So happy that I took the time to plan for school, prior to the move. My head's been spinning with accommodating the kids' emotions, and setting up home, since we arrived in Arkansas, so it's been such a blessing to have school plans all laid out! I made an outline for the first six weeks, and a detailed schedule for the first two weeks.
Here's what we're up to, this year!
Ava:7th Grade
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| Science: Apologia's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day We LOVE APOLOGIA! |
Ava's is 7th grade this year, and I'm feeling the push to do more in-depth writing and grammar, and also make sure that she is on-track for advanced math classes, through Calculus, in high school - should that be the path she heads. Her subjects are as follows:
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| Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra Having completed Saxon's 7/6 last year, and actually having used Saxon throughout her entire life, she was needing another approach. I could feel this in my soul. It was a hard decision to deviate from a tried and true curriculum, but it definitely feels like the right choice already! Saxon 8/7 would have been pretty near a repeat of 7/6, and Ava was needing a livelier feel and angle. We are both loving the ease of this curriculum (she does it all online) and it even has a grading feature :) We'll likely return to Saxon next year, for Algebra. |
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| In line with a mostly Classical approach to our homeschool, Writing Strands is a Susan Wise Bauer/Well-Trained Mind recommendation. The "strands" are: Creation, Basic, Description, and Organization. Writing Strands is designed to give a grounding in the complicated process of giving others thoughts in written form. It includes much of the planning and detail of the writing process. Writing is a strength for Ava. She's beginning at a typical 8th or 9th grade level, here, with this book, based on past work completed. This is also a student-directed material, and shoulders much of the responsibility on the student, for her learning. |
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| A Beka is a challenging, but fun grammar course. It includes clear explanations of traditional grammar, diagramming, research skills, and in-depth study of eight parts of speech. |
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| Critical Thinking Daily Warm-Ups are a daily exercise, used for practice in applying logic to practical problems.
As far as Spelling goes, we are following the recommendation to avoid a formal spelling program at this stage. In lieu, a vocabulary-building course is recommended (by Classical education guidelines). Ava tested above 12th grade in vocabulary last Spring on the Iowa Basics, and so the decision to omit a vocab/spelling course this year was made. Amidst the move, and all other things occupying her time and headspace, we feel this is appropriate, and will consider adding it in next year. I'd really like to see her hone in on her free writing, while applying grammar and composition rules. For Reading, she is currently reading "Caddie Woodlawn", and will continue with the classics. She also has her own, personal daily devotion and will start Catechism class again, soon.
I'm so excited to have found this recommendation for Health and Development! One of the biggest freedoms and satisfactions of homeschooling, for me, is to be able to apply the Christian worldview to all we do, and all we experience together! This course is along that same continuum, addressing all of the age-appropriate issues in a Christian way.
This is a message from the author, in the beginning of the text:
Dear Students of Total Heath,
I felt that no one really understood me, when I was in middle school. I didn't have anyone to talk to. Besides wondering who my real friends were and struggling with my parents, I also doubted if people liked me. I asked myself what the purpose of my new-found faith in Jesus Christ actually meant. If you can relate to any of these feelings, I can really understand how you feel. Having felt this way before I entered high school, I've written a text for students your age that would be different from any other textbook that you've ever read. I've entitled the book, Total Health, Talking About Life's Changes because I know that what I needed the most when I was in middle school was someone to tell me that all of the changes in my life were okay and that God totally understood. Before I wrote the book, I interviewed over 350 students your same age to find out what issues were the most important to them. I've changed the students' names, but their stories, feelings, and questions are very real.
When I look back at what meant the most to me, it was not just a bunch of scientific facts or memorizing a long list of Bible verses. It was experiencing how much God loved and cared for me - as someone unique and different from everyone else. A verse that still means a lot to me is in Jeremiah: 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peach and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.'
These verses meant a lot to me because I felt that God was telling me that He even knew my nickname (which is "Sooney"): that He had very good plans for my future, and that He wasn't hiding from me. I hope that this text is more than just another textbook to you. I hope that you will feel in its pages the very love and care that both God and I have for each one of you. May God draw you closer to him as you read.
Sincerely,
Susan Bowe
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I'm so hopeful that this will be not only a Health class for Ava, but a life tool and way to connect the tween/teen dots. It appears to get to the heart of issues that kids of her age are dealing with, daily.
Soren: 4th Grade
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| Another Susan Wise Bauer, Classical Education recommendation. We have been so pleased with this program, so far! It has students spelling their weekly list words for various purposes, and in a type of game format, which makes it fun. It also has a definite vocab-building component. |
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| Math is a Soren Strength! Alleluia! Ha :) We continue with Saxon and he is doing great! |
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| Handwriting can be a challenge for S; it just doesn't come naturally or easily for him. Happy to have found, "A Reason for Handwriting", for its short, yet effective lessons. Also fun are the scripture verses at the ends of the lessons. |
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| I got these Word of God Story Pages from Concordia Pub. Each day has a bible story along with an accompanying, real-life scenario to play out/discuss. My non-fiction buff is LOVING this approach to God's Word. Of course, we also do family devotions and he also has his daily, personal devotion in his "God's Little Devotions for Boys" book. The brother-less boy has really enjoyed these boy-targeted, real-life practical lessons. |
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| We've added in First Language Lessons to complement our continued, Writing With Ease (also both Susan Wise Bauer). FLL is more grammar focused and WWE is more composition focused. Both give plenty of attention to the means of great communication, writing, and composition: Narrartion, Dictation, Summarization, and also Memorization. For Reading and Comprehension, he will be making his way through many short stories and classics. |
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Gressa: 2nd Grade |
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| Gressa's enjoying Concordia's "Cross Talk" bible stories, and also has her own, daily, "Devotions for Girls" that she silent reads. |
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| We continue with Saxon, and she is really flourishing! She usually has this done before I wake up, each morning. She also loves pulling out her calendar, clock, and meeting book, which shows the daily weather, birthday graph, and all kinds of other fun and practical facts. :) |
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| Writing seems to be a strength for Gressa, too. We are using both First Language Lesssons, and continuing with Writing With Ease, for English this year. |
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| Health |
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| Gressa LOVES art. And her printing is really, pretty good. So. I decided to move her on to cursive. She LOVES it! I think she views it as another art form, drawing connecting, cursive letters on all of her work :) For Reading, Gressa is using the Reading program from Sonlight curriculum and some of the titles look super fun! Amelia Bedelia, for one. :) Together, we (all 3) are doing History and Geography, through continuation of "Story of the World". Ava will have additional expectations/work to accompany the readings and projects. I truly love SOTW for it's chronology and easy reading.  |
For Science, S and G will also be doing Apologia's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day, with their notebook journals and projects.
It felt strange to be heading south, today, when returning home from camping in St. Louis, MO, with great friends... but all is well. I wish I'd found the time to chronicle all that's happened in the past 2 weeks, but I just didn't. I was livin' it, and that left no room!
We move on.
Miss our family & friends, but so very happy here.
I feel we've been
plucked out of one environment, to be given a fresh start in another, cultivating giving, serving children. I've got a daily dishwasher helper, Garmin's getting his walks (for the most part), and I'm getting a lot more pleases, thank-yous, and unprompted offers for help.
So thankful for this new adventure and all it will bring. Feeling so blessed to be able to influence, laugh with, and help lead my kids to their passions and gifts, so that they may glorify Him. May they always know who they are, in Christ Jesus!
