✏️ Homeschooling Terms — A Simple Glossary for Home Education
New to homeschooling? Welcome! 💛
There’s a whole world of new words, phrases, and acronyms that can feel like learning another language. This page is your go-to guide — grouped by topic and written in plain English — so you can navigate homeschooling with confidence.
📚 Curriculum & Teaching Methods
- 📦 Boxed Curriculum — A full set of curriculum from a single publisher, often including lesson plans, books, and assessments.
- 🖼️ Charlotte Mason — A gentle, literature-rich method that emphasizes nature study, narration, short lessons, and living books.
- 🏛️ Classical Education — A time-tested approach based on the trivium: grammar (facts), logic (thinking), and rhetoric (expressing ideas).
- 🧘 Deschooling — A period of transition after leaving traditional school, allowing kids (and parents!) to adjust to a new learning rhythm.
- 🎨 Eclectic — A mix-and-match approach where families choose resources and methods that best fit their child.
- 🔧 Montessori — A child-led, hands-on approach using prepared environments and self-correcting materials.
- 🌿 Unit Study — A themed way of learning where all subjects are connected through a central topic. 👉 Learn more on our Unit Study page.
- 🌱 Unschooling — A relaxed approach where learning happens through life, curiosity, and real-world experiences — no structured curriculum.
🏡 Daily Life & Logistics
- 👥 Co-op (Cooperative) — A group of homeschooling families that meets regularly for shared classes, field trips, or social time.
- 🎭 Enrichment — Activities like music, art, foreign language, or nature study that enhance the core academics.
- 🗓️ Hybrid Schooling — A mix of homeschooling and traditional school — often part-time attendance with at-home days.
- 🏘️ Learning Pod — A small group of families sharing instruction or a tutor, sometimes formed during transitions or for added support.
- 🧺 Morning Basket — A time when the whole family gathers to enjoy shared learning — like devotions, read-alouds, poetry, or music.
- 🚪 Open-and-Go — Curriculum that requires little to no prep from the parent. Just open the book and begin.
- 🧭 Scope and Sequence — A plan that outlines what a curriculum covers (scope) and when it’s taught (sequence).
- 📂 Workbox System — A visual and organizational tool to help kids see what they’re working on each day.
📝 Assessment & Records
- 🗓️ Attendance Log — A record of school days completed — required in some states.
- ⏱️ Hours Log — A record of how many hours a student spent learning, often broken down by subject.
- 🎯 Learning Objectives — Statements describing what a student should know or be able to do after a lesson or unit.
- 📁 Portfolio — A collection of student work and progress, often used for assessments or end-of-year reviews.
- 📊 Progress Report — A summary of what a child has learned or accomplished over a term or year.
- 📝 Standardized Test — A formal test used to compare a student’s performance to a broader group. May be optional or required depending on your state.
- 🎓 Transcript — A high school-level record that lists completed courses, grades, and credits for college applications or future schooling.
🧠 Learning Styles & Approaches
- 👂 Auditory Learner — A student who learns best by hearing — through songs, read-alouds, or discussion.
- ✋ Kinesthetic Learner — A student who learns through movement, hands-on work, or physical activity.
- 👃👀👂✋ Multi-Sensory Learning — Teaching that combines several senses — like hearing, seeing, and touching — to improve understanding.
- 👁️ Visual Learner — A student who learns best with images, charts, diagrams, or written notes.
- 🧩 Neurodivergent — Describes brains that work differently — including kids with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, etc. Homeschooling can offer helpful flexibility.
💡 Common Acronyms
- CVC — consonant-vowel-consonant: describes a 3 letter word with a pattern CVC, like “cat”
- 📖 ELA — English Language Arts: Includes reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and literature.
- 📄 IEP — Individualized Education Plan: A legal document outlining support for students with special needs. Some homeschoolers create informal versions.
- 🧠 LD — Learning Difference / Learning Disability: A broad term for processing challenges like dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia.
- 🏃 PE — Physical Education: Exercise and movement, sometimes done through sports, nature walks, or play.
- 🧪 STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math: A modern educational focus on innovation and problem-solving.
- ⌨️ WPM — Words Per Minute: A measure of typing speed, useful in older students’ records or assessments.
💬 Not Sure About Something Else?
Have a term you’ve heard but don’t see here? Let us know — we’re always updating this page to serve you better.
✅ Ready for the next step?
Check out our Start Here page for an easy walk-through of what to do next.