Sometimes life gets a bit overwhelming and you just need to change things up a bit! We have decided that due to the craziness around here lately, we are going to cut back to 3 full days, 2 light days of lessons and NO work on the weekends! This is our first week of trying this routine and so far it is already feeling like what we needed. It basically works out that the days that we have the Littles will be our light days and the days that we don't have them are the full days.
I have changed up some of her workload as well to accommodate this schedule. One of the new things that she has been enjoying is Brain Pop! She really likes the movie clips and activities. I really like that she can email me the quizzes and it is one less thing that I have to really think about. She is using with the Physics kit and has been searching the site for the key words in her manual to correlate with the program - LOVE IT!!! She is taking her own initiative to expand on the subjects - HOW GREAT IS THAT!
She completed the Writing Strands 3 & 4 and did a really fantastic job on them so we have also decided to take a break on formal writing and focus more on prompt writing. We will be using 350 Fabulous Writing Prompts and 100 Quickwrites both by Scholastic. They are great prompts and readings that you go over and then allow a set amount of time to write without stopping or correcting. This gives very little time for editing in the head before getting it down on the paper and allows for more of a flow of writing. You can go back later and edit or redo something if you want to, but right now it is more about just getting her to write and not feeling pressure about it.
KM has also decided that she really doesn't like the Ancient Greece thematic unit from Teacher Created Resources. We have tried few different ones with varied success and I thought that she would like this one because it was a more challenging level, but there were some errors in the mapping section - like it tells you to locate Egypt on the map, but Egypt was not shown on the map - and therefore she has no faith in the content. I am also wondering if she is just getting sick of the Ancients, so we are going to stick with the lapbook, more of the multimedia things, - another reason why we splurged for the BrainPOP subscription - and of course the myths, because she loves EVERYTHING about them!
She has also begun to use the Tell Me More Spanish - which we got during the Homeschool Buyers' Co-op group buy last summer - and she REALLY is enjoying it. I think that the voice recognition is such an incredible key to her confidence in it! This program really seems to cover all aspects of recognition, memorization and understanding. She has been doing it daily without any qualms or complaints.
As always we will be constantly evaluating and reorganizing our path, but hey isn't that one of the many reasons why we homeschool - to give our kids exactly what they NEED WHEN they need it!
The trials and errors of a home educating family finding our own way and getting saner by the day!
Showing posts with label 7th Grade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 7th Grade. Show all posts
Nov 12, 2009
Nov 9, 2009
Meet the Masters - Cassatt
We finished unit 2 of Meet the Masters which covered the life and works of Mary Cassatt. One of my all time favorite paintings is her Breakfast in Bed -
It always reminds me of how cuddly little ones can be all snuggled up in bed! I miss the days of waking up to a snuggling toddler.KM worked on the techniques for making plaids and sketching faces...
Mary Cassatt was also extremely famous for painting pictures of women in incredible hats, so we decided - since neither of us are really comfortable trying to draw people - we would focus on the hats. We also choose to collage the hats using remnant pieces from our scrap box! Here was our outcome -
KM choose to do a few smaller samples and I choose to do one large one.
Oct 19, 2009
Meet the Masters - Van Gogh
We starting using the Meet the Masters Art Series this past week and KM is really liking it. We got a TERRIFIC group buy price on it through Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
The first artist that we started out with was Van Gogh and we made our own renditions of Starry Night using oil pastels.
The first artist that we started out with was Van Gogh and we made our own renditions of Starry Night using oil pastels.
We will be working on this program every other week or as time allows and I will be sure to post pics of each her own masterpieces.
Oct 4, 2009
Curriculum revamped...already
Okay I am notorious for changing my mind with our curriculum choices and I didn't even make it through the first week without deciding that we were not going to use a few things for various reasons.
Health -
We decided to hold off a bit on the NIH Curriculum Supplements Series and to work through the rest of the Learn to Be Health site that she didn't complete last year. I was feeling as though we were really book heavy and wanted to go for something more computer based - this was a rather easy subject to do the switch on.
