Course of Study Books Encyclopedia Dictionary Science Texts Fast Software Special Illustrations Examinations Language Skills Phonics & Arithmetic Vocabulary

The Robinson Home School Curriculum Version 2.2 includes:

1. Course of Study:   A 120 page discourse by Dr. Art Robinson discussing all the aspects of how you setup and run a self-teaching homeschool using this curriculum which also incorporates the experiences of the many families who have found this to be most effective in their own homes.  12 sections in all: 
   1. Overview
   2. Introduction
   3. Self-Teaching
   4. Study Environment
   5. Science and Mathematics
   6. Vocabulary
   7. Examinations
   8. Oral Learning
   9. Books
   10. Books to Buy
   11. Ordering and Registration
   12. Newsletter Vol. lll, No.12

   This is essential reading ... and rereading.   It takes a concentrated effort to get on a different track for our children and deprogram ourselves from an institutional model of dependent learning.   

2. Books: More than 250 very high quality books. Academic knowledge is in books - especially books that are carefully chosen.  See 'Best Books' below.

3. Encyclopedia: The complete 30,000 page 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica with special on­screen reading software for its use. The 1911 Britannica is generally acknowledged to have been the greatest encyclopedia ever written. Its depth of knowledge and the erudition of its text are remarkable. For the 98% of recorded history that occurred before 1911, this is the most definitive source.

4. Dictionary: The complete 400,000 word 1913 Webster's Dictionary with special on­screen software for its use. This dictionary contains five times as many words as the original Webster's dictionary and yet preserves the literary beauty of the original work.

5. Science Texts: All of the required science books and answer keys.  (Current Caltech 101 Science texts.)  Also included are advanced science texts for use by students with unusual ability.

6. Fast Software: Software that operates very quickly in both the on-screen viewing and printing modes. The on-screen viewing software is the best of its type available anywhere. High quality "scale-to-gray" gives your screen a 300% increase in virtual resolution to look as much like paper as possible. Flying magnifier makes details easy to check out. Maximize mode lets you take full advantage of your screen real estate to display pages by temporarily removing all but the essential page navigation controls.

   Minimum computer requirements are a Windows OS - Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 - running on a PC or a Mac (using Apple's Boot Camp).    Actually, you do not need to own a computer at all - you just need access to a computer with which you can print materials from the CDs as needed.

7. Special: A large number of woodcut illustrations with special emphasis on early American history and geography. Especially noteworthy are over 1,000 detailed woodcuts of civil war events that were produced before 1890 from sketches by individuals, including many famous figures, who actually participated in the war. Study of this collection of illustrations and the accompanying narrative gives the student a very clear understanding and visualization of the events.

   Also of special interest is a very beautifully illustrated travelogue of the United States published in 1872. This provides an unusual opportunity to see our country ­ both its cities and its wilderness ­ in the era before it was extensively populated and developed.

   Also included is the original King James Version of the Bible - the 1st Issue of the 1st Edition in 1611 (The Great He Bible). This volume is noteworthy for its beauty and historical significance. It is the foundational book of the Curriculum.

8. Examinations:  Over 50 SAT style examinations with answer keys.   The advanced tests being in essay form.  Tests follow specific books.   Also included are bonus exams for the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis.
   
   
9. Language Skills:  Penmanship Practice pages by Bethany Robinson,  extensive Grammar Text written especially for the Robinson Curriculum  by Jane Orient with Primer,  Main Course and Reading Passages, Answers to the Grammar Exercises and Basic American English Spelling.

10. Phonics & Arithmetic:  Printable flash cards for phonics and arithmetic (all that is required before Saxon 54). These flash cards are easily made with any computer printer.  (See books 503 and 504 in the Books list.)

11. Vocabulary:  This 6,400 word vocabulary program assures that the student's reading produces an active vocabulary (words used spontaneously in writing and speaking) rather than a passive vocabulary (words understood, but not actively used).
    
    a. Vocabulary list in flashcard format with word ­ definition and word ­ sentence for each of the 150 books in the core read order.  On average, about two­-thirds of the words and sentences in each list are actually drawn from the books themselves.  The other third are drawn from previous SAT exams. 
    
    b. The flash cards also appear in a second iteration with book numbers printed on each card and both Sentence and Definition appearing on the same card.  The format is more traditional.  (See book 502 in the Books list.)
    
    c. The curriculum also includes a complete set of printable Vocabulary Exercises.  Each book has its own set, or sets of exercises.  Each of the words for that book are represented in every exercise and these include:
    
    - Vocabulary List - a list of the words and definitions
    - Word Find - containing the vocabulary words as clues
    - Crossword Puzzle - with clues to words across and down
    - Word Find - containing definitions as clues 
    - Matching Game - matching words with definitions
    
    d. For the older student there is an on­screen vocabulary exerciser that tracks the student's progress and adjusts his lessons to emphasize those words with which he is having the most difficulty.
    
    This is followed by the answer keys to all the exercises. (See book 501 and 503 in the Books list.)

With over 14 gigabytes of information on 22 CD-ROMs conveniently organized in a durable metal case and accessed with simple, user-friendly software, it can be honestly said that there is not now any home school curriculum for sale anywhere that provides as high a quality home school education as does this Robinson Home School Curriculum Version 2.2.