Introducing My Free 36-Week Kindergarten ELA Guide (Based on Fishtank Learning!)

If you’ve ever tried using a high-quality classroom curriculum for homeschooling, you know it can be a lot to adapt. Fishtank Learning is an amazing, free resource designed for classroom teachers, but it isn’t always homeschool-friendly. That’s why I created a 36-week Kindergarten ELA guide—to make it easier for homeschoolers to follow while keeping the rich, structured approach that Fishtank offers. And the best part? It’s completely free!

Why Use Fishtank Learning?

Fishtank Learning provides a solid foundation for early literacy, focusing on high-quality books, discussion-based learning, and building comprehension skills. But because it was designed for a classroom setting, homeschoolers might find it tricky to navigate. The pacing, group activities, and lesson structures often assume a full class of students — so I set out to rework it for the homeschool setting.

What I Did to Make It Homeschool-Friendly

I took the core structure of Fishtank’s Kindergarten ELA and:

✔️ Simplified the lessons for a one-on-one or small-group setting
✔️ Created a Week by Week Schedule to better fit a homeschool schedule
✔️ Created printables to reduce your prep work
✔️ Made instructions clearer so you don’t have to translate classroom-speak into homeschool-friendly language

What’s Included?

• A 36-week guide that walks you through the curriculum step by step
• Tons of printables—so you have ready-to-go resources for each lesson
• A flexible approach that lets you adapt lessons to your child’s needs

Is it Actually Free?

All of my resources, printables, and 36 week guide are completely free. Fish Tank Learning is free, but it does have a “plus” edition that I don’t find is necessary for homeschooling.

What is not free is the books. If you’re lucky enough to have a fabulous public library system then you should be set. If you can’t find all the books there and you’re not able to buy them, then I would check youtube for some read aloud options. Homeschooling (especially kindergarten!) doesn’t need to be expensive!

How to Get It

You can download the full guide and printables for free! Whether you’re looking for a full-year ELA curriculum or just a structured way to bring more great literature into your homeschool, I hope this guide makes your journey easier.

Downloads
Guide (google docs)
Printables (Canva, no account needed)
Printables Template (Canva, but you have to log in)

Let me know if you use it—I’d love to hear how it works for your family!