Latin -
KM was really not into the Latin Through Mythology like I thought she would be and wanted to do Minimus Secundus sooner rather than later, so I complied. I already had the set and figured why torture her if I didn't need to. I want her to love what she is learning especially when it comes to electives, so why force her to use a program that she really just doesn't want to?
History -
We planned on working through the Ancient China Thematic Unit using Between The Dragon and the Eagle, but she REALLY was not into that book, so again why use it if she doesn't like it. We are still working through most of the time worksheets and projects that went along with it and researching things as we go. When I was looking for things at the library I was reminded of the "You Wouldn't Want to" Series and Horrible Histories. KM has always loved these series and I decided to order the DVD series of Horrible Histories to supplement with - as some of the books are really hard to find around her.
Science -
KM REALLY wanted to start with the Simple Schooling Middle School Physics before we started working on Story of Science so we are holding off on that one until we have finished Physics. This actually did make a bit more sense to me after I thought about it because she has caught up with Earth Science, Astronomy, Biology and Chemistry over the last year and a half, but really hadn't done ANY physics work. So we will focus on Physics and then work through the Story of Science sets so that once we finish those KM should be ready to start High School level Science. I think this should give her a pretty solid foundation to work from.
So that is what we have changed so far. I think it will be about it for the fall session! You never know for sure though!
Health -
We decided to hold off a bit on the NIH Curriculum Supplements Series and to work through the rest of the Learn to Be Health site that she didn't complete last year. I was feeling as though we were really book heavy and wanted to go for something more computer based - this was a rather easy subject to do the switch on.
Latin -
KM was really not into the Latin Through Mythology like I thought she would be and wanted to do Minimus Secundus sooner rather than later, so I complied. I already had the set and figured why torture her if I didn't need to. I want her to love what she is learning especially when it comes to electives, so why force her to use a program that she really just doesn't want to?
History -
We planned on working through the Ancient China Thematic Unit using Between The Dragon and the Eagle, but she REALLY was not into that book, so again why use it if she doesn't like it. We are still working through most of the time worksheets and projects that went along with it and researching things as we go. When I was looking for things at the library I was reminded of the "You Wouldn't Want to" Series and Horrible Histories. KM has always loved these series and I decided to order the DVD series of Horrible Histories to supplement with - as some of the books are really hard to find around her.
Science -
KM REALLY wanted to start with the Simple Schooling Middle School Physics before we started working on Story of Science so we are holding off on that one until we have finished Physics. This actually did make a bit more sense to me after I thought about it because she has caught up with Earth Science, Astronomy, Biology and Chemistry over the last year and a half, but really hadn't done ANY physics work. So we will focus on Physics and then work through the Story of Science sets so that once we finish those KM should be ready to start High School level Science. I think this should give her a pretty solid foundation to work from.
So that is what we have changed so far. I think it will be about it for the fall session! You never know for sure though!
Sep 5, 2009
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER
Since I started listing our curriculum picks in August I have been asked a LOT about how we are actually going to implement ALL of the choices that we have made this year and here is a pic from Homeschool Tracker Plus which outlines our weekly plan. 
~~~ If you click on it - it will open bigger in another window.
~~~ If you click on it - it will open bigger in another window.Now pay no regard to most of the timeline on the side as it is very rare that KM EVER gets her work started at 8am! However it just gives a breakdown of how things fit together. Sometimes ELA may take twice as long and Science might take half the time, but this is a good outline so that KM and I can see what it is that should get completed each day. I also am not 100% strict on which day something gets done, if a field trip, outing, playdate or something comes up OR we just don't feel like doing it that day, then we can very easily switch it to another day or move it to the weekend or whatever. I am rather rigid that all of the work gets completed within the week though, otherwise I would feel like we weren't progressing and things would get too piled up!
We upgraded to the PLUS version of the tracker in the fall so that we could save time and paper, by setting up KM's account where she can go in and check her assignments for the week or the day instead of me having to copy them to the whiteboard or write them all out in the planner. It has worked WONDERFULLY during the summer and there have been many times when KM has gone ahead on her own and completed something early so that she could setup a playdate or sleepover or just to get brownie points when asking to do something extra special! This has also helped create a lot more independence when the Littles are here. KM can go into her room and get her things done without having to tempt SC because she has to check with me on what is next.
