I didn’t even realize this was an official method for homeschooling, until I came across it in several sites with its own category listing. My kids and I have been notebooking (lapbooking) for a couple of years, and I can honestly say that it has taken on a life of its own. I wouldn’t call it a full-fledged method for us, but it is a significant part of our education!
Notebooking allows children to process what they learn by creating a kind of interactive journal. It is ideal for covering broad topics or literature units, as information can be disseminated into smaller parcels. The emphasis is on collecting and organizing information, and documenting student learning. It is very affordable – costing only the price of a few file folders, some paper and crayons, and your local library card.
Children who thrive with Notebooking:
love to follow their own interests
enjoy delving deep into an area of interest and exploring it more fully than their peers
have an interest in demonstrating or expanding their creativity
often enjoy hobbies or interests on their own
do not need to prove mastery of skills through written tests
are pleased with a tangible record of their achievements
At first glance, the Literature-Based Method might seem like the Charlotte Mason method, but it differs because of its more modern and broad approach.
Advocates of literature-based curriculum disdain the use of textbooks as being dry, boring, and unrelated to real life. They prefer to use “living books” – a hallmark of Charlotte Mason’s approach – but the selection is considerably wider. Historical fiction, first-person accounts (like diaries and journals), expert-authored topical texts, and of course, the classics, are among typical choices.
Homeschool Curriculum Advisor states that “usually a literature-based home schooling method will work quite well for you (at least you’ll have less stress in continuing on) if you:
want to have your child follow a set scope and sequence,
want to have general accountability for your child,
see a value in having your child love to read by reading books he or she will love to read,
want to be involved in the day-to-day process of your child’s education, through discussion that will draw out what your child is learning and perhaps controversial issues raised through the books.”
Literature-Based schooling is remarkably flexible, and able to encompass multiple teaching strategies, including Unit Studies and Notebooking/Lapbooking activities. Sonlight Home School Curriculum is probably the most well-known of the literature-based home school curriculums.
Classical Education doesn’t just mean studying the classics. Homeschoolers have adopted this philosophy of education to give their children a well-rounded knowledge base. Here’s the breakdown:
Originally used in ancient Greece, and in Europe during the Middle Ages
Based on the Trivium – a three-stage development theory that includes taking in knowledge, making connections from the facts acquired, and presenting opinions on the subject matter
Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric are key components of the Classical Method
Latin, the Socratic Method, and “Real” books (the great books of western civilization) are frequent players
Fans of Classical homeschooling tend to like structure and seek to evaluate their student’s learning based on national/state academic standards. They value education that focuses on the written word, and strive to develop good study habits early in a child’s life.
A typical teaching session finds the parent closely involved in the child’s learning activity, and utilizes book discussion, dictation, and the reaching of academic goals.
This rigorous curriculum generally produces an analytical approach to literature and history, heavy on debate and intellectual argument. The arts can suffer in the area of “appreciation” over “experience”, but for the serious student who wants to have a broader world view, Classical is the way to go.