{"id":16,"date":"2020-08-26T22:41:26","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T22:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy-org.ulmer-engineering.com\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2026-07-21T20:17:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T20:17:22","slug":"frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/?page_id=16","title":{"rendered":"Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"16\" class=\"elementor elementor-16\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ab89eb9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ab89eb9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0869df8\" data-id=\"0869df8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c117f8 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"2c117f8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#General\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-apple-alt\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">General\/All Grades<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e2acbfa\" data-id=\"e2acbfa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7496d8a elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7496d8a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#Preschool\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"far fa-smile\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Preschool<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2ceaa53\" data-id=\"2ceaa53\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1611cc9 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"1611cc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#Kindergarten\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"far fa-edit\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Kindergarten<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1a0ee3c\" data-id=\"1a0ee3c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f6936f2 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"f6936f2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#2nd\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"far fa-paper-plane\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">2nd Grade<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d03ba90 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d03ba90\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ab326fb\" data-id=\"ab326fb\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5907c24 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"5907c24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#5th\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-book\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">5th Grade<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4425a56\" data-id=\"4425a56\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd1e3fc elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"fd1e3fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#Grade8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-highlighter\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">8th Grade<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-647065b\" data-id=\"647065b\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d9a11a8 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"d9a11a8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#highschool\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-graduation-cap\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">High School<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a98bd42\" data-id=\"a98bd42\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73e0500 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"73e0500\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-size-sm\" role=\"button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Coming Soon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-32e36aa elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"32e36aa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fee3523\" data-id=\"fee3523\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d8baea2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"d8baea2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"General\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d07d788 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d07d788\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-592f3fd\" data-id=\"592f3fd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-33b4557 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"33b4557\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>What grades does your curriculum cover?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have built curriculum for Preschool through grade 8.&nbsp; However, we also supplement our own curriculum with other online programs beginning in middle school.&nbsp; The programs we use for these grades, as well as a schedule for them, is listed on individual grade pages.&nbsp; This curriculum is formed around Utah State Core Standards.&nbsp; We list the standards we are teaching with each lesson.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is an \u201cEveryday Thing\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>An Everyday Thing is something we do every day.&nbsp; In our home daily say prayers, study scriptures, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, check and record the weather on a weather chart, update our calendar by adding and discussing the date, write in our journals, do home chores, and spend time reading.&nbsp; Journal prompts are listed in the weekly lesson schedules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell me about the schedule.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The daily weekly schedule is a \u201cto do\u201d list for each day.