Transforming the theory of authentic classical homeschooling into reality requires a pragmatic outline or a precise plan of attack. Navigating any trip requires planning the course to reach the final destination. The following checklist represents my personal homeschool curriculum goals for helping my children master thinking skills. Curriculum is defined as a program of study, and you can use my road map to assess your child’s abilities as you plan your own personalized course of study.
There are at least seven specific thinking abilities that every literate homeschool child needs to master: (1) how to arrange data according to systems, (2) how to solve problems, (3) how to structure and analyze arguments, (4) how to use the scientific method, (5) how to analyze literature, (6) how to research a topic, and (7) how to listen.
For those of you who want more detail on how I assess mastery of the basic skills, I have listed my minimum requirements under each “how to” skill, but the list is certainly not all-inclusive. The beauty of homeschooling lies in the fact that you get to personalize the content and methods to your own family’s needs. Here is my complete Home School Curriculum Road Map to Mastery of Thinking Skills:
How to Arrange Data According to Systems
- Classify into categories
- Describe attributes
- Recognize similarities and differences
- Recall and relate patterns
- Reorder elements in a set
How to Solve Problems
- Identify and complete sequences
- Explain steps to creation or solution
- Associate and interpret analogies
- Memorize mathematical operations
- Understand and apply mathematical concepts
- Answer puzzles, riddles, and mysteries
How to Structure and Analyze Arguments
- Identify claims and determine validity
- Distinguish difference between fact and opinion
- Build affirmative and negative positions
- Learn the deductive syllogism (if a & b, then c)
- Recognize common fallacies
- Practice inductive reasoning (observe, interpret, apply) with historical texts
How to Use the Scientific Method
- Achieve familiarity with the general laws of science
- Understand difference between theory and fact
- Perform and document experiments
- Verbalize steps to observe, predict, and conclude
How to Analyze Literature
- Discover literary elements in whole works
- Identify literary techniques in portions of the whole work
- Diagram a narrative story chart from exposition to disposition
- Compare and contrast characters
- Identify and interpret themes
How to Research a Topic
- Select debatable idea
- Learn to use the internet and other hard reference works
- Determine credibility of experts
How to Listen
- Focus on the live or recorded speaker with full attention
- Organize thoughts via outline or mental map
- Narrate understanding by asking questions or repetition
- Interpret meaning
- Answer questions precisely
Please adapt my thinking skills checklist to the needs of your own homeschool child. I have tried to condense my thoughts to the basics which may seem overly simple, I believe simple goals allow us as homeschooling parents to teach out of a position of rest instead of anxiety. Keep your eyes on the big picture and be creative in achieving the goals of your homeschool curriculum. You want to raise a thinker!
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Check out my other checklists for teaching the three skills of the classical Christian trivium:
Homeschool Curriculum Road Map to Mastery of Reading Skills
Homeschool Curriculum Road Map to Mastery of Speaking Skills
