Fall 2011 Curriculum Plans

When I listed them, it didn’t seem as overwhelming as when I was planning them. I’ll have a separate post on my US History plans because I’m putting those together myself.

Child #1 – “5th Grade”

Math: A Beka Arithmetic 6 (I’ve read that ABeka slows down a lot after the 3rd grade text. She used CLE 400 last year & I went ahead & skipped the 5th grade ABeka text. Only time will tell if this was the right decision.)

Grammar: Growing With Grammar 5 (I used GWG3 with her previously. It is a pretty independent program & I’m hoping for that again.)

Writing: Writing Tales 2 (incorporates some grammar. I liked how WT1 improved her writing skills & endurance.)

Latin: Latina Christiana 1

Religion: Seton’s Religion 4 for Young Catholics (I struggled with what to do for our religion studies this year. I usually use Laura Berquist’s Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum as a guide, but didn’t like what they had for this year. This seemed like a good one-year overview of the Baltimore Catechism No. 1. Since we just studied it over three years, a one-year review sounded good.)

Spelling: We are going to do dictation using Susan Anthony’s Dictation Resource Book. We’re taking a break from a formal spelling program this year.

History: US History using my own mesh. (Post & link to follow in about a week.)

Science: Beautiful Feet’s History of Science (with some modification)

Spanish: Getting Started with Spanish + Spanish in 10 Minutes a Day

Child #2 – “3rd Grade”

Math: A Beka Arithmetic 3

Grammar: Growing with Grammar 3 (first formal introduction to grammar)

Religion, Latin, History, Dictation, and Science with older sister

Child #3 – “Kindergarten”

(transitioning to 1st grade sometime mid-year)

Math: Miquonish math using a variety of discovery math techniques. We will transition into A Beka’s Arithmetic 1 as the year progresses

Reading: We are about half way through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (100EL). We will do the best we can to finish it & then move onto SWR-type phonics instruction

Handwriting: I’m going to try to teach this one cursive (loosely using Cursive First) starting this fall.

Crafts/Cooking Class/Fun Stuff: We are shooting for three times per week to have “fun” activities. We’ll be using Shirley’s Prepackaged Crafts for at least half the year.

New school year – final checklist

It is almost time for us to start our new school year. As Child #3 isn’t ready to start Kindergarten yet, I am once again only teaching two kids. I’ve worked out our tentative schedule and figured out our curriculum. Our new school area is getting some final checklist items completed and yet I’m not sure I’m quite ready.

One thing that is bothering me is that my brain thinks I don’t have everything written out and planned properly. This stems from what I have planned for poetry and science this year, I think.

I have this year penned in as mostly a review of the poetry we’ve memorized the last four years along with reading poetry for appreciation. My need-to-be-organized brain thinks this isn’t scheduled enough. In my opinion, this is a great year for poetry review and appreciation because there is plenty of other things to memorize (states/capitals, Latin words, spanish vocab, etc.).

On the topic for science, I’ve decided to use mostly hands-on materials for our study of physics. In that vein, I have the Mechanical Science version of Ein-O’s Discovery Tank to discover simple machines. I also purchased Snaptricity to study electronics and magnetism. Depending on how quickly we go through those and how much the kids like the hands-on stuff, I can go a bunch of different directions to study other aspects of physics. I figure I’ll buy at least one other kit (perhaps TOPS or Science-in-a-Nutshell), but don’t know which one yet. I haven’t written up lesson plans for this subject as it will depend on how quickly or slowly we go through each kit. I plan to use the Usborne Science Encyclopedia for the kids to look up definitions and record their learnings on paper with space for them to draw. The lack of lesson plans is killing my everything-written-down type of brain.

So, as our first day looms (day after Labor Day), I must convince my own brain to settle down and be ready for the new year.

Science . . . Again

As I continue in our science studies this year, I can’t help but think about next year. I already know I’m not going to continue to use God’s Design, even with the new (full color) design because the Physics level texts are too high level for my youngsters. (The Chemistry ones are too high level, IMO, and that was a mistake.) I was leaning toward Science in a Nutshell kits or TOPS. Then, I thought maybe I might just go ahead and break the bank with NOEO.

I revisited my curriculum post from almost a year ago. It reminded me of Pandia Press. I’m relooking at their Chemistry curriculum and wondering if it is too late to start over with their course. (I’m only slightly joking.) I’m not ready to switch (yet), but I saw a sample page on their website about explaining states of matter and it seems to do a better job of speaking to my kid’s level. (It is designed for Grades 2+. God’s Design for Chemistry is designed for Grades 3+.)

But while I was there, I checked out the blog of Pandia’s owner. This blog piece caught my eye. It is a brief review of a speech given at a homeschool convention.

