Next year's plan... am I missing anything?

[Annabel Lee]

J will be 8 and in 3rd grade. Here is what he'll be doing if I don't bail and just go the easy route w/ SonLight Core 2 for both of my boys:

Writing Skill: WWE 3 w/o workbook - use passages from lit., hist., sci., or Bible. (Progress to WWE 4 in 4th grade) -OR- CW Aesop A w/ a week of practicing each skill on passages from other subjects inbetween each week (with the thought that this would progress to Aesop B in 4th)

 

Grammar: FLL 3, student wkbk + IG (do I need to do this if we use CW?)

 

Reading: custom list, mix of rec's from WTM, SL, AO, VP and WP

 

Vocab: just use challenging words from his reading, have him look them up and copy from dictionary. Also do freerice.com and play Apples to Apples.(needed w/ CW?)

 

Reports/essays: How to Report on Books series or free online resources (optional)

 

Spelling/Phonics: AAS, level TBD, add supplements from Webster's or ETC if necessary. -OR- Abeka LA 3 tweaked for use only for the spelling/phonics/word-work components.

 

Math: Horizons 3, supp. w/ Singapore CWP or IP and for fun add Family Math games

 

History: SOTW2 w/ AG, maybe some VP resources and some SL readers, find a timeline

 

Science: Earth and Space sci. using R.E.A.L., God's Design, Apologia, or RS4K; also Nature walks & journaling (can we do this on our own or do we need a special book to guide us?)

 

Bible & Character Study - KJV, Children's Illustrated Story Bible, Victor Journey Through..., Streams of Civ. and my own made-up plans

 

Church History?: What to use to integrate this into SOTW2?

 

Penmanship: Abeka 3 (even if we don't use the whole Abeka LA)

 

Foriegn Lang: start Latin for grammar/vocab/root word study? or do French or Spanish?

 

PE: Homeschool Family Fitness + Tae Kwon Do

 

Music: instrument lessons and composer study

 

Art: Atelier 2 - 3 with picture study; woodworking or other handicraft

 

Logic: Tetris, Blokus, and a list of other fun things

 

 

My other son's © 1st grade list for next year looks the same but with 1st grade level for math and all language arts. How does all this sound? What, if anything, can I combine, simplify, and streamline here? When I list it all out in individual components like this it seems too much. Do you have suggestions for the subjects I have questions about?

TIA!

[dcjlkplus3]

We are also looking towards 3rd grade next year.

The only "extras" I really see on your list are church history and vocabulary.

I also probably wouldn't have reports/essays as you already have a writing program lined up and he will be doing narrations for history at least, writing if you go with WWE, and possibly science.

[LanaTron]

Writing Skill: WWE 3 w/o workbook - use passages from lit., hist., sci., or Bible. (Progress to WWE 4 in 4th grade) -OR- CW Aesop A w/ a week of practicing each skill on passages from other subjects inbetween each week (with the thought that this would progress to Aesop B in 4th)

 

Grammar: FLL 3, student wkbk + IG (do I need to do this if we use CW?)

 

Reading: custom list, mix of rec's from WTM, SL, AO, VP and WP

 

Vocab: just use challenging words from his reading, have him look them up and copy from dictionary. Also do freerice.com and play Apples to Apples.(needed w/ CW?)

 

Reports/essays: How to Report on Books series or free online resources (optional)

 

Spelling/Phonics: AAS, level TBD, add supplements from Webster's or ETC if necessary. -OR- Abeka LA 3 tweaked for use only for the spelling/phonics/word-work components.

 

Math: Horizons 3, supp. w/ Singapore CWP or IP and for fun add Family Math games

 

History: SOTW2 w/ AG, maybe some VP resources and some SL readers, find a timeline

 

Science: Earth and Space sci. using R.E.A.L., God's Design, Apologia, or RS4K; also Nature walks & journaling (can we do this on our own or do we need a special book to guide us?)

 

Bible & Character Study - KJV, Children's Illustrated Story Bible, Victor Journey Through..., Streams of Civ. and my own made-up plans

 

Church History?: What to use to integrate this into SOTW2?

 

Penmanship: Abeka 3 (even if we don't use the whole Abeka LA)

 

Foriegn Lang: start Latin for grammar/vocab/root word study? or do French or Spanish?

