Oh my goodness, I can’t believe another year has gone by, and it’s time to start planning for the 2015-16 school year! I’ve had so many requests for our curriculum choices, so I thought I better put up a post with our choices for next year.
Group and Independent work
I’m listing the full curriculum per grade level below, and anything you see in orange is a group activity. This means that we do it together with all of kiddos combined. I like to choose a variety of both teacher led, independent, and group curriculum so that I’m not too overwhelmed with teaching 4 students at different levels all at the same time. Group activities are done together, and I just expect a little different level of work out of my children depending on their grade and skill level.
Announcing…
But first I’d like to announce the Teeny Tot’s new blog name! Since I’ve started blogging back in 2008, you’ll see that the teeny tot has gotten just a wee big bigger. And since she really isn’t a teeny tot anymore, I’d like to present to you her new and much more grown up alias…presenting Miss Lady Bug!
And yes, I just cried a little.
It was fun finding photos of her for this post. I don’t know if you can tell, but in the photo on the left she’s sitting in one of our workboxes. Her favorite activity used to be dumping out the contents of the boxes and sitting in them. That and climbing up them. Our workboxes took quite a beating that year. Ahh…those were the days!
But she’s all big and independent now. Doesn’t need me as much, and can do just about everything on her own. But she still has the same great smile, and loves hugs and kisses. So I guess I’ll have to be okay with my baby growing up! If you’d like to take a trip down memory lane you can grab a box of tissues and browse through my Teeny Tot School Posts.
But moving on…here is her curriculum for the year. She’s in first grade this year, and wow. For some reason prek-kindergarten always seems like they’re still babies. But first grade. Man. Big kid in the house!
Miss Lady Bug: 1st Grade
- Daily Learning Notebook She’ll be using the Elementary level manuscript version.
- Art: Combo of World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Traceable Units & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- Handwriting: BJU Handwriting 1 Worktext
- Literature: Classical Literature Units (We’ll do read alouds using books from my Vol. 1 list)
- Math: Math U See Alpha, Kumon Dollars & Cents, Kumon Telling Time
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation (We do this as a group)
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- Language/Phonics: Abeka Letters & Sounds 1, Language 1, & Phonics Road Level 1 (A new product we’re reviewing!)
- Reading: Abeka 1 readers
- Spelling: Spelling You See B & All About Spelling Level 1 (for phonics rules memorization)
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum
- Piano: Teach Yourself Piano
- P.E. : Swim Team & Co-op
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop Grade 1 Level Red (This is a test I’ve never done vocab in grade 1 before, so it might be a bust. TBD)
Tinkerbell: 4th Grade
- Daily Learning Notebook: She’ll be doing the Cursive Notebook this year.
- Art: Combo of: World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Bible Study & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- Spelling: All About Spelling & Spelling You See Level C
- English/Grammar: BJU English 4
- Reading: Abeka Read & Comprehend Skill Sheets Level 4 (I use these to test comprehension and speed.)
- Math: Math U See Delta
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation
- Literature: Classical Literature Units
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum & maybe a scientist unit if we can fit it in!
- P.E.: Swim Team, Hockey, & Co-op
- Handwriting: Spelling You See (Since it is mostly copy work, I think it works well for handwriting practice too.)
- Typing: Typing Web (This is a free online program and works well!)
- Piano: Teach Yourself Piano
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop (Orange Grade 4)
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing (We do this as a group and will be using IEW Group A Continuation next year).
Turbo: 6th Grade
- Art: Combo of: World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Bible Study & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- English/Grammar: BJU English 5
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation
- Literature: Classical Literature Units & Book Shark (I will be specifically selecting a list of appropriate books for my kids from this resource since it was free through our options program!)
- Math: Math U See Zeta
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- P.E.: Swim Team & Hockey
- Photography: The Foto Finch Elementary Curriculum (Review coming soon!)
- Reading: Read & Comprehend Skill Sheets 6
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum & maybe a scientist unit if we can fit it in!
- Spelling: BJU Spelling 6 (mainly for list practice), & Spelling You See D (which also doubles as handwriting)
- Typing: Typing Web
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop (Level A, Grade 6)
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing Group A Continuation
Strawberry Shortcake: 7th grade
- Art: Combo of: World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Bible Study & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- English/Grammar: BJU English 7
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation
- Literature: Classical Literature Units & Book Shark (From our options program)
- Math: Math U See Pre-Algebra (yikes!)
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- P.E.: Swim Team
- Photography: The Foto Finch Composition
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum & maybe a scientist unit if we can fit it in!
