2015-2016 Curriculum
I think I have finally got our schedule and curriculum down for the 2015-2016 school year. This will be our 3rd year homeschooling and I feel like I am just now starting to find a rhythm. Of course, every time I think that, something changes!
Here is the curriculum I am planning on doing for CJ, 10 years old and my only homeschooler:
History
Language Arts
Spelling - We are going to try Spelling Workout E. We have tried All About Spelling and Sequential Spelling, neither worked very well for us. They were both great programs. I think the problem is just that spelling is not our favorite subject and seems to always get pu
t on the back burner so we don't seem to ever get into a good routine with spelling. So, we'll try Spelling Workout and see what happens.Grammar - For grammar we are going with Jr. Analytical Grammar. This year we used Shurley English and I really like it. CJ has learned so much with it. It is quick (we do the grammar only, not the writing) and the question and answer flow to classify sentences is easy to follow. The only problem I have with it is it does not
teach sentence diagramming. I think CJ would really benefit from seeing sentences in the picture form of a diagram. So, we are going to use Analytical Grammar to get diagramming in, but we may go back Shurley after that.
IEW |
Writing - I love Institute for Excellence in Writing, so we are continuing with that next year. We will use the Level A US History Based Writing Lessons to go with our history curriculum. CJ does not really like to write. He gets very frustrated if told to 'write a story about .....'. He is very lost and overwhelmed. And if you tell him 'write about a frog that lived in the pond and then hopped up on a log and slept in the sunshine', he will write 'once there was a frog that lived in a pond. One day in hopped up on a log and slept in the sun.' He really isn't very imaginative. IEW works great because it starts off with making a key word outline of a paragraph, then using that outline to write the paragraph in your own words.CJ has quickly learned to find some key points then re-write those in his own words. He can outline a story then easily make a few changes and come up with a whole new story.He is gaining confidence in his writing and realizing that he can do it!
Reading - There are several books that go with History Odyssey.
Vocabulary - Wordly Wise 5
Math
Teaching Textbooks 6.
I like Teaching Textbooks, more importantly, CJ likes it. He will do math everyday without a battle and that is why I will continue to use it! I really like that if he misses a problem he can watch a tutor right then that show him how to do the problem.
Science
Bookshark Science Grade 5
This will be brand new for us! So, I'll have to let you know if we like it or not. We will also use some Thames and Kosmos science kits.
We will also throw in some other stuff like, Trail Guide to US Geography, Mind Benders, Co-Op and Engineering 4 Kids classes.
Now to work on the schedule.......
Have you started planning for next year yet? What curriculum do you like?
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