 

PE: Homeschool Family Fitness + Tae Kwon Do

 

Music: instrument lessons and composer study

 

Art: Atelier 2 - 3 with picture study; woodworking or other handicraft

 

Logic: Tetris, Blokus, and a list of other fun things

 

 

I think you can omit the report/essay writing. If your dc is using WWE and FLL (or CW), and doing narrations in history or science, that's plenty of writing at that age.

 

You can skip vocabulary until J is older, when has finished studying spelling. You can especially skip it if you choose to study Latin.

 

I would only do penmanship if the dc struggles in that area, or if J is just beginning cursive. Otherwise, the other writing he is doing will suffice.

 

Also, remember you don't have to do all subjects all the time. You can alternate subjects on days, or weeks, or even semesters.

 

You can look in my signature to see what my 3rd and 1st graders are doing this year. Note that they have the year off from history, as I thought SOTW 4 would be too boring for them, but I wanted my elder dc to work through that.

[Annabel Lee]

We are also looking towards 3rd grade next year.

The only "extras" I really see on your list are church history and vocabulary.

I also probably wouldn't have reports/essays as you already have a writing program lined up and he will be doing narrations for history at least, writing if you go with WWE, and possibly science.

 

I agree w/ the church history and vocab part. The optional reports/essays were going to be more to learn how to write a good simple paragraph - kind of on our own time and not anything we work at heavily or all the time.

 

I see you use R.E.A.L. Science Earth & Space - mind if I ask a few questions? :) I'm looking for something preferably from a Christian perspective, neutral is fine too, but at least something that doesn't focus on the big bang and other theories that are usually considered non-Christian. I find it a waste of money to skip so much of a book b/c of that, and also I tire of constantly having to paraphrase and explain what we just read all the time. I don't mind them knowing that other people believe other things, of course, but for everyday use do you think it could fit what I'm looking for? Thanks!

[Annabel Lee]

I think you can omit the report/essay writing. If your dc is using WWE and FLL (or CW), and doing narrations in history or science, that's plenty of writing at that age.

 

You can skip vocabulary until J is older, when has finished studying spelling. You can especially skip it if you choose to study Latin.

 

I would only do penmanship if the dc struggles in that area, or if J is just beginning cursive. Otherwise, the other writing he is doing will suffice.

 

Also, remember you don't have to do all subjects all the time. You can alternate subjects on days, or weeks, or even semesters.

 

You can look in my signature to see what my 3rd and 1st graders are doing this year. Note that they have the year off from history, as I thought SOTW 4 would be too boring for them, but I wanted my elder dc to work through that.

 

Thanks for the input. J just began cursive this semester, so that's the only reason for penmanship. I think I'll take your advice and omit my lofty ideas of book reports, and keep it to the twice-yearly half-page essays (which amounts to about a paragraph on student-lined paper) required by the state for any home-designed courses.

 

Vocab is omitted unless it's in the form of Latin as our foriegn language choice, and we'll take our time a little more on that than main subjects. We'll still visit freerice and play Apples to Apples when the mood strikes.

 

We only do Sci. 2x per week and History the other 3. WWE & FLL are 4 days per week. I mean to do art once or twice a week (don't ask me what we've actually been able to accomplish though!).

 

Thanks for the help!

[dcjlkplus3]

I see you use R.E.A.L. Science Earth & Space - mind if I ask a few questions? :) I'm looking for something preferably from a Christian perspective, neutral is fine too, but at least something that doesn't focus on the big bang and other theories that are usually considered non-Christian. I find it a waste of money to skip so much of a book b/c of that, and also I tire of constantly having to paraphrase and explain what we just read all the time. I don't mind them knowing that other people believe other things, of course, but for everyday use do you think it could fit what I'm looking for? Thanks!

 

I like it. We are Christians and don't do the bigbang or evolution - but my challenge was that we didn't want to teach young earth either (I personally don't think it matters, and my husband is of the old earth philosophy). R.E.A.L. science fit, it is a secular program, but it doesn't have any references to evolution. There are a few books in the reading lists that do mention it - but since they are library books, it is no big deal to return them unread. We've been doing it since Sept. and there was only one book that I immediately put in the return to library pile.

I really like all of the recommended books and can find most of them at the library.

We do it 2 days a week. My 7yo loves to do the experiments and her sister and brother usually watch her do them.

[coffeefreak]

J will be 8 and in 3rd grade. Here is what he'll be doing if I don't bail and just go the easy route w/ SonLight Core 2 for both of my boys:

OK, so I would go the easy route, but I'm a Sonlight fan. I tried to do what you're planning on doing and I felt like I lost my mind. That's when I borrowed SL Core2 from a friend and I love it. It would solve History, Reading, Vocab, Spelling. And, it comes with a schedule. What more could you want?:D

 

Spelling/Phonics: AAS, level TBD, add supplements from Webster's or ETC if necessary. -OR- Abeka LA 3 tweaked for use only for the spelling/phonics/word-work components.