- Spelling: Spelling You See E
- Typing: Typing Web
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop (Level B, Grade 7)
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing Group A Continuation
Extra-Curricular & Group Activities:
We do writing as a group with my 4th, 6th, and 7th graders together. We’ll be continuing on with Institute for Excellence in Writing Group A Continuation program for next year.
We’ll also be using the The Renaissance & Reformation time traveler unit, after we finish up with our Middle Ages one from last year.
And everyone is super excited to be going through my Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum as well this year!
Here are a few other things we do on the side, and I’ll post our schedules by grade as well soon!
- Options: This is a once a week co-op that we go to through our school district. Classes for my younger kiddos are mostly elective types like Spanish, science, art, music, & PE. Strawberry Shortcake has cool things like speech & debate, drama, computers, yearbook, literacy in film, home economics, and game theory.
- Keepers of the Faith
- Contenders of the Faith
- Co-Op: DI Instant Challenges This is a once a month group of friends who get together, previously our LEGO group. We’re going to try making our own set of instant challenges for our co-op this year using the DI list as a guide.
- Hockey & Swimming year round
Whew! Summer is blazing by, so I should probably go get some of this stuff planned eh?
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Erica,
Thanks for sharing this! My daughter will be in 1st grade as well. Can you share your 1st grade schedule with us? I’ve been trying to work one out for us but haven’t been successful yet. Not sure how much time to allow for each subject.
Thanks
Hi All, this is Marlena from Typing.com (formerly TypingWeb). We just wanted to give a shoutout to Erica for using Typing.com. Thanks so much for using (and liking!) our product. We just launched a new and improved version, so we hope you like the changes. Have a great school year!
Thanks for all of this great information! I have a 2nd, 3rd, and 7th grader. I am really confused with all of the different options for IEW. Is this mainly for my 7th grader? and if so what level is good to start her off at? I saw you are on level A so I was wondering if that was a good place to start with my 7th grader. Thanks!
Hi Erica! Just wondering if you have done away with Abeka reading for your older 2 and just sticking with the skill sheets? Thanks!
HI!
I have a question about your English and writing choices. I have used BJU press phonics/english with my son since kindergarten. I do like BJU and plan to stick with it. My son is now in 3rd grade and struggles with writing. I do not believe that it is the BJU curriculum problem, but more that my son really hates writing! That being said, I feel like I need to add a writing specific curriculum to our day in order to plus up my son’s writing skills. BJU includes writing in their english curriculum. I see that you use both a writing and english curriculum. How do you handle that? Is it over kill? I want to help my son’s writing skills but not add more frustration by doing more then is needed.
With regards to what you wrote in the Extra Curricular and Group Activities section as one of your options: Your public school district works with homeschooling families? Sorry if I misunderstood. Just struggling with finding ways to have more group interatction with regards to academics/school activites.
Hi Erica,
We are using the Word of Life devotions as well. I just ordered them; however, it didn’t seem that they had any current year ones available. I noticed in one of your back to school pics a “notebook” of sorts underneath the WOL devotional. Did you make one for this and if so, do you have it available for purchase!?
Thanks!!!
Hey Erica
What grade do you start using the abeka reading and comprehension skills sheets.My daughter is going to be in second grade and she is actually a very good reader and I’m doing the abeka reading with her. Do they have them for second grade? I couldn’t find any on their website. If they don’t what do you use to assess their speed and comprehension for second grade ? This is my first year homeschooling so I just want to make sure she’s comprehending everything that she’s reading .
Hi Felicia,
I start at 3rd grade, I don’t think they offer them until then. If you look on 3rd grade under the reading tab on their website you’ll see it. If she’s a good reader, you could try the 3rd grade ones with her.
Hello Erica
Thank you for sharing! I looked into Keepers of the Faith and Love them! Just received our handbooks today! I had a question though regarding the Home Art Studio- I saw on your Facebook page that it looks like youre using the 3rd grade level for all of your students? Do you find your youngest is overly challenged or does she do fine? My youngest is in Kindergarten and I am wondering if the 3rd grade art (since that is what grade my daughter is in) will be to challenging and if I should just buy both levels?
Thanks for the input!
Jody
Hi Jody,
since it’s art, I think it’s a little easier to combine grades. It is a little too easy for my oldest probably, but my 1st grader is doing just fine with it. We received 3rd and 4th grades to review, so we’re just going through them this year in order.
Hello! For your 7th grade curriculum, I was wondering what you use for science? My daughter is having a hard time with Apologia General Science and I’m wondering what other people use? Thanks!
We’re using my Expedition Earth curriculum this year with everyone as a group 🙂 If we weren’t I’d probably be doing Abeka Science.