Following
is a rundown of our current curriculum for the 2011-2012 school year.
Our curriculum is roughly - very roughly - based on the suggestions of
AmblesideOnline.org, which supports the teachings and philosophy of
Charlotte Mason. I love the suggested literature and general schedule,
but am not in love with the entire philosophy, so we pick and choose
what works best for us. When money allows, I would like to buy a copy of
the Robinson Curriculum and start incorporating more of his ideas into
our schedule. As of today, January 26, my children are the following
ages/grades:Mary Jane 10/4th
Kaden 7/2nd
Eliza 2/Preschool
I'll start with the subjects our family does together, then break down individual grades for the subjects that are left over.
FAMILY CURRICULUM
History
We are studying early history, with a focus on people rather than events. Our spine is An Island Story by H.E. Marshall. Supplemental stories come from Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin and Viking Tales by Jennie Hall.
We are also reading one American history biography each term (our school year is divided into 3 terms, rather than 4 quarters/2 semesters). All of these selections are written by Ingri D'Aulaire: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Buffalo Bill. We are loving these biographies! They are excellent. We plan to collect and read all of D'Aulaire's work.
Geography
We are studying the Great Lakes region. Our spine is Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling. We have been studying maps, and doing various mapwork activities, as we read - usually one chapter a week.
Natural History/Science
Basically, we study whatever topic interests us from The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock. I will admit that we are lacking in our nature study goals. We do not get out and study nature as often as we should, and have yet to start a nature study journal as I had hoped.
In addition to our spine, we are learning about animals and birds through read-alouds from James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot and The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton Burgess. Mary Jane and Kaden both enjoy looking at pictures online of the birds we read about in Burgess's book. We have learned a lot about migration and nest building so far.
Poetry
I generally read one new poem a day, and re-read two previous poems (I hope that makes sense). We have just finished A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, and are beginning Now We Are Six/When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne. The plan for third term is to read A Child's Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa.
I will admit that we are not poetry fans at my house, but I think the exposure is good for all aspects of language/grammar retention and understanding, so we continue doing it. Kaden seems to like it the most.
Foreign Language
We study Spanish but do no have a specific curriculum, or schedule for that matter. I have a minor in Spanish and so far we have just been learning phrases and memorizing small dialogues using common words. I figure that it's probably better than learning lists of vocabulary words, and most certainly better than nothing.
Literature (read-alouds)
I believe in quality literature. Children who are exposed to good literature will have a far easier time picking up grammar, writing, and spelling.
The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit
The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Parables from Nature by Margaret Gatty
In the future we are hoping to incorporate picture study and composer study into our homeschool. Both children are also interested in learning how to draw.
INDIVIDUAL STUDY
Mary Jane (10) - 4th Grade
- Math - We recently changed from Horizons 4, Book One to Saxon 6/5, which was a half-year skip. We decided to skip half a grade because Mary Jane is a very strong reader, has all of her math facts memorized, and was doing all of the Horizons lessons by herself. She continues to do Saxon independently (as suggested by Dr. Art Robinson), but the lessons are set up in a way that a teacher is not required, as the lessons are supplied and written out in the workbook. We are all very pleased with Saxon so far.
- Language Arts (grammar, spelling, literature) - She is working out of the Learning Language Arts Through Literature - The Orange Book. I really want to love this language arts program but, in reality, am not that thrilled with it. I think it's thorough, and that it covers all the topics necessary, but the flow is odd. It seems to jump around a lot, and I haven't been all that excited about the chosen literature, or the way it is presented. I do, however, like the writing assignments, and think it is very strong in this area.
- Reading Comprehension/Copywork - We are in love with the McGuffey Readers. In our home, we use them to reinforce phonics, increase fluency aloud, reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and copywork. Mary Jane is currently using McGuffey's Eclectic Fourth Reader. I assume she likes the stories as she never complains.
- 3 times a week Mary Jane practices cursive handwriting in her Pentime workbook. The other 2 days she practices her typing skills using Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.
- Lastly, she reads 2-3 chapters a day from a book of her choice - the list she chooses from is mommy-approved, of course. These reading selections are taken from AmblesideOnline.org and the Robinson Curriculum.
Kaden (7) - 2nd Grade
- Math - We like to use Horizons in grades K-3, then switch to Saxon 5/4 and continue with Saxon from there on. Kaden is currently using Horizons 2, Book One. We do not order the teacher's manual, or the solutions manual, in the early grades. So far we have had a lot of success presenting the material on our own, and this level of math is not difficult to grade without a solutions manual.
- Language Arts (grammar, spelling, literature) - Kaden is currently using Learning Language Arts Through Literature - The Red Book. (See my concerns above.) I think the activities in this book are tedious and repetitive. A lot of the grammar is not presented very well. I find the teacher's manual virtually useless as a teaching aid. I could have done just as well without it.
- Phonics - We are using two books to teach/practice phonics right now. The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington is our spine. This book is a little dry, but has gotten the job done. It teaches/reinforces phonics all the way through sixth grade. I plan to use this book when I'm ready to teach Eliza how to read. In addition, Kaden practices reading aloud out of McGuffey's Eclectic First Reader. Right now Kaden does not read anything by himself. I like him to read aloud to either Shane or I so we can correct mistakes immediately.
- Handwriting/Copywork - Up until this point Kaden has practiced handwriting using Pentime workbooks. However, Pentime transitions to cursive in the second grade and I do not think Kaden's motor skills are quite ready for cursive handwriting. For now he is using copywork to practice handwriting. At the moment, he is copying the morals from Aesop's Fables, but we use his McGuffey reader for copywork as well.
- No, I'm not one of those crazy parents who has a curriculum scheduled for their toddler. I just wanted her to be included. Right now her primary job is to play and explore. She does like to sit at the table and "do" schoolwork with the big kids sometimes. Her workbook is usually a coloring book, or several pieces of copy paper stapled together to look like a workbook. She loves being read to, which, in my opinion, is the best kind of preschool.
