Oh my goodness, I can’t believe another year has gone by, and it’s time to start planning for the 2015-16 school year! I’ve had so many requests for our curriculum choices, so I thought I better put up a post with our choices for next year.
Group and Independent work
I’m listing the full curriculum per grade level below, and anything you see in orange is a group activity. This means that we do it together with all of kiddos combined. I like to choose a variety of both teacher led, independent, and group curriculum so that I’m not too overwhelmed with teaching 4 students at different levels all at the same time. Group activities are done together, and I just expect a little different level of work out of my children depending on their grade and skill level.
Announcing…
But first I’d like to announce the Teeny Tot’s new blog name! Since I’ve started blogging back in 2008, you’ll see that the teeny tot has gotten just a wee big bigger. And since she really isn’t a teeny tot anymore, I’d like to present to you her new and much more grown up alias…presenting Miss Lady Bug!
And yes, I just cried a little.
It was fun finding photos of her for this post. I don’t know if you can tell, but in the photo on the left she’s sitting in one of our workboxes. Her favorite activity used to be dumping out the contents of the boxes and sitting in them. That and climbing up them. Our workboxes took quite a beating that year. Ahh…those were the days!
But she’s all big and independent now. Doesn’t need me as much, and can do just about everything on her own. But she still has the same great smile, and loves hugs and kisses. So I guess I’ll have to be okay with my baby growing up! If you’d like to take a trip down memory lane you can grab a box of tissues and browse through my Teeny Tot School Posts.
But moving on…here is her curriculum for the year. She’s in first grade this year, and wow. For some reason prek-kindergarten always seems like they’re still babies. But first grade. Man. Big kid in the house!
Miss Lady Bug: 1st Grade
- Daily Learning Notebook She’ll be using the Elementary level manuscript version.
- Art: Combo of World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Traceable Units & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- Handwriting: BJU Handwriting 1 Worktext
- Literature: Classical Literature Units (We’ll do read alouds using books from my Vol. 1 list)
- Math: Math U See Alpha, Kumon Dollars & Cents, Kumon Telling Time
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation (We do this as a group)
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- Language/Phonics: Abeka Letters & Sounds 1, Language 1, & Phonics Road Level 1 (A new product we’re reviewing!)
- Reading: Abeka 1 readers
- Spelling: Spelling You See B & All About Spelling Level 1 (for phonics rules memorization)
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum
- Piano: Teach Yourself Piano
- P.E. : Swim Team & Co-op
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop Grade 1 Level Red (This is a test I’ve never done vocab in grade 1 before, so it might be a bust. TBD)
Tinkerbell: 4th Grade
- Daily Learning Notebook: She’ll be doing the Cursive Notebook this year.
- Art: Combo of: World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Bible Study & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- Spelling: All About Spelling & Spelling You See Level C
- English/Grammar: BJU English 4
- Reading: Abeka Read & Comprehend Skill Sheets Level 4 (I use these to test comprehension and speed.)
- Math: Math U See Delta
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation
- Literature: Classical Literature Units
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum & maybe a scientist unit if we can fit it in!
- P.E.: Swim Team, Hockey, & Co-op
- Handwriting: Spelling You See (Since it is mostly copy work, I think it works well for handwriting practice too.)
- Typing: Typing Web (This is a free online program and works well!)
- Piano: Teach Yourself Piano
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop (Orange Grade 4)
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing (We do this as a group and will be using IEW Group A Continuation next year).
Turbo: 6th Grade
- Art: Combo of: World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Bible Study & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- English/Grammar: BJU English 5
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation
- Literature: Classical Literature Units & Book Shark (I will be specifically selecting a list of appropriate books for my kids from this resource since it was free through our options program!)
- Math: Math U See Zeta
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- P.E.: Swim Team & Hockey
- Photography: The Foto Finch Elementary Curriculum (Review coming soon!)
- Reading: Read & Comprehend Skill Sheets 6
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum & maybe a scientist unit if we can fit it in!
- Spelling: BJU Spelling 6 (mainly for list practice), & Spelling You See D (which also doubles as handwriting)
- Typing: Typing Web
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop (Level A, Grade 6)
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing Group A Continuation
Strawberry Shortcake: 7th grade
- Art: Combo of: World’s Greatest Artists 2 , Home Art Studio, and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Bible Study & Word of Life Challenger Quiet Time devotion
- English/Grammar: BJU English 7
- History: The Renaissance & Reformation
- Literature: Classical Literature Units & Book Shark (From our options program)
- Math: Math U See Pre-Algebra (yikes!)
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- P.E.: Swim Team
- Photography: The Foto Finch Composition
- Science: Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum & maybe a scientist unit if we can fit it in!
