7th Grade Reading Log

This is my daughter's reading log for 7th grade. This log will include books required for school (*) as well as books she has read on her own.

1.  The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (Carolyn Keene) [Nancy Drew Mystery]
2.  George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans (Janet and Geoff Benge) [Christian Heroes: Then and Now series]*
3.  Beric the Briton (G.A. Henty)*
4.  In the Days of Alfred the Great (Eve March Tappan)*
5.  Wulf the Saxon (G.A. Henty)*
6.  The Secret Boat (Patricia St. John)
7.  Swiss Holiday (Elizabeth Yates)*
8.  In the Days of Alfred the Great (Eva March Tappan)*
9.  The Haunted Bridge (Carolyn Keene) [Nancy Drew Mystery]
10. In Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)

11. The Haunted Carousel (Carolyn Keene) [Nancy Drew Mystery]
12. The Bronze Bow (Elizabeth Speare)*
13. In Freedom's Cause (G.A. Henty)*
14. Watership Down (Richard Adams)*
15. The Wool-Pack (Cynthia Harnett)*
16. The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day (Scott O'Dell)*
17. Still More Stories from Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)
18. Children of the New Forest (Frederick Marryat)*
19. Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist, and Teacher (John Hudson Tiner)*
20. The Healer's Apprentice (Melanie Dickerson)

Paper Boats for Sale!

Yesterday, my eight-year-old daughter came downstairs to announce that she had boats for sale...only ten pence per boat. I thought it adorably cute, but I thought she was just pretending. Once I realized that she really intended to sell them and expected us to buy them, I didn't want her to be disappointed.

Unfortunately for her, the teacher in me came out instead of the mommy, and I thought to give her a lesson in economics. I told her if she wanted to sell something, then she needed to sell something that people wanted. Bad mommy. Instead of getting my point, she started crying. I felt really bad, but truthfully, I didn't want a paper boat. This week, I've been working hard to de-clutter the house of paper; the last thing I needed was a paper boat.

It did bring back memories of when I was probably just a year or two older than her, and our family was having a yard sale. I picked up several rocks and put them on a table with a price tag. I'm sure they were ordinary rocks, and I'm sure I thought they were beautiful, and surely customers would feel the same. No one bought any rocks until my sweet grandpa (Hedden) felt sorry for me. He bought one of my rocks, and I was so happy.

My husband promised to buy a boat from our daughter (good Daddy), but I soon forgot all about it. This morning, he was going to take her to Home Bargains with him, and she wanted money to spend. I heard her sweet, little voice ringing throughout the house again. "Boats for sale! Only ten pence a boat! Boats for sale!" That's when the mommy in me came out. I am now the proud new owner of TWO paper boats. The smaller one was two pence.

This incident really got me thinking. Someday, my daughter will understand all about economics, and then I will know she's not a little girl anymore. I will remember the days when she tried to sell paper boats to make a little money. I am not looking forward to her growing up. I want to hold onto this moment...when my baby girl is still little. She'll grow up too soon, and I will never forget this. Truly, twelve pence is not too much to pay to see a huge smile on your child's face. Despite the fact that I have been ruthlessly recycling baskets full of paper this week, I am going to keep my lovely paper boats for the rest of my life.

Incidentally, older brother bought three of her boats, and older sister plans to buy one, too. I have a happy little girl, and that makes me happy.

2nd Grade Reading Log 2015-16

This is my youngest daughter's reading log for this year. Books marked * are required for school. I will add books as she reads them.

1. Tornado (Betsy Byars)*
2. In the Garden (Sarah McKenzie)*
3. The Adventures of Laura and Jack (Laura Ingalls Wilder)*
4. The Story of Ferdinand (Munro Leaf)
5. The White Stallion (Elizabeth Shub)
6. Molly's Pilgrim (Barbara Cohen)
7. The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
8. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
9. Susan's Journey: Step Through the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis Pte, Ltd)
10. Dick Whittington and His Cat (Eva Moore)
11. Meet Samantha: An America Girl, Book One (Susan S. Adler)

Summer Reading:

12. The Boxcar Children (Gertrude Chandler Warner)

6th Grade Reading Log 2015-16

This is my daughter's reading log for 6th grade. I will add books as she reads them. Books marked * are required for school.