&nbsp; Parents and children will work together through the lessons and tasks listed each day.&nbsp; School is held Monday-Thursday.&nbsp; Friday is a catch up day meant to provide time to go back to any assignments that didn\u2019t get finished throughout the week.&nbsp; Fridays are also used to complete field trips, visit the library, work on necessary reviews, or do additional research as needed.&nbsp; In high school, this schedule changes slightly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are monthly goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Monthly goals are the standards that we are focusing on for that month.&nbsp; They are listed just under the heading for each month and consist of both Media Literacy standards, which we focus on when we attend the library on Fridays, and English Language Arts, which we focus on in journal writing and daily reading.&nbsp; These goals don\u2019t have their own lesson plans attached but are practiced, corrected, and reviewed as we do our daily activities.&nbsp; A great way to do this is to have a copy of the monthly goals with your child\u2019s journal and as he\/she reads.&nbsp; You can then focus on one or two of the standards for each activity every week.&nbsp; This is a great way to cover standards while your child does their daily things and without adding a structured lesson.&nbsp; Each month, we start new goals in these areas and our journal writing, reading, and library visits shift focus to the new goals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where are the journal prompts and what do they teach?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Prompts for journal writing can be found in the \u201cweekly lesson schedule\u201d for your grade.&nbsp; Although we provide suggestions, feel free to write about anything you want.&nbsp; We use journals to practice handwriting, self-expression, reflection, and writing skills.&nbsp; We daily correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation in journals and work to get better every day.&nbsp; This is where a lot of our ELA standards are found.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a Monday Mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We decided that our children\u2019s education would focus on the whole child.&nbsp; We encourage our children to always spend time practicing their beliefs, even during school.&nbsp; So, we made a small act of service a part of every week\u2019s school goals.&nbsp; Monday Missions are meant to be done during the week on the child\u2019s own timing.&nbsp; They are fun ways to encourage thinking of others.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What foreign language does your curriculum cover?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our family decided that American Sign Language is where we want to start so our curriculum reflects that.&nbsp; We work together as a family to learn each lesson.&nbsp; We have fun \u201cfinals\u201d each semester which consist of our family learning the signs for a song we choose and performing it together for friends and family.&nbsp; When our children reach middle school, they enroll in online programs that allow for the practice of other languages offered.&nbsp; This continues into high school.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why don\u2019t you have many dance, drama, sports, or music lessons?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We try to incorporate these items into our curriculum as much as possible and think they are very important.&nbsp; However, our family participates in these lessons through community programs and we feel that those more than cover what we miss.&nbsp; We participate in acting lessons, dance classes, recreational sports, and instrument lessons and have found that those cover the standards very well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are mini lessons?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mini lessons are short, simple lessons about specific themes our family finds important.&nbsp; Some are grade specific while others are repeated each year, adjusting it to the child as he\/she grows.&nbsp; Mini lessons can be found in the mini lesson document and gives tips, guidance, and resources but leaves the teaching up to you and what you are comfortable with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about physical activity and physical education standards?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We participate in sports and cover our standards that way.&nbsp; However, we try to do something active each day.&nbsp; We play outside or do an indoor workout video in order to get moving.&nbsp; We also take time to do Brain Breaks during our school day.&nbsp; These short 5-10 minute videos (search on YouTube) help give our bodies and minds a break during long sessions of learning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is \u201creview and\/or update your goals\u201d?&nbsp; What goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Utah state standards use the SMART goal system.&nbsp; Our family has implemented this into our school day by making a list of monthly goals.&nbsp; These goals may include anything that is important to your child including goals in sports, fitness, school, reading, writing, grades, crafts, music, dance, self-control, chores, reading scriptures, or completing a large task.&nbsp; In our family, mom and dad make and work towards goals, too.&nbsp; We each have a board to write our goals on, erasing them as they are completed.&nbsp; Each month, we reflect on our progress and adjust our actions to better finish the ones we haven&#8217;t completed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a SMART goal?