- Spelling: Spelling You See E
- Typing: Typing Web
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary Workshop (Level B, Grade 7)
- Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing Group A Continuation
Extra-Curricular & Group Activities:
We do writing as a group with my 4th, 6th, and 7th graders together. We’ll be continuing on with Institute for Excellence in Writing Group A Continuation program for next year.
We’ll also be using the The Renaissance & Reformation time traveler unit, after we finish up with our Middle Ages one from last year.
And everyone is super excited to be going through my Expedition Earth Geography/Science Curriculum as well this year!
Here are a few other things we do on the side, and I’ll post our schedules by grade as well soon!
- Options: This is a once a week co-op that we go to through our school district. Classes for my younger kiddos are mostly elective types like Spanish, science, art, music, & PE. Strawberry Shortcake has cool things like speech & debate, drama, computers, yearbook, literacy in film, home economics, and game theory.
- Keepers of the Faith
- Contenders of the Faith
- Co-Op: DI Instant Challenges This is a once a month group of friends who get together, previously our LEGO group. We’re going to try making our own set of instant challenges for our co-op this year using the DI list as a guide.
- Hockey & Swimming year round
Whew! Summer is blazing by, so I should probably go get some of this stuff planned eh?
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Hi, we are doing the Renaissance to Reformation Project Passport as well. 🙂 How are you setting your schedule to make it spread through the whole schoolyear? Are you adding more to your history lessons?
Hi Heather,
Honestly I haven’t scheduled it yet, we’re doing that this weekend! But Normally I do history 2x per week, so we’ll see how it fits in. I still have a few lessons from last year we need to finish up too.
Hello,
I was wondering if you could tell me how you are liking Spelling You See versus All Aboit Spelling. I’ve been struggling to get through AAS with my boys, just because of how teacher involved it is. While I love the program, I’m wondering how SYS measures up against it.
Thanks!
Hi Rebekah,
I really like SYS a lot. I’m still using it in conjunction with All About Spelling for the younger grades because I like the phonics rules they cover so well. However for my older kiddos I’m prefering the SYS as they already learned most of the phonics rules from AAS and were ready to move to something else.
Thank you Erica! My 9 and 11 year olds finished AAS Level 4 in May. They are burned out on it and I was thinking of trying SYS. Do you happen to know which level I should start them on? Or at least narrow it down? I appreciate any advice.
Thank you for responding, Erica. I will keep looking into it! 🙂
We’re in our second year of SYS over here and I LOVE it. We struggled so much with my kids being resistant to spelling until we hit upon this one. No complaints, ever, and spelling has improved immensely. I believe they have a “find your level” worksheet on their website, if that helps anyone!
I’ve been doing the Renaissance and Reformation Unit through the summer and my kids LOVE it, so thanks to you for introducing me to the company!
I’d love to pin this post but can’t find the icon. Please let me know. thanks!
I think if you right click on the image you will get the option to pin it.
I don’t know if others have this issue, but my reluctant, dyslexic reader is going to use workbooks from http://www.DyslexiaGames.com this year. They seem quite practical and more affordable than others I found.
Love the nickname Lady bug! I first read it in 1plus1plus1equals1, and I fell in love with that! She’s so big, as are your other kids!! Thanks for your amazing website.
Hi! I so struggle with incorporating art into our lives, especially messy art. Have you previously used the DVDs you mentioned? I have a 7, 5, and 2 yr old who may LOVE them, but I would like more info than the website gives. Have you done a review? 🙂
We have used Wordly Wise for years… I’m curious if you know how Vocabulary Workshop compares? My children don’t like Wordly Wise but I know the value in it so we keep doing it… but if this would replace it maybe something new would be helpful.
I think they’re very similar in comparison. My kids seem to do a little bit better with the Vocabulary Workshop books, but honestly they’re quite similar. I don’t love either program to be honest, but if I have to pick one (and I haven’t really found a great vocab program that I just love) I am sticking with Vocab Workshop.
Thanks – I think I’ll give it a try – if anything it will make them think for a bit it is something different and they won’t groan to see it on their list!
We also have Maria’s Words, which is a vocab game using SAT words… going to add that to our list to do to make it fun.
Thanks for sharing your picks! I’m curious about the challenger quiet time devotions. I’ve never heard of them before and I can’t find any reviews or details about them. What do they include? Have you used them before? What do you like about them? Thanks for any info! 🙂
Tauna
This will be our first year trying them out. I was referred to them by Courtney from Women Living Well. I have looked at them briefly, and they’re daily devotionals for kids, they have Mon.-Sat. devotions that are about 1 page for the older kids, and 1/2 pg for the little ones. They have reading, then fun activities for each day. Nothing too strenuous.
I am looking into Grapevine studies and wondering if there is a big difference between beginner and Level 1. I have two boys that will be in Kindergarten and 1st grade.
Hi Mandy, I always used the mutli-level units since we have 4 different grade levels in our home. So I’m not sure about the levels, I would probably email them and ask. I wouldn’t think they’d be too different though.