Core Subjects: What Are They?

If you’re just starting to plan your home school journey, your first step should be to plan out your core subjects.

A core subject is a necessity: something your child has to learn in order to be educated. The good news is that the core subjects are relatively straightforward. There are really only four:

• Mathematics
• Language Arts
• History
• Science

Of course, it’s not quite that simple, since Language Arts has four different components:

• Reading (phonics for younger children, literature for those already reading well)
• Writing (composition)
• Spelling
• Grammar

We strongly suggest that you think of “language arts” as four different subjects, rather than investing in a complete “language arts” curriculum. Grammar and spelling are skill-based subjects, meaning that your student should master them in a planned, sequential manner, using workbooks and exercises; literature is an exploration-based subject, meaning that you can pick and choose what you want the student to read (but she’ll never read all of it!); writing combines aspects of both skill and exploration. Most combined language arts curricula either do skill or exploration well—but not both. (Also, complete language arts programs for young students who are still studying phonics almost always require far too much handwriting and fine motor work by linking reading skills to writing skills.)

So as you construct your first year of home education, begin by settling on texts for each of the following:

• For all students: Math, Spelling, Grammar, History and Science
• For students in grades K-2 only, add: phonics and Penmanship (handwriting)
• For students in grades 1 and up: Writing (composition) and Literature. Rather than selecting a “text” for literature, we strongly suggest that you use a reading list and have the student read through a selected number of wonderful books.

For guidance in recording these subjects on a transcript for students in grades 9-12, see “How to Assign High School Credits“.

You can find complete recommendations for all subjects and grade levels in The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Fourth Edition.