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The state of Utah using the <a href=\"https:\/\/healthcare.utah.edu\/wellness\/pdfs\/smart-goals-2018.pdf\">SMART goal system<\/a> to teach children methods of setting, planning, and reflecting upon goals.&nbsp; SMART is short for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.&nbsp; Each month when we update goals, we use these measurements to discuss progress and methods of completing goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you teach keyboarding skills?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our children are using various online programs to learn proper keyboarding.&nbsp; They practice once each week and by the end of the year this practice covers all the grade-level keyboarding standards.&nbsp; As they get older they also spend time typing out reports and using online search engines.&nbsp; This gives them additional keyboarding practice that is useful.<\/p>\n<p>In public schools, keyboarding begins in 3<sup>rd<\/sup> grade officially with students learning how to log in and perform basic computer skills from Kindergarten.&nbsp; In kindergarten we use <a href=\"https:\/\/games.forkids.education\/keyboard-climber-2\/\">Keyboard Climber 2<\/a>, which teaches her both keyboarding skills as well as letters.&nbsp; The focus for this exercise is getting a kindergartner to understand that he\/she can find the correct button based on what he\/she is seeing on the screen.&nbsp; It can be found here:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In second\/third grade we use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.typing.com\/student\/game\/type-a-balloon\">Type a Balloon<\/a> , <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abcya.com\/games\/kids_typing_game\">Alpha Munchies<\/a>, and\/or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.typing.com\/student\/game\/keyboard-ninja\">Keyboard Ninja<\/a> &nbsp;and emphasize correct posture, hand placement, and technique.<\/p>\n<p>5<sup>th<\/sup> graders should know their basics and simply be working to improve their accuracy and speed.&nbsp; Games like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.primarygames.com\/holidays\/halloween\/games\/typeghosts\/\">The Typing of the Ghosts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.typing.com\/student\/game\/type-a-balloon\">Type a Balloon<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/games.sense-lang.org\/typingchefEN.php\">Typing Chef<\/a> are great for those goals.<\/p>\n<p>We also use Mickey&#8217;s Typing Adventure and Typing Instructor for Kids to improve and test typing skills.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, elementary school children are expected to begin to learn coding skills.&nbsp; We use Scratch Jr., Scratch, and Python.&nbsp; In middle school, we enroll them in online coding classes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why aren\u2019t science lessons as regularly scheduled as other subjects?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Science lessons take a lot of time and materials.&nbsp; They take complete focus from both child and parent.&nbsp; With several children at home and a crazy schedule, I (and most families) simply cannot create huge science experiences for every child every week.<\/p>\n<p>Science lessons are designed to be moved around according to your schedule.&nbsp; You don\u2019t have to do them on the date that they show up on the weekly schedule\u2026that is just a guideline.&nbsp; Weeks without science lessons in one grade give you the chance to focus on science with a child in another grade.&nbsp; This ensures all children at all grade levels can cover their science standards in a fun and interactive way.<\/p>\n<p>These lessons usually teach a single (or very few) concept and build on each other.&nbsp; Each lesson is meant to be a review of the previous ones.&nbsp; We also encourage you to discuss, point out examples of, and allow your child to ask questions and research their interests throughout the week.&nbsp; This helps with retention of information and allows your child to see what they are learning is applicable to real-life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Bonus: Most lessons can be done with a group of children with some adjustment for each age level.&nbsp; Allow your older children to \u201cteacher assist\u201d lessons for younger ones or let younger ones join in the lessons for older children.&nbsp; Encourage children to teach each other; it\u2019s the best way to learn.&nbsp; This helps communication, group problem solving, and social skills.&nbsp; Learn together as a family!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why is it important to plan ahead?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s always a good idea to plan ahead, but especially in teaching.&nbsp; You want to be sure you have all the supplies and that you know exactly what you are teaching.&nbsp; I plan at the end of the month for the upcoming month, making sure I\u2019m ready to go.&nbsp; School runs more smoothly and the kiddos aren\u2019t waiting around for me during school time while I figure something out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the 100th Day of School Celebration?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is a simple, but fun way to celebrate completing 100 days of school and a great way for younger students to practice counting to 100.&nbsp; You may want to organize a special outfit with 100 dots on it, eat 100 pieces of a special treat, create a 100 square hopscotch, jump rope 100 times, or anything else that helps you count to 100.&nbsp; There are tons of cute ideas online&#8230;just search for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a Monthly Read-a-thon?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Each month (usually the 2nd Friday of the month), we have a 1- hour read-a-thon.