What We Studied

We started off the week thinking that it would be a normal week of a park playdate, dentist appointment for me, academic co-op, and a parent info meeting. Most of those plans got interrupted. I can down with a kidney infection that required a trip to urgent care. Co-op was cancelled due to the threat of weather that decided to actually hold off until way after co-op would have let out. And my parent info meeting was cancelled as the only RSVP didn’t want to drive in the aftermath of the storm. (It wasn’t bad, but whatever.) All this meant that we simultaneously got a ton of work done and not enough. It was a strange week…

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G6 for his language arts this year. While I love H&S, there’s never enough literature in there. Thankfully we have a stack of books just waiting to be picked up and read. Beyond H&S, we are focusing on expanding vocabulary and reading comprehension this year. Arthur officially switched to the graphic novel version of Watership Down. He and I started reading a different read aloud. But… I think this one might be a dud for us also.

Poetry: Hearth & Story G6
Poetry: A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll
The Vocabulary Workbook for 6th Grade by Kelly Anne McLellan
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G3 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 3 and random books that we have around the house. We are also starting the Reading Explorer series to focus on reading comprehension and word choice. Instead of starting a new read aloud, Q and I focused on his religion book this week. He also independently read a graphic novel.

Poetry: My America
One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne
El Deafo by Cece Bell

Math

Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 2. Effectively this is Singapore’s 7th grade math text. We dove into the second book for the year. We moved onto geometric shapes. Currently into surface area and volume of a variety of 3D shapes. We don’t have formal logic book this year, but are focusing on lots of critical thinking and math puzzles.

Math in Focus Course 2 Book B

Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 3B and 4A. We are taking a bit of a break from our regular math books to dive into some financial literacy before we circle back. We finished the lessons in the Financial Literacy book. We are starting 4A next week.

Logic Countdown
Evan Moor Financial Literacy G3

Social Studies

Arthur was using Curiosity Chronicles Modern History Vol. 1. Unfortunately the company has yet to release the next volume. Instead, I decided to use Build Your Library L4 and Story of the World Vol. 4 to get us through Modern History. We covered multiple history chapters this week. We talked about the Easter Uprising in Ireland, Indiana Nationalism and Gandhi, the Peace of Versailles, the rise of Joseph Stalin, Egypt’s First King, and the rise of Mussolini.

Story of the World Vol. 4
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
A Journey Through Art
DK When on Earth
Where Poppies Grow
Smithsonian World War I Timeline by Pamela A Dell
Living Through World War I by Nicola Barber
DK Eyewitness World War I
DK Find Out World War I
World War I by Steven Otfinoski
The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman
1919: The Year that Changed America, by Martin W. Sandler
Mohandas Gandhi: A Life of Integrity by Sheila Rivera
DK Eyewitness: Gandhi
A Taste of Freedom: Gandhi and the Great Salt March by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus
Woodrow Wilson: Twenty-Eighth President, by Mike Venezia
Spanish Flu by Kenny Abdo
More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War, by Kenneth C. Davis (I actually read this one this week)
Joseph Stalin: A Wicked History, by Sean McCollum (

Quentin is using Build Your Library Level 5 to begin our two year exploration of American History. We managed to catch back up a bit with lessons about the presidencies of Madison, Monroe, Adams. Jackson, and Van Buren. We covered the War of 1812. And we also talked about the Trail of Tears.

History Quest United States History
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
DK American History
We were There Too
Words that Built a Nation
The White House is Burning by Jane Sutcliffe
Long May She Wave: The True Story of Caroline Pickersgill and Her Star-Spangled Creation by Kristen Fulton
Our Flag was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner by Jessie Hartland
The Star-Spangled Banner by Peter Spier
The National Anthem by Elaine Landau
James Monroe by Mike Venezia
Cobblestone: John Quincy Adams
Cobblestone: James Monroe
Priscilla and the Hollyhocks by Anne Broyles

Science

Arthur is using RSO Earth and Environment 2 and later RSO Astronomy 2 for science. We are taking a break from Earth and Environment to start Astronomy 2. No astronomy lesson this week. Arthur did his prep for academic co-op, but that was cancelled. No idea what the schedule looks like now.

RSO Earth and Environment 2 (August-December; March-May)
RSO Astronomy 2 (January-March)
Astrophysics for Young People by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
DK Timelines of Nature
DK Space
DK How Space Works

Quentin is using RSO Physics 1. We covered the chapter about magnets.

RSO Physics 1
Physics for Curious Kids Introduction
The Way Things Work Now

Enrichment STEAM Co-op /Academic Co-op

Co-op was cancelled this week.

Art and Music

We are doing something a little different this year. Instead of trying to do music and art every week, we will be trading off. I realized last year these subjects were always the first to be cut when we had time constraints. We got back into it and had two mini art lessons: one on storytelling in art and one of portrature.