For teachers

Hearth & Field works for grades 9 to 12 and intro community-college courses: shop and construction, environmental science, agriculture and CTE pathways. There are no accounts, so students start in seconds, and progress stays on each device. Students can print their plan as a PDF or export it as JSON to hand in.

Using it in class

One lesson, one period: each lesson takes 8 to 12 minutes, leaving time for discussion. The Check screen works as an exit ticket.
Lab days: assign a Homestead Lab scenario. Ask students to change one thing at a time and record what moved, using the chart's table view.
Projects: each track's project produces a plan section. The capstone combines them into one printable plan.
Safety: lessons marked ⚠ include a Pro and permit box. They teach understanding and planning, never step-by-step high-risk work.

Printable worksheets

One worksheet per track: objectives, every check question with space to answer, a trade-off and a pro-and-permit question, and a Homestead Lab activity. Tick "Include answer key" for a teacher copy.

The alignment below is a draft starting point (NGSS high school, CTE construction and agriculture) and needs review by a curriculum specialist.

Track 1: The whole homestead

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
1. What "self-sufficient" really means	Describe self-sufficiency as a range of independence, not all or nothing. Name things a homestead can realistically provide and things it usually still buys or shares. Explain why most homesteads choose to stay partly connected.	sort	NGSS HS-ESS3-4; CTE agriculture and natural resources
2. The five budgets	Name the five homestead budgets and the sixth budget, time. Give the unit each budget is measured in. Explain how one choice can move several budgets at once.	sort	NGSS HS-ESS3-4; CTE agriculture
3. Climate zones and why they change every answer	Read an IECC climate zone, such as 5A, as a number and a moisture letter. Explain what heating and cooling degree days measure. Find your own zone and know why the course asks for it.	sort	NGSS HS-ESS2-4; CTE construction
4. Reading your site	Name six things to read on a site: sun, wind, slope, water, soil and access. Spot common warning signs, such as frost pockets and flood-prone ground. Know which site questions need a professional and a permit.	diagnose	NGSS HS-ESS3-1; CTE agriculture
5. Phasing: what to build first	Put the main homestead projects in a sensible order. Explain why water, sanitation and safe shelter come first. Plan for the risks and costs of living on site during year one.	order	CTE construction (project planning)
6. Project: my homestead brief	Write a homestead brief with climate zone, people, goals, budget range and must-haves. Tell must-haves apart from nice-to-haves. Use the brief when talking to builders, suppliers and inspectors.	project	CTE agriculture and construction (planning project)

Track 2: The small home

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
7. Small-home types compared	Describe six common small-home types. Name a main strength and a main drawback of each. Know which questions about legality and structure to ask before you choose.	sort	CTE architecture and construction
8. How a building stays standing	Name the main kinds of loads on a building. Trace the load path from roof to soil. Describe common foundation and framing types, and know what needs an engineer or inspector.	order	NGSS HS-PS2-1, conceptual; CTE construction
9. The building envelope	Name the layers of a wall and what each one does. Explain insulation, air sealing and moisture control as three separate jobs. Explain why the envelope comes before the heater.	label	NGSS HS-PS3-4
10. Windows and passive solar	Explain why south-facing glass gains heat in winter in the US. Read the U-factor and SHGC on a window label. Combine glass, thermal mass and overhangs without overheating the house.	sort	NGSS HS-PS3-3; HS-ESS1-4
11. Ventilation and indoor air	Explain why a tight house needs planned ventilation. Name the main ventilation types, from spot fans to heat-recovery systems. Diagnose a damp cabin from its clues.	diagnose	CTE construction; health science
12. Codes, permits and inspections	Tell zoning, building codes and health rules apart. Describe the usual steps from permit to final inspection. Prepare good questions for the building department.	sort	CTE construction (codes and safety)
13. Project: a small floor plan	Choose a simple footprint and orient it to the sun. Place windows on each side with heat loss and solar gain in mind. Read a rough heat-loss estimate and know what it leaves out.	project	NGSS HS-ETS1-2; CTE architecture

Track 3: Water

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
14. How much water a household uses	Estimate daily water use per person, indoors and outdoors. Name the fixtures that use the most water in a typical home. Explain why off-grid households often use far less than the national average.	order	NGSS HS-ESS3-3
15. Water sources compared	Compare five water sources on cost, reliability, quality and rules. Explain who is responsible for testing a private water supply. Know which work needs a licensed professional and a permit.	sort	NGSS HS-ESS3-1
16. Rainwater catchment	Work out how much water a roof can catch from a given rainfall. Name the parts of a rain catchment system and what each one does. Set up a rain barrel safely for garden use.	label	NGSS HS-ESS2-5; HS-ETS1-3
17. Storage and pressure	Compare common tank materials and where to place a tank. Explain how height creates water pressure, and when you need a pump. Diagnose why a rain tank ran dry, and plan for freezing weather.	diagnose	NGSS HS-PS3-1, conceptual
18. Treatment for drinking	Explain why testing comes before choosing any treatment. Match common treatment methods to what they remove. Know what to ask a water treatment professional and a testing lab.	sort	NGSS HS-ESS3-4; health science
19. Greywater	Tell greywater from blackwater. Describe how simple greywater systems water plants. Know the safety rules and permits that commonly apply.	sort	NGSS HS-ESS3-4
20. Project: my water budget	Build a month-by-month water budget for your household. Size a catchment roof and tank for your driest stretch. Decide what to change if supply and demand do not balance.	project	NGSS HS-ETS1-4; math modeling