 

If you're going to do Vocab on your own, you could do spelling on your own. You could take the vocab words and use them as spelling words too. You could also take words they misspell and only work on those. That would help eliminate a curriculum. Otherwise, if you feel you really need a formal spelling curriculum, Spelling Power works for all ages, and is super easy to use. If you want a workbook, I think SWB's recommendation of MCP's books are cheap and easy.

 

Math: Horizons 3, supp. w/ Singapore CWP or IP and for fun add Family Math games

 

I think Horizons is more than enough.

 

Science: Earth and Space sci. using R.E.A.L., God's Design, Apologia, or RS4K; also Nature walks & journaling (can we do this on our own or do we need a special book to guide us?)

 

Jeannie Fulbright's Astronomy book would be perfect. It's inexpensive and easy to use. Nature walks and journaling are best done on your own. If you schedule and program everything, your kids might get burned out. My girls just like to be "free" with our walks. It's down time.

 

Church History?: What to use to integrate this into SOTW2?

 

If you do SL, you'll get church history naturally. If you're talking about a denominational study, I would wait until later for that.

 

 

PE: Homeschool Family Fitness + Tae Kwon Do

 

If you're kids are taking Tae Kwon Do, that should be enough. That with your nature walks is MORE than enough. We're in Ballet and that's enough for me!

 

 

 

So, that's what I think you can tweak/adjust. Take it all with a grain of salt. Every family is different, but I have learned that having more than one kid necessitates streamlining and simplifying. I used to piece together curriculum and have a myriad of sources, but this year ended all that. I felt too pulled apart in crazy directions. Sonlight and other curriculums like it would be a good fit for your boys and combine a lot of the subjects you have separate. I hope I've helped!

Blessings!

Dorinda

[Annabel Lee]

So, that's what I think you can tweak/adjust. Take it all with a grain of salt. Every family is different, but I have learned that having more than one kid necessitates streamlining and simplifying. I used to piece together curriculum and have a myriad of sources, but this year ended all that. I felt too pulled apart in crazy directions. Sonlight and other curriculums like it would be a good fit for your boys and combine a lot of the subjects you have separate. I hope I've helped!

Blessings!

Dorinda

 

Thank you, Dorinda! My hesitation with SL is my concern for specifics with phonics-based spelling (which is why I don't just create my own simple spelling program or use SWO), and I'm particular about grammar and writing programs too. I've really embraced the ideas behind the WWE/CW style that through grade 12 are based off the progymnasmata (though they may accomplish it slightly differently). W/o ordering SL, it's hard to really know all the little nuances like those. My head is spinning and I feel like I'm starting to go crazy too, so I may just do it anyhow. Doing SL well, in an organized and consistent way, is better than having plans of shaping wonderful writers, etc., but never being able to pull it all together to actually accomplish it! The SL choice is one that won't be made easily for me. I have until the spring/early summer to choose and need to pray about it.

 

Yep, Horizons is enough workbook-y stuff. I want to get back to what I did w/ my older ds when he was in K, doing supplements w/ hands-on, concrete, real-life things. Even talking about math in cooking, at the store (money), etc.

 

dcjlkplus3, thanks for the info about R.E.A.L. Sounds like something that would fit us well and that I could sub other books here and there as needed. I am still undecided on science... seems I've picked programs that all get good rec's. I just need to put some time into researching those so I can whittle it down. I'll look @ samples online of R.E.A.L., God's Design and Apologia. We need to get closer to the end of this year's science first before I spend time doing that though. :D

 

As for church history, no specific denominational study is desired here. I just noticed that AO rec'd Trials & Triumphs, so I thought maybe we were missing something. I like that SL would integrate this. I just want something that could prepare for inductive and other deeper studies in hs or college. Something other than just our daily Bible-story and devotionals, b/c that's not part of school, that's everyday life.

 

Currenlty TKD is only 1x per week for my youngest and 2x per week for my older ds. I just want to do HSFF as a sort of health initiative for our whole family, cuz I need to get my own rear in gear, kwim? :lol: It would just be an add-on for days that we aren't actively doing anything else. Or I suppose we could go sledding. :D

 

Blessings to you all, and thanks for the help!