Many homeschool moms and I have discussed this topic. One of the homeschooling Yahoo groups I am on is currently discussing the problem of selecting a “good” science curriculum, especially for the high school level. I agree, in principle, with what she is saying. (I don’t agree with everything she says in the blog piece. I do agree with the basic premise.) It is hard to find a science (or history) curriculum that doesn’t have an “agenda.” I, too, would rather the agenda be front & center so I can either steer clear of it, embrace it (if that is what I wish), or Sharpie it out.

Language Arts for Next Year – Mental Chaos!

As I sat watching my oldest child write from dictation this morning during her spelling lesson (using Spell to Write and Read), I shuddered inwardly in horror. There were words run together, very little punctuation (including, in some cases, no periods at the end of sentences), capitalization in strange places, and of course, many spelling errors.

As much as I share success, here is an example of the opposite:

“onse on a ridingLesonIhad a mad horse he ran off the track and Jopt above four fenses.Iheldonto his nec likoney to a jar andprayed. He final ly stopt and pusht his nose in som levs.”

Now, I’ve written before about Child #1. I refer to her as “pencil-phobic.” She hates writing. She’s always had poor handwriting, although it has improved tremendously. She’s not a natural speller and has limited “mental memory” of words she has read. For example, she is flying through the Trixie Beldon book series, so she sees the main character’s best friend’s name all the time:  Honey. One of her spelling words today was honey. She tried to spell it “huny.”  Even when I directed her with the “hon” part and went over the phonogram “ey” again with her, she didn’t want to put “ey” at the end – just an “y.” I specifically pointed out that this word was spelled the same as the name of Trixie’s friend Honey. No dice.

So, then I turned to Homeschooling Year By Year to see how badly I was failing in her language arts curriculum. When poring over the second grade section while the children were eating lunch, I was reminded again that it recommends Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL). So, I dashed to the computer to look up the program. I’d never looked at it seriously before.

I zoomed through some sample assessments, scope and sequence pages, and sample lessons, then returned to the lunch table full of thoughts. I was planning on using Writing With Ease 2, Growing With Grammar 3, and Spell to Write and Read for next year’s language arts. I have WWE 2 workbook, but did not use WWE 1. I have not yet purchased GWG 3. I’ve been using SWR for a couple of years already. Now, I was wondering if I should “combine” grammar, writing, spelling, and literature in one “all-together” program like LLATL or Christian Light Education (CLE) Language Arts.

We headed to homeschool PE where I was able to talk to another “curriculum junkie” mom who didn’t help out matters as she suggested I look at two or three other “all-in-one” type literature-based programs. But, she did help me think through why I would jump a ship I hadn’t even boarded yet. The only dictation or grammar we do is integrated into SWR and I’ve been more focused on the spelling aspects than any other part.

After “school” was over, I was able to do a little more research into LLATL on the Well Trained Mind Boards and found out that most people suggested that “struggling spellers” supplement LLATL with a stand-alone spelling program. I also saw some people indicated that CLE’s spelling wasn’t very rigorous either.

I think I’m panicing because I’m looking for some less teacher-(time-)intensive programs to use next year. I was thinking that instead of using three separate programs, I could “get it all” in one in less time. It sounded great. Upon reflection, I’m not sure I would “get it all” and I would probably spend just as much time as I will using three separate programs.

Since I already have two of the three programs purchased, I am not going to throw more money out to get LLATL. At least, not right now.

While the crisis in my head isn’t over, I’ve come to the decision that my previous decisions stands. Child#1 does need to have the instruction and work in GWG 3 & WWE 2 as well as a rigorous spelling program (like SWR). I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it helps out her language arts progress next year.

P.S. We might be starting GWG & WWE in the summer instead of waiting until the fall. But that’s for another post.

Homeschool Record-keeping

Depending on which state you live in, the requirements for record keeping for homeschooling differ. Even if your state doesn’t require records, it is a good idea, in my opinion, to keep some records and some examples of your students’ (children’s) work.

Let me give you an example. One of the women in my local homeschooling group was asked by her husband to send the children to the local public school this year instead of homeschooling them. (The details are not important to my point.) She was asked by the school principal for any records she had. Caught completely off guard by the request, she said she didn’t have any. Later, she was able to reconstruct a list of activities, curriculum, and level of achievement in language arts and mathematics. She candidly admits she gave a bad example of a homeschooling parent.

Everyone has a different method – including no method at all and no formal record-keeping. I am writing this post for two reasons – 1) to encourage you to keep some level of records, even if it is only a picture or two of science projects completed or an end-of-the-year math test; and 2) to explain my own record-keeping method.

Each year, I purchase a student calendar/notebook that is my child’s own to draw/write in, but which also serves as my record of what we did each day. If a day was particularly good or bad, I write a note to that effect on the side. If there is something that needs to be celebrated or worked on, I include that in the communication section of the notebook for that week. When my spouse and I don’t see each other much due to work schedules, he can pick up the notebook at any time and see what we’ve been working on as well as how things are going.

