This post is mostly for my records. It will be a running log of books Moriah reads this school year. The list will include books she's required to read for school* as well as chapter books she chooses to read on her own. To view Moriah's past reading logs, click the links for 2nd and 3rd.
1. The Wright Brothers and Their Sister (Lois Mills)*
2. A Bear Called Paddington (Michael Bond)
3. Tornado (Betsy Byars)
4. The Black Stallion (Walter Farley)*
5. The Family Under the Bridge (Natalie Savage Carlson)*
6. More Wishing-Chair Stories (Enid Blyton)
7. More Adventures of the Wishing Chair (Enid Blyton)
8. The Cabin Faced West (Jean Fritz)*
9. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis)*
10. Five on a Treasure Island (Enid Blyton)*
11. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Eleanor Coerr)*
12. Secret Missions: Four True Life Stories (Ellen Levine)*
13. The Enchanted Wood (Enid Blyton)
14. The Magic Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton)
15. Ivan and the Informer (Myrna Grant)*
16. Homer Price (Robert McCloskey)*
17. The Tower in Ho-Ho Wood (Enid Blyton)
18. Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest (Ann McGovern)*
19. Usborne Beginners: Elizabeth I (Stephanie Turnbull)*
20. Stormy, Misty's Foal (Marguerite Henry)*
Summer Reading:
1. My Dad's a Birdman (David Almond)
2. Tom Gates: Extra Special Treats (not) (L. Pichon)
3. Five O'Clock Tales (Enid Blyton)
4. The Babysitters Club: Dawn and the Impossible Three (Ann M. Martin)
5. The Babysitters Club: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (Ann M. Martin)
6. The Babysitters Club: Mary Anne Saves the Day (Ann M. Martin)
7. The Babysitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea (Ann M. Martin)
8. The Babysitters Club: The Summer Before (Ann M. Martin)
Moriah’s 4th grade curriculum will have a few changes from Isaac’s, but it will be similar. Here are my current curriculum choices for next school year:
We keep losing Isaac's reading log, so I've decided to keep a list here on my blog. I'm on my blog everyday, so when he completes a book, it should be simple for me just to add it to the list. Some of the books on this list are books he has been required (by me) to read for school--for Reading, History, and Geography mostly. Also included are books he's reading in his own spare time. Most books listed are chapter books, but some picture books may be added if they are long and at his reading level. I'll list the title and the author for each book.
4th Grade Reading Log 2010-2011:
1. Jed Smith: Trailblazer of the West (Frank Latham)
2. The Black Stallion (Walter Farley)
3. The Sign of the Beaver (Elizabeth George Speare)
4. The Cabin Faced West (Jean Fritz)
5. All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown (Sydney Taylor)
6. Daniel Boone (Katharine E. Wilkie)
7. Strawberry Girl (Lois Lenski)
8. Pedro's Journal (Pam Conrad)
9. Pocohontas and the Strangers (Clyde Robert Bulla)
10. Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos (Robert Lawson)
11. Remember Betsy Floss and Other Colonial American Riddles (David A. Adler)
12. The New Americas: Colonial Times: 1620-1689 (Betsy Maestro)
13. Chronicle of America: Colonial Times (Joy Masoff)
14. …if You Lived in Williamsburg in Colonial Days (Barbara Brenner)
15. …if You Lived in Colonial Times (Ann McGovern)
16. Prince Caspian (C.S. Lewis)
17. Secret Seven Win Through (Enid Blyton)
18. The Discovery of T. Rex (Dougal Dixon)
19. Fun for the Secret Seven (Enid Blyton)
20. The Courage of Sarah Noble (Alice Dalgliesh)
21. Gladiators and the Story of the Colosseum (Dr. Nicholas Saunders)
22. Almost Home (Wendy Lawton)
23. Trouble at Otter Creek (Wilma Pitchford Hays)
24. Night of the Full Moon (Gloria Whelan)
25. The Matchlock Gun (Walter D. Edmonds)
26. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis)
27. The Secret of Spiggy Holes (Enid Blyton)
28. The Boy Next Door (Enid Blyton)
29. Guns for General Washington (Seymour Reit)
30. The Mystery of Holly Lane (Enid Blyton)
31. Sam the Minuteman (Nathaniel Benchley)
32. Toliver's Secret (Esther Wood Brady)
33. George Washington: A Picture Book Biography (James Cross Giblin)
34. Wagon Wheels (Barbara Brenner)
35. The Mystery of the Invisible Thief (Enid Blyton)
36. Fire! (Anita Deyneka)
37. Five on Finniston Farm (Enid Blyton)
38. Five Run Away Together (Enid Blyton)
39. Five Go to Billycock Hill (Enid Blyton)
40. American Revolution 1700-1800 (Joy Masoff)
41. Five Go Down to the Sea (Enid Blyton)
42. Five Go to Smuggler's Top (Enid Blyton)
43. The Buffalo Knife (William O. Steele)
44. Five Go Off in a Caravan (Enid Blyton)
45. Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President (Shirley Raye Redmond)
46. Five on Kirrin Island Again (Enid Blyton)
47. Where the Red Fern Grows (Wilson Rawls)
48. Captive Treasure (Milly Howard)
49. Lewis and Clark and Me: A Dog's Tale (Laurie Myers)
50. Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West (Steven Kroll)
51. North American Explorers (Yannick Oney)
52. Max: The Dog That Refused to Die (Kyra Petrovskaya Wayne)
53. ...If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon (Ellen Levine)
54. The Island of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
55. The Castle of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
56. The Valley of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
57. ...If You Grew Up With George Washington (Ruth Belov Gross)
58. ...If You Were a Pioneer on the Prairie (Anne Kamma)
59. Five Fall Into Adventure (Enid Blyton)
60. Shock for the Secret Seven (Enid Blyton)
61. Good Old Secret Seven (Enid Blyton)
62. The Caravan Family (Enid Blyton)
63. Centerburg Tales: More Adventures of Homer Price (Robert McCloskey)
64. ...If You Lived with the Indians of the Northwest Coast (Anne Kamma)
65. Carolina's Courage (Elizabeth Yates)
66. Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan)
67. Gold Fever! Tales from the California Gold Rush (R. Schanzer)
68. Clipper Ship (Thomas P. Lewis)
69. Pearl Harbor (Stephen Krensky)
70. The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (Enid Blyton)
71. The Wheel on the School (Meindert DeJong)
Isaac read the following books during his summer holidays (which is only 6 weeks here):
72. The Mystery of the Strange Bundle (Enid Blyton)
73. The Adventurous Four (Enid Blyton)
74. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Roald Dahl)
75. The Butterfly Lion (Michael Morpurgo)
76. Good Work, Secret Seven (Enid Blyton)
77. The Pet Finders Club: Come Back, Buddy! (Ben M. Baglio)
78. The Pet Finders Club: Runaway Rascal (Ben M. Baglio)
79. The Pet Finders Club: Help Honey! (Ben M. Baglio)
80. The Pet Finders Club: Searching for Sunshine (Ben M. Baglio)
81. Five Have a Wonderful Time (Enid Blyton)
We're using Heart of Dakota's Drawn Into the Heart of Reading program (with Student Book 4/5). We are using a book from each of the following genres: biography, adventure, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, humor, folktales, and realistic fiction. Here's my list for this year:
Biography: Jed Smith—Trailblazer of the West
Adventure: The Black Stallion
Historical Fiction: Sign of the Beaver
Fantasy: Little Pilgrim’s Progress
Mystery: Fire!
Nonfiction: Secret Missions: Four True Life Stories (Ellen Levine)
Humor: More Adventures of Homer Price
Folktales: American Tall Tales
Realistic Fiction: The Wheel on the School
I forgot that I had written a post way back in January about 4th grade curriculum! Click here for that post if you care to. I’ve come to some decisions, and I’ve made some changes to my earlier plans!
