PSA - Curriculum - resources for parents.

[Anonymous]

1) Core Knowledge Series - edited by E.D Hirsch
- What Your Preschooler Needs to Know: Get Ready for Kindergarten (The Core Knowledge Series) https://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Preschooler-Needs-Know/dp/0385341989/
There are 8 books in all - preschool, kindergarten, grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6


2) Core Knowledge Foundation website https://www.coreknowledge.org/

Curriculum from K-8 - https://3o83ip44005z3mk17t31679f-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CKFSequence_Rev.pdf


3) Math competency - https://www.aleks.com (nominal fees is involved)


4) For those who have lagged behind in Maths because of 2.0 There are some fantastic course that go in a very linear and logical manner. Spend some money on this. Buy courses taught by James Sellers. Math, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/mastering-the-fundamentals-of-mathematics.html


5) http://www.beestar.org/ for worksheets and resources.

[Anonymous]

The Core Knowledge Curriculum is excellent. I know homeschooling families who use it. Engage New York school curriculum is actually Core Knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Core Knowledge Curriculum is excellent. I know homeschooling families who use it. Engage New York school curriculum is actually Core Knowledge.

+1

It is a goldmine. I am surprised that MCPS flailed so badly with curriculum, when this was available?

As for content - many companies in the business of creating textbooks do a fairly decent job. I remember using Houghton Mifflin textbooks for Math in early ES grades and they were quite good. Buy them for a few dollars each from Amazon. Also go to the publisher's website. There are free online resources available related to every single textbook, where you can print out worksheets. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Also look at recommended textbooks in colleges for students taking remedial math, algebra 1 etc...they are much more well written than the textbooks for school students. Same goes for Science books. I have always bought textbooks for all grades and subjects (2nd hand) and know for a fact that some very crappy textbooks are prescribed in MCPS. For example, the Biology Hons book with the dragonfly image on it is among one of the choppiest textbooks that I have seen (Pearson/prentice hall?), so do your homework, read reviews, and also look at the textbooks prescribed in colleges for all the 101 courses. I used Jay Phelan - What Is Life: A Guide to Biology, Campbells biology book, plus some other materials to tutor my kid at home because the textbook was so choppy and the teacher was very incompetent. However, I am not saying that don't invest in the school prescribed textbooks. It gives you a guideline of what will be covered. + the MCPS curriculum gives you an idea where to start. So, take all of that, and do some cherry picking, watch some Khan Academy tutorials, go online for particular topics if you cannot understand something and cobble together something that works for your child.

I have been able to teach almost all subjects based entirely from Khan Academy tutorials and these textbooks. Very often parents get intimidated about tutoring their kids. The truth is that if your kids can learn these subjects at school without prior knowledge then so can you.

Finally, what makes a great textbook? A person who is truly knowledgeable and a great teacher and author - will write a textbook that is simple, straight forward and allows you to get the big picture easily. Are you a PhD? Great. But can you explain your work in simple enough language that a 5th grader can understand it? No? Then you have not been able to write a great textbook.

That is the reason I have loved the khanacademy videos because Sal Khan did not expects me to really know stuff, but he was able to explain concepts to his viewers in a way that they could build upon that knowledge. There are such resources available for free or very little cost. Don't lose hope. And don't be deluded into thinking that MCPS will be fixed soon.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing! More suggestions, please!

[Anonymous]

NP - Thank you!

We've been doing Kumon workbooks for Math and Writing, but that doesn't cover much else.

[Anonymous]

Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

The kidsdiscover magazines look great!

I think I'm going to start buying the ones that correspond to what DD is learning in school. THey often have to do writing assignments about topics, but the online resources are abysmal!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

Oops. This is not curriculum per se. My kids have used it for enrichment and also for school work. I much prefer that they get their information through these first, rather than by googling it. I would put it in the category of enrichment, supplementation and general knowledge. Also helpful when the kids start participating in the various competitions and clubs - science bowl, history bowl, geography bee etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

The kidsdiscover magazines look great!

I think I'm going to start buying the ones that correspond to what DD is learning in school. THey often have to do writing assignments about topics, but the online resources are abysmal!

OP here. They do correspond to common core as well.

If you can afford it - buy all of them over a period of time. It is around 150 titles and each cost around 5 bucks. I created a spreadsheet and would buy titles on sale (around 2 bucks) and cross them off. I can assure you that these are addictive and something that you keep going back to.

I used them as a curriculum guide and text and the kids had to finish one a week. I would also print out the teacher supplemental resources and they would tackle those too. In 3 years, they can be very well informed about a lot of topics. I suggest use it during middle school years because the quality of education in MCPS (and the country) is very poor in MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

The kidsdiscover magazines look great!

I think I'm going to start buying the ones that correspond to what DD is learning in school. THey often have to do writing assignments about topics, but the online resources are abysmal!

OP here. They do correspond to common core as well.

If you can afford it - buy all of them over a period of time. It is around 150 titles and each cost around 5 bucks. I created a spreadsheet and would buy titles on sale (around 2 bucks) and cross them off. I can assure you that these are addictive and something that you keep going back to.

I used them as a curriculum guide and text and the kids had to finish one a week. I would also print out the teacher supplemental resources and they would tackle those too. In 3 years, they can be very well informed about a lot of topics. I suggest use it during middle school years because the quality of education in MCPS (and the country) is very poor in MS.