A mom who is new to homeschooling mentioned recently that she was really concerned about being able to fit everything in and I think this is a big fear for a lot of parents especially those who have taken their kids out of PS. One thing that you have to remember is that you work at your child's pace, you don't have to rush through things to get to the next thing , to get to the next thing. You can work on it for as long or as short an amount of time as your child(ren) need or want you to. There are as many ways to homeschool as there are families who homeschool. Not one family does it EXACTLY the same as the next because no two children are EXACTLY the same! This is the BEAUTY of homeschooling!
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - Everything Else
This is the list of everything else that we will be covering!
Foreign Language - Latin
We will be continuing our Latin study at least through the fall and maybe into the winter...
KM loves art and is very excited we are going to be starting Meet the Master which I got another great deal on through Homeschool Buyers Co-op!
Music -
Another one of KM's favorite areas so we have multiple resources here -
Health -
We will be continuing to use the free curriculum supplements from NICHD publications. When I found this resource, just over a year ago, I thought it would be just some small little packets or pamphlets. I ordered almost everyone and nearly fell over when they arrived! These are full sets all ready to go into a 3 ring binder and some come with CD-Rom games and online interaction!
We also will probably be using a few of these websites -
Term Elective - KM picks a subject area each term that she would like to know more about!
With the newest baby around so much lately KM has become very interested in learning about child development. It is rather tricky to find information for Middle School at this level, but I did manage to find a few things...by searching under Babysitting Skills!
CO-OP Classes
We will be attending our co-op for two classes this fall, as well as a Theater Group with our local homeschool support network. Our first co-op class will be Geography and loosely based on the Trail Guide to World Geography for the mapping aspects and different parents will be responsible each week to provide the cultural aspects that go along with it. The second class will be on Algebraic Reasoning using Family Math for Middle Schoolers and LOTS of math games. The theater group is the same one that she participated in last spring and they will be continuing to do some work on Shakespeare, as well as some monologues and some skits on famous historical times and people.
I think that is it for our fall session line-up. If you missed any of the previous posts just head to the top of the screen and type in curriculum picks and they should pop right up! Don't know how much we will get done or how many times we will change things around, but we are hoping for the best!
It may be quietier around here for the next few weeks as we take a bit of time off in between sessions! Be sure to let us know how your fall is starting out!
Foreign Language - Latin
We will be continuing our Latin study at least through the fall and maybe into the winter...
- Learning Latin Through Mythology - two of KM's favorite things rolled into one, where could you go wrong with that?
- Minimus Secundus - KM really like the first level of this book, so I figured we should go for it again!
KM loves art and is very excited we are going to be starting Meet the Master which I got another great deal on through Homeschool Buyers Co-op!
Music -
Another one of KM's favorite areas so we have multiple resources here -
- Piano Adventures Series - this covers her lesson books, artistry and technique, theory, performance practice and her favorite - Christmas songs!
- Music Alive!
- Classics for Kids
- Voice Lessons To Go
Health -
We will be continuing to use the free curriculum supplements from NICHD publications. When I found this resource, just over a year ago, I thought it would be just some small little packets or pamphlets. I ordered almost everyone and nearly fell over when they arrived! These are full sets all ready to go into a 3 ring binder and some come with CD-Rom games and online interaction!
We also will probably be using a few of these websites -
Term Elective - KM picks a subject area each term that she would like to know more about!
With the newest baby around so much lately KM has become very interested in learning about child development. It is rather tricky to find information for Middle School at this level, but I did manage to find a few things...by searching under Babysitting Skills!
- Babysitting Handbook - American Girl
- 4H - Child Development Set - I was sooooo excited when I found out that you could just order the 4H curriculums and use them at home!
- REAL LIFE BABY IN OUR HOME 2-3 DAYS A WEEK!
- REAL LIFE TODDLER IN OUR HOME 2-3 DAYS A WEEK!
