Curriculum Plans: 9th, 7th, 4th, 2nd, and preschool

I always find it fascinating to see the curriculum plans from other homeschool families!  Perhaps you share a similar curiosity?  Enjoy this peek into our homeschool curriculum plan for 5 kids (9^th, 7^th, 4^th, 2^nd, and preschool) this year.

{This is the post I was intending to write last week, but there were some important things to discuss first.}

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Morning Time for all ages

I have described our morning time plans in more detail already in this post.  This is always a favorite part of our day!  I love that we can come together across the wide range of ages!

Second and Fourth grades

My 2 elementary learners will actually be doing much of the same work this year, although their math will be separate.

Math: We will be using Math-u-See (Gamma and Epsilon) this year.  We tried Saxon last year with my middle daughter (the same book we’d used with her older siblings) and it was a miserable experience for her.  She begged that we return to Math-u-See, and so that’s what we’re doing.  I’m all about challenging my children, but am not interested in chronic tears and distress over a subject!

Science: Our schedule is exceptionally full this year, so we are doing a gentle approach to science this fall.  They will read from The Handbook of Nature Study for about 15 minutes once a week, and will keep a nature journal (either copying 2-3 sentences or drawing 1 picture each week).

English: We will continue with the Writing and Rhetoric series from Classical Academic Press.  They will also do a few daily grams exercises each week because I’ve noticed that as an area that needs a bit more practice.

Latin: Latin for Children A from Classical Academic Press.  I love the CAP Latin program!  I invested in the video lessons a year or so ago and am thankful for the help that is to me.  While I feel confident teaching Latin, there just was not enough time for me to teach all the subjects to all the kids each week.  My role now is tutor, and much of their work can be done independently.

Reading: I will assign books (many relating to our history studies) each week.  Rather than assigning page numbers, I will require them to read for a set amount of time each day.  Each girl will also complete 3 reading journal pages each week.

History: This year we’re studying world and American history from the mid-1800s to the present.  That booklist will be coming later, but you can see the history planning pages I use here.

Extras: Piano, Italic, independent Bible reading, Choir, and Ballet (for the 9 year old)

Seventh grade

Math: We’re trying something new this year!  I won a self-paced course from Mr. D Math last year on Instagram (via Raising Life Long Learners), and he graciously allowed me to delay using it until this year.  I’ve heard so many good things about Mr. D Math, and I’m eager to see how Geometry online goes this year!

{follow up: she loved it!}

Biology: I decided to go with an outside class for Biology for my 9^th grader this year.  They’ll be using Apologia’s Biology textbook.  While I felt confident teaching the science at home, I felt much less excited about facilitating the experiments.  I also felt like it would be helpful to expand our social circles a bit more, and there is a local high school biology class available.  Since I’m already driving there once a week, why not have the 7^th grader take this class, too?  We tried “middle school” science with my oldest son and found it pretty much a waste of time. I feel confident that my 7^th grader is fully capable of flourishing in this Apologia Biology class.

Modernity: I love using Dr. George Grant’s humanities lectures as the core of our Jr High/High School history studies.  My 2 older children will be listening to lectures each week, reading assigned books, and completing reading journal pages each week.

Writing: Emma will be taking a writing class outside the home this year with the same teacher my son has loved in the past.  The teacher uses the WriteShop 1 curriculum.

Latin: As mentioned already, we love the Classical Academic Press Latin program!  My daughter made it about 2/3 of the way thru Latin Alive 1 last year, and took the Intro to Latin National Latin Exam.  (She did a fabulous job, btw) This year, she’ll finish Latin Alive 1, begin Latin Alive 2, and take the NLE Latin 1 exam in the spring.

Logic: We finished The Art of Argument last year, and will enjoy working through The Discovery of Deduction this year.  I’ll also supplement with The Fallacy Detective and The Thinking Toolbox.

Extras: Piano, Italic, Choir, independent Bible reading, and occasional spelling practice with Mom

Ninth grade

This is the first “official” year of high school, but my son has been working at high school level for several years.  He’s also already passed several CLEP exams.  But we are still calling him 9^th grade.  When you’re working with an asynchronous learner, they often can work academically much farther and faster than a typical student of their age, but that does not necessarily mean their social/emotional abilities are similarly advanced.  We don’t plan on graduating our 9^th grader early, although we do plan on utilizing the local community college for the last 2 years of high school.

Math: Last year my son began precalculus.  For the first time in his life, math was really hard.  My goal was for him to truly understand what he was learning, not to finish the textbook in a year.  After all, it’s not like he could get “behind” at this point! This year, he will continue working through the precalc book, and I feel confident he’ll complete it by the end of the school year at the latest.

Biology: See above for information about the local Biology class he’ll be enjoying with his sister!

Modernity: See above for information about the history he’ll be enjoying with his sister!

Great Books and Writing: I am so excited that we have a local option for Great Books and Writing this year!  At the high school level in particular, discussion is critical to education.  It was very important to me that he have the opportunity to discuss big ideas with people other than Mom!  And it will be another way to expand our friend circles.   

Latin: Joshua did the first half of Latin Alive 3 last spring semester.  He’ll finish Latin 3 this year, and take the NLE 3 in the spring.  It was important to my husband that he have 3 foreign language credits before graduating high school, so that’s what we’re doing.

Government and Economics: This is a course we’ll be spreading out over the course of 4 years.  Joshua will have weekly reading and journaling assignments.  You can see the book list I’m using here.

Worldview/Philosophy: This is another course we’ll be spreading out across the entire high school journey.  This year I’ve assigned the following titles: God Who is There Trilogy, Schaeffer; How Shall We Then Live, Schaeffer; The Universe Next Door, Sire; Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman; and Reading Between the Lines, Veith.

Extras: Computer Programming, Piano, Choir, independent Bible reading

Preschool

While I will continue to follow an organic approach to teaching my 4-year-old, I also realized that Little Mister desperately wants to have his own special “school time” with Mommy like his big siblings.  I went ahead and bought Before Five in a Row along with some new-to-us picture books that will be reserved for Isaac this year.  I’m hoping this will be an encouragement to him this year, and it will also ensure that I have one-on-one time with him on a regular basis each day.

What are you excited to study this year?