Homeschool Planning
Weekly plans, six-week units, standards, portfolios, and mixed ages.
These articles are for homeschool families who want The Little Thesis to fit a real schedule. I lay out a five-day plan that covers all six chapters in one week, a six-week unit with one chapter per week, and ways to teach siblings of different ages from the same pages. You'll also see how the book connects to math, reading, and writing, how it supports practices in NGSS, Common Core, and the AASL Standards Framework, what to keep for a portfolio, and how to check understanding without giving a test. One honest note before you plan: homeschool record rules vary a lot, so check your own state's rules or your umbrella program before deciding what to save. My main planning tip is to let your child choose one question early and carry it all the way through to a presentation at the end.
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Can I use The Little Thesis for a one-week homeschool unit?
Yes. A five-day week covers all six chapters: one question on Monday, background reading Tuesday, a plan Wednesday, an experiment Thursday, and a poster Friday.
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How do I plan a six-week research unit?
Give each chapter its own week, with two or three 30 to 45 minute sessions. Your child carries one question from curiosity all the way to a presentation.
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Does The Little Thesis align with educational standards?
It supports practices in NGSS, Common Core, and the AASL Standards Framework: asking questions, planning investigations, analyzing data, reading and writing.
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How do I document this for our homeschool portfolio?
Keep the colored pages, a simple research notebook, the finished poster, and a short dated note for each chapter. Together they show the whole research process.
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Can I teach siblings of different ages together?
Yes. Everyone shares the same chapter and question, and each child works at their own level: younger kids color and talk, older kids write, measure, and graph.
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How does this fit with math, reading, and other subjects?
Each chapter reaches past science: reading sources in Chapter 2, graphing in Chapter 5, writing and presenting in Chapter 6. It counts toward several subjects.
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How can I tell what my child understands without a test?
Ask your child to tell you the story of a colored page, then ask one question about the research step. Their answer shows what they understand.