Skip to main content

Curriculum Plans

BacktoHomeschool
Welcome back to the Back to Homeschool Blog Hop. Today we will talk curriculum, homeschoolers' favorite topic. Around this time of the year  most homeschoolers are lining up their curriculum for the upcoming year, if they have not started their year yet. Even when he is already set, a true homeschooler is always on the look out for curriculum and homeschool programs. Lots of us call ourselves "homeschool curriculum junkies".

Before I start I want to share with you an article I came across last week which is very appropriate for our topic today: Before you Choose Curriculum, 3 Things to consider.

Indeed, as I  choose curriculum for each year my primary considerations are:
  1. What do I want to accomplish this year?
  2. Remembering the kind of learners I have: one that hates writing, and one that is very active but does well with worksheets.
  3. My own teaching style: I love teaching but the more they can do on their own, the better.
To go back to the first point (what do I want to accomplish this year?),  this coming year I would like to focus on languages. I have been meaning to teach Zach Latin for the past 3 years, but somehow, it has been pushed to the back. Also, French is my first language and I want my boys to speak it, but again, I have failed to do that for the past 8 years. So this year these will become my primary goal.

As mentioned yesterday, I am primarily a classical homeschooler, so of course our line up will contain classical subjects.

Lastly, because I have a child who hates writing I try to stay away from books that require much writing. I usually try to find curriculum that involves maximun thinking and minimun writing.

So, with that in mind, here is our line up for next year (item in purples are items for which you can find a review for on this blog - just look for them in the review tab at the top):

Languages:
  • Prima Latina (started previously)
  • First Start French (started previously)
  • Le Francais Facile (started previously)
Language Arts:
  • Grammar Town with Town practice (MCT)
  • Paragraph Town (MCT)
  • Building Poems (MCT)
  • Handwriting Without Tears Cursive (started a couple of months ago)
  • Spelling City (Review item)
  • Phonetic Zoo (if it gets bought ???)
  • Writing With Ease (previously started) ???
History and Geography;
  • Tapestry of Grace year 3 (TOG)
  • Story of the World Audios
  • Knowledge Quest Map Trek
  • A Child's Geography (started last year)
Math:
  • Math on the Level (MOTL)
  • Math Essentials (Review item)
  • Professor B (Review item)
  • Math Made Easy (Review item)
Science:
  • Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (review item)
  • Elemental Science  (started previously): plants and human body
  • The Young Scientist Experiment kit
  • 365 Science Experiments
Art and Music:
  • Composer and artist study using Zane Eduction (Review Item)
  • Continue violin and piano lessons
    Religious studies:
    As you can see our line up is very eclectic yet classical as our main curriculum are classically oriented (TOG and MCT and Latin studies):
    • Tapestry of Grace is primarily unit study-based and also heavily literature-based.
    • Math on the Level is mainly living math whereas Math Essentials and Math Made Easy is workbook oriented.
    • Professor B is both web-based and workbook
    • Zane Education is computer/web-based (videos)
    • My Language Arts line up from Michael Clay Thompson LA curriculum doe not really fit in any style. It is an advance curriculum that teaches and requires the students to understand how language works as a whole system, as you study it's components in a story form and daily rigourous exercises. 
    • A Child's Geography is a curriculum you read with your child and it includes notebooking which I do not really do.
    • You will notice that MOTL and my LA curriculum require minimal writing yet are very demanding curriculum when it comes to content covered.
    It can be really hard to find a curriculum that fit exactly what you want, so a lot of time you have to tweak it, that is make it fit your family style and need.

    And there you have it!

    This post is also linked up @

    Homeschool Curriculum Choice, 2012 - 2013
    Not Back to School Blog Hop




    Labels:

    Comments

    Stefanie said…
    Wonderful line up!!
    July 31, 2012 at 11:02 AM
    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Reformation Day Giveaway

    We are approaching October 31, which is an important date for all protestants. This date commemorates Martin Luther’s nailing of his ninety-five theses to a church door on October 31, 1517 in Wittenburg, Germany, which in turn provoked a debate that resulted in what we now call the Protestant Reformation. As the “Father of the Reformation”, Martin Luther is a vital figure in Church History. His sacrifice and willingness to wage battle against the spiritual, religious, and political powers of his medieval world allowed Christians throughout time to embrace the following truths: salvation by grace alone , through faith alone,  and in Christ alone, along with the supremacy of Scripture, referred to as  Scripture alone, and all of it for God's Glory Alone. These being commonly called the Five Solas of the Reformation.  Danika Cooley, author and creator of the Bible curriculum Bible Road Trip ,  has recently written a book for young people recounting Luther's sto...
    4 comments
    Read more

    Veritas Press Self-Paced History - TOS Review

    Veritas Press  is a long lasting Christian classical homeschool curriculum company. They have served the homeschool communities for a long time. For the past few weeks, we have been privileged to be reviewing one of their latest products:  Self-Paced History . The Self-Paced History curriculum is an online interactive history program. It consists of 160 lessons per course per year, each covering about 32 important historical events. The full program is chronological and is divided into 5 periods: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt  New Testament, Greece and Rome  Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation  Explorers to 1815  1815 to Present  These courses are best suited to kids in the grammar stage, that is grade 2-6. Tuition for each course year is $199, with a discount of $100 for each additional student. You have a full year to complete the course. Because Self-Paced History is an online program, you will need a computer with ...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Dive Into Your Imagination - TOS Review

    Our latest review items was a gem. We received a DVD from the Dive Into Your Imagination series. If you have never heard about it, I am here to tell you about it. "The Dive Into Your Imagination DVD series entertains and educates children about the amazing natural world in the oceans." " I created this Series of DVDs so kids will learn to love the ocean and grow up wanting to protect it" The series of DVDs are put together by Annie Crawley, an underwater photographer, dive instructor, speaker, and boat captain for 15 years. She also has journalism and filmmaking experience. She has a contagious love for the ocean, and the world that exists in it, and she makes it a point to share it with kids through this series of DVDs. You can learn more about her at her site Annie Crawley . The titles in the series, priced @ $19.95 each , are: Who Lives in the Sea Dive Into Diversity What Makes a Fish, a Fish  We received Who Lives in the ...
    Post a Comment
    Read more