Time4Learning Homeschool Curriculum: An In-Depth Review
Time4Learning is an online homeschool curriculum catering to students from preschool through 12th grade. It offers a wide array of subjects, including math, science, language arts, social studies, foreign languages, and electives. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Time4Learning, covering its features, benefits, drawbacks, and overall suitability for different homeschooling families.
What is Time4Learning?
Time4Learning is an online curriculum designed to serve as a complete homeschool program or a supplementary resource. It provides access to courses for the four core subjects, along with electives at the upper levels. Time4Learning is not an actual school and does not issue report cards or diplomas, nor is it accredited.
User Interface and Accessibility
To use Time4Learning, you need an internet connection and a computer or iPad. A free app, Puffin Academy App, can be downloaded on your iPad for direct access to your Time4Learning membership.
Parent Dashboard and Customization
Parents have their own login to set up student lesson plans and assignments and access records of student work. Student schedules and records can be printed out, and there's a form for creating a transcript. Parents can select default grade-level programs and customize lessons and assignments within courses. Time4Learning can set up special configurations if needed, such as a child working at different grade levels for different subjects. One of the favorite features in the parent dashboard is the ability to set time limits for kids.
Course Design and Content
The design of courses varies by subject and grade level, generally combining animation, images, text, and response activities. Newer courses for the upper levels, called Cinema Series, feature video instructors who use stories, film footage, and images to make the courses engaging. Some courses are fast-moving, while others have lots of repetition and move more slowly. Both graphics and teaching methods are tailored to the age of the students and the content, with lots of variety within each course.
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Redundancy and Repetition
While the courses teach the necessary content, lessons are sometimes slowed by cartoons and transitions. Concepts are taught, practiced, and repeated, which is an appropriate teaching strategy, but sometimes there's too much repetition. For example, students answer math questions, and even if they answer correctly, the answer is restated by the computer, and the explanation of why the answer is correct is given. On the other hand, students can review prior topics or retake lessons whenever necessary-a very helpful feature that is missing from some other online programs.
Worksheets and Resources
Some lessons have printable worksheets accessible through the Parent Dashboard section. If the screen shows “Resource” under the title of the activity, you can click to access a worksheet.
High School Courses
High school courses frequently use more traditional teaching methods than do lower-level courses, and many of them follow a similar pattern. They begin with a lesson presentation by a real person. Some courses use more creative lesson presentations, such as in English III where costumed actors portray authors of works to be studied. Whatever the style of the teacher, lessons are aided by computer graphics, images, and diagrams. Short lesson segments are followed by a one-screen summary of key points. Then students are presented with one or more practice questions to answer. A quiz usually wraps up each lesson.
Subject Area Coverage
Math
Math coverage aligns with national standards for pre-K through twelfth grade, although that does not mean that courses cover everything required by your state. As the math starts to get more difficult, students will need to use paper and pencil to do some of their work offline, then enter their answers on the computer. For high school, students can choose to study Algebra I or II, Geometry, Advanced Math & Trigonometry, or Pre-Calculus. Time4MathFacts is available to students at all grade levels at no extra cost. Students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts through games that adapt to challenge them at the appropriate levels.
Language Arts
Language arts courses include phonics and reading skills, comprehension, grammar, composition, vocabulary, and beginning handwriting (for Pre-K-2). They stress reading comprehension and fluency rather than phonics in the upper elementary grades and above. Older students also learn word roots, literary analysis, and critical thinking. Since the program is not able to evaluate student writing, it includes scoring guides for parents to evaluate writing assignments. High school courses for language arts combine literary analysis with composition, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and communication skills. Students begin writing research papers in English I. Parents can allow the system to grade submissions or override automatic grading by evaluating students' compositions themselves.
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Social Studies
Social studies begins in second grade. In the younger grades, social studies coverage is not intended to be complete, covering all the standards. A new Time4SocialStudies program for grades 3 through 5 uses an inquiry-based model, interactive maps, primary sources, and virtual experiences. Coverage is still a little lighter than some families might wish, and supplementing with historical fiction might work well. Government & Politics is also included.
Science
Science courses gradually ramp up the number of activities per grade level. but coverage is not intended to be comprehensive before sixth grade. Science for kindergarten through third grade incorporates lessons from Science4Us and includes 395 activities. While first grade has only 22 science activities, third grade has more than 200. Science is generally not a great concern in the earliest grade levels, so the fewer number of activities up through second grade should be sufficient. Fourth and fifth-grade science is presented through lessons on an assortment of topics, but it should be considered supplemental for these levels. Beginning with sixth grade, middle school science is presented in three complete courses that align with state standards: Earth and Space Science, Life Science, and Physical Science, along with an Environmental Science elective. These courses combine thematic lessons with project-based learning to support concepts. They include some online and offline projects for students to complete. For high school, students can choose Biology, Chemistry, or Physics, which also include a lab component.
