I don’t think about the grade my kids are in very often, but when I do I am always amazed. How could my son be the same age as the kids I had my first year of teaching many moons ago?! How did my daughter become a middle schooler? I certainly realize it when I plan out their school work.
I have two kids that are different learners. Some of the curricula I have used with my daughter works for my son. Some of it has not. I’ve had to switch to different programs to meet my son’s differing needs not to mention they both have different interests.
So far, this is what we are using for curriculum this year in our homeschool.
Sixth Grade
My daughter loves to learn. She learns quickly and is always ready for a challenge. She has a lot of diverse interests and likes to cover a lot of subjects in her week. This is what we are using this year:
- Math: Primary Mathematics (Singapore Math) level 6b
- Science: REAL Science Odyssey Astronomy 2 with lab
- Logic: Logic Safari level 3- We are just starting this.
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing and Creative Writer level 2-My daughter loves Creative Writer and wanted to continue using this book. She writes a lot of stories, and it helps her to fine-tune her skills.
- Grammar: Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind
- Latin: Latin Christiana II
- Reading: Literature studies of various books
- Spelling: Spelling Workout level H
Fourth Grade
My son’s curriculum is always a work in progress. We try something out, and I either alter the curriculum or throw it out completely. Teaching him has been a lot of trial and error. I would say I have a harder time finding curriculum for him but much of it is my own fault. I find a curriculum that sounds perfect for him. Then I see the price. I have finally come to accept this and go with it. It isn’t worth buying something cheaper only to end up buying the one that I know will work.
Here is what my son’s school year looks like so far.
- Math: Primary Mathematics (Singapore Math) level 4b
- Science: REAL Science Odyssey Chemistry
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing
- Grammar: First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind level 4
- Greek: Memoria Press The Greek Alphabet- Totally my sons choice.
- Reading: Reading Eggspress (online program)
- Spelling: All About Spelling level 4 (almost completed)
Subjects We Do Together
We do have some things we work on together. I adapt some of it according to each child’s abilities and interests.
- History/Geography: Story of the World vol. 4
- Music: 20th Century American Music Appreciation by Gena Mayo from IChooseJoy.com- This fits in with our history this year.
- Art: a variety of projects and we study techniques according to their interests.
- 50 States Study: I am using a great resource I found on benandme.com. She has free resources and a link to Notebook pages you can buy that works on each state. You can find it here.
- Khan Academy: We just signed up to this. So far my kids have used this to work on computer programming. I plan to use it to reinforce math and science concepts. By the way, it is FREE.
Review of Our Curriculum
As you can see, we tend to follow a Classical Education model. Our work is primarily secular, too. I use The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer as our guide and modify things from there. I also love a lot of the materials put out by her and Peace Hill Press. You can see that reflected in our choices for history and grammar.
I have fallen in love with REAL Science Odyssey. Pandia Press is in the process of republishing
If you are looking for a fun reading program, take a look at Reading Eggspress. I was looking for something new for my son and came across this. They have great lessons, workbooks you can purchase or handouts to print out that go with the lessons, and a very extensive library for the kids to choose from. My kids enjoy the library. I like that it tracks their progress for me. They have a younger level called Reading Eggs that looks great, too.
All About Spelling has been a game changer for my son. He struggled so much with spelling. No program worked for him. I even made a spelling program for him. Nothing clicked until All About Spelling. It is pricey compared to the $10-$15 workbooks, but it is worth it. It teaches children the spelling rules, ALL the sounds a letter can make, and it is multisensory. It is fabulous. Even though Spelling Workout works for my daughter, I wish I had found this when she was younger. She would have a better grasp of spelling rules, although she is a very good speller.
The writing program Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) lives up to its reputation and is worth the money. My son struggled with writing. He wanted to write stories like his sister but his ideas were scattered, undeveloped, and lacked focus. HE wanted to get better at writing. I watched lots of videos and reviews on IEW before making the switch. My son needs a very clear formula to follow and this program provides it. He now feels successful.
The reason I use First Language Lessons and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind is that I feel they are thorough. There is a lot of repetition and practice of the concepts being taught. This is exactly what my kids need to grasp grammar.
My all-time favorite subject is history. We are big fans of Story of the World. My kids love listening to the chapters and doing the activities in the supplemental activity guide. I also enjoy the list of additional reading. We check many of the books out of the library. My kids have a good knowledge base to build off of as they continue to study history.
We have quite a busy year ahead. My kids are super excited since we worked together on what they wanted to study and the books we would use this year. I am sure our year will look different as it progresses. It’s great that if we want to add or change something during the year, we can. I love homeschooling.
What curriculum have you found that you absolutely love?
Happy Homeschooling!
