Using the Lesson Plans
by Ginny Seuffert

I was as clueless as a newborn babe when I decided to homeschool over twenty years ago. Virtually no one was home schooling in those days, at least no one I knew. There were not many materials to choose from, and I had no idea where to start. My first year I was going to be teaching a 4th grader, 3rd grader, 1st grader and kindergarten student, and I had a toddler and a newborn. I was a high school graduate, with only one year of college, and no classroom experience. What to do?

I enrolled my children in Seton Home Study School so they could teach me how to teach. This many years later I am still grateful for the academic rigor and the Catholic materials, but it was the lesson plans that started me on a steady course.

The lesson plans are the motivation that many newly enrolling parents cite when they first sign up their children. They are also the source of some occasional confusion, and I am often asked how parents can make the best use of Seton’s lesson plans. There is a many-faceted answer to that question.

The Lesson Plans as Guides

Many parents—like me twenty years ago—have no idea how to proceed with teaching their own children. The lesson plans will guide you every step of the way. General goals are given for each subject, with tips and ideas to present the material. You get an estimate of how much time you should spend on each subject, and what the student should expect to achieve during class time. If you have no idea where to start, Seton’s lesson plans are the place.

The Lesson Plans as Lifesavers

Often, when students reach the middle years of 4th and 5th grade, mom begins to panic. The children can read just fine, but she has no idea how to teach them to write about what they have read. History has been fun projects up to now, but she wonders how to organize it systematically so the children can get ready for advanced study.

This is where the lesson plans can save the day. The serious book reports that begin in 4th grade teach the children to analyze fine literature, organize their ideas, and put them on paper, all in a gentle, age-appropriate manner. English, as a separate subject, teaches them the rules of composition. American history, from the Native Americans crossing the land bridge from Asia until the end of the Reagan Administration, is presented in a two-year organized course of study.

The complex job of teaching all the disciplines, often to multiple age groups, becomes possible with the lesson plans.

The Lesson Plans as Tutor

An experienced mom may proceed with little reference to the lesson plans. Years of homeschooling have educated Mom along with the children. She knows that if Janey has finished the “nouns” section of English for Young Catholics with high grades, then she has a solid understanding of nouns. On the other hand, what is Mom to do if Janey does not grasp the concept of nouns?

Mom needs to open the lesson plan, and check out the days in the English section where the concept of nouns is introduced. There she will find explanations and ideas about presenting the material in a clear manner that is suitable for just that grade.

The lesson plans advise the parent who wonders how a student should sit during handwriting practice. They give parents questions to stimulate interest in the stories in the Faith and Freedom readers. They provide extra practice in phonics. They list sentences for diagramming practice. They provide a Catholic perspective for courses when Seton has not been able to locate Catholic texts. They give study guides for tests, and checklists for written assignments. The list goes on and on.

Seton lesson plans are like having a private tutor on call.

The Lesson Plans as a Launching Pad

My 1st grade daughter figured out the concept of “carrying” in addition without ever being taught. Another daughter had read all three readers before October of 3rd grade. My grandson memorized all the planets in order from the sun when he was still 3. Another grandson had finished Calculus AB before he turned 12. One of my sons taught himself to read at 3½. Let’s face it! Some children are naturally bright and intellectually curious, and these children can present quite a challenge for Mom.

Some parents address this by advancing up a grade or two in some or all subjects. This is certainly appropriate in math. If a 2nd grader already knows his times tables, it is pretty hard to “enrich” that! It also can be a good idea to tinker with grade level if, for example, two children are close in age.

On the other hand, often the preferred way to handle an eager learner is to expand the learning horizontally, not vertically. In other words, rather than advance your 3rd grader to 4th grade reading, take a look at the 3rd grade supplemental reading list at the end of the reading lesson plans. Perhaps your advanced reader can read most, or even all, of the books.

The same concept can be applied to other subjects. If students are studying the Civil War, for example, the history lesson plans will often suggest getting a biography of Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee from the public library. Some of our students find it enough of a challenge just to complete assigned text work, but these recommendations are perfect for the enthusiastic learner.

Do not believe for a minute that keeping your bright child in an age-appropriate grade will hold him or her back academically. Quite the opposite! Any student who reads a significant number of books off the reading list, or who is enriching history or science lessons with ideas from the lesson plans will advance very nicely.

Let the lesson plans be your student’s launching pad to academic excellence.

The Lesson Plan as Insurance

Many parents worry that their home schooling may “miss” an essential component of the students’ education. My own feeling is that enrollment in the Seton program alone should give parents confidence that their curriculum follows nationally accepted standards. On the other hand, some parents fret that their own presentation of the material is not clear or thorough enough. The lesson plans are written, reviewed, and revised by professionals who have experience with the unique dynamic of home school. Take a look at the overview at the beginning of each course’s lesson plans. Reread them from time to time. You will reassure yourself that your students are getting a top-flight education.

The Lesson Plan as Your Slave, not Your Master

Seton’s lesson plans are a tool to help parents teach their children and they are hugely beneficial. On the other hand, if some assignments seem repetitive, or a bit high, or low, for your child’s ability level, feel free to modify them.

If your second grader can spell most of the words in this week’s lesson, you might only assign the page that requires him match the word with the meaning, and then administer an oral test. If your 7th grader has memorized most of the Baltimore Catechism, perhaps give an oral pre-quiz, and then only drill the questions that were not perfect.

Never forget that even though we ask you to send the lesson plans back at the end of the school year, we expect you to use them as your own. Feel free to cross out unnecessary work, and highlight, circle, or place an asterisk next to work that absolutely, positively must be done. Put notes in certain sections like, “See Mom” or, “Do this quiz orally with Dad.”

A Seton counselor is always only a phone call away, but often your problems can be solved by checking the lesson plans first. It is an essential tool for successful education in the home.

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