Monday's the Day! Here Are The Plans...(Part I)

So here they are. I've finally finished the plans for our new school year that will begin on Monday. This will give you an idea of what we will be doing, with some links to resources that I plan to use. Last year, when I planned the year out, I WAY overplanned. I don't know where I thought I'd get that kind of time?! It was unrealistic, but it was a lesson learned and hopefully I've done better this year.

Taylor will be doing Seton for all of her subjects this year, except Math and Creative Writing. She's getting older, beginning 7th grade. We've decided to try this to see how she does with it. She's very bright and reads so fast, way faster than John and I. She amazes us with that gift. And she absorbs everything she reads.

Math:
All my girls will be using Math U See. They will just continue where they left off in the spring.

Spelling:
Alexa will be using CHC's My First Catholic Speller
Skylar will be ready for My Catholic Speller level C

Phonics:
Alexa is using Seton's 1st Grade Phonics workbook (I can't seem to link to it right now.) She wil also be reading The Bob Books . We've started these over the summer and she really enjoys them. They are just enough to work her phonics skills without frustrating her. And at the end, she's completed something. That's a big deal when you are 6 and learning to read.

Handwriting:
Alexa: Seton's Printing Practice book for 1st grade
Skylar: Seton's Handwriting Practice book for 4th grade
(still can't link to Seton~sorry)

Grammar:
Alexa and Skylar will continue with our Lively Language Lessons. (Although I will use this with both girls, as we get further along, it will be too much for a 1st grader. But she can still sit with us and draw, and listen in.)

Creative Writing:
Stories with a View for Skylar and Alexa (It's geared towards 3rd/4th grade, but I'll adapt it for Alexa. She'll just narrate her stories to me.)
Taylor will be taking a weekly course through a local homeschool group.

Poetry:
Writing Poetry with Children is a fun resource I've found to use with Alexa and Skylar. It's great because it shows you how to present the lessons to 3 different levels of learners. Therefore, it should work very well with both girls.

Now here is where it gets more fun and interesting.......IMHO, of course.

I've decided to take a year off of teaching any "official" history. *gasp* "Why?", you ask? I want to take the year to focus on Social Studies and Geography, tied in together. I am calling it We Are All Children of God and they will each be making a notebook as we go along.

Social Studies: We Are All Children of God

Unit 1

Week 1

1. Read about Creation from our Children's Bible
2. Look at and discuss the globe, maps of the Earth, etc.
3. Read People by Peter Spier and discuss likenesses and differences of all God's children.
4. Read Sister Anne's Hands by Marybeth Lorbiecki and discuss it.
5. Art Project: Trace one of each of my children's hands and one of mine onto painting paper. Have each girls paint the hands on their paper in different patterns and colors. When dried, we'll cut them out and glue them onto a color of cardstock of their choosing in a collage. I might have them write "We Are All Children of God" on this and possibly use it for the cover of the notebook. This is based on something the little girls does in the book.

I don't have time to give the details for the rest of the weeks but here some things we'll do to complete Unit 1.

1. Study and learn the names of the continents and oceans.
2. Color and label a map of the continents and oceans for the notebooks.
3. Read and discuss Children Just Like Me.
4. Read Wake Up World and discuss.
5. Read various Bible stories, like The Good Samaritan. I will probably have the children narrate these to go into their notebooks.
6. Enjoy the Great World Tour together.
7. Look through and read Houses and Homes together and have them draw their own home and a few from the book. Put this in the notebook.
8. I'm currently trying to make a feltboard puzzle of the 7 continents to label and use to reinforce the memorization.

For the rest of the units, I'll break them down by continent. For each one we will do a variety of the following:

1. Print a map of the continent, with countries labeled, for the kids to color and place in their notebooks.
2. Study a saint from the continent.
3. Pick a country or two within that continent to focus on.
4. Read stories from that country (either legend or fairy tale or something that shows what life is like there such as Four Feet, Two Sandals or a cute story like Ping.)
5. Do an art or craft based on the culture. For example, I bought The Gigantic Origami Gift Set (can't link to it, because I can't find it online), to enjoy when we study Japan. I'm sure we will find many ideas online. And I have a whole book of ideas on China.
6. Play games, cook something, create a toy, etc. Anything that comes from the country we are studying. Anything that can help us to get a "feel" for what life is like there.
7. Write poetry about what we are learning, to put in their notebooks.

Some added resources:

1. Global Village Papers from Oriental Trading. These should come in handy to decorate the notebooks in various ways. So fun!
2. Stories from Around the World This miniature edition is packed full of neat stories and tells you where each one comes from. I have them organized with page numbers in my planning notebook by country/continent so I can just grab it and know right where to turn for the right story.
3. Scholastic Atlas of the World has already helped me in my planning. And we will refer back to it throughout the year. Love this!
4. Multicultural Crayons and Multicultural Colored Pencils from Oriental Trading.

No time to get into Art, Art Appreciation, Religion, Science or Teatime plans and Liturgal Year Celebrations tonight. So I'll do a Part II tomorrow, hopefully!

TTFN

~Tina