CO-OP Classes
We will be attending our co-op for two classes this fall, as well as a Theater Group with our local homeschool support network. Our first co-op class will be Geography and loosely based on the Trail Guide to World Geography for the mapping aspects and different parents will be responsible each week to provide the cultural aspects that go along with it. The second class will be on Algebraic Reasoning using Family Math for Middle Schoolers and LOTS of math games. The theater group is the same one that she participated in last spring and they will be continuing to do some work on Shakespeare, as well as some monologues and some skits on famous historical times and people.
I think that is it for our fall session line-up. If you missed any of the previous posts just head to the top of the screen and type in curriculum picks and they should pop right up! Don't know how much we will get done or how many times we will change things around, but we are hoping for the best!
It may be quietier around here for the next few weeks as we take a bit of time off in between sessions! Be sure to let us know how your fall is starting out!
Sep 2, 2009
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - KIT FINDS
I mentioned the choices that we had made for our science curriculum last week, but as I was trying to find somewhere that had the physics kit that was recommended by Simple Schooling I also happened to come across an incredible kit to supplement The Story of Science - Milestones in Science!
I am soooo excited about this two kits! They are complete and FANTASTIC! I am amazed that no one has mentioned combining The Story of Science with this Milestones kit before, it seems like a no brainer to me. I am all about getting my money worth and with 100 experiments that is less than 80 cents an experiment! How can you beat that with everything all there and ready for you! The physics kit has 37 experiments and also has extremely clear instructions and meshes seamlessly with the simple schooling physics.
~~~After further investigation I must add- I usually wait to get kits in person when I just happen to see them in a store marked down to some ridiculously low price because I have been sooooo disappointed in the past, but THESE KITS are fantastic and totally worth the money. You have to add VERY few items like a 9-volt battery for instance. They also have INCREDIBLE clear and informative booklets that go along with them! The more I look at the them the more I am very happy that I didn't have my stingy cheap side come out and I got them!
I am soooo excited about this two kits! They are complete and FANTASTIC! I am amazed that no one has mentioned combining The Story of Science with this Milestones kit before, it seems like a no brainer to me. I am all about getting my money worth and with 100 experiments that is less than 80 cents an experiment! How can you beat that with everything all there and ready for you! The physics kit has 37 experiments and also has extremely clear instructions and meshes seamlessly with the simple schooling physics.
~~~After further investigation I must add- I usually wait to get kits in person when I just happen to see them in a store marked down to some ridiculously low price because I have been sooooo disappointed in the past, but THESE KITS are fantastic and totally worth the money. You have to add VERY few items like a 9-volt battery for instance. They also have INCREDIBLE clear and informative booklets that go along with them! The more I look at the them the more I am very happy that I didn't have my stingy cheap side come out and I got them!
Aug 31, 2009
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - Social Sciences
Now on to our picks for Social Science:
Social Sciences - The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including anthropology, communication studies, economics, human geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology.
History -
We will be continuing our journey into ancient cultures and first stop in the fall will be China! Though we will be continuing to loosely follow the Complete Book of World History, I was pointed toward History: The Definitive Visual Guide and I am seriously thinking about switching over to that, but I will make sure to keep you all posted on that!
For China we will be using the Ancient China Thematic Unit and focusing on Between the Dragon and the Eagle. We will then move onto the Ancient Americas.
Geography -
Our co-op will be doing a full year Geography class, loosely following the Trail Guide to World Geography and I will be supplementing with a few resources.
Cultural Studies -
As well as touching on the cultures of areas that we go over in geography we will be doing some specific cultural studies as well starting with Investigating the First Thanksgiving and Holiday's Around the World.
Investigating the First Thanksgiving website
Holiday's Around the World Websites -
Social Sciences - The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including anthropology, communication studies, economics, human geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology.
History -
We will be continuing our journey into ancient cultures and first stop in the fall will be China! Though we will be continuing to loosely follow the Complete Book of World History, I was pointed toward History: The Definitive Visual Guide and I am seriously thinking about switching over to that, but I will make sure to keep you all posted on that!
For China we will be using the Ancient China Thematic Unit and focusing on Between the Dragon and the Eagle. We will then move onto the Ancient Americas.
