Here are my thoughts for 2nd grade...

[lindsrae]

These are my thoughts for next year. I am still deciding and can easily change my mind (and reserve the right to do so). I am also putting down the reasons for my curriculum choices because it gives me a visual way of thinking these things through. Any comments are appreciated (even if you disagree with me!)

 

Bible: Table Talk: Book of Beginnings http://www.thegoodbook.com/children/devotionals/table-talk-1-the-book-of-beginnings. (Will also do XTB Book 1 to help train DD to do daily personal Bible study.)

REASONS: want to have an already planned curriculum to use in addition to reading Scripture. We've been reading a children's story Bible this year, and I want to do more. I posted a thread about what to use for Bible; the Bible Study Guide for All Ages looks amazing, but I think I will wait to use it when my littles are older :)

 

History: SOTW 1--still deciding between CHOLL and the AG. Love the literature aspect, but trying to be realistic in balancing cost and time and ability to pull things off with two little sisters. :) We are doing American history this year with Guesthollow. I like it, but I think I need to buy the books I want to read. Very hard to keep up with things from the library.

 

Science: Apologia--astronomy? Not sure which is the best to start with, but I thought astronomy would be good with ancients. We started REAL Science Odyssey (Life) this year, but I think I need more accountability with a textbook. And I need to not feel completely guilty if we don't do the experiment. Again, I love the idea of living books, but I'd like more AIO for science.

 

Math: This one is easy for me--we've used RightStart A and B and plan to continue with C. Thought I would supplement this year with Singapore, but we ended up not using it too much. I think SM has a more traditional scope and sequence; RS doesn't introduce subtraction at all until the end of B.

 

LA: Using Phonics Road 1 this year. I'm pretty sure we are going to go with PR 2 for next year. I can't imagine deciding all the components otherwise! I've looked at AAS, Memoria Press lit guides, FLL, and a few other things. I"m not adoring PR at the moment (I still think I need more help than the videos are giving me!!), but I like it better than anything else I've looked at. But I know there are a millions things out there, so this is one area I could easily be talked into another route. We are also using WWE1 this year, and I love how the scope and sequence of WWE is laid out, so I will have a hard time dropping that. I am also supplementing PR with lots of extra early readers from the library, because I feel there is a big jump from learning the letter sounds to spelling to reading. Maybe because we had started (and eventually abandoned) OPGTR and my DD was already kind of reading, but I think PR needs more practice than one page a day to make a fluent reader. (Or maybe I haven't watched far enough in the DVDs yet!)

 

Latin: We have listened to the School Song Latin, but haven't done much beyond that. Plan to add in the activity book next year. Not sure what to do past that.

 

Fine Arts: The girls take art classes but would like more formal artist study. I have ARTistic Pursuits which I have been saving until we start ancients. I think I just read something about the first book not being great--I haven't look at the others for K-3. We play classical music, but I don't do anything formally with that but would like to.

 

In the last year and a half of homeschooling, I have learned that I like to have things laid out for me and I appreciate having everything in a "kit" ready to go. I enjoy scripted programs or teaching from a teacher's guide that tells me not only what to do but why to do it (which is why I LOVE RS math!). DD enjoys crafts and projects--I think she is on grade level for reading, but only through much encouragement. She does not pick up books independently and still needs a lot of help with new words or sounds.

 

If anyone is still reading my ramblings, thank you! If you have the strength to comment, it is much appreciated!!!

[WIS0320]

We're also continuing on with PR 2 for second grade. I don't always love watching the DVDs but I sure do love how well planned the program is over the long term and how much instruction *I* get from the DVDs. It is a thorough, solid program that is working very well for my kid and I cannot ask much more than that!

 

PR seemed to have its heyday around here a couple years ago (I lurked a long time before I posted) so it is nice to see another family with young children choosing to stick with the program. I should add that I do use McGuffey Readers, the Reading Pathways pyramids, use the Dolch/Fry "sight word" lists to be learned with PR markings in addition to the spelling lists and use Core Knowledge literature. So it isn't like it is our entire L/A program. HOWEVER, what PR does well is teach great phonics and spelling for new readers and I can see that the program really blossoms in years 2, 3 and 4 so I am pretty sure we are holding on for the long haul. I am not a grammar, spelling kind of gal and I need the hand-holding.

Edited January 19, 2012 by drexel

[Cindyz]

It looks like a solid plan. We used Phonics Road 1 last year and we're using Phonics Road 2 this year for first grade. He reads a LOT more than what's included with the program. We started with Bob Books and Pathway Readers along with these Dr. Seuss complation books:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375858075/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=whispesprin0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375858075

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375855521/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=whispesprin0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375855521'>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375855521/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=whispesprin0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375855521

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375855521/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=whispesprin0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0375855521

 

Now I use the Scholastic Book Wizard and find books at his level and get them from the library. We read each level for about a month and then move on to the next level. I also look at the Sonlight Readers for his level for ideas as well.

 

Along the way he has enjoyed Mr. Putter and Tabby, Henry and Mudge, etc. Now he's reading books like My Father's Dragon (which I read to him as a read aloud about a year ago or so).

 

He reads aloud to me each day so that I can help him with words he doesn't know (helping him sound them out using the phonics road and opgr rules), and he also reads books silently on his own, but only recently began to actually read books on his own and not just look at the pictues. lol!

 

We also use WWE1 as well as FLL 2 (we used FLL1 as well). They don't take long and they fit in very well with what we're doing in PR.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Cindyz

[kristinannie]

I loved Apologia Astronomy and so did my kids. The experiments are fun and the stuff you need for them is easy to find. Some people find it dry, but my kids really liked it because it was so meaty.

 

One thing to consider since you like living books, scripts and kits is NOEO science. We are using that right now (Biology 1) and it is wonderful!!!! I can't recommend it enough. They don't have astronomy yet though (I don't think). They have biology, chemistry and physics for K-3.

[Bloggermom]

Your plan looks great! For my upcoming 2nd grader I am planning on CLE Language Arts 200, WWE2, and FLL2. I haven't really planned out everything else yet.

[boscopup]

Your plan looks good!

 

For the library issue... I used to have that problem too. I solved it by doing this:

 

1) Going to the library on the SAME day EVERY week - make it a habit. That way, books are never late.

 

2) Use the HOLD system to reserve most of your books. That makes it easy to go to the library, even when you have a toddler that would rather not let you look through books. ;) You don't have to look for anything. You just pick up the pile of books with your name on them and take them to the checkout. Easier than grocery shopping. :D

 

3) Have a "book basket" (literally, a basket of some sort) to hold library books. All library books go in the book basket. If they are removed for reading, they go straight back into the book basket when done. I now have two baskets - one for DS1 and one for DS2. Even the 2 year old knows to put library books back in the book basket.

 

Those 3 things have made library use way easier for me. I live 30 minutes from the library and have to pay for out-of-county library use. We make our trip every week, and hit the grocery store near there while we're at it, killing two birds with one stone. ;)