Back to School

Yes, we've been back in school for over a month now.  Yes, I realize that only a handful of people care about the curriculum choices I make (and by handful, I mean maybe 2).  However, I've found when I get ready to plan for upcoming school years, I often go back to old blog posts to see what I've done before.  So I'll go ahead and post our school year plans, late and uninteresting though they may be.  

Aubree is in 4th grade now.  Which is completely nuts, I know!  Very little changed for her this year.  She will still be attending her accelerated public school program.  Since it's a 3rd/4th combo class, she still has the same teacher and most of the same friends she did last year.  She's also thoroughly familiar with the classroom routines and expectations, which has made for a super smooth transition.  

Graham is not happy she's gone all day

Bryce is a big first grader.  While my main goals for Kindergarten involve having lots of fun and time to play, gaining a love of literacy, and learning to read, first grade takes a decidedly more structured, academic turn.  Here's what Bryce will be doing this year, in summary:

Math: The last few chapters of Math U See, Alpha, and all of Math U See, Beta.  

Reading: All About Reading level 2, and a long list of read-alouds

Spelling: All About Spelling, level 2

History: Story of the World, Ancient

Grammar: First Language Lessons 

Science: R.E.A.L Science Odyssey, Level 1: Life

Writing: Starfall Writing Journal, Level II and Handwriting Without Tears grade 1 workbook 

Music: A friend of mine is also homeschooling her children (the same ages as my 3 youngest) and she invited us to join her for a weekly music class.  She's a trained music teacher, which makes it extra great.  

Scripture Study: We will be reading through the Book of Mormon Stories book.  For each chapter we read, I will read the corresponding verses from the actual Book of Mormon aloud, while Bryce illustrates a scene from the chapter in his scripture journal.  Then he will narrate a summary of what I read and I will write it under his picture.  Finally, he will copy one of the written sentences.  As his writing ability improves, he may take over some of the narration writing responsibilities.  

He will also be taking a few classes once a week at the local homeschool school, including Theater, PE, and Story of the World.  

I was really excited about the Story of the World class (a 3 hour block), because I just adore that curriculum.  I was hopeful doing it in a classroom setting would allow for more adventurous exploration of the many possible hands-on suggested activities.  So far, though, I have been thoroughly unimpressed.  In fact, I've started doing the curriculum on our own at home.  Which, of course, leaves me wondering why leave him in the class at all?  I'm seriously considering pulling him out.  I'll make a final decision in the next couple weeks.  

Bryce modeling his replica of the white crown/red crown of ancient Egypt

I must take a moment and talk about All About Reading and All About Spelling.  I love them.  I mean, I LOVE them!  At the end of Kindergarten, Bryce had his reading assessed and he came out right on par (1.3 grade level).  He could sound out most words and read easy books.  

At the recommendation of a good friend, I'd decided to try All About Reading and All About Spelling with him for first grade.  However, in order to start him on level 2 of both programs, that meant we needed to complete both level 1's over the summer.  I added them to his Summer Chore Challenge list and we busted through them (often doing 2 reading lessons and 1 spelling lesson a day).  

Holy Smokes, friends! I was blown away by the quality of the program.  What's more, I was floored with the dramatic improvement in Bryce's reading ability.  By the end of the summer, he could read anything.  Reading picture books to his little brothers?  Every day!  Chapter books?  No problem!  This boy can READ!

Let's talk for a minute about spelling.  When Aubree was in first grade, I followed the public school's model of spelling; I gave her a spelling list at the beginning of the week, had her practice whichever ones she missed, and gave a "final" test at the end of the week.  As a result of her voracious reading, she rarely misspelled any words and I dubbed her a "natural speller."  

Fast forward a few years.  Aubree is now in 4th grade, and the writing demands have increased dramatically.  When I see her writing, I'm often appalled at how many words she gets wrong.  Why?  Simply because she hasn't memorized how to spell them all and even when she has, she has to remember each word individually, which is challenging when you're trying to write quickly.

Using All About Spelling with Bryce has really opened my eyes to how important it is to really break words down and learn the rules.  I recognize that may sounds boring, but it's really quite fascinating and wonderful.  I've learned so much myself, and I consider myself a reasonably good speller.  Bryce may not be quite as good a speller right now as Aubree was in first grade, but I can guarantee that by 4th grade he will be much better than Aubree is currently, because he will have a solid foundation.  I feel bad for not teaching Aubree the same way!

I'm also really loving our new science curriculum.  Each week has at least 2 labs/experiments.  Usually one is pretty simple and the second is more involved, so we've set up a mini-co-op; I take turns teaching the complicated lab with my good friend, Ashley.  Bryce is always more than happy to spend a little extra time with Charlotte.

In case it's not abundantly clear from my curriculum choices, I gravitate strongly towards a classical education model.  

I was going to talk about Thane's preschool, but this post is already long enough and I need to get to bed.  I'll write a separate entry about the great things he's got going on.