Microschool

We have combed curriculum. We have meticulously planned. We have a year’s worth of hands-on, high-interest, academically sound, FUN lessons planned for your lucky kids. Come join us!

I love readingCome homeschool with us! Our Microschool program is designed to make sure that we are encouraging our students’ academic pursuits while providing a vibrant, supportive community that adds depth and meaning to subjects across the curriculum.

Available for students aged 5 through early high school, our Microschool schedules provide 2-4 classroom hours per week of academic instruction in the relaxed, hands-on, discussion-based environment that is the heart of our community. We’ve been careful to ensure that lessons and objectives for each level match our personal philosophies of honoring child development and encouraging observation and discussion. Our schedules leave room for rabbit trails and child-driven exploration, while helping to maintain accountability and build portfolios for parents.

Tuition varies by grade level and is payable in monthly installments. Microschool tuition includes most curriculum. Exceptions will be noted in the syllabus received upon registration, which will list both required and optional curriculum, books, and supplies. Required materials should not exceed $100 per student.

Primary

Our primary core program consists of 2 hours of classroom instruction per week,with lessons introduced in the invitation-based style known as the Reggio Emilia approach. A weekly syllabus of activities is provided for 3 additional days of home engagement. Our goal in these early years is to stoke enthusiasm and confidence in learning, build literacy, and develop skills that will serve the students as they pursue further study. Together we will share books and songs, play with numbers and letters, build a strong foundation in science through inquiry and Pacific Islander boy making planet model in classroomobservation, and practice being kind, encouraging, and accepting with one another.

Planned curriculum includes the Five in a Row series, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, and a D’Nealean italics approach to letter formation. Math concepts will be introduced with a Montessori approach.

Elementary

Our Elementary core program consists of 2 hours of classroom instruction per week, with a complete syllabus of activities and suggested assignments provided for 3.5 – 4 additional days of study at home. Elementary aged students focus on skill building in the areas of math and literacy. For the 2017-18 year, we will continue exploration- and observation-based science, and enjoy books together with our Socratic discussion-based literature program. For math, students will continue their home programs and use time at IfSpace to enjoy Math Circle activities, as well as begin pre-algebra with Hands-On Equations in the second semester. We will take a deep dive into Ancient History, spending each semester creating a living history museum at IfSpace complete with costumes, sets, props, and role plays.

2017-18 curriculum includes the The Story of the World Volume I, Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Hands-On Equations, and grammar and language arts concepts as introduced in the Royal Fireworks Press/MCT materials. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

preparing a presentationIntermediate

The Intermediate program consists of 3 hours of classroom instruction per week, with a complete syllabus and schedule provided for 4 additional days of study at home. Intermediate students will continue with literature and poetry study based in Socratic discussion, both persuasive and creative writing, and math concepts explored through challenging, real-world applications. Our history studies will be focused on Ancient Times, and we will join the Elementary students in creating an immersive Living History museum at IfSpace each semester. We will continue our study of the sciences with an interdisciplinary, hands-on approach that prepares the student for high school science.

Planned curriculum includes (but is not limited to) the final volume of Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, Teaching the Classics, IEW Ancient History-Based Writing, History Odyssey: Ancients, History of the Ancient World, and team explorations through Mathalicious. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.

High School

Our High School core program seeks to prepare students for rigorous study in college through the same hands-on, discussion-based explorations used throughout the IfSpace curriculum. High School students meet twice per week for 2 hours each, and will study European literature including Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens, SAT writing and vocabulary, and American History. Our science focus this year is on Biology, and students will be offered differentiated instruction in mathematics, with a choice between supported home study or group instruction in Algebra II with trig.

Curriculum for High School includes The American Pageant, Math Without Borders Algebra II or Saxon 7/8 for home instruction support, and Campbell’s Biology. Students who keep up with assignments and approach IfSpace classes with academic rigor should expect to be prepared for the US History and Biology CLEP exams. A complete list of curricula, history and science spines, and living books, study guides and supplies will be supplied to families upon registration.