Well, tomorrow is the start of our 2014-15 school year. This is our plan for the year....
Super Boy (3) will be doing Easy Peasy Getting Ready 1 for Kindergarten. He will be 4 near the end of September. Super Boy wants to do school, so I believe this along with Mr. Rogers Neighborhood is a good fit. I am not one for high pressure elementary school....especially preschool. Last year he sat in on our study of the continent of Africa, and he LOVES Africa. Of course, he and Drama Queen will do a lot of work together, and he will be pulled ahead as is appropriate. I can already see that Super Boy has an aptitude for learning and hope this will continue!
Drama Queen (6) will be doing Easy Peasy Getting Ready 1 and Getting Ready 2 also. I want to make sure she is all ready to go into reading. She is ahead in Math, so she will be doing the Horizons First Grade Math book 2 along with time on Khan Academy and ABCya.com
Gentleman (8) will be doing Easy Peasy Third Grade for Reading and English. For Math, he will use Horizons Third Grade Math book 2. He will give EP Math a try but more as extra practice and to show me he can work ahead if he desires. (He has expressed a desire to attend West Point.)
Spunky (10) will be using Easy Peasy Fifth Grade for Reading and English. Spunky will be in the same math book as Gentleman AND working on Easy Peasy Fifth Grade Math. The EP math uses Khan Academy and will allow her to work on a skill until it is mastered. As she is able, she can speed up or slow down her progress to complete this level. (There will be one more level before PreAlgebra.)
Nurse (13) will be using Easy Peasy Eighth Grade Language Arts. Nurse loves Saxon Math and does well with it, and she will be starting Saxon 7/6 soon. She was behind and has been working hard to catch up. I suggested that she test out of the next book because I believe she can, but she wants to work through the whole book at an accelerated speed to make sure she has it all down well. Her goal is to finish Saxon Algebra 1/2 this year.
Horse Girl (14) will be taking Literature and Composition through Easy Peasy. She also plans to read the majority of Charles Dickens' books this year. Horse Girl has had some math struggles, but I think the Easy Peasy Middle school math will work for her. She seems to be looking forward to that setup. Because she can move on based on mastery, she can fly through the skills she already has and slow down to work on any weaknesses. I believe over the next two years we will see GREAT progress with her math. :-) I am excited, because this looks like such a good match for her! We also have several different Math-U-See dvds for her to use if something does not make sense.
NFL (18) is finishing up Algebra 2 and Chemistry from last year, and then he will get started on the credits he needs to graduate. He will be moving onto Saxon Advanced Math, Apologia Marine Biology, Grammar Research and American Literature, World Geography, US History, Leadership Practicum, and Spanish 2. NFL is playing on our local public school football team - starting as linebacker. He is planning to go to USC and hopes to make it on their football team as a walk on.
Everyone will be studying World Geography this year. Nurse and NFL will be doing their work independently using Around the World in 180 Days from Apologia. Horse Girl enjoyed the group work we did on Africa last year, so she would like to continue working with us. This year we will use Easy Peasy and continue to work through the 180 Days book also.
The elementary students will be doing Earth Science together, and I am really excited about how this fits so well with our geography studies. We are looking forward to the edible map project.
Nurse and Horse Girl are taking General Science through a co-op at our church. They will use the Apologia textbook. Neither one of them were looking forward to this setting; however, after their first class they came home and asked if Mr. Beck would teach Physical Science also. :-)
In addition, Nurse and Horse Girl will be taking Easy Peasy Foundations. You really need to check this out! It covers character traits, Internet Safety, study methods, time management, critical thinking, as well as manners and etiquette. I am praying that God will use this to help my girls grow in their character development.
What are your plans for curricula this year?