Geography -
Our co-op will be doing a full year Geography class, loosely following the Trail Guide to World Geography and I will be supplementing with a few resources.
Cultural Studies -
As well as touching on the cultures of areas that we go over in geography we will be doing some specific cultural studies as well starting with Investigating the First Thanksgiving and Holiday's Around the World.
Investigating the First Thanksgiving website
Holiday's Around the World Websites -
- http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSChristmasAroundtheWorldK1.htm
- http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/holidays/
- http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson213.shtml
Aug 24, 2009
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - Science
Keeping the ball rolling - here are our science choices:
Science
Our approach to science is going to be a bit hard-core this year because that is REALLY what KM wanted! I am not too sure how we are going to fit everything in, but hey she is excited about science, so I REALLY can't smash the interest!
Science
Our approach to science is going to be a bit hard-core this year because that is REALLY what KM wanted! I am not too sure how we are going to fit everything in, but hey she is excited about science, so I REALLY can't smash the interest!
- The Story of Science, Aristotle leads the Way - we got the whole shebang on this one! Books, teacher's quest and student quests!
- Middle School Physics - I fell in love with this site when I stumbled across it at the beginning of the summer and I have to say when I downloaded this program it did not fail to please...hopefully it will be as easy and enjoyable to execute as it appears!
- Unit study on weather & meteorology - more specific information on resources for that to come later as I am still putting it together!
- Basher Science Series - we LOVE everything about this series! From the cute little comic pics to the through yet entertaining information! We have been working through Astronomy this summer and plan on starting Biology in the fall and Physics, well when we start Physics!
- Adaptive Curriculum - to supplement with extra projects that we wouldn't be able to do in our home! She absolutely loves this program and we got a SUPER deal on it through Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
Keep your fingers crossed for us that our ambitious choices will not crash and burn!
Aug 17, 2009
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - English Language Arts
I am continuing to hammer down our curriculum choices and here are our ELA choices!
English Language Arts - Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school.
You may have seen my many different postings about KM's lack of interest in writing and my realization a few months ago which has lead me to the following choices -
Literature & Reading Comprehension -
KM is an avid reader - she has already read 31 books this summer. So we are going to try a different approach to literature this year by alternating with an actual literature curriculum and literature unit studies. I am hoping that with this mix it will keep things moving and build her writing skills a bit as well...
English Language Arts - Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school.
You may have seen my many different postings about KM's lack of interest in writing and my realization a few months ago which has lead me to the following choices -
Literature & Reading Comprehension -
KM is an avid reader - she has already read 31 books this summer. So we are going to try a different approach to literature this year by alternating with an actual literature curriculum and literature unit studies. I am hoping that with this mix it will keep things moving and build her writing skills a bit as well...
- Island of the Blue Dolphin - Teacher Created Resource
- Cricket in Time Square - Teacher Created Resource - we will be using many of these products throughout the next two years
- Language of Literature - we will be alternating doing one literature unit mentioned above and one unit from this book.
Aug 10, 2009
Curriculum Picks for Fall Session - 7th Grade - Math
It is that time of year again - KM would be entering 7th grade this year and we are finally finished figuring out what in the world we were going to study! We had made an outline last spring as to what subjects she wanted to learn more about and then I set about the task of finding options that I thought that she would enjoy. Of course if you have been visiting my blog before you may realize that we don't always stick to the full plan so there are some changes since the beginning of the summer! One of the greatest as well as most overwhelming tasks for any homeschooling parent is making that final decision and dishing out that cash for the product with high hopes - all fingers and toes crossed - that it will be as FANTASTIC as it looked online or in the store! So I have decided to post our final decisions here over the next few weeks doing one or two subjects at a time so that it does not get lost in the midst of all the other posts!
So I thought I would start with my favorite subject:
I am sure that there will be more to come in this area, as I am ALWAYS finding new things for math - so I will keep posting additions!
