Monday, August 3, 2009

Plans for 2009-10

I was going to do this anyway, and now I can participate in the Not Back to School Blog Hop sponsored by my3boybarians. Week 1 is Curriculum Week. So I get to sit down, write up my plans, figure out where the holes are or where I'm being my normal over-ambitious self, and play in this Blog Hop too. How cool is that?

So, kid by kid, my plans this year (I'm only linking the first reference to something):

Connor - 7th grade:
William - 5th grade:
  • Bible: Grapevine Old Testament Overview, Level 3
  • Math: ALEKS this summer, A-Ha Math through October, then we'll go back to Singapore or Right Start. Also using Quartermile Math for drill
  • Writing: Write With the Best, Volume 1
  • Reading: TATRAS, various readers (Sonlight, mostly)
  • Science: I think we're going to use Considering God's Creation. With a break to do Environmental Science with his brother, once he's a Boy Scout.
  • History: Still deciding. Partially because Bright Ideas is one of the vendors for the Review Crew, so I'll see what they are sending (this month?). Fallback plan is to continue studying the continents of the western hemisphere, similar to how we did things in Sonlight Core 5, using Around the World in 180 Days.
  • Other LA: Teaching the Classics, All About Spelling, Poetry memorization, Roots and Fruits, maybe First Language Lessons Level 4.
  • Other: Computer programming, typing, still deciding on something for fine arts, other things as they come up (like TOS Review Crew stuff!), Scouts (Webelos II, going for Arrow of Light and all the activity badges, crossover to Boy Scouts in February if not sooner)
Thomas - 3rd grade:
  • Bible: Grapevine Old Testament Overview, Level 2
  • Math: He's using ALEKS this summer, A-Ha Math through October, then we'll go back to Singapore, probably doing a bit of review of 2A, and starting for real with 2B. Also using Quartermile Math for drill
  • Writing: Write With the Best, Volume 1
  • Reading: Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, various readers (Sonlight, mostly)
  • Science: I think we're going to use Considering God's Creation
  • History: Still deciding. See William's history.
  • Other LA: Teaching the Classics (very lightly), All About Spelling, Poetry memorization, Roots and Fruits, First Language Lessons Level 3.
  • Other: Computer programming, typing, still deciding on something for fine arts, other things as they come up (like TOS Review Crew stuff!), Scouts (Bear level)
Richard - kindergarten:
  • Bible: Grapevine Old Testament Overview, Level 1
  • Math: He's using A-Ha Math through October, going to Singapore Primary Math 1 after that. Also using Quartermile Math for drill
  • Reading: Rocket Phonics, I think, various readers (Sonlight, mostly)
  • Science: I think we're going to use Considering God's Creation, he'll listen along, there is some science in the SL core
  • History: May do stuff with his brothers, Sonlight Core P 4/5
  • Other LA: All About Spelling, Poetry memorization, Roots and Fruits, First Language Lessons Level 1.
  • Other: Typing, still deciding on something for fine arts, other things as they come up (like TOS Review Crew stuff!)
Katrina - age 3:
  • Bible: Grapevine Old Testament Overview, she listens along, is memorizing some of the stuff too
  • Reading: Rocket Phonics games with her brother, other informal ABCs
  • Science: there is some science in the SL core
  • History: Sonlight Core P 4/5
  • Other: other things as they come up (like TOS Review Crew stuff!)
And Family Read Aloud time too. We're going to work through the Little Britches series, and other non-Sonlight books.

And looking at all of that, I'm totally exhausted and I think I want to retire! I know it isn't as bad as it looks. A lot of Connor's stuff is fairly independent. A lot of the rest we can do as a group. Things that made the early cuts?

  • Greek. I just can't fit it in.
  • Right Start Math. My kids grasp math fairly well, and I just can't spend the time here when they need teacher time elsewhere. I'll let them learn more independently with their strengths, and I'll invest my time in their weaknesses, or in areas where I feel it is critical to really discuss.
  • Building on the Rock. Way more time-intensive than I can handle right now.
  • Other Worldview coursework. Much as I want to, I don't have the money.

10 comments:

Amanda said...

I am so impressed! If I tried to do all that I would fail at everything! And, you have one more child than I do! But, I have learned that I have to do less to actually get anything done. Each year gets better, though, and I add more in. Maybe by the time my oldest is 7th grade our school plans will be more "loaded." LOL

Debra said...

I don't know where you left off with SL, but I can tell you that in my case anyway, something magical happened around 6th grade. It wasn't reading level, as he was reading almost anything starting around 3rd grade. But this past year, he's been able to take so much more and just run with it. Pretty much everything he is doing, we are either ALL doing, or he is doing it without a lot of input from me. Or it isn't sit-down stuff -- so I can discuss Fallacy Detective with him while driving to Scouts, or discuss his readers while cleaning up from lunch.

Who knows how things will fall out once we get going. This is the first year we will be splitting up and not all in the same core. So I'm probably assuming too much.

Tracy said...

We are doing Fallacy Detective this year too! HAve a great one!

Kara said...

That's quite a list, Debra! I think it's longer than mine, LOL! I just added my blog entry to the blog hop too!

Jacqueline said...

Did you get Phonetic Zoo? I had offered what I have, but it turns out it's not complete. What exactly do you have/need?

Cristi said...

Can you elaborate on the Write With the Best program? Or, is that one that you'll be reviewing this year? I can wait patiently if you'll be posting about it later. :)

Debra said...

Jacqueline -- I'll email you :)

Cristi -- Write With the Best is something I'm reviewing for the Crew. We've started it, the boys love it so far, and you'll definitely be seeing more about it on here. I'm not really at a point where I can say a whole lot, as we jumped into starting it without me really getting much of a big picture. Very not typical for me :) I usually have a better handle on where I'm going before I start. So far, I like the price (both volumes, in ebook, total less than $35 right now), I like that it uses great literature, and I like that it seems to be in nice, bite-sized chunks. But yes, I'll be posting a review in early September.

Debra said...

Kara -- I am way too exhausted to go looking at anyone else's curriculum tonight, but I'll be checking yours out tomorrow!! I was having fun reading through the other blog hop posts earlier today... even more fun when it is people I know. Besides, I've been trying to find your blog... :)

Anonymous said...

We are SL users here. And we used Aleks briefly last year. My son enjoyed it.

Robin E. said...

What a great post, Debra (waving). "Invest in our weaknesses" is my mantra for this school too. Thank you for sharing. I'll see you around the Sonlight forums (oh, and I "get" your new user name now too ;o).