Question 1

Which grade levels of Hearth & Story are available?

Accepted Answer

So far, we have released our third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh/eighth grade levels. Be sure to join our mailing list to stay informed about future releases!

Question 2

Is Hearth & Story really secular?

Accepted Answer

Hearth & Story Homeschool Language Arts is fully secular. It was written by Lindsey Sodano, the author of secular homeschool titles including History Quest: Middle Times and History Quest: United States.

Question 3

Does the author have language arts expertise?

Accepted Answer

Lindsey Sodano earned her degree in English and education from Boston College's prestigious Lynch School of Education and her Master of Communication from Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication. Lindsey taught language arts in both public and private programs before pursuing a career as an industry analyst/researcher with AMR Research (now Gartner), Ipsos, and several Fortune 500 clients. She has homeschooled her children for over seventeen years and has published several secular homeschool history books in the History Quest series. Her oldest homeschooler graduated summa cum laude from college at age eighteen and earned a master's degree at age twenty. Her youngest child is happy to be the "tester" for Hearth & Story! Lindsey is a member of American Mensa and the Triple Nine Society. In her spare time, she hangs out at Kings Island amusement park with her family and advocates for reform of our nation's Medicaid home and community-based waiver laws.

Question 4

Why does Hearth & Story follow ELA standards?

Accepted Answer

As homeschoolers, many of us are not required by law to follow state or federal ELA standards, though this can vary by state. However, it's important to consider these standards as a guide to ensure your child is developing essential skills like reading, writing, and critical thinking. You don’t have to match public school benchmarks exactly—that's one of the best parts of homeschooling—but by keeping an eye on ELA standards, you can determine whether your child is significantly ahead or behind in certain areas. Then you can make conscious decisions about how to proceed with acceleration or remediation, as the case may be, incorporating your student's unique abilities, challenges, and future goals.

Question 5

When does my download link expire?

Accepted Answer

When you place your order, your download link will be emailed to you automatically. The link works for 30 days after your order. We recommend downloading your files immediately so you don't forget. If you forget to download your files and your link eventually expires, contact us at info@hearthandstory.com and we can send you a new link. Please note that re-sending links is a manual process and will not be immediate. To avoid any delays, be sure to download your files within the first 30 days after purchasing.

Question 6

How should I print Hearth & Story?

Accepted Answer

Many families choose to print Hearth & Story materials at home using a color laser or inkjet printer, while others prefer to use one of the homeschool printing services available. If you’re printing at home, we recommend sending your files to your printer from your computer rather than directly from a phone or tablet. Some mobile devices automatically “zoom in” or enlarge pages, which can shift the margins and affect the layout. Printing from a computer preserves the original formatting.

Question 7

I'm switching from another curriculum. Which level of Hearth & Story should I choose?

Accepted Answer

Here's an article that will help walk you through choosing the appropriate level. Some families who have switched from a curriculum that does not follow state standards have found that their students benefited from moving down one grade level in Hearth & Story.

Question 8

Does Hearth & Story offer 24-hour customer service?

Accepted Answer

Hearth & Story is intentionally priced at an affordable level so that as many families as possible can access it. Because of this, we do not have a full-time customer service staff and are not able to provide instant or 24-hour support. We appreciate your understanding and kindness as we assist families in the time we have available. Please allow 1–2 business days for a response to your inquiry.

Question 9

Does Hearth & Story offer group pricing for co-ops?

Accepted Answer

If you are using Hearth & Story with more than one child who lives in your household, you don't need to purchase a second license. If you are using Hearth & Story with a group such as a co-op, you will need to purchase a copy for each student. Once you add four or more copies of one item to your cart, an automatic 20% off discount will appear. Please contact us at info@hearthandstory.com if you have any additional questions about group pricing.

Question 10

Are you a member of any affiliate programs?

Accepted Answer

Hearth & Story is an affiliate of the Glitterbombers art membership program from Soul Sparklettes Art, as well as Hoffman Academy for online piano lessons. When you use our affiliate links, we earn a commission. Hearth & Story also participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon's website. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay, and we only recommend books and materials we genuinely use in our curriculum.

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