&nbsp; Children are encouraged to get comfy, grab a few snacks, and curl up quietly with some good books.&nbsp; I also allow YouTube videos of books being read for younger students.&nbsp; This is a chance to make reading a special and fun time and get some extra stories in.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why doesn&#8217;t the schedule match up for this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I create the schedules for the most current year I used the curriculum in my own family.&nbsp; This means that the dates and scripture study schedule may not be current.&nbsp; The curriculum should still line up with the normal school schedule, you will just have to decide on your dates and fill in the correct scriptures study assignments.&nbsp; Some holiday lessons may need to be moved around to the correct dates as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c950dc4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c950dc4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-71e786a\" data-id=\"71e786a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11f29f5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"11f29f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"Preschool\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c1d6f24 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c1d6f24\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e094793\" data-id=\"e094793\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11c52a6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11c52a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Preschool<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Why do preschool and kindergarten lessons have themes?<\/strong><\/p><p>Early learning is best done through real-life experiences.\u00a0 The lessons mean more and are retained better if they connect to what is happening in the moment.\u00a0 So, our preschool and kindergarten curriculum revolves around themes which reflect what is happening in the world at that time.\u00a0 Standards are taken into account and listed with each lesson.<\/p><p><strong>What is center time?<\/strong><\/p><p>Center time is a part of the day created for learning through child-centered play.\u00a0 It is meant to be open-ended with little to no instruction.\u00a0 The activities are created in a way that they encourage natural learning through play.\u00a0 Young children learn best through play as it encourages them to interact with things they are interested in and problem solve at their own level.\u00a0 Center time can be anywhere from 15 minutes to hours long, depending upon the interest level of your child and your family schedule.\u00a0 Center time is a great way to get your little one learning on their own while you help older children with their work.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ccb6314 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ccb6314\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-147a4ec\" data-id=\"147a4ec\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-66aca57 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"66aca57\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"Kindergarten\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0b217ba elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0b217ba\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0ca1601\" data-id=\"0ca1601\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a98717 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a98717\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong style=\"font-style: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-style ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-text-letter-spacing ); text-transform: var( --e-global-typography-text-text-transform );\">Kindergarten<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Why do preschool and kindergarten lessons have themes?<\/strong><\/p><p>Early learning is best done through real-life experiences.\u00a0 The lessons mean more and are retained better if they connect to what is happening in the moment.\u00a0 So, our preschool and kindergarten curriculum revolves around themes which reflect what is happening in the world at that time.\u00a0 Standards are taken into account and listed with each lesson.<\/p><p><b>How does a kindergartner write in a journal?<\/b><\/p><p>This will depend upon where you kindergartner is at.\u00a0 In the beginning, he\/she will probably just draw a picture in response to the prompt.\u00a0 Scribbling is OK, too.\u00a0 Help him\/her to label their picture or scribbles with a simple one-word description, asking them to trace or copy what you write.\u00a0 As the year progresses, ask your child to use more words in their responses.\u00a0 Help them by writing out a complete sentence and allowing them to trace or copy it on their own.\u00a0 Focus on effort and correct letter formation (backwards is OK sometimes).<\/p><p><strong>Why do you use Leap Frog Letter Factory so often?<\/strong><\/p><p>I know.\u00a0 Playing a video seems like lazy teaching.\u00a0 Normally, I\u2019d agree with you.\u00a0 With few exceptions, I keep media out of my teaching.\u00a0 This is one of those exceptions, but for a very good reason.<\/p><p>I once taught in a K\/1 combination special education class.\u00a0 That year the teachers of those grades decided to test a theory they had.\u00a0 With special permission from the principle, they assessed every child for letter and sound recognition.\u00a0 After assessment was done every classroom played the Leap Frog video once a day for their students.\u00a0 After a month the children were re-assessed.\u00a0 Letter and sound recognition shot up by 80%.\u00a0 It worked in mainstream classes as well as special education.\u00a0 It worked for students who were struggling as well as those who were already keeping up.