The Corebook is not a day-by-day sort of teacher's guide containing pre-written plans for each subject for each day.  Rather, it is a  plan book or a recording book, with special helps along the way to keep schooling on track.  This helps you to create and record a totally individualized educational program for your child!  *Below the pictures, you will find more information on why we think this is more useful to you than pre-written plans.

                      Below are pictures of a sample 1-week layout.
                        Click on the images to see larger pictures!
The left page is a traditional-style plan book page with squares.  However, notice our 'CM' additions!  There are little circles to fill in if you do narrations in particular subjects, have your child read-aloud, etc.  These circles help you tell at a glance if you are accomplishing your goals in these areas -and you don't have to make copious notes!
The right page is our 'CM' page with designated areas for you to fill in according to your needs.  In the left column, the numbers correspond with the days of the week.  For example, if your child sings the national anthem on Tuesday and Wednesday, you would circle the numbers 2 & 4.
Not shown are the pages that guide you through creating a workable curriculum schedule for the year, the six-week report pages, and all of the wonderful pages in our appendices!


Please note that the pdf file also contains these pages oriented with the short-side up, to facilitate use in a 3-ring binder.  The file also contains pages without the quote box for those who need more room for recording science and spelling in addition to pages without the subject area filled in for those who cover different subjects.

Please note that both the content and the format
of these pages are protected under copyright laws.

   Why does Tanglewood suggest using the corebook rather than offering pre-written plans?  The main reason is that as a teacher in traditional schools and then as a homeschooler, this method is what works best for me. 
   During the teacher "prep" days at the beginning of my first school year of teaching, the headmistress gave me my own green plan book with the school logo embossed on the front.  Wanting everything to go perfectly in this first year, I sat up for several days and nights surrounded by all the texts and workbooks to be used during the year, and diligently planned and filled in every box for every subject for the entire year.  I made sure that I followed the school calendar and carefully blacked out the holidays.  I was ready to go.  Or, I thought I was.

     Within the first week, I knew I had problems.  We missed our second history class due to a school-wide assembly (not scheduled on the school's calendar).  This put the quiz scheduled for Friday into the next week.  It quickly became apparent to me that the math lessons, which I had scheduled according to the math book's teacher guide, were way too easy.  I could have skipped every other lesson for awhile.  Already my pre-planned plan book was becoming a confusing burden.  I was ahead in this subject, but behind in another one.

     I soon chucked my beautiful embossed plan book in my bottom drawer (in case I needed it) and purchased a cheap run-of-the-mill plan book from the local teacher supply store.  Since our school year was divided into six six-week segments, I figured out how far in each book and workbook needed to be done by the end of each segment and from that, how many pages per week and day.  I only wrote complete schedules with actual page numbers and activities week-by-week. 

     This method worked extremely well for me.  I was usually one of the few teachers who managed to have their class complete every book every year. 

     I think this method works even better for homeschoolers.  We all have unique patterns to our homeschool weeks that often make pre-made plans difficult to follow.  In addition, Charlotte Mason"ites" (like me) often like to fiddle with and amend whatever it is we've been given to work with.  We may want to add in that really great book we found at the swap meet.  We may want to take a break from our regular math book and instead do the fun one we found at the Dollar Tree for a few days.   We need a plan book with flexibility.  Tanglewood's Corebook can be used with any curriculum and any homeschooling pattern.

     However, we also need structure and accountability.  We need to have objectives for the year so that we know what we're aiming at (remember the old saying, "If you're aiming at nothing, you'll hit it).  We need to have a plan in order to arrive at our objectives.  The Corebook shows how to set your goals for each subject (whether you're using our curriculum or not).  It then shows you the simple method for figuring out how much needs to be accomplished each week and then for each day in that week.  In order to help you assess how you're doing, there is a report page after every six-week segment.

     The corebook is more than a simple plan book, however.  In fact, we bet you've never seen anything like it.  At a glance, you can tell if you're on track with your art, music, and poetry.  Have you been taking enough nature walks?  Easy to tell.  Is your child getting enough free time just to play?  Look at the Corebook. There are places to record the habit being worked on this week, the theology being covered, the foreign language words you want to cover, the poem your child is learning, the copywork you've assigned, and the extra-curriculum activities your child is involved in.  Each week also provides brief outlines for health and safety topics you may want to cover and geography concepts you may want to teach using the guidelines found in Charlotte Mason's Home Education.

Answers to some frequently asked questions about the Corebook:

Q.  What is different between the original printed corebook and the new pdf file corebook?
A.  The new pdf file corebook contains all of the same pages as the original, with one exception.  The original had different pictures and different quotes for each of the 36 weeks.  The pdf file pages all share the same picture and quote.  Also, the original corebook was printed with a landscape-orientation (binding on the short side).  Because 3-ring notebooks are portrait-oriented, we've included redesigned pages to fit more easily in notebooks.

Q.  Is it necessary to have a separate corebook for each child?
A.  The corebook was designed for use with one child.  However, if you combine several studies such as history, literature, and science, you may be able to use it with more children.  *Using our new pdf file, I find it handy to print out one "squares" page for each child and then share one "CM" page for the whole family during a week.

Q.  Does the corebook contain lesson plans?
A.  No.  The corebook does not contain lesson plans.  It does, however, guide you through making your own daily plans.

Q.  Does the corebook have to be used with the Tanglewood curriculum?
A.  No.  The corebook can be used with just about any curriculum.

Q.  How many weeks does the corebook contain?
A.  With our new pdf file, you can print out as many weeks as you need! (The original printed corebook
     contained 40 weeks...a regular school year is 36 weeks.)

Q.  Can I start using the corebook at any time, or do I have to start at the beginning
     of the year?
A.  The corebook can be easily started at any time of the school year. 

Ordering Info:

Corebook:  pdf file- $5.25
   This file contains all of the instructional pages found in the original corebook, including the planning pages, optional geography and health lessons, reports, and more.  You may save it to your computer and print off the pages as many times as you need.  This pdf version will benefit those of you who would like to use this format year-after-year (after purchasing one copy, you may continue to use it as long as you want) as well as those of you who have several children (one pdf file may be printed out as many times as you need). 

*You may not distribute or share this pdf file with friends or extended family members.  Printing out the pages and distributing them in any way to others outside of your nuclear family is also prohibited.

(After paying through PayPal, PayPal will automatically provide you with a link which will direct you to the file download.  If you have any trouble, please contact me at tanglewoodschool@earthlink.net  .Thanks!  Diana)

:: Tanglewood Corebook $5.25