So I thought I would start with my favorite subject:
Math -
You may have seen my post in the spring where I mentioned that CJ and I had discussed having KM take a year off from Teaching Textbook. She did Pre-Algebra last year and did a really great job - averaging a very strong 94% -, but I felt that maybe I was rushing her a bit in this area. I really want her to fully understand the concepts and processes of math. So we will be working through some pre-algebra and area specific workbooks at least through fall and winter. Here are the ones we will be starting out with -- Tables, Charts and Graphs
- Building Basic Skills - Problem Solving Grade 7
- Math Minders Graphing - Grade 7
- The Complete Book of Algebra and Geometry - Grades 5 & 6 - I made this choice because KM has never had much Geometry and the Teaching Textbooks did not cover it at all, so I really feel like she needs this before she moves onto the more advanced concepts in Algebra 1 and Geometry
- Family Math - Middle School Years - Our co-op is going to be doing an algebraic reasoning class using games and projects from this book as well as some great math board and card games.
- Cluefinders Math Adventures
- Math Blaster
- Carmen Sandiego Math Detective
- High Achiever Middle School Math 1, 2, & 3
- Middle School Advantage 2007 - Pre-Algebra & Geometry
- Snap! Geometry
I am sure that there will be more to come in this area, as I am ALWAYS finding new things for math - so I will keep posting additions!
May 8, 2009
7th Grade Curriculum - Preliminary Decisions
As most of you have probably figured out - as I know I have stated it SEVERAL times - I am a HUGE planner, I need to feel like I have a game plan and though I am open to flexibility and wiggle room, I NEED to know that I have something set and ready to go! So before the warm weather gets here for real, I want to make sure that I have everything planned out for next year.
For the most part I have known for a while what we would be doing, but there were some final choices that I think I have committed to. So here is what KM's 7th Grade Curriculum will look like -
Summer Session - Yes we do continue our lessons during the summer, but it is on a much lighter scale. KM and I sat down and tried to figure out what she thought would be manageable and what I would agree to as enough. Here is what we came up with:
Daily:
Summer Bridge Activities - This is a review type book that has different activities each day, but helps you kinda stay on track. Most of the things are fun activities and she has been doing them for YEARS now so she figured why change something that has worked for such a long time.
Egyptian Study - if we keep at the pace we are right now with our History timeline study we should be right at Egypt when we start the Summer session. I have TONS of projects, resources, sites, kits and books for this which I think I will list separately. This will be an ongoing thing throughout the summer that I didn't really want to schedule in so we will be working on this bit by bit throughout the session.
Mondays:
Cooking - We will be using the Usbourne Internet Linked Children's World Cookbook - to travel the globe through food. We will also be going to our local farmer's markets to get local produce of the season to cook with as well as using the bounty from our own garden!
Tuesdays:
Geography - along with our world food travels, we will be using Brighter Child Geography Grade 6 which we did not have a chance to get to during this last year's studies.
Wednesday:
ELA - we have been using Scholastics Scope Magazine since last fall, but we could never manage to get to all of it, so we decided to save the reader's plays and the extra worksheets for the summer.
Thursday:
Science - I don't know how long ago it was, but at some point I picked up a copy of Homework Survival Guide: Science and I came across it when we were cleaning out our books over the winter. We decided to use it as a review and do one chapter a week for the summer. We will also be incorporating lots and LOTS of projects to go with each one so be sure to swing by for Science Thursdays starting in July. I think that this will really bring KM up to speed with the basic knowledge that she was SOOOOO lacking from her time at PS.
Fridays:
Math - another book that we just didn't get to as much as we would have liked was Fast Finishers Math so we thought this would be a good time to finish it up!
Starting in the Fall she will be doing -
Math - Teaching Textbooks was such a HUGE hit this year that I will stray from it! She will be starting Algebra 1 in the fall.
ELA - She will be doing 5-minute Daily Grammar - which should help to straighten out some of those things that really just need some repetition to get down. Also upon recommendation by a very good friend, countless internet searches and a LONG discussion with KM we have decided to give Writing Strands a try. We will be starting her off at Level 3 and she is very excited about the way that it is truly written to the student. It also has VERY little prep work for me! I also have on the back burner, Writing Survival Skills for the Middle Grades - which the same friend recommended and I lucked out and found on Paperback Swap! Also a great Paperback Swap find was World Smart Junior which will be in place of a formal vocabulary program.
