The Homeschool Dictionary
Let’s define some common homeschool terms.
So, you’ve made the plunge into homeschooling. Congratulations! Being new to the homeschooling community, it’s likely that you’ve been introduced to a whole new vocabulary. The moms at co-op, coffee & doughnuts after Mass, and play group have been throwing out terms that have no meaning to you.
Well, here is a Homeschool Dictionary to help you join the conversation. These are brief definitions of various homeschool terminology to get you started. If you’d like to go deeper into some of these topics, we’ve included links to detailed articles with many of the definitions.
Accountability Mentor: An individual who supports and motivates a high school student in managing their academic responsibilities. The mentor can be local or online and helps your teen set goals and stay on track with their homeschool progress. For example, see Online Homeschool Accountability Mentor.
Accredited Curriculum: A curriculum that has been reviewed and approved by a private accrediting agency. In homeschooling, the parent is the accreditor. To learn more, see All You Need to Know About Homeschool Accreditation.
Asynchronous Classes: Online classes where students access and complete coursework at their own pace without real-time interaction, using pre-recorded lectures, readings, and discussion boards. For example, see Unlimited Access.
Book of Centuries: A chronological notebook used to record and visualize historical events, people, and discoveries, enhancing their understanding of history through a personalized, interactive timeline.
Box Curriculum: A complete set of educational materials and lesson plans packaged together for you and designed to cover a full year’s worth of subjects. To learn more, see Homeschool Options: À La Carte vs. Boxed Program.
Carschooling: Education can happen anywhere, including the car while driving to co-op, book club, or the beach. Carschooling is taking advantage of drive time with audiobooks, family prayer, Socratic discussion, etc. See this fun Homeschooling Saints Podcast episode: Carschooling: My Joyful Journey.
Charlotte Mason Education: An educational philosophy that emphasizes the use of living books, nature study, and the development of good habits, focusing on nurturing a love of learning. To learn more, see A Catholic Homeschool Charlotte Mason Primer.
Child-Centered Education: An approach where the curriculum and teaching methods are tailored to the individual child’s interests, abilities, and learning styles. To learn more, see Understanding Child-Centered Education.
Child-Led Education: A method where the child directs their own learning, choosing topics and activities based on their interests and curiosity. It is a form of unschooling. To learn more, see Introduction to Unschooling.
Classical Education: An approach based on the trivium, a three-stage process of learning that includes grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages, focusing on classical literature and languages.
Co-op: A cooperative group of homeschooling families who come together to share resources, teach classes, and provide social opportunities for their children. Typically, there is no fee. Instead, every parent contributes in some way. To learn more, see Starting Your Own Homeschool Co-op.
Copy Work: An educational practice where students copy passages from literature or other sources to improve handwriting, spelling, and comprehension. Often associated with a Charlotte Mason education. To learn more, see The Joy of Copywork.
Deschooling: The adjustment period when a child is pulled from a site-based school to homeschool. Parents sometimes use this time to put aside formal schoolwork to acclimate the child to homeschooling and to connect with the local homeschool community. For examples, see Transitioning from School to Homeschool: Deschooling
Dual Enrollment: A program that allows high school students to simultaneously take college courses and earn credit for both high school and college. For example, see Virtual Dual Enrollment for Catholic Home Educators.
Eclectic Homeschooling: A flexible approach where parents combine elements from various homeschooling methods and curricula to create a customized educational experience.
Electives: Non-core academic subjects that appear on a transcript. They can include culinary arts, computer programming, drama, music appreciation, and more.
Extracurricular Activities: Structured, non-academic pursuits such as sports, band, and clubs that provide opportunities for social interaction, skill development, and personal growth outside the traditional homeschool curriculum. Usually listed separately on a transcript.
Flipped Classroom: An instructional strategy where students learn new content independently through reading, video lectures, or online resources before class. Class time is then used for interactive, applied learning activities and discussion.
The Great Books: Refers to a collection of classic works of literature, philosophy, history, science, and other disciplines. Mortimer Adler promoted the Great Books as part of a liberal education. Adler believed these works represented Western civilization’s foundational ideas and conversations, offering timeless insights and fostering critical thinking through the “great conversation” across generations.
Homeschool Consultant or Coach: A professional who provides guidance, resources, and support to families in planning and implementing a homeschool curriculum, ensuring compliance with educational standards, and helping address specific learning needs. For example, see Options for Homeschool Consulting and Support.
Homeschool Enrichment Program (HEP): Programs designed to supplement homeschool education with additional classes, activities, and social opportunities for a fee.
Homeschool Style: The overall approach or method a homeschooling family uses to educate their children, such as classical, unschooling, or Charlotte Mason. To go deeper, see Understanding Homeschool Styles.
Humanities: The core Humanistic disciplines—literature, languages, history, philosophy, and the arts—preserve a body of learning and wisdom that has been accumulated over millennia. To learn more, see The Humanities and Catholic Homeschooling.
Hybrid School: A formal program that combines at-school and at-home learning for a fee. Typically, students meet in person for two days and learn at home for three days or vice versa. For examples, see Aquinas Learning or Catholic Schoolhouse.
Intrinsic Motivation: Motivation that comes from within the student, driven by personal interest and enjoyment in the learning process.
Lapbooking: A hands-on activity where students create a collection of mini-books, foldables, and other paper-based projects centered around a specific topic or theme. For example, see Emmanuel Books Lapbook Kits.
