlist - either on Amazon or Rainbow Resources.  I don't end up using all that, but it's helpful to me when I hear about something.

[3 Only Children]

Thank you for the great idea's !  I can't figure out multi-quote so will respond here in mass:

 

I like the idea of finding people with similar goals and concentrating on what works for them

 

Getting Catalogs is a great idea - then I can highlight and circle to my heart's content.

 

Can relate to being overwhelmed and then finally making my choices at the breaking point,..lol

 

Thank you, thank you for the idea of making a blog post about it.. funny I've read others posts but Never thought to do one myself!

I finally have in ONE spot all the books I own, resource links that were formally on a Pinterest board, field trips ideas etc -All listed by Subject.

I feel much better and more organized and might actually USE all these things I have been researching! 

[Momto6inIN]

When I first started homeschooling I got Cathy Duffy's book and that really helped refine my goals, philosophy, my kids' learning styles, and my teaching style.  As Crunch Girl said above knowing those things really helps decrease your options dramatically.

 

Now I have a humongous spreadsheet program that has a page for all grades and a section for each subject within each grade level (PreK & K, early elem, late elem, middle school, high school).  Every time I come across something that sounds interesting (usually from these boards but also from other blogs, catalogs, convention, conversations with other hsers, whatever), I put a note about it in the appropriate place on my spreadsheet so I can find all my notes later when the nitty gritty decisions need to be made.  Then I follow Paige's method above and keep a bazillion different tabs open at a time until I narrow it down.  :)

[Ellie]

I want to *see* it. I prefer to hold something in my hands and read every.single.page; samples on the Internet are ok, or samples like the ones R&S publishes, but holding it in my hand is the best. If necessary, in today's world :-) I might go ahead and order something if there is a money-back return policy.

 

Reading reviews only gives me an idea of whether I want to investigate further or not.

[Mom22ns]

I'm sorry, but the idea that I am supposed to have a system for researching curriculum just makes me laugh. 

 

How do I do it? I spend WAY too much time on these boards. I constantly make mental notes of what sounds interesting for future years. I do have a spreadsheet that always had future outlines that I could plug in or make note of new ideas, curriculum, providers, etc. 

 

When I go to make a final decision, I usually have just a couple of possibilities in mind. I do searches on the boards for the subject, then for the specific materials. I then broaden my searches to the internet. I look at samples and reviews outside these boards. If possible, I get my hands on either the whole thing or a good sample. I am lucky to have a used book store with a large homeschool section where I can browse. Usually only older editions of most things will be on the shelves, but I can get a feel for a lot of different publisher's styles. I have been known to sit in the floor with different books on different knees and spend an hour comparing side-by-side. I go to Mardel's. I go to our annual homeschool convention. I find other local parents that use things. I request things through inter-library loan from University libraries. I buy cheap used copies. 

 

When at last, I have thought about what fits best, what I like, what fits both my content and method goals the best, I buy.

 

I really have no system. It is big and messy and all over the place. There is no paper involved, but there are notes on the computer, word processing documents, note files, spread sheets, lots of open browser windows. I have endless bookmarks in folders by subject. 

 

I love researching curriculum. Really I do. I can't believe I'm almost done.  :001_unsure:

 

[Reader411]

Jumping back into hsing this year and I've decided to go with a boxed curriculum b/c all of the options out there make my head spin.  I love looking at it all, but then just reach a breaking point. 

[Kel & the Kids]

I have to post because I'm so glad to hear that someone else does the tab-thing!   I have a zillion tabs open all the time, it's my main method of research and reminders for all things.  It's been very satisfying to close the curriculum ones one by one as I've made my choices this year. 

 

Other than that, I have a table I make in Pages, colour coded by child with all their subjects listed under their name, in their colour.  I list all the serious possibilities for each subject including price and source and I just keep updating the document and printing it to carry around with me.  By September (or July if it's a really good year) I have a lovely, all-in-one table of our curricula for the year.  I'm on my 5th or 6th printing of it this year, however and I'm not done yet. :(  

[dragonflyer]

I have a giant Word document with each year of homeschool broken out as well as each subject having its own section.  As I find things I like the look of I add them into the appropriate subject, often with links to the website.  Then when the time comes to make a decision for the coming year, I take a look at where I want to focus for that year and narrow down.  I like having several options when I sit down because I will often choose a 2nd/3rd best option so that I can pay more and spend more time on a subject that is "more important" for a particular year.

For example, Singapore would be my first choice for math, but this year I am choosing the less expensive (and teacher time consuming) Math Mammoth, so that my money and time can be spent working on spelling and phonics using All About Spelling.

[wintermom]

My best success is when I can see the curriculum at a friend's house and/or borrow it from a friend. Next best is seeing the curriculum at a conference. I have ordered a couple curriculum books sight unseen, but I'm more often disappointed than not.

 

So, research-wise, I may see suggestions of curriculum on homeschool forums, but I still prefer to see the material in-person before I buy.

[bethben]

Just an addendum...you will probably at some point, purchase something that you hate or just doesn't work for your child.  If this happens, move on, sell it if you can,  and don't feel guilty.  Consider it a part of your teacher education.  After all, you are not spending $10K or more a year to learn how to become a teacher and curriculum specialist.  

 

Beth

[JanetC]

I stopped looking too far ahead -- if it's not something I need this year or next year, I pretty much assume Google can find it for me later.  Lots less to keep track of that way.  I do keep some organized bookmarks by subject for science, just because we spent the middle school years flitting from topic to topic following interests.  But otherwise, not so much.

 

 

[librarymama]

I also keep docs for each grade, and have a spreadsheet with tabs full of notes. I don't buy much, but I do like to learn about what's out there.

[Saddlemomma]

When I research curriculum, I have my Onenote personal notebook open on the Education tab.  When I read about a curriculum I like, l take a screen clipping of the curriculum which will give me it's name and a link to the applicable website.  Then, when I'm ready to look for specific curriculum for the upcoming year, I go right to that page and can see what I liked during my research and pick and choose from them.

 

I'm hoping to categorize the choices in their own subject pages when I get the time.

[3 Only Children]

I will have to try the multiple tab way!    Have them all up and then start narrowing it down.  

 

Pinterest has been helpful, I have a board for each subject .

I like that I can type in notes to myself below each pin, which is good for when I have learned things like:

you only need the Teacher's manual or start with this level.

 

The Key I think is that when you DO have everything to stop researching, easier said then done sometimes!

 

[Arcadia]

I read the samples online and also actual books in the library, used bookstore and at Barnes & Noble. A few public libraries we go to have full sets of public middle and high school textbooks in teen reference including those for AP exams, high school French and high school Spanish. Books like FLL and WWE are at Barnes & Noble.

 

Then I let my boys choose from my short list. They have picked their curriculum since kindergarten and so far no rejects. They are happy with what they pick.

 

If something sounds good for my kids, I put it in reminders on my phone. Then I check if my usual haunts have a copy.