We’re ready for another year of homeschooling! In fact, it’s our fourth year of homeschooling and we’ve found our groove. We’re continuing with most of the curriculum choices from last year, just changing the level. This year Arthur will be in 4th grade and Quentin will be in 1st grade. My big challenge this year is to make less work for me while giving each child individual time.
As a reminder, we are a pretty eclectic household with a strong literature base. My criteria when looking for curriculum:
secular
rigorous
wide world perspective
not necessarily all-in-one
at least some physical items, not all online
cheap (not necessarily the cheapest, but not expensive)
Let’s take a look at what I have for curriculum for next year!
Math
We will be continuing with Singapore Math Common Core Edition as our base curriculum. Arthur will be starting with 5A and push through 5B. Beyond the basic text, we will be supplementing with lots of math games, random workbooks, and packets. New this year, we’re continuing with some Financial Literacy using the Evan Moor workbooks and a money management workbook. We will also be continuing with our logic puzzles.
Language Arts
This is Arthur’s grammar workbook selections for this year. We don’t do every page and question, but bounce around between some of them. We’re going to try and focus on writing this year.
Grade 4 Workbook
Reading Comprehension Grade 3 (from Five Below)
Sylvan Super Reading Success Grade 4 (similar title)
Arthur’s readers will be a mix of Blossom and Root’s Grade 4 Language Arts, Build Your Library 6, and our home library selections.
Coming Home from the Life of Langston Hughes by Floyd Cooper
Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe (not pictured)
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Social Studies
As our history base, Arthur is using Build Your Library Level 6 (U.S. History) combined with History Quest’s new U.S. History release. We are actually covering the second half of US History starting at the Civil War.
The First Ladies
Cricket: Cobblestone magazine
We always have a bit of geography going for each level of history.
License Plates Across the America
Nat Geo Kids U.S. Road Trip Atlas
Target US Workbook
Our history curriculum has a ton of extra readers. I’m very excited to get to all of these.
US President Workbook
A Kid’s Guide to African American History by Nancy I. Sanders
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
Science
Our science is going to be a combination of Build Your Library Level 8 (history of science), Level 3 (Chemistry), and RSO Chemistry. Lots of interesting combinations. We will actually be doing the chemistry experiments with some of the other families in coop.
Here’s just a smattering of our random science texts that we pull little items from:
In Space
Map Your Way
Science Art + Drawing Games for Kids by Karyn Tripp
And even more random science resources…
Measure and Cook Workbook
America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs
Art
This is actually all the art books for Quentin and Arthur. I took just one picture. Each one of their Build Your Library levels has a related art book to dip in and out of. We are just going to pick a variety of composers and artists to study over the course of the year.