Literature/Reading Comprehension - For fiction we will be using literature units from Teacher Created Resources. To start we will be doing The Cricket in Times Square, Island of the Blue Dolphin, Bridge to Terabithia and Tuck Everlasting. For non-fiction we will be using a workbook called As a Matter of Fact which seems like it will be a very good fit.
History - We will be continuing our timeline study using the Complete Book of World History as our time-line spine and we will probably begin with Ancient China in the fall. I will list these resources separately as well.
Geography - Our coop group is thinking of doing a full year Geography program, focusing on a different continent each session. This will be a GREAT way for the kids to learn about this in a group setting! I will be sure to post more about this as it develops as well.
Cultural Studies - In the fall we will be focusing on a Thanksgiving Unit that we got from Plimoth Plantation called Investigating the First Thanksgiving which helps to clarify what really happened at the first Thanksgiving and what it was really like for the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Then we will use several resources to dive deep into the cultures of Southeast Asia, Japan, and Mexico and Central America.
Science - We have a large mismatch group of things that KM really wants to cover for Science next year. We will be starting out with the Basher Series which looks like they are going to be rather enjoyable reading, then we will be using the MOS designed Engineering is Elementary Program, a variety of free electricity resources that we ordered from National Grid and a unit on Inventions and Inventors. We will also be supplementing with a new site that I found through Homeschool Buyers Co-op called Adaptive Curriculum. Once she has all these things done I think she will have a very good basis to start some of the higher level sciences.
Foreign Language Studies - We will be sticking with Latin next year and will be using Minimus Secundus: Moving on in Latin as well as Learning Latin Through Mythology. I am already seeing a huge improvement with KM's word recognition and decoding roots since we started the Minimus: Starting out in Latin.
Art - we will be using a program that looks really intriguing called Meet the Masters. KM is a bit nervous about having to reproduce masterpieces, but I think once she starts and sees that it is really more about the techniques that she will really enjoy the program!
Music - KM is still loving the keyboard so we will be continuing with Piano Adventures. I also came across this rather interesting classroom magazine called Music Alive and for $9 I got all 8 issues of this past years magazines, which feature a current artistic from a different genre each month. KM is so into music that I couldn't pass up a deal like that! We will also continue to utilize the incredible monthly content at Classics for Kids. I am seriously considering signing her up for private keyboard lessons, but I am worried that this may deter her natural drive that she seems to be following. She reads music incredibly and truly enjoys playing, so I will just wait and see if she starts to peak off or has trouble just using the books on her own.
So that is our 7th grade plan - I hope we will stick to it, but if you are a regular reader I would guess that bets are being placed as to when the first change will occur! It feels good to have it all laid out in front of me though and I think that I have found a really good balance of what KM wants and what CJ and I feel that she really NEEDS.
For the most part I have known for a while what we would be doing, but there were some final choices that I think I have committed to. So here is what KM's 7th Grade Curriculum will look like -
Summer Session - Yes we do continue our lessons during the summer, but it is on a much lighter scale. KM and I sat down and tried to figure out what she thought would be manageable and what I would agree to as enough. Here is what we came up with:
Daily:
Summer Bridge Activities - This is a review type book that has different activities each day, but helps you kinda stay on track. Most of the things are fun activities and she has been doing them for YEARS now so she figured why change something that has worked for such a long time.
Egyptian Study - if we keep at the pace we are right now with our History timeline study we should be right at Egypt when we start the Summer session. I have TONS of projects, resources, sites, kits and books for this which I think I will list separately. This will be an ongoing thing throughout the summer that I didn't really want to schedule in so we will be working on this bit by bit throughout the session.
Mondays:
Cooking - We will be using the Usbourne Internet Linked Children's World Cookbook - to travel the globe through food. We will also be going to our local farmer's markets to get local produce of the season to cook with as well as using the bounty from our own garden!
Tuesdays:
Geography - along with our world food travels, we will be using Brighter Child Geography Grade 6 which we did not have a chance to get to during this last year's studies.
Wednesday:
ELA - we have been using Scholastics Scope Magazine since last fall, but we could never manage to get to all of it, so we decided to save the reader's plays and the extra worksheets for the summer.