\u00a0 There is something about that video that just makes sense to kids.\u00a0 I\u2019ve used it to teach my own children and I\u2019ve found that it is the most efficient way to get my kids to learn those letters and sounds.<\/p><p><strong>What is buddy reading?<\/strong><\/p><p>For preschool and kindergarten, we buddy read.\u00a0 We have an adult or older sibling read with our little ones, allowing them to ask and answer questions, learn how to follow along the text, and enjoy the pictures.\u00a0 We focus on enjoying story time and make it fun, allowing our little one to choose which story they want to read.<\/p><p><strong>What is center time?<\/strong><\/p><p>Center time is a part of the day created for learning through child-centered play.\u00a0 It is meant to be open-ended with little to no instruction.\u00a0 The activities are created in a way that they encourage natural learning through play.\u00a0 Young children learn best through play as it encourages them to interact with things they are interested in and problem solve at their own level.\u00a0 Center time can be anywhere from 15 minutes to hours long, depending upon the interest level of your child and your family schedule.\u00a0 Center time is a great way to get your little one learning on their own while you help older children with their work.<\/p><p><strong>What books do I need for Kindergarten?<\/strong><\/p><p>My First Book of Mormon Stories (Deanna Draper Buck)<\/p><p>More of My First Book of Mormon Stories (Deanna Draper Buck)<\/p><p>A Basic Course in American Sign Language (Tom Humphries)<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1635785049\/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1\">Tracing Letters and Numbers<\/a> : 200 Practice Pages: Workbook for Preschool, Kindergarten, and Kids Ages 3-5\u00a0<\/p><p>Each weekly theme calls for 4 different books with some lessons requiring certain books. Most lessons can use any book from that theme. I&#8217;ve found the best way to do this is to visit the library each week. If you have a home library you will likely have several books you can use, too.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3837789 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3837789\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b96e6bc\" data-id=\"b96e6bc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-508cdba elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"508cdba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"2nd\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5e8db1e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5e8db1e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3a0b3bb\" data-id=\"3a0b3bb\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba3f6fb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ba3f6fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong style=\"font-style: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-style ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-text-letter-spacing ); text-transform: var( --e-global-typography-text-text-transform );\">2<sup>nd<\/sup> Grade<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>\u00a0What is 2<sup>nd<\/sup> \u00a0grade reading comprehension?<\/strong><\/p><p>By 2<sup>nd<\/sup> grade, our kids can read at grade level or above.\u00a0 We ask them to daily read a grade-level story aloud to us.\u00a0 Then, we ask them questions about the story.\u00a0 Who were the characters? What did they do?\u00a0 What problem did they face?\u00a0 Where were they?\u00a0 Sometimes we also ask them to re-tell the story in their own words.<\/p><p><strong>What are sight words and why are they important?<\/strong><\/p><p>As your child is learning to read it is important for them to recognize and read from memory (not phonetically sound out) sight words.\u00a0 These are words that are either common in text or that do not follow the rules of phonetics.\u00a0 Starting in first grade, our family beings introducing sight words.\u00a0 Some children are ready for these in Kindergarten.\u00a0 You can find a list of Fry Sight Words <a href=\"https:\/\/sightwords.com\/sight-words\/fry\/#lists\">here<\/a>. \u00a0 We practice about ten words a week using flash cards and writing exercises.\u00a0 The goal is to have your child be able to \u201cread\u201d the word because they have memorized the shape.\u00a0 If they can\u2019t tell you what the word is in less than two seconds, they haven\u2019t mastered that sight word.\u00a0 Each week we add new words, taking away those that are mastered.\u00a0 After a few years, our children have mastered every sight word, allowing them to read with more fluency, accuracy, and speed.<\/p><p><strong>How do I teach spelling words?<\/strong><\/p><p>Each week in 2<sup>nd<\/sup> grade we practice spelling words.\u00a0 These are common words and words that are often misspelled.\u00a0 We practice Monday-Wednesday.\u00a0 On Monday, we do rainbow words, asking our child to spell out each word three times, each in a different color.\u00a0 Tuesday and Wednesday we give a mock spelling test where we ask our child to spell the word out once without looking and correct any mistakes.\u00a0 On Thursday we have a final spelling test, asking our child to write the word perfectly without looking.