middle school homeschool elementary school

Why the “Right Fit” Matters in ELA: Tailoring Learning Without Lowering Standards

Melissa Muir | August 7, 2025

Let’s be honest, homeschool friend to homeschool friend:
Those “all-in-one” ELA curriculums?
They might check the boxes—but they don’t always meet the kid where they're at.

Full disclosure?
We use one. (The Good and the Beautiful, if you’re curious.)
And it’s great… as part of our ELA routine.
But is it everything we use?
Not even close.

Why? Because no single curriculum—no matter how eye-catching, phonics-packed, or well-structured—is likely to meet every child’s exact needs.

And more importantly: meeting your kid’s needs doesn’t mean lowering the bar.
It means learning how to scaffold.

Wait… What’s Scaffolding?

If you've ever seen construction workers or house painters using scaffolding, you get the visual:
It’s the support structure that helps them safely reach higher than they could on their own.

In education, scaffolding works the same way.

It means adjusting how we support a student so they can reach skills or concepts just beyond their current comfort zone.
It doesn’t mean dumbing things down—it means giving them the tools and structure to rise.

And honestly? Most all-in-one ELA programs just don’t have the flexibility to scaffold well.

Tailoring ELA Doesn’t Mean Doing Less

I’ve seen so many parents panic when they realize their child needs reading material below grade level… or isn’t writing essays by a certain age.

Let’s breathe. Deeply.

Because tailoring your child’s learning isn’t failure—it’s strategy.

Maybe your child reads below grade level but has amazing logic skills.
You scaffold by using audiobooks, visual organizers, and short response formats—while still holding them to high standards for discussion and depth.

Maybe your kid is great at grammar but freezes when it’s time to speak.
You scaffold by giving them practice in a safe space like our Show & Share class, where they can talk about what they love while learning real speaking skills.

What Tailored ELA Looks Like for Us

We still use our curriculum. But here’s what we layer on—and why:

📚 Book Clubs

Not everyone needs chapter quizzes. Some kids need real conversations about great stories. Our Newbery Book Club gives readers space to dig deep, think critically, and share ideas out loud. It stretches them in the best ways—and gives reluctant writers something worth writing about.

✍️ Daily Writing Warm-Ups

We use these journals to make writing part of our daily rhythm. No red pens, no pressure—just thoughtful, creative prompts that get the brain moving and the words flowing.

💬 CurioSpeak + Show & Share

Speaking is a language skill, too. These classes give kids tools for expression, confidence in delivery, and real peer interaction—all things traditional ELA often forgets.

📝 CurioWrite

Sometimes you just need someone else to teach the ELA & writing. Our personalized writing classes help upper elementary through high school students work at their level—with the structure, feedback, and encouragement they need to grow.

The Right Fit Isn’t a Shortcut—It’s a Smart Step

Supporting your child’s strengths while helping them grow in their weak spots isn’t “soft.” It’s smart.
It’s how we build a lifelong learner—not just a worksheet completer.

So yes, use the curriculum that works for you.
But don’t be afraid to customize. Add on. Scale back. Scaffold.

The right fit makes all the difference—and we’re here to help you build it.