Again, I’ll list Isaac’s curriculum by workbox number.
Box 1: Math—I’ve decided on Teaching Textbooks! Isaac dislikes math and is a sort of behind the level he should be at, and the reviews I’ve read on this program sound like exactly what he needs. He not only needs to catch up on his math skills, but he also needs to build up his confidence. He really thinks he’s horrible at math, and I really think this program will help him. Only downside is the price!!! IF I can’t come up with the money (I need to get both 4th and 5th grade levels), then I still may switch to Singapore Math in the end. But I’m really hoping to be able to get Teaching Textbooks.
Box 2: Reading—This year we’ll be leaving readers behind. Isaac will be using Heart of Dakota’sDrawn Into the Heart of Reading program. I’ll be choosing books from 9 genres of literature: biography, adventure, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, humor, and folktales. I haven’t finalized my list yet, because I’m currently in England. When we go back to the US later this month, I’ll be able to look through my book collection and visit my favorite used-book store and make my choices from there. When I decide, I’ll write another post and link it to this one! Also, I’m going to be making an independent reading list for Isaac. I’ll select a certain number of books for him to read, but I’ll let him choose the majority of them! I’m so happy that he loves to read!
Box 3: Vocabulary—Word Roots A1
Box 4: Language/Writing—We didn’t quite finish Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 1 this year, so our plans are to finish that and then begin on Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 2! We’re also going to use Daily 6-Trait Writing, Grade 4 because he really needs to work on writing skills.
Box 5: Spelling—I decided against Sequential Spelling 2. We tried the first book this year (we won’t quite finish it, but that’s okay). It worked as far as spelling goes—he is doing very well in spelling; however, he dreads doing a 25-word test EVERY day. It’s drudgery, and there are other things I don’t like about it (like words I’ve never even heard of—I have to look them up in the dictionary so I can make a sentence for him). Soooo, based on several reviews I’ve read, we’re going to go with All About Spelling (I’m going to buy levels 1 and 2).
Box 6: Bible--Discover 4 Yourself series. I'll start with the book on how to read the Bible and then follow it with a study of the life of Jesus (book study on John). Titles are Discover 4 Yourself, Children’s Bible Study Series: How to Study Your Bible, for Kids; Discover 4 Yourself, Children’s Bible Study Series: Jesus in the Spotlight (John 1-10); Discover 4 Yourself, Jesus: Awesome Power, Awesome Love (John 11-16); and Discover 4 Yourself, Jesus: To Eternity and Beyond (John 17-21).
Box 7: Science—I’ve already purchased two Apologia books (right here in England). For those of you who have used this series, I don’t know what you’ll think about this, but I’m going to attempt to do TWO books in one year. This past year, we did science lessons everyday, so I think we can get through it all. Besides, I won’t need quite as much time for experiments. I’ll do as many as I can, but I just don’t have the money to get some of the supplies needed. I’ll focus more on the notebook. For 4th grade, we’re going to do Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day AND Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day. Actually, I’m going to divide it up just a wee bit. When we get to the section on flying insects, I’m going to switch to book 2. When that’s finished I’ll go back to flying insects so that we can study them during the late spring/summer months. Isaac has been looking through these books, and he is VERY excited! If this works out for us, then we’ll do two books in 5th grade (Zoology 3 and Human Anatomy) and two in 6th (Botany and then Physics & Chemistry, which is due out in 2011). Because we did Christian Kids Explore Earth and Space this year, I’ll skip the one on Astronomy.
Box 8: History—While we’re still in the US, I’m going to do 3 weeks of state history. We’re going to study Missouri because it’s the only state Isaac has ever lived in, and that’s where we’ll be while we’re studying it. I believe we’ll use the Missouri Project Pack (In the Hands of a Child) and make a lapbook. We’ll follow that with American History. This is a break in our chronological studies (Ancient History in 2nd grade and Medieval History in 3rd), but what can I say? I think he needs a year on American History, and I already have the books for it. We’ll be using the Light and Gloryfor Children series. I’ll supplement with children’s literature, timeline, and projects. I also have activity books for the series, and I just purchased American History Through Art by Rich and Sharon Jeffus.
