How to Use 7SistersHomeschool Curriculum

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How to Use 7SistersHomeschool Curriculum

If you have never used 7Sisters curriculum, you might wonder: Why is it so different from many high school textbooks?

Years ago, we found that our homeschool high schoolers, and their peers in our homeschool co-op and umbrella school classes had BIG opinions on many of their textbooks. They felt like many of the texts (if we could find a text for the topic they were interested in) were boring: over-teaching material with busywork rather than substance that was meaningful to them.

Not only that, we had many different kinds of teens (as you have probably noticed, every teen is unique). Some were college-bound, others were interested in trades or military. Some were excited about literature (or other subjects) and wanted to delve in deeply. Others just wanted the bare minimum they needed for graduation.

SO, we created curriculum that teens approved!

All 7SistersHomeschool curriculum is unique in that it:

• Has no busywork

  • (thus chapters tend to be shorter without filler material)

• Doesn’t kill the subject

  • this is especially important in literature guides and textbooks, where topics are curated to help teens learn what they need to know but not EVERYTHING they need to know.
  • We know they have the rest of their lives to learn everything. In the meantime, we want them to enjoy their courses rather than burden them with overteaching.

• Is written in a light-hearted manner rather than “serious textbook voice”:

  • (where ever that is appropriate for the topic being discussed)

• Is adaptable (we call it “level-able”)

  • Curriculum is written at Level 3 (College Prep) with information on leveling up to Level 4 Advanced or Level 5 Honors for those who need more powerful credits on their transcripts- or simply are interested in further exploring a topic.

• Have a choice of Christian worldview curriculum or, for those in states that reimburse- curriculum that is acceptable for reimbursement.

  • All of our curriculum is created from a Christian worldview.
    • However, it is never preachy- teens do not generally appreciate being preached at.
  • On the other hand, we know that states that reimburse have a different set of guidelines. Therefore, we created editions of many of our 7Sisters curriculum that can meet reimbursement requirements.

• Is digital

  • 7Sisters curriculum comes in downloadable pdf format. Many of the guides are editable so that teens can easily complete material without leaving their digital scene.
  • This keeps the price reasonable and helps teens who are college bound prepare for their digital college textbooks.

That’s why lots of teens think 7Sisters curriculum is da bomb!

How to use 7SistersHomeschool curriculum

First things first:

In case you never heard this yet: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! 

We will give you guidelines, but you know what is right for your unique teen! That’s one reason you are homeschooling- to do what is best for your teens. Therefore, if you want to use 7Sisters curriculum in totally different ways, go for it!

With that in mind, here are some guidelines for using 7Sisters curriculum:

• When you purchase 7Sisters curriculum, be sure to download by:

  • Clicking on the link on your checkout page
  • Or in the email that you will receive about your purchase

• Save the pdf(s)

  • Parents often rename the pdf files to a name that is easy for them to remember
    • Be sure you have both the text and parent information/Answer Key files identified
  • They also often open a new folder on their desktop
  • Parent will often email that file to their teen so the teen can have it directly on their computer

• Note that there are two kinds of curriculum files

  • Some curriculum is simply one textbook plus the answer key
    • You can also download a freebie syllabus from the store
  • English/Language Arts curriculum can purchased as
    • Separate/individual literature guides and writing guides
    • OR as full-year/full-credit bundles
      • These contain zip files of:
        • Literature Guides
        • Writing Guides
        • Speech activities
        • Bonus material like Grammar Granules.

• Your family members can share the file within the family

• No need to purchase separate texts for each teen

• However, for co-ops, group classes and micro-schools, we have a special discount, since each student will need a copy of the text

  • Contact us for details

Now that your curriculum is downloaded and saved, it is time to prepare to use it!

This can be the fun part!

• Discuss goals with your teens:

  • We do not recommend simply downloading curriculum and handing it off to your teens without discussing your goals and their goals for that curriculum:
  • What level credit are they aiming for?
    • Check out this post for more information on different levels of academic rigor.
  • Specify the time frame for completion (nine months, one semester, twelve months)?

• Look over the parent information in the curriculum together- don’t skip this :)

  • Discuss how to achieve the agreed upon level, according to the parent information included
  • Read over the background information which will explain the purpose of the text along with key information about the course
  • Talk about assigning grades
    • There are suggested guidelines in some texts, but remember you can choose what is best for your teens.
  • Decide on record keeping
    • Who is keeping what and where?
  • If you will be using the free syllabus that can be downloaded (or is included in some ELA bundles), will you need to adapt it to family needs?
    • Discuss syllabus use with your teens.
    • Along with this, talk about times of day/schedules that your teen might best follow.
      • Here’s a post on time management for teens.
  • Agree on how often they will do a progress check with you.
    • Will you sit down and discuss material daily, weekly, monthly?

Remember, you are homeschooling to do what is best for your teens. You might change syllabus, grading or anything as the year progresses. That’s totally fine!

Homeschool parents, you can do this! Homeschooling high school years can be the best years yet. If you need help, there is a lovely community at 7SistersHomeschool on Facebook. Hop over there and ask questions! Or fire off a question to [email protected].

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