This is a post that I’ve put off for awhile because I’ve only just now finalized all my choices and finished my ordering. Just a note on these curriculum lists—not everything will be done daily! Anyway, here’s what I’m planning for this year:
Isaac (5th grade)
Math: Teaching Textbooks 5
Reading: Drawn Into the Heart of Reading (using the following literature selections):
Biography—The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk (Donald J. Sobol)
Adventure—Escape to Liechtenstein (Ed Dunlop)
Historical Fiction—Amos Fortune, Free Man (Elizabeth Yates)
Fantasy—Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Robert C. O’Brien)
Mystery—The Invisible Friend (Lois Walfrid Johnson)
Folk Tales—Knights, Kings and Conquerors: 20 Stories from British History (Geraldine McCaughrean)
Nonfiction—Christian Liberty Nature Reader, Book 4 (Lindstrom and McHugh, eds)
Humor—Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
Realistic Fiction—Swallows and Amazons (Arthur Ransome)
Language: Learning Language Arts Through Literature (The Purple Book), Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 2 (finishing from last year), English Grammar and Stories with Cartoons for Young Children, and various Mad Libs books.
Writing: WriteShop Primary C
Vocabulary: Vocabulary Cartoons and Rummy Roots game
Bible: Discover 4 Yourself Series: Lord, Teach Me to Pray for Kids, Wrong Way, Jonah!, Bible Prophecy for Kids (Rev. 1-7), and A Sneak Peek into the Future (Rev. 8-22)
Spelling: All About Spelling, levels 3 and 4
Thinking Skills: Building Thinking Skills, Level 2 and various games
Science: Apologia: Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (only the flying insects section, to finish from last year), Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day and Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology.
History: Story of the World, Volume 3: Early Modern Times. Also, we’ll complete History Pockets: Native Americans, which we never finished last year.
Geography: I teach geography units in a similar style to Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations. I come up with my own lesson plans, which I don’t mind since geography is my favorite subject. However, the ideas I include in my plans aren’t always my own. I get a lot of my ideas (and printables) from other websites and blogs. I chose a list of countries from those mentioned in our history program. This year, I’m planning 2-week long units on the following countries and 1 continent:
Canada, Haiti, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Iran, Mongolia, Burma (Myanmar), Korea, Angola, South Africa, Antarctica.
In my plans, I try to use literature, YouTube videos, notebook pages, art or craft projects, music, food, maps, drawing, resource books, websites, science projects, games and sometimes lapbooks.
Storytime: Read-aloud classics. Here’s our list of books we plan to read through this year, if possible (though I may add or subtract some):
Anne of Green Gables
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Heidi
Around the World in 80 Days
Treasure Island (Junior version)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Extracurricular Rotation 1: I’m not sure how I’m going to work this, but I’m planning to rotate these subjects by school quarter (we’ll see how it goes):
Art Appreciation & Handicrafts—Study paintings (M), reproduce paintings (Tu), do handicrafts (W), study architecture (Th), Art Appreciation notebook (inc. architecture)(F)
Music I—Composers, using A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers
Art—Drawing Textbook
Music II—Piano (4 weeks), recorder (4 weeks), singing (with Singing Made Easy) (Fridays)
Extracurricular Rotation 2:
Physical Education—Various activities and games (I do plan to include some daily exercise for the whole year)
Typing—Continue with Typing Instructor PC/CD
Health & Safety—Website SuperKids Nutrition and possibly others
Technology—Coming up with my own plans
Moriah (2nd grade)
Morning Seatwork: Spectrum Test Practice, Grade 2
Reading: Helping Hands and Happy Hearts (Reading to Learn series)
Math: Singapore Math: Primary Mathematics 2A and 2B
Spelling: All About Spelling. Right now, Moriah is in the middle of level 2, so we’ll work up as far as we can this year, up through level 4 if possible.
Phonics: Explode the Code (books 4 and 5)
Language Arts Rotation:
Handwriting: Pictures in Cursive Primer (M/W)
Language: My own plans (Tu/Th)
Writing: Journaling (Fridays)Poetry: Poems for Memorization (daily)
Rotation (Science/Thinking Skills):
Science: Our Father’s World and nature study (M/W/F)
Thinking Skills: MindWare brainteaser books: Analogies, Venn Perplexors, Logic Links, and various games (Tu/Th)
Bible: Grapevine Studies Stick-Figuring Through the Bible: New Testament Overview, Beginner level and Seeds Family Worship, Volumes 2 and 4
History: Story of the World, Volume 3: Early Modern Times (along with Isaac)
Geography: Same as Isaac (see above)
Storytime: I’ll read aloud books from 9 genres:
Biography—Squanto: Friend of Pilgrims (Clyde Robert Bulla)
Adventure—Sword in the Tree (Clyde Robert Bulla)
Historical Fiction—Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Fantasy—Rabbit Hill (Robert Lawson)
Mystery—The Railway Children (E. Nesbit)
Nonfiction—If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon (E. Levine)
Humor—A Bear Called Paddington (Michael Bond)
Realistic Fiction—Misty of Chincoteague (Marguerite Henry)
Folktales—Dick Whittington and His Cat (retold by Eva Moore)
Rotation (Electives):
Music: I may do Moriah’s music along with Isaac. We have a keyboard now, so I’m planning to give her beginning piano lessons. We’ll also do singing, using the program Singing Made Easy. I’ll probably do some stuff on composers, music appreciation, and musical instruments as well.
P.E.: With Isaac
Spanish: Teach Them Spanish, grade 1 (if we finish that, we’ll go on to grade 2)
Life Skills: Life Skills for Kids
Art: Joseph the Canada Goose, Little Annie’s Art Book of Etiquette and Good Manners, and Draw-Write Now books. May also do some Art Appreciation.
Gabriela—Preschool/Tot School
I’m not really sure where I’m going with Gabriela yet. She won’t be 4 until October. In the US, age 4 is preschool, and in the UK, age 4 is Reception (Kindergarten). In either case, Gabriela would turn 4 too late to be enrolled in school if I had her in public schools. So, this is a case of “wait and see what she’s ready for.” In some ways, I feel she’ll be ready for preschool, but in other ways I feel she still needs Tot School. I’ll figure out at the end of the school year whether I feel she’s ready for Kindergarten. With Isaac and Moriah, I used the program Early Education at Home for Preschool. With Gabriela I’m planning to use that program along with Tot School trays/Montessori activities AND Before Five in a Row…sort of. I don’t actually have the book BFIAR, and I don’t plan to purchase it because it’s hard to get in the UK and expensive (not to mention that some of the required story books are out of print). However, I like the idea behind it, and I have several of the books. So, I’m going to come up with my own activities for those books and cover one a week. I may even add some different books, if it goes well. For Montessori activities, I use the book Teach Me to Do it Myself, by Maja Pitamic, as well as several Montessori blogs I follow online. The Early Education at Home book covers the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, and various theme units. To supplement the alphabet section, I’ll be using the Letter of the Week preschool curriculum from Erica at Confessions of a Homeschooler. For Math, I also use Math Play! and Singapore Math: Earlybird Pre-School Mathematics. I have lots of early learning math manipulatives, too.
When I get Gabriela’s preschool plans finalized, I’ll do a separate post!