Learning Disability: A neurological disorder that affects a person’s ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information, impacting learning. This can also be referred to as Learning Differences.
Learning Style: The preferred way a person learns and processes information, such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.
Liberal Arts: An educational approach that emphasizes a broad-based curriculum in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics, fostering critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. To learn more, see What Are the Liberal Arts.
Living Literature: Books that are well-written, engaging, and rich in content, often used in the Charlotte Mason approach, to provide meaningful and enjoyable reading experiences. See my book For the Love of Literature: Teaching Course Subjects if you’d like a helpful resource.
Manipulatives: Physical objects used in teaching to help students understand abstract concepts through hands-on experience.
Montessori: An educational approach developed by Maria Montessori that emphasizes independence, hands-on learning, and mixed-age classrooms.
Morning Basket: The entire family starts the school day together, focusing on prayer, activities, and subjects that can be learned together. Also known as Circle Time or Morning Time. To learn more, visit Pam Barnhill: Morning Basket.
Nature Journaling: A practice where the students observe, sketch, and write about the natural world, fostering a deeper connection to nature and enhancing skills in observation, drawing, and scientific inquiry. To learn more, see The Joy of Nature Journaling.
Narration: A technique where students retell a passage or lesson in their own words, promoting comprehension and retention.
Notebooking: A method where students create personalized notebooks filled with their written work and drawings and collect information on various topics.
Pod School: These became popular during the pandemic. Learning pods are small groups of families that work together to create a community education experience—also called a micro-school.
Portfolio: A collection of a student’s work compiled over time to assess progress and achievements in a homeschool setting. Some states require a portfolio to be assessed annually by a certified teacher.
Quadrivium: Comes from two Latin words, quadri and via, which means “four roads,” which signifies its four disciplines. While the trivium was known as the “Art of the Word.” the quadrivium was known as the “Art of Numbers” because of its strong mathematical foundation. The four disciplines of the quadrivium are arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. The quadrivium is taught after the trivium. To learn more, see The Quadrivium Explained.
Relaxed Homeschooling: An informal homeschool approach that emphasizes flexibility, natural learning, and a stress-free environment. To learn more, see Homeschoolish: Relaxed Homeschooling.
Scope & Sequence: An outline of the topics and skills to be covered in a curriculum, along with the order in which they will be taught. The “scope” is what will be taught, and the “sequence” is the order in which it will be taught. For examples and help creating your own: Homeschool Scope & Sequence Help.
Sequential Learning: A structured approach where subjects are taught in a logical order, building on previously learned concepts.
Site-Based School: A public or private school where the school, not the parent, takes full control of academic learning. Also called a Brick-and-Mortar School.
Socialization: The process by which children learn to interact with others and develop social skills. Non-homeschooling families often worry about homeschooling and socialization unnecessarily. To learn more, see Public School vs. Homeschool Socialization.
Spine: A core book or resource used as the main framework for a subject or unit study, supplemented by additional materials. For example, Phillip Campbell’s Story of Civilization is the spine for the Homeschool Connections Grade School Unit Study.
Spiral Learning: An approach where key concepts are revisited and expanded upon over time, allowing for deeper understanding and retention. Saxon math textbooks are a good example of spiral learning.
Strewing: The practice of placing interesting and educational materials around the home to spark a child’s curiosity and encourage exploration.
Supplemental Resources: Additional materials or activities used to enhance and support the primary curriculum, such as hands-on projects, online resources, or field trips.
Synchronous Classes: Live, real-time online classes where students and instructors interact simultaneously, often through video conferencing, enabling immediate feedback and discussion. For example, see Homeschool Connections LIVE online courses.
Timeline: A visual representation of historical events in chronological order, often used in history education.
Transcript: An official record of a student’s academic achievements, including courses taken and grades received, typically used for college admissions. Click here for a free transcript template and sample. If you’d help with your transcript, see Fast Homeschool Transcripts.
Trivium: The three-part framework of classical education, consisting of grammar (foundational knowledge), logic (analytical thinking), and rhetoric (expressive communication). To learn more, see The Trivium Explained.
Tutor: An individual who provides one-on-one instruction to a student in a specific subject or skill for a fee. Usually in person, but it can be online.
Tutorial: Similar to a Homeschool Enrichment Program (HEP), it focuses on core courses rather than supplemental ones.
Twaddle: A term Charlotte Mason used to describe books or materials that are overly simplistic, superficial, or lack literary quality.
Typology: In literature, typology is the study and interpretation of types (or categories) and symbols. Often associated with the Bible or classical literature.
Umbrella School: An organization that provides administrative support, record-keeping, and sometimes curriculum guidance to homeschooling families. Often used in states where oversight by a third party is required.
Unit Study: An interdisciplinary approach that integrates multiple subjects around a central theme or topic, allowing for in-depth exploration.
Unschooling: A child-led, interest-driven approach to education that emphasizes learning through life experiences rather than a structured curriculum. To learn more: Unschooling articles.
Conclusion
Want to add even more educational vocabulary to your homeschool education? See our article: Homeschooling and Edu-ese. (Hey! You could build a whole vocabulary unit study or create a lapbooking project around this topic for your children!)
Do you have more questions about getting started homeschooling? To continue the discussion, join me and other homeschooling parents at our Homeschool Connections Community or our Facebook group!