Box 9: Geography—I’ll start with Missouri geography of course. Then, I’ll probably do state unit studies along with general geography skills and of course US map skills and learning states/capitals. I’m not sure which states we’ll study. Would it be best to choose states Isaac has visited, a few states from each region, or states he’s interested in? Or a good combination of those? I’m not going to try all 50! I do know one thing…Alaska and Hawaii are definitely going to be included! Using the same pattern as my world geography studies this past year, I’m planning to use literature, projects, maps, art, flags, recipes, and music for our unit studies. I’m hoping to find some cheap Holling C. Holling books somewhere. For general geography, I plan to use Daily Geography Practice.
Box 10: Literature—I’m going to read aloud classics to Isaac this year. I don’t have a plan, so I don’t know how long each book will take or how many we’ll manage to finish, but here’s my list as of today:
Black Beauty
Treasure Island
Swiss Family Robinson
Little Lord Fauntleroy
The Hobbit
A Christmas Carol
Heidi
Around the World in 80 Days
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Just-So Stories
Box 11: Thinking Skills—Building Thinking Skills 2 and various thinking skills games
Box 12: Rotation—Art, Music, P.E., Technology, Spanish (I may trade Spanish for Life Skills and Contenders for the Faith program).
Art—Finish Joseph the Canada Goose (we started this in 2nd grade), do drawing with Drawing Textbook, and I’ll probably fit in some American history art study.
Music—Singing Made Easy 1 and 2 (we need to finish 1), a bit of piano, drums, and recorder lessons, and a program on composers. I’m trying to decide between Meet the Great Composers OR A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers. Any recommendations???
P.E.—Continue working on various skills with Dad. We’d love to get him back into swimming lessons if possible.
Technology/Typing—We use Typing Instructor Deluxe, and I’m hoping to do some stuff online with Technology.
Spanish—We’re still trying to finish Teach Them Spanish! Grade 2.
Contenders for the Faith—We’ve been slow about working on Isaac’s pins, so we continue…..
That's it for now. I hope I don't change my mind again!
I'm linking this to Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. The theme is curriculum sharing, so click on the link if you'd like to see what other homeschool moms are doing this year!
At the beginning of each school year, I'm always excited to begin using the new curriculum I've chosen. However, it's not long before I start thinking about the following year! Almost everything I buy for Isaac can be re-used for Moriah and Gabriela, although I'm ditching a few things that I wish I had never used with him, so I'll have a few new things to buy for Moriah next year. Anyway, I'm nearly done making my decisions for Isaac's 4th grade year, and I'd love to hear comments from anyone who has used any of these programs/books. Did you and your children love them/hate them, etc.?
I'm still struggling with a decision on math. I've officially decided that after 2 years and a few months using Miquon Math that I do NOT like the program, and I probably will not use it with the girls. The problem is that some of the highest-recommended math programs are also the most expensive. I just don't have the money for them. I've tried Amazon and ebay, but they're still highly-priced. I've looked at reviews of different math programs, but every single one has both positive and negative comments...making it very difficult to decide. I just wish I could borrow several programs and use them for a week each to see which works for us before I buy! I've nearly decided on Singapore Math because we used it for preschool and kindergarten, it's highly recommended, and it's affordable. The only issue I have with it is that the 4th grade level will be TOO advanced for Isaac. However, he doesn't seem to have a problem with doing 3rd grade math in 4th grade...his response was, "What's wrong with that???" So, okay.
Because we do workboxes, I'm going to list my curriculum choices by box--and tell what I'm planning for each subject.
Box 1: Thinking Skills--Building Thinking Skills 2 (MWF) and thinking skills games (TuTh)
I'll post a widget of some of the thinking skills games we use as soon as I can get amazon to come on...internet is so slow atm!
