You’re starting to think about ramping up homeschooling in the fall.

Obviously, at this point you’ve probably chosen curriculum for your kids’ key subject areas at the appropriate difficulty level.

But sometimes, you’ll notice gaps in their learning. Sometimes kids simply forget things they learned, or it becomes clear that they didn’t really understand a key concept that well.

This happens all the time, to everybody!

So, when you notice those gaps, what do you do? Do you have the time and energy to go back and reteach for every single one of them?

That’s probably not realistic.

When and how do you decide which lessons, skills or concepts you need to review or reteach to your kids?

And if push comes to shove, which ones can you skip altogether?

As a long-time teacher of assorted subjects in History, Reading and Writing since the 1990s, this post will discuss answering those two questions for those subject areas only. I’m afraid I have no experience teaching math or science, so I’m going to stay in my lane.

As you begin to seek answers, it’s important to look at two areas of learning: skills and content knowledge. Both are vital to effective problem solving and a well-rounded education.

Essential skills our kids need 

Reading, writing, and critical thinking are essential skills that your kids need to have to move forward and be successful in life. These are skills that you must revisit and practice regularly in your homeschool.

If your child has a learning disability like dyslexia or dysgraphia, go for audiobooks to help with reading or use dictation tools to help them with their writing. They’ll still get exposure to the skills and content they need.

Yes, artificial intelligence (AI) applications are developing at lightning speed. All the same, your kids need to know and be able to write for themselves independent of AI. Our children need to develop their own voices in writing, and AI can’t do that for them. Our kids need to know how to use their own critical thinking skills to compose factually correct, evidence-based writing they’ll be called on to do in college or in the workplace.

Perhaps at some point our young adults will be able to use AI as a time saver with some types of writing, but they’ll need to be able to oversee and check AI’s output. Our young adults won’t be able to do that without possessing a foundation of strong writing skills of their own.

Socratic questioning 

In order to check on and/or develop their critical thinking skills, rely on Socratic questioning. This type of questioning develops thinking skills in all areas and helps us all solve problems and get to the truth of a matter.

Not only does Socratic questioning develop powerful critical thinking skills, it’s also highly effective in determining gaps in knowledge and understanding in all subject areas.

Here is a list of Socratic questions that your teens should consider and respond to regularly. Do these with your younger children too, as best you can. (I constantly ask these questions in feedback to my Writing Rockstars students.)

1. Clarification. Ask why your student gave the response they did, or how it relates to the topic at hand.

2. Challenge assumptions. Is a particular statement a fact or an assumption? If it’s an assumption, is there supporting factual information that proves that assumption to be true?

3. Look for evidence. Ask questions to help prove a point, such as requesting examples or asking for more explanation.

4. Explore a different perspective. Ask your student to step back and see a situation from a different point of view.

5. Identify consequences. Ask how something ties into a different topic, or how it impacts other people, places, or events. This helps students think more deeply on the subject.

6. Question the question. Go back and examine the questions posed. What is their purpose? Is there a bias in the questioning? Is there a more appropriate way to phrase the questions?

Content information our kids should know 

The history and literature of our country is a must. Since we’re in the U.S., the history of ancient Western Civilizations is also highly relevant, as our government’s structure is based on concepts and philosophies of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations.

Classic literature is highly valued, because it addresses universal themes in different historical contexts. However, you need to understand that many works of literature from different historical periods are considered classics. There are so many to pick and choose from that it’s going to be hard to get to all of them. You have to decide which historical periods you’d like to focus upon.

For example, The Odyssey is an example of classic ancient Greek literature that was required reading in my youth, but it’s not so now. Perhaps the popular film adaptation that’s out in theaters will change that! The works of Mark Twain, whose stories explored themes around American ingenuity and the onset of the Industrial Revolution, were also highly emphasized during my schooling, but his works may not be a priority to younger educators now.

I recommend taking some time to expose your kids to the history and classic literature of other continents and civilizations also. It’s important to understand what’s happening around the world and why. Having knowledge of the history and culture of other parts of the world is helpful toward that end.

Side note: what to do with a curriculum you purchased that you don’t love? 

The short answer is, get your money’s worth. Even if you realize a curriculum or a certain program isn’t a good fit for your family, take what you can from it and complete it in some fashion.

Your kid won’t love every program or teacher they’ll work with! But they do need to do their best to complete it, take as much learning from it as they can, and thereby get clarity on what works for them and what doesn’t.

Haven’t you all had a teacher that you hated, but still learned from anyway? Working with people or programs that have a different approach or who end up not being a top choice is a common life experience. It’s a good lesson in adaptation and flexibility.

Lily Iatridis is the founder of Writing Rockstars, an online writing program that prepares teens for college level writing.