Track 4: Energy

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
21. Watts, watt-hours and the electric bill	Tell the difference between power (watts) and energy (watt-hours). Work out the daily energy use of one appliance. Read the energy line on an electric bill.	dial	NGSS HS-PS3-1
22. Load list: what you actually use	Build a load list with watts, hours and daily watt-hours. Spot the big loads that drive system size. Account for surge, standby and seasonal loads.	calculator	NGSS HS-PS3-1; math modeling
23. Efficiency first	Explain why efficiency shrinks the whole energy system. Find standby loads and work out what they cost. Compare common efficiency swaps for the big loads.	dial	NGSS HS-ESS3-4
24. Solar basics	Turn an array size and peak sun hours into daily energy. Explain why winter output is lower, and how tilt helps. Spot shading problems and know who installs an array.	dial	NGSS HS-PS3-3; HS-ESS1-4
25. Storing energy	Explain depth of discharge, cycle life and days of autonomy. Compare lead-acid and lithium iron phosphate batteries. Diagnose why a battery bank is flat on winter mornings.	diagnose	NGSS HS-PS3-3
26. Off-grid, grid-tied and hybrid systems	Name the main parts of an off-grid solar system and what each does. Compare off-grid, grid-tied and hybrid systems. Explain why a grid-tied system without batteries goes dark in an outage.	label	NGSS HS-ETS1-3
27. Backup power	Explain when backup power is needed and how generators fill the gap. Choose critical loads and plan load shedding. State the carbon monoxide and backfeed rules for generators.	sort	CTE safety; NGSS HS-ETS1-3
28. Other sources: wind and micro-hydro	Explain what makes a site good for small wind or micro-hydro. Estimate micro-hydro power from head and flow. Decide when wind or hydro is worth a closer look.	sort	NGSS HS-PS3-3
29. Project: load list and solar sizing	Build a winter and a summer load list. Size a solar array and battery for the worst month, and compare it with summer. Prepare what an installer needs to give you a real design and quote.	project	NGSS HS-ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-4

Track 5: Heat and cooling

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
30. How heat moves	Name the three ways heat moves and spot each one in a house. Estimate heat loss in BTU per hour from area, R-value and temperature difference. Turn an hourly heat loss into a rough winter total using degree days.	calculator	NGSS HS-PS3-2, HS-PS3-4
31. Heating options compared	Compare the main heating options on cost, labor, power use and risk. Explain what a heat pump's coefficient of performance means. Name the fire and carbon monoxide risks of combustion heat and how they are managed.	diagnose	NGSS HS-ESS3-2
32. Cooling without much power	Name where summer heat comes from in a small home. Match low-power cooling methods to dry and humid climates. Decide when a small heat pump is the better choice.	sort	NGSS HS-PS3-4
33. Hot water	Work out the daily energy needed to heat your hot water. Compare heat-pump, solar thermal, gas and wood-fired water heating. Name the scald, pressure and carbon monoxide risks of water heaters.	dial	NGSS HS-PS3-3

Track 6: Food

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
34. How much land feeds a person	Estimate how many calories a person eats in a year. Tell high-calorie staple crops from low-calorie vegetables. Set a realistic food goal for your land, time and climate.	sort	NGSS HS-LS2-4; CTE agriculture
35. The kitchen garden	Pick a good garden site for sun, water and access. Plan a season around your frost dates. Use succession planting and season extension to stretch the harvest.	order	CTE agriculture (plant systems)
36. Perennials and food forests	Explain how perennials differ from annual crops. Name the layers of a food forest. Choose and place perennials for your climate and site.	sort	NGSS HS-LS2-7; CTE agriculture
37. Small livestock: chickens and rabbits	List the daily and yearly inputs of a small flock of hens. Estimate eggs and feed for a flock size. Diagnose a common cause of hens laying fewer eggs.	diagnose	CTE agriculture (animal systems)
38. Growing indoors	Pick crops that suit indoor growing. Estimate the energy a grow light uses. Decide whether hydroponics or aquaponics fits your homestead.	sort	CTE agriculture; NGSS HS-ETS1-2
39. Storing the harvest	Match each crop to the storage conditions it needs. Compare root cellars, drying, freezing and canning on energy, labor and risk. Explain why home canning must follow tested recipes.	sort	CTE agriculture (food products); health science

Track 7: Waste and putting it together

Lesson	Students will	Interaction	Alignment (draft)
40. Composting toilets and septic compared	Explain how a septic system and a composting toilet each handle waste. Compare their cost, space, upkeep and legal limits. Diagnose a common composting toilet problem.	diagnose	NGSS HS-ESS3-4
41. Compost and the nutrient loop	Explain the nutrient loop on a homestead. Balance greens and browns in a compost pile. Sort what belongs in a home compost pile and what does not.	sort	NGSS HS-LS2-5
42. Trash, recycling and buying less	Put the waste hierarchy in order, from best to last resort. Sort homestead waste to the right place. Plan for hazardous items that need special handling.	order	NGSS HS-ESS3-3
43. Year-one plan and budget	Put homestead systems in a sensible order for year one. Time projects to the seasons in your climate. Build a year-one budget with ranges and a contingency.	calculator	CTE business (budgeting)
44. Capstone: my homestead plan	Combine your project outputs into one homestead plan. Stress-test the plan against the hardest month for each system. Know who to take each part of the plan to, and what to ask.	project	NGSS HS-ETS1-2; capstone