Curriculum Plan 2015 - 2016

The kids after they decided February was a good time to try out the pool.

We are going into our 8th year of homeschooling! I find it very hard to believe that I have a 5th and 7th grader. I have a middle schooler now. Wow. Never thought we would still be homeschooling this many years (although I hoped I would).

This year some fabulous ladies in our homeschool group have put together a co-op. This will definitely be a learning experience, but we are all excited about this new opportunity for group learning. It will be once a week, with the kids working on "homework" at home. I will be leading two classes and one club, so you can look forward to posts this year about Zoology/Human Body, American History, and Drama.

I added "Group Lessons" to our day this year. It's the catch all for everything I want to cover, but seems to be pushed aside due to time. We will do this first thing and then the kids will spread out to finish independently.

Extra Curriculars

PE/Park day - once a week
Boy Scouts - once a week
Yearbook Club (my girl) - a few times in the year
Drama Club - twice a month
Relaxation and Focusing Class - at co-op each week. They both want to try this.
Violin (my girl) - self study
Piano (my boy) - self study
4H Archery (both) - twice a month
4H Bread (both) - once a month
4H Robotics (my boy) - once a month
4H Cake Decorating (both) - short session. My daughter said, "if it involves frosting, I'm there."

Group Lessons

Logic
I am using Logic Countdown and Logic Liftoff (2 lessons a week) and Brain Teaser workbooks (2 pages a week).

Mastering Vocabulary will take us two years to get through. It is for grades 5 and up. We are covering about one Unit a week.

Reading Aloud
The kids will take turns reading aloud. Our books this year will be: Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood (the kids really liked this one), Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge, McGuffey's Eclectic Reader Volume 3, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Gift of the Magi, Night Before Christmas, and Legends Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright Mabie. I will add more if needed.

Tuesday Math
Tuesdays we have PE/Park day and 4H activities planned. The kids are usually tired and not really able to sit down to a full math lesson. This year on Tuesdays we will use The Everything Kids Math Puzzles Book and Singapore Math Challenge Grade 5+. We will work through the books together. After the group math, the kids are then to complete 30 minutes of Khan Academy in their respective grade levels. They like to compete for points!

5th Grade

My Pokemon princess

Reading
Along with poems from various authors, she will also be reading a few books. The list is: A World of Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brian, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon, Peter Pan by James M. Barrie, and Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter.

The kids are going to be participating in the co-op Classic Books Club. They will be reading The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale, Redwall by Brian Jacques, and others.

Math
Saxon 6/5

Language Arts
KISS - I really like the looks of this program. We are using the 6th grade level.

Science
We are starting out the year with reading The Care and Keeping of You each day. She is then working on a lapbook about plants and another about weather. After that she will have Zoology (there will be two Zoology units on my blog. I didn't really like the first one and decided to make another one that has more of everything) and then Human Body in co-op. If we have any days to fill, she can do free study.

History
She is reading the Introductions and Conclusions in Human Odyssey Volume 2. This is just as a review. She is going to be taking Story of the World, Volume 3 in co-op. It has a great lapbook to go with it, that she will be adding to a notebook with a timeline.

Art
We are working our way through ancient art with the help of Cave Paintings to Picasso and various library books. The kids are just reading and looking. They can paint in the style they are learning about if they wish. When co-op starts, they will begin Artistic Pursuits, Middle Grades Book 1. They have a wonderful art teacher that will be continuing from last year.

Spanish
This will not start until co-op. The leaders will be using various materials. The kids will be using a Spanish/English dictionary and First Thousand Words in Spanish. This book is a little basic for the age my kids are, but they really wanted it. I think because it looked easy, but there is a lot jammed into those pages.

7th Grade

My young man 

Reading
Along with poems from various authors, he will also be reading a few books. The list is: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Classics for Young Readers, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, and The Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.

The kids are going to be participating in the co-op Classic Books Club. They will be reading The Bully Book, Redwall, and others.

Language Arts
KISS grammar program

Math
Saxon Algebra 1/2 
Khan Academy as supplement

Science
Before co-op starts, he is reading through The Boy's Body Book and completing lapbooks on Introduction to Chemistry and the Periodic Table. For co-op, he will be working through CK12.org's Middle School Physical Science textbook.

History
He is also reading through the Human Odyssey volumes. In co-op this year, he will be covering the first five books in the A History of Us series by Joy Hakim for American History 1.

Art and Spanish
Same as 5th grader.


Happy Homeschooling
-Michele