1. History Spies: The Great Exhibition Mission (Jo Foster)*
2. Caddie Woodlawn's Family (Carol Ryrie Brink)*
3. Rifles for Watie (Harold Keith)*
4. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)*
5. Shades of Gray (Carolyn Reeder)* (NOTE: This is a historical fiction story for children)
6. Adam of the Road (Elizabeth Janet Gray)*
7. Round the Clock Stories (Enid Blyton)
8. Grandmother Oma (Ilse Kleberger)
9. Tom's Midnight Garden (Philippa Pearce)*
10. Waiting for Mama (Marietta D. Moskin)*
11. The Secret of the Old Clock (Carolyn Keene)*
12. American Tall Tales (Adrien Stoutenburg)*
13. The Golden Key and Other Stories (George MacDonald)*
14. Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)*
15. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Judith Kerr)*
16. The Victory Garden (Lee Kochenderfer)*
17. The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis)

9th Grade Reading Log

This is my son's reading log for 9th grade. I will add books as he reads them. Books marked * are required reading for school.

1. The Ultimate Survival Guide: Surviving Any Situation (J & P LLC RSR)
2. Public Enemy Number Two (Anthony Horowitz)
3. Mission Survival: Gold of the Gods (Bear Grylls)
4. But Don't All Religions Lead to God? (Michael Green)*
5. Herodotus and the Road to History (Jeanne Bendick)*
6. Shane (Jack Schaefer)*
7. Word to Caesar (Geoffrey Trease)*
8. Mimosa: A True Story (Amy Carmichael)*
9. A Silk Road Pilgrimage: Discovering the Church of the East (Richard Showalter)*
10. Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)*
11. Ragged Dick (Horatio Alger, Jr.)*
12. Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)
13. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
14. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Suzanne Collins)
15. Mission Survival: Way of the Wolf (Bear Grylls)
16. Mission Survival: Sands of the Scorpion (Bear Grylls)
17. Mission Survival: Tracks of the Tiger (Bear Grylls)
18. Mission Survival: Claws of the Crocodile (Bear Grylls)
19. Mission Survival: Strike of the Shark (Bear Grylls)
20. Mission Survival: Rage of the Rhino (Bear Grylls)
21. Mission Survival: Lair of the Leopard (Bear Grylls)
22. The Christmas Star (Ace Collins)
23. Where Am I? The Story of Maps and Navigation (A.G. Smith)*
24. Men of Iron (Howard Pyle)*
25. Sundar Singh (Janet and Geoff Benge)*
26. The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis)*
27. The King's Fifth (Scott O'Dell)*
28. In the Days of Drake (J.S. Fletcher)*
29. Skeleton Key (Anthony Horowitz)
30. Eagle Strike (Anthony Horowitz)
31. Queen of the Dark Chamber (Christiana Tsai)*
32. Wilfred Grenfell: Fisher of Men (Janet and Geoff Benge)*
33. Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
34. The Great Escape (Paul Brickhill)
35. Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
36. Queen Sheba's Ring (H. Rider Haggard)*
37. I Dared to Call Him Father (Bilquis Sheikh and Richard H. Schneider)*
38. Captains Courageous (Rudyard Kipling)*
39. Divergent (Veronica Roth)

Summer Reading:
40.

9th Grade Curriculum 2015-16

My son is in high school!  Instead of picking and choosing my own curriculum (subject by subject) this year, I decided to order an all-in-one curriculum program.  I used Heart of Dakota for kindergarten and grade 1.  Although I loved their program, I began choosing my own materials after 1st grade.  For 9th grade, I’m returning to Heart of Dakota, partly to make things easier on myself since we’re beginning something new (high school) and partly because I really like what the program includes.

The manual we’re using for 9th grade is called Hearts for Him Though High School: World Geography.  If you follow the link, you can see exactly what it includes.  There are so many books that I am not going to list them all!  Here’s an overview of the program:

1.  Social Studies/Bible:  World Geography (1 credit), World Religions and Cultures (1/2 credit), and Bible (1 credit).  This includes an optional “Living Library” of books they can read alongside the other books, but I will only use some of those (can’t afford everything).  Follow the link to see the exact titles.  The world geography includes 3 books to read, 1 DVD set, a mapping with art book, a student journal, and a Book of Centuries notebook page set with a CD of timeline figures.  The world religions and cultures course includes 10 books to read and a set of notebook pages.  The Bible course includes two books (Rooted and Grounded workbook and Practical Happiness).  Of the optional living library books, I have 10 of them (I think), so we’ll read those to supplement the topics he’s studying.

2.  Logic:  Includes The Fallacy Detective (which we tried in an earlier grade, but it went over his head) and The Art of Argument.  This will not be done every day, and the it is a 1/2-credit course.