Box 2: Bible--Discover 4 Yourself series (see widget below for titles). I'll start with the book on how to read the Bible and then follow it with a study of the life of Jesus (book study on John).
Box 3: Math (Yet to be decided)
Box 4: History--I plan to start with Missouri State History. We live in England, but most 4th graders in America study state history, so I wanted to do that as well. Missouri is the state Isaac was born in and lived in before we moved to England. We spend most of our time there when we're back in America. Because we plan to be there at the beginning of 4th grade, I plan to start with that! We'll probably make it a lapbook or notebook study, using internet resources. I'm hoping we can even make a trip to Jefferson City...we'll see!
After that we'll be covering American history. I could have continued with the Story of the World series since we did Ancient History in 2nd grade and Medieval History this year, but I felt we needed to go back to American history for 4th. We're using the Light and the Glory for Children series, and I have several resources (books and websites) for theme unit activities throughout our studies. Also, he will be doing supplemental reading with some historical fiction. I love good children's literature (and luckily so does he)! I'm not sure which books I'll have him read. I need to get back to America, go through the books I have, and then visit my favorite used-book store!
Box 5: Geography--This year I've had geography in the last box, but next year I'm going to put it right after history. We've had a blast studying different countries the past year, but in 4th grade we'll be doing US Geography. I hope to at least briefly cover each state, but I want to do a theme units on at least a few of them (Hawaii and Alaska would be fun). I'm also planning to use Daily Geography Practice for basic geography.
Box 6: Reading--I'm planning to use Drawn Into the Heart of Reading 4/5 (Heart of Dakota) with a selection of good literature from 9 genres (Biography, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Humor, Nonfiction, Realistic Fiction, Folktales). Again, I've not decided on the titles yet...need a trip to the US first!
Box 7: Spelling--Sequential Spelling 2
Box 8: Language--Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 2 and also Daily 6-Trait Writing, Grade 4 (because he needs to work on writing skills).
Box 9: Vocabulary--Word Roots A1
Box 10: Storytime--Because I used Heart of Dakota curriculum for grades K-2, I've always read books based on the 9 genres mentioned above on Reading. Because he's going to be reading those kinds of books on his own next year, I've decided to read aloud some classics in 4th grade! Here's a list of some of the books I'm hoping to read to him, though I don't know how many of them we'll get to or in which order I'll read them! Black Beauty
Treasure Island
Swiss Family Robinson
Little Lord Fauntleroy
The Hobbit
A Christmas Carol
Heidi
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Around the World in 80 Days
Box 11: Science--I'm trying Apologia next year because I've heard so much about it, and it sounds great! We'll start with Exploring Creation with Zoology I, which is all about birds, basically. Part of me would like to stick with a general science or at least general biology (we're doing Earth Science this year), but I like how the program is set up, and at least he'll know more about birds than most kids his age! Has anyone else used this program? I'd love to hear your comments! I'd also like to know if you supplement it with any other type of science (science kits on physics or chemistry, gardening, videos or games, etc.). I am planning to add a unit study on Health either before or after our study on birds.
Box 12: Electives--Here are the electives for 4th grade:
Life Skills/Contenders for the Faith--I'll get back on this one!
Music--I use Singing Made Easy, and I also plan to teach some piano (if I ever manage to save my money for a keyboard) and recorder (I have one already and books too).
P.E.--I'm REALLY hoping we can do something other than use the trampoline and Wii Sports for this!!! That wasn't my plan, but it's happened often. Actually the kids did swimming lessons last fall, and I'm hoping they can continue at some point. I like Greg to do P.E., but English weather makes it difficult sometimes,and our house isn't big enough for indoor sports....
Typing/Technology--I use Typing Instructor Deluxe for the typing bit. Not sure yet on the Tech.
Art/Fine Art--I'll probably use Drawing Textbook for art and maybe supplement with other things...not sure yet...