Electives
Middle school students can choose up to three elective courses from the following:
- Introduction to Art
- Introduction to Public Speaking & Communication
- Environmental Science
- Strategies for Academic Success
- Online Learning & Digital Citizenship
High school students also can choose three elective courses from the following options:
- Drawing I
- Photography I
- Introduction to Engineering
- Health Education
- Physical Education
- Financial Literacy I: Personal Finance
- Financial Literacy II: Budgeting & Investment
- Music Production and Digital Media
- Introduction to Computer Science
Foreign Languages
Time4Languages, foreign language learning powered by Rosetta Stone, is available for an additional fee. It offers instruction in your choice of English, Spanish, Chinese, Latin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Russian.
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Assessment and Rewards
Quizzes and tests are built into each course to ensure comprehension. The program shows when students have completed activities, quizzes, and tests. Time4Learning has an automated reporting system that tracks test and lesson scores as well as the time spent on each activity. Parents can easily print weekly reports, customizing them by date, subject, or type of activity-a big help for record keeping and portfolio documentation. There are also tests that simulate standardized tests, although scores on those tests are not factored into the student’s achievement in Time4Learning.
Online Playground and Game Room
Time4Learning also has an “online playground” for students in grades two through eight and a "game room" for high school students. Each level includes a timer that allows children to play these "safe" games for up to a time limit set by the parent. Playtime can be set to zero if parents don’t want children playing games at all. Games are actually ones that children will enjoy, and they might well be used as rewards to motivate children to learn.
Flexibility and Customization
Time4Learning is flexible and can be tailored to each child’s individual needs. Each subject for each child can be set at any grade level. The program allows students to go at their own pace and even repeat lessons if need be. K-8 students are given access to one grade above and one grade below their grade placement so they can review or move ahead whenever they need to. High school is organized by courses rather than by grade levels.
Secular Curriculum
The curriculum is secular and is tied to national and state standards to some extent, so you will encounter some of the same issues you would with any public school curriculum, particularly regarding evolution. Since Time4Learning is not an actual school, they do not claim that courses meet all state or national standards. While it is possible to use it for a large part of your curriculum for some grade levels, you might need to use other resources alongside it for a complete program.
Pricing and Subscription
Time4Learning is $19.99/month for Preschool through Grade 8. Their high school courses run at $30/month with access to 4 courses. Additional courses may be purchased for an extra $5 per month, per course. The monthly subscription is easy-to-purchase and takes about 5 minutes! You can cancel at any time with no cancellation fees, you are not locked into an agreement so there is very little risk. Time4Learning gives members access to an entire year’s worth of materials, so families can begin at any point in the year and use the program however they see fit. There is also a two-week money-back guarantee available to new members.
How to Place Your Child
During the sign-up process, parents select a grade level for their student(s). If you are unsure what grade to enroll your student in, choose the grade that you think might be a good starting point based on your child’s academic background. Preschool to eighth-grade students are given access to three years of curriculum. So a student who is enrolled in second grade math and language arts also has access to first and third-grade lessons. This allows them to review and advance whenever they need. You can change or update your choices at any time if you find that your child’s learning level is too challenging or not challenging enough. With Time4Learning, you’re ALWAYS able to make changes. Just submit a request through your parent login, and your request will be approved within 24 business hours.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Comprehensive Curriculum: Offers a wide range of subjects and grade levels, making it suitable for various homeschooling needs.
- Flexibility: Allows customization of lesson plans and grade levels for each subject, catering to individual student needs.
- Engaging Content: Incorporates multimedia elements like animation, videos, and interactive activities to keep students interested.
- Parental Control: Provides a parent dashboard with tools to monitor progress, set time limits, and customize assignments.
- Affordable: Offers a relatively low monthly subscription fee with no long-term contracts or cancellation fees.
- Automated Grading and Reporting: Simplifies record-keeping and portfolio documentation for parents.
- Accessibility: Can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection, with no need to download software.
- Reward System: Includes an online playground and game room to motivate students and reward their learning efforts.
- Multisensory Activities: The lessons use exercises that stimulate the visual, auditory, and motor skills of students with multisensory activities that are animated and interactive. This is good for all types of learners.
- Go at Their Own Pace: The program allows students to go at their own pace and even repeat lessons if need be. The ability to go at their own pace, makes Time4Learning ideal for all types of learners, whether they are mainstream, gifted, or special needs.
Cons:
- Redundancy: Some lessons may contain excessive repetition, which can be boring for quick learners.
- Not Accredited: Does not issue report cards or diplomas, which may be a concern for some families.
- Supplemental for Some Subjects: Social studies and science coverage may require supplementation, especially in the younger grades.
- Secular Curriculum: May not align with the values or beliefs of all families.
- Reliance on Technology: Requires a stable internet connection and may not be suitable for families with limited access to technology.
- Some lessons dry: Some students may find some of the lessons a little dry, with long paragraphs to read before taking a test. More interactive lessons would be more helpful.
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