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b844aca elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b844aca\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f1f0e43\" data-id=\"f1f0e43\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-76aee27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"76aee27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"5th\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5098208 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5098208\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b22c252\" data-id=\"b22c252\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d4b6d66 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d4b6d66\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p><strong style=\"font-style: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-style ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-text-letter-spacing ); text-transform: var( --e-global-typography-text-text-transform );\">5<sup>th<\/sup> Grade<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>What is 5<sup>th<\/sup> grade silent reading?<\/strong><\/p><p>We allow our 5<sup>th<\/sup> graders to read on their own at grade-level or above.\u00a0 We ask them to spend time each day reading through chapter books of their choice.\u00a0 When they finish a story, they give us a verbal book report, re-telling what happened.<\/p><p><strong>What is the economics fair for 5<sup>th<\/sup> graders?<\/strong><\/p><p>In 5<sup>th<\/sup> grade many students learn about the economy.\u00a0 They learn the basics of building a small business, marketing, supply and demand, and how to make a profit.\u00a0 My daughter\u2019s public school does this through an economics fair.\u00a0 She\u2019s been looking forward to it for years.\u00a0 So, we decided to have our own.\u00a0 She will choose a product that she can make, research the cost and time associated with making it, make products, sell products, and review her cost to profit ratio.\u00a0 This is a project that will take a few months and will wrap up in January.\u00a0 We\u2019ve decided that late November and throughout December would be her best bet as selling because of the holidays.\u00a0 We plan to create an online business using social media ads.\u00a0 Another option may be a children\u2019s market in your area.\u00a0 Ours was closed for 2020 due to COVID-19<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e2d042a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e2d042a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b803f71\" data-id=\"b803f71\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-00e7f85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"00e7f85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"Grade8\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-961f359 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"961f359\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-156619f\" data-id=\"156619f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47d0b33 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"47d0b33\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-style: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-style ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-text-letter-spacing ); text-transform: var( --e-global-typography-text-text-transform );\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\">8th<\/span>&nbsp;Grade<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why does the schedule change in 8th grade?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 8th grade, we start to transition the children from mom-lead to full-time online school, which they will enter in high school.&nbsp; For this, we use the Acellus program, which you can learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acellus.com\/\">here<\/a>.&nbsp; This program has a monthly fee and provides pre-recorded lessons, along with assignments, tests, and quizzes for each subject.&nbsp; Before 8th grade, we use this program to supplement our own lesson plans.&nbsp; In 8th grade, we use this program almost exclusively.&nbsp; This allows older students to learn how to manage their time, keep up with grades, and interact with other teachers before entering high school.&nbsp; It also gives them a transcript and ensures they are up to speed with standards outside of the perspective of mom and dad.<\/p>\n<p><b>How do you supplement Acellus?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In 8th grade, each child begins to take control of their own education and take classes from those outside of our home.&nbsp; However, health lessons, history lessons, and fine arts lesson are supplemented, as we have found Acellus misses some important standards.&nbsp; We have linked our health supplemental lessons on the 8th grade page, along with supplemental history lessons.&nbsp; This allows us to fill in gaps and add lessons to the schedule.<\/p>\n<p>For fine arts, our children get to choose their course based on the standards found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uen.org\/core\/finearts\/\">here<\/a>. This means they can choose music, theatre, visual arts, media arts, or dance.&nbsp; It also means they may choose a combination of two of these subjects- one for each semester.&nbsp; Between local community classes and online classes at Udemy.com, we find a course that meets standards in their chosen subject and complete those throughout the year.&nbsp; Over the years, our children have choses dance classes at a local studio, watercolor classes online, leather working classes, and theatre productions through community groups.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What classes do you enroll your children in at Acellus?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 8th grade, our children are enrolled in Pre-Algebra, Grade 8 Language Arts, Introduction to U.S. History, Introduction to Geography, Physical Science, STEM 2, a foreign language of their choice, and Middle School Health.