This year, I have two notebooks – one for each child that is “schooling.” There is some repeat information (religion, science, history, kindergarten electives) written in both, but each is updated daily. The lesson plans that I worked on over the summer for the different curriculum are very helpful both in knowing what to cover each day, but also when recording what we did. If we did exactly what the lesson plan called for, I can use the page numbers listed in the lesson plans rather than pulling the book back out to check to see how much we covered.

One thing I noticed while looking back over the past week worth of notebook notes – we do a LOT each day.

On a side note, it is a good thing we are running a week ahead of my original lesson plans in Language Arts (Spell to Write and Read, SWR). The consonant/vowel reference page that I thought should only take us three days to complete (while doing other things) has already taken four days. We will probably take two more days to complete it at the pace we are currently setting. While dictation is going well and Child #1 is doing great with phonogram review, she simply hates to write. She doesn’t mind using the white board, but I make her copy down the words in her Learning Log and it seems she takes more time to complain than to write. And, as in years past, I find I can get her to write them if I provide an incentive of some sort for getting done (e.g., an extra hug/kiss or a sip of a carbonated beverage). I try not to resort to that on a regular basis, though.

Planning Next Year and Interruptions

I’ve started planning my lessons for next fall.

So far, I have been able to fit 42 chapters of Story of the World I into 33 weeks. I made sure to include some slop for extra reading and activities, but we will be kept hopping in order to keep on schedule.

In religion, I am about half done. We are covering the No. 1 St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism Chapters 1-14 on a schedule suggested by Laura Berquist in Designing Your Own Classical Curriclum. Alternating with that, we will be studying the saints. That part of the lesson plans is blank at this time. I also included a two week cram of the ten commandments. We still haven’t decided if our second grader will be receiving the Sacrament of Penance or Holy Communion this year. There are a few weeks left after all these items are penciled in. If the second grader does receive the Sacraments, those weeks will be used quick review of the First Communion Catechism. They will be dropped in whenever it works to put them in.

Next, it is onto Science or Math. I can’t plan Spelling/Dictation yet as I lent out my copy of Spell to Write and Read/The Wise Guide to another homeschooler who is also knee-deep in planning. She is looking for a program to use with her kids and had never heard of SWR. We were discussing the planning process when she raised the biggest problem she has.

Was it too many curriculums to choose from?                                       Nope.
Was it curriculum that wasn’t right for her kids (too difficult/easy, not-the-right-style, boring, etc)?       Nope.
Was it that she is not a detail person?                                                    Nope.

What was it, then? The problem she has is INTERRUPTIONS! Whenever she tries to get some serious planning done, she has to take a break to deal with something.

I can relate. I am used to breaking up fights, keeping the crawler out of the flowerbed, helping the toddler get something or get out of something, assisting with some chalk drawing, or ferrying drinks outside. All while I’m trying to read something, take notes, or write up my lesson plans. I try not to simply give up. So far, my most productive time was the rainy afternoon this week when my kids had two neighbors over. I was able to have a huge (30-45 minutes) block of time to work on my history plans. I had almost finished them (three weeks left) when the rain stopped and the kids decided they wanted to move back outdoors. Cleanup ensued and chaos reigned supreme.

But, I soldier on. Math shouldn’t be that hard, but I think I’ll tackle Science. I’ve already started to work on my Apologia Astronomy rough plan to get the book done in 16 weeks. Another homeschooler wrote plans spreading it to 22 weeks, so I am paring it down to fit our school schedule.

Onward!

So Far, So Good

I’ve written lately about our “finals week” and our upcoming “summer plans.” So far, we are on track for finals week even though we have had our bumps in the road. We like to get all our school done in the morning, but on Monday, it just didn’t happen. We ended up finishing half our subjects after dinner. It went a bit better today, but only because I punted on school after completing the “must dos.”

I’ve been following this blog since last fall. As I said before, most of the homeschoolers we know are year-rounders. That is true for the Gray Family Circus as well, it seems. I recently checked back to see how things were going as they are using some of the same materials we are (Spell to Write and Read) and/or some we are planning on using (Story of the World, Prima Latina, Apologia Astronomy) and I wanted to see how they worked out for them.

I am always interested in reading how other curriculums that we don’t use go as well. I’ve seen several comments lately about First Language Lessons not being a good ‘fit’ for their child. I’m very interested in hearing how some people use the McCall-Crabbs book for reading comprehension as I have been wavering on shelling out the big bucks for that book. I have looked at R.E.A.L. Science material previously and will probably continue to keep an eye on it for the future.

 I’ll probably write about how finals week went after it is over. Stay tuned!