School begins!

Our school year began on August 1st!  The 2016-2017 school year is well underway (And this post has been 75% complete for at least 3 weeks!). 

 

Ryan: 3rd Grade

 

 

Miles: Kindergarten

 

 

 

An asterisk indicates work Ryan and I will complete together.

 

Science began with a unit on weather.  After a very dry summer, the week we set out our rain gauges brought 4.25” of rain!  We appreciated the much-needed rain at the perfect time.

 

This year, I decided to try a “soft start.”  I held back three subjects (writing, Bible, and Latin), and we’ve added one of those a week throughout August.  It gave me a chance to feel out the flow of our day and to observe how Ryan is handling the workload.  I would love for him to start Latin this year, but I consider it icing on the cake.  If it seems to be too much, I’ll just set aside the curriculum for next year.

Here is the curriculum I’ve chosen (The asterisk denotes new subjects or curriculum):

Ryan (3rd Grade)
Math: Singapore Math
Reading: Orton-Gillingham tutoring; various readers
Spelling:  All About Spelling*; Sight word review
Grammar: Shurley Grammar
Writing:  Institute for Excellence in Writing
Vocabulary:  Wordly Wise 3000*
Handwriting:  A Reason for Handwriting
Bible:  Discover 4 Yourself*
Latin:  Prima Latina*
Science:  R.E.A.L. Science for Kids (Earth and Space)
History:  Road Trip U.S.A.* + lots of supplemental books and materials
Geography:  Maps, Charts, and Graphs Book C; Draw U.S.A.*

Weekly Enrichment Activities:  Art, PE, Astronomy, Expedition Earth, piano, and recorder

Miles (Kindergarten)
Math
Reading
Handwriting
Science
History

Weekly Enrichment Activities:  Art, PE, Spanish 1, and piano

With the exception of reading, Miles is using the kindergarten level of Ryan’s curriculum.  For reading, he is starting with All About Reading Level 1.  I don’t agree with the current trend of expecting kindergarteners to read fluently by the end of the year.  However, Miles started reading on his own at the end of last year, and this curriculum allows me to completely control the pace.  He loves it (and I do, too!), but, if he shows any sign of reading become a chore rather than a joy, I will back off immediately.

Last year, I alternated science and history roughly by quarters.  Ryan made it clear that when we were focused exclusively on one of the subjects, he missed the other!  This year we’re alternating every other day.  It is working well so far.  Miles joins in as he is able.  He is quite capable of understanding most of the concepts, but I often take dictation when it comes to the writing portion.   

Enrichment activities start up over the next two weeks, and Abby begins preschool.  Homeschooling (and, I would argue, good teaching in any setting) involves frequent observation and adjustment.  What has been working thus far will no doubt be tweaked over the next month.  In the meantime, all of our attitudes have been mostly positive, and it feels great to have four weeks under our belt!