Thursday:
Science - I don't know how long ago it was, but at some point I picked up a copy of Homework Survival Guide: Science and I came across it when we were cleaning out our books over the winter. We decided to use it as a review and do one chapter a week for the summer. We will also be incorporating lots and LOTS of projects to go with each one so be sure to swing by for Science Thursdays starting in July. I think that this will really bring KM up to speed with the basic knowledge that she was SOOOOO lacking from her time at PS.
Fridays:
Math - another book that we just didn't get to as much as we would have liked was Fast Finishers Math so we thought this would be a good time to finish it up!
Starting in the Fall she will be doing -
Math - Teaching Textbooks was such a HUGE hit this year that I will stray from it! She will be starting Algebra 1 in the fall.
ELA - She will be doing 5-minute Daily Grammar - which should help to straighten out some of those things that really just need some repetition to get down. Also upon recommendation by a very good friend, countless internet searches and a LONG discussion with KM we have decided to give Writing Strands a try. We will be starting her off at Level 3 and she is very excited about the way that it is truly written to the student. It also has VERY little prep work for me! I also have on the back burner, Writing Survival Skills for the Middle Grades - which the same friend recommended and I lucked out and found on Paperback Swap! Also a great Paperback Swap find was World Smart Junior which will be in place of a formal vocabulary program.
Literature/Reading Comprehension - For fiction we will be using literature units from Teacher Created Resources. To start we will be doing The Cricket in Times Square, Island of the Blue Dolphin, Bridge to Terabithia and Tuck Everlasting. For non-fiction we will be using a workbook called As a Matter of Fact which seems like it will be a very good fit.
History - We will be continuing our timeline study using the Complete Book of World History as our time-line spine and we will probably begin with Ancient China in the fall. I will list these resources separately as well.
Geography - Our coop group is thinking of doing a full year Geography program, focusing on a different continent each session. This will be a GREAT way for the kids to learn about this in a group setting! I will be sure to post more about this as it develops as well.
Cultural Studies - In the fall we will be focusing on a Thanksgiving Unit that we got from Plimoth Plantation called Investigating the First Thanksgiving which helps to clarify what really happened at the first Thanksgiving and what it was really like for the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Then we will use several resources to dive deep into the cultures of Southeast Asia, Japan, and Mexico and Central America.
Science - We have a large mismatch group of things that KM really wants to cover for Science next year. We will be starting out with the Basher Series which looks like they are going to be rather enjoyable reading, then we will be using the MOS designed Engineering is Elementary Program, a variety of free electricity resources that we ordered from National Grid and a unit on Inventions and Inventors. We will also be supplementing with a new site that I found through Homeschool Buyers Co-op called Adaptive Curriculum. Once she has all these things done I think she will have a very good basis to start some of the higher level sciences.
Foreign Language Studies - We will be sticking with Latin next year and will be using Minimus Secundus: Moving on in Latin as well as Learning Latin Through Mythology. I am already seeing a huge improvement with KM's word recognition and decoding roots since we started the Minimus: Starting out in Latin.
Art - we will be using a program that looks really intriguing called Meet the Masters. KM is a bit nervous about having to reproduce masterpieces, but I think once she starts and sees that it is really more about the techniques that she will really enjoy the program!
Music - KM is still loving the keyboard so we will be continuing with Piano Adventures. I also came across this rather interesting classroom magazine called Music Alive and for $9 I got all 8 issues of this past years magazines, which feature a current artistic from a different genre each month. KM is so into music that I couldn't pass up a deal like that! We will also continue to utilize the incredible monthly content at Classics for Kids. I am seriously considering signing her up for private keyboard lessons, but I am worried that this may deter her natural drive that she seems to be following. She reads music incredibly and truly enjoys playing, so I will just wait and see if she starts to peak off or has trouble just using the books on her own.
So that is our 7th grade plan - I hope we will stick to it, but if you are a regular reader I would guess that bets are being placed as to when the first change will occur! It feels good to have it all laid out in front of me though and I think that I have found a really good balance of what KM wants and what CJ and I feel that she really NEEDS.
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