3.  Spanish:  Getting Started with Spanish (1/2 credit)

4.  English:  A combination of literature, composition, and grammar (1 credit).  Program uses BJU Fundamentals of Literature, Essentials in Writing (DVD lessons and student book), and Rod and Staff English.  There is also a set of 7 books he’ll be reading.  Follow the link and scroll down to see the titles.

5.  Science:  Physical Science (1 credit).  We’re using Integrated Physics and Chemistry (Tiner) and the MicroPhySci Kit.  I had decided about a year ago or longer to use Heart of Dakota for Isaac, and I’m glad to say that my science teacher dad approved of the science component after he looked it over.  I’ll be on my own for science after this and can only hope to choose programs he would have approved of (because I really valued his opinion when it came to science).

5.  Math:  Algebra (1 credit) using No-Nonsense Algebra.  This was the cheapest program offered (out of 3 choices) and also what HOD describes as working well with students who have struggled in math.  It has easy-to-understand, short and concise lessons, and you also get free online access to video instruction if needed.  It’s not an advanced algebra course, but it is supposed to be adequate, so I’m hoping this program will be a great fit for my son.

6.  Extracurricular:  I’ll probably do a few other things not included in Heart of Dakota.  This will include P.E., programming (Hour of Code) and typing (both continued from 8th grade), and possibly some art or music.  This Heart of Dakota program is designed for a 4-day week, so Fridays can be used for extracurricular activities and student interests.

Click on links to view my 2015-16 curriculum choices for 2nd and 6th grades.

This post is linked to iHomeschool Network's 7th Annual "Not" Back to School Blog Hop.

6th Grade Curriculum 2015-16

My middle child is in 6th grade.  How did that happen so quickly?  It seems like yesterday that I was posting this list for my oldest.  Anyway, here’s what my daughter will be using this coming school year.

1.  Math:  Teaching Textbooks 6—This program has been very successful for my family, and I highly recommend it.  In the past, I’ve read a lot of negative feedback on the program, which I completely disagreed with.  If you’re afraid to use TT because of what you’ve read (about it being too easy), I would recommend reading this post from Timberdoodle:  Is Teaching Textbooks Math Too Easy?  The only downside is the cost, but for us, it’s been totally worth it.

2.  Reading:  Drawn Into the Heart of Reading—We’ve used this program from Heart of Dakota since my oldest was in 4th grade.  This year, my daughter will be reading the following books for the program (not all choices are final at this point): 

Biography:  Jane Austen: The Girl With the Magic Pen! (Gill Hornby)

Adventure:  The Hobbit (J.R.R Tolkien) OR The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Joan Aiken)

Historical Fiction:  Adam of the Road (Elizabeth Janet Gray)

Fantasy:  Tom’s Midnight Garden (Phillipa Pearce)

Mystery:  Secret of the Old Clock (Carolyn Keene) OR Mandie and the Fiery Rescue (Lois Gladys Leppard)

Folk Tales:  American Tall Tales (Adrien Stoutenburg) AND The Golden Key and Other Stories (George MacDonald)

Nonfiction:  The Great Fire (Jim Murphy)

Humor:  Ginger Pye (Eleanor Estes) OR The Moffats (Eleanor Estes)

Realistic Fiction:  Treasures of the Snow (Patricia M. St. John)

3.  History:  Story of the World, Volume 4: The Modern Age—We supplement with the accompanying activity book and plenty of good literature and videos.

4.  Language:  Easy Grammar:  Grade 6—This will be the second time I’ve used this program, and I find it to be a very effective method for learning grammar.  Along with Easy Grammar, we do Daily Grams: Grade 6 for extra practice. 

5.  Spelling:  All About Spelling, Level 6

6.  Science:  Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Botany and Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics—The chemistry and physics book will be new for us because they hadn’t yet released that title when my oldest was in 6th grade.  We always do two Apologia titles a year between grades 4-6 by doing science daily.  Otherwise, we would never get through them all.

7.  Read-Aloud Time:  I’m hoping to read aloud to my daughter from some classics this year.  We’ll just read as we’re able, so I won’t have a schedule.  Here’s a list of possibilities:  Little Women (Louisa May Alcott), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (Kate Douglas Wiggin), The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum), Heidi (Johanna Spyri), Black Beauty (Anna Sewell), and The Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens).

8.  Electives: 

Music—Singing Made Easy, piano, and recorder and Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool Modern Music

Art—Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool Modern Art

Thinking Skills—Critical and Creative Thinking Activities

P.E.—Family Time Fitness

Typing—Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum

Click on links to view my 2015-16 curriculum choices for 2nd and 9th grades.

This post is linked to iHomeschool Network's 7th Annual "Not" Back to School Blog Hop.