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong> &nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8cd3976 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8cd3976\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ff726a0\" data-id=\"ff726a0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f88581 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"7f88581\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"highschool\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-20da176 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"20da176\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4f749b7\" data-id=\"4f749b7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dafbc57 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dafbc57\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>High School<\/b><\/p><p><strong>Why did you switch to online school for high school?<\/strong><\/p><p>While homeschooling is important to us, we still want our children to learn how to interact with the world and be prepared for college, tech school, and the working world. We also wanted to give them an opportunity to interact with other children their age, earn a high school diploma, and deal with learning from a teacher outside of Mom and Dad while still being heavily involved in their education and supportive of their growth.\u00a0 Finally, we wanted to give our children a head-start with higher education and many online charter schools offer a concurrent enrollment program where students can take college classes from Utah schools and earn both high school and college credits at the same time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>Online charter schools were the happy middle ground in our state.\u00a0 These schools allow our children to take real-time classes with peers, talk to teachers, and complete assignments all from home.\u00a0 Their learning coach (mom) still teaches and steps in when there are questions, but assignments are graded by school staff, tutoring is available, and opportunities for socialization and leadership are present.\u00a0 The school we chose includes not only online live classes, but meet-ups, field trips, graduation, clubs, and a study body organization.\u00a0 This allows our kids study, use their leadership skills, and make friends across the state.\u00a0 We have found that these friends often meet in person outside of school.<\/p><p><strong>How much does it cost?<\/strong><\/p><p>Since these schools are public charter schools, there is no cost for attending.\u00a0 Certain activities and supplies needed may cost more, but school is free.\u00a0 Most schools even send a loaner laptop for your student to use, which is returned at the end of their school years.<\/p><p>Concurrent enrollment does come with a tuition fee, but it is far lower than the average cost of college tuition.\u00a0 My kids have completed and earned college (and high school) credits for as little as $15\/class, plus a $25 enrollment fee.<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>Where do I find more info?<\/strong><\/p><p>While you can search online for more info, I started at <a href=\"https:\/\/go.k12.com\/mps\/utah\/?st=ut&amp;product=public_schools_generic&amp;lead_source_detail=brand&amp;leadsource=paid_sem&amp;utm_campaign=UT-Brand-EM&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_initiative=&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_source=bing&amp;utm_term=k12&amp;utm_vendor=Microsoft&amp;phys_loc=94946&amp;acct_id=1441471&amp;ad_group=Main&amp;adgrp_id=1308419275046924&amp;camp_id=626472413&amp;int_loc=&amp;keyword_match=e&amp;keyword=&amp;kw_id=kwd-81776445291809%3Aloc-4128&amp;cust_id=X0982087&amp;cq_cmp=20810686203&amp;b_adgroup=Main&amp;b_adgroupid=1308419275046924&amp;b_adid=81776305092893&amp;b_campaign=UT-Brand-EM&amp;b_campaignid=626472413&amp;b_isproduct=&amp;b_productid=&amp;b_term=k12&amp;b_termid=kwd-81776445291809%3Aloc-4128&amp;gclid=7d4474e8a3041121dee81eb76ed6de5d&amp;gclsrc=3p.ds&amp;msclkid=7d4474e8a3041121dee81eb76ed6de5d&amp;adobe_mc=MCMID%3Dnone\">K12,<\/a> and simply entered my state and student&#8217;s info.\u00a0 Their search provided me with a list of schools to choose from and gave me contact information for each school.\u00a0 From there, we narrowed down our choices and talked to school officials.\u00a0 We were invited to enroll, attend an online open house, meet with high school counselors, and ask any questions.\u00a0 As these are accredited public schools, you can find more info, board meetings, factilty and staff, and reviews for each school online.<\/p><p><strong>What about extracurricular activities?<\/strong><\/p><p>While some of these online schools do provide activities, we found that it varies greatly from school to school.\u00a0 The school we chose provides a lot for younger children, but not as much in-person socialization or clubs for older kids.\u00a0 Luckily, the SBO is a big part of our student&#8217;s life and she has made friends there, which meet up for fun outings outside of school.<\/p><p>Additionally, we strive to keep our kids involved in their community and learning for fun.\u00a0 Community classes, sports, and activities allow them to make friends in-person.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General\/All Grades Preschool Kindergarten 2nd Grade 5th Grade 8th Grade High School Coming Soon What grades does your curriculum cover? We have built curriculum for Preschool through grade 8.&nbsp; However, we also supplement our own curriculum with other online programs beginning in middle school.&nbsp; The programs we use for these grades, as well as a schedule for them, is listed on individual grade pages.&nbsp; This curriculum is formed around Utah State Core Standards.&nbsp; We list the standards we are teaching&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_hostinger_reach_plugin_has_subscription_block":false,"_hostinger_reach_plugin_is_elementor":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3454,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions\/3454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixhomeacademy.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}