Thank you for the specifics! My oldest is in 5th and it seems like it would be a great thing to do in MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

The kidsdiscover magazines look great!

I think I'm going to start buying the ones that correspond to what DD is learning in school. THey often have to do writing assignments about topics, but the online resources are abysmal!

OP here. They do correspond to common core as well.

If you can afford it - buy all of them over a period of time. It is around 150 titles and each cost around 5 bucks. I created a spreadsheet and would buy titles on sale (around 2 bucks) and cross them off. I can assure you that these are addictive and something that you keep going back to.

I used them as a curriculum guide and text and the kids had to finish one a week. I would also print out the teacher supplemental resources and they would tackle those too. In 3 years, they can be very well informed about a lot of topics. I suggest use it during middle school years because the quality of education in MCPS (and the country) is very poor in MS.

Would these be appropriate for a younger age? I have a child currently in K—is this the sort of thing I could read to her, or would I need to wait a few years?

[Anonymous]

How much time do you spend supplementing? They’re already in school for so much of the day and then have to do homework. Kids do need some downtime!

Wish MoCo would just switch to the Core Knowledge curiculum. Anyone know if they’re considering it? It worries me that the same dude that screwed up last time still plays a major role in this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op again.

(phew...third post on this thread!)

1) For Science, Social studies and ELA. I would suggest http://www.kidsdiscover.com/ - buy all their print titles. They are amazing source of information. I also am an avid reader of these magazines and they are excellent. Well presented, well written, very well explained, very entertaining information on any one topic. It is like a seminar by several professors on one topic that will make you understand most everything about that topic. Brilliant.

Then, I suggest you look at the teacher resources associated with those and other online resources on the their website. I will repeat again. It is a brilliant magazine.

2) Another choice (in my opinion though, nothing comes near kids discover), age and interest appropriate magazines from the Cricket magazines website. https://shop.cricketmedia.com/all-childrens-magazine-subscriptions.html We started when they were very young and continued till they were in 6th grade.


These were the only two magazines that while age-appropriate, were not gimmicky or dumbed down ( Ranger Rick and Nat Geo Kid is too juvenile and dumbed down in the guise of an kid's magazine)

The kidsdiscover magazines look great!

I think I'm going to start buying the ones that correspond to what DD is learning in school. THey often have to do writing assignments about topics, but the online resources are abysmal!

OP here. They do correspond to common core as well.

If you can afford it - buy all of them over a period of time. It is around 150 titles and each cost around 5 bucks. I created a spreadsheet and would buy titles on sale (around 2 bucks) and cross them off. I can assure you that these are addictive and something that you keep going back to.

I used them as a curriculum guide and text and the kids had to finish one a week. I would also print out the teacher supplemental resources and they would tackle those too. In 3 years, they can be very well informed about a lot of topics. I suggest use it during middle school years because the quality of education in MCPS (and the country) is very poor in MS.

Would these be appropriate for a younger age? I have a child currently in K—is this the sort of thing I could read to her, or would I need to wait a few years?

Absolutely. Buy it, read to her, the teaching resources are not high level (even if the material in the magazine is) and a child in K can certainly do some of the easy work if they want. I did the same for both my kids. You can buy the entire lot (150 titles for $500) at one go.

The material in the magazine is very well presented. It is something that can be used by kids as well as adults. When you read to your children, they are also picking up vocabulary, pronunciation etc.

I think the magazines are very helpful to adults too, to become better informed about a lot of topics. Besides it is an easy, engaging and interesting read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much time do you spend supplementing? They’re already in school for so much of the day and then have to do homework. Kids do need some downtime!

Wish MoCo would just switch to the Core Knowledge curriculum. Anyone know if they’re considering it? It worries me that the same dude that screwed up last time still plays a major role in this.

How much time we spend supplementing during the school year? Surprisingly, very little.

My kids have always finished homework at school because there is a lot of free time in school. In the rare days that they have to do homework, that is the first thing that they tackle. In ES and MS, the amount of homework is shockingly little, as long as your kids have learned to do it in the school. My kids usually finish worksheets within minutes of being handed in the classroom, and so do their peers.

When I did teach them from pre-K to 5th grade, it was not more than 30 -40 minutes a day. The magazines were seen as fun and they did not realize that it was educational. I subscribed the magazines in their names and they were pretty happy to get them by mail. Since we always followed the core knowledge curriculum (even before 2.0) we only ever needed to do minimal work. The key is to consistently evaluate where they are lacking and intervene before it is too late.. Make sure you have some textbooks even if MCPS says that there are none. There are high performing school districts, so google what textbooks they are using, or even browse Amazon for it.

Majority of hard core supplementing is done during summer break. It is the time to really evaluate where they are and get them help if needed or acceleration if that is the next steo. For the past 20 years, I have pretty much cherry picked curriculum from more than one source and used it.

[Anonymous]

OP, K parent above and can't thank you enough for the Kids Discover recommendation. I think my child will be really into the titles--and they have some for younger readers that she may be able to read on her own, or do so soon enough. We get a ton of fiction at home, but she seems to get really excited for non-fiction, and this will be a great option.

I wanted to let others know that I found a coupon for 30% off the first order, which can be applied to the whole set. So even with the expensive shipping (10% of the order total), the full set is $345. Use coupon code TRYKD30

Thanks again, OP! I also ordered the Core Knowledge Series you recommended and am going to check out some of the math resources.