Pieced together LA for grades K-3rd

K-1st: Phonics Road level 1 (now I appy what i learned from that program to the spelling lists in Spell to Write and Read)
Handwriting Without Tears (now I'm using Joy of Handwriting-cursive for my new Ker),
Copywork from literature here at home, after they learn how to write well
Narration from history, science, and religion,
Memory work using poetry and scriptures,
Reading practice beginning in Bob Books, then Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading & Mcguffey Readers, then Little House in the Big Woods.

2nd: Prima Latina
Spelling/dication just using SWR
Copywork from literature here at home
Narration from history, science, and religion
Memory work using poetry and scriptures
Reading books silently/daily, oral reading to younger siblings 2Xs/week

3rd: Latina Christiana I
Spelling/dictation just using SWR
Copywork from literature here at home
Narration from history, science, and religion
Memory work using poetry and scriptures
Reading books silently/daily, oral reading to younger siblings 2Xs/week

Memoria Press & Highlands Latin School

This coming up year (that I'm so excited about, if you can't tell) is largly patterned after Memoria Press's homeschool curriculum and Highlands Latin School.  Memoria Press sells curriculum packages for grades K-6.  Highlands Latin School uses books of Memoria Press's books.  If you visit Highland's website, you'll find out immediately that the students are excelling with it.

Up until now, my kids have not done a great deal of seat-work.  We've done math daily and usually some copywork or handwriting.  Our focus has been on reading great books Charlotte Mason style and lots of free time to be a kid.  It's been great and I wouldn't change a thing for grades K-2, and will continue doing light school for those grades.  However, now that Savannah is entering 3rd grade I feel that it is time to focus more on academics.  The goal this year is to ease into seatwork, learn to focus, and practice lots of writing (not composition, but the actual act of writing). 

I have always LOVED the look of Memoria Press's products, but have never actually owned any until now.  I purchased (used) the Greek Myths teacher and student guide.  I love it.  Savannah will know Greek Myths inside and out by the end of this course.  It is plain and simple and intense.  I've also just purchased Latina Christiana I & Prima Latina (used) that I am anxiously awaiting to arrive in the mail.  I like plain and simple, to the point curriculum.  MP seems to fit that bill. 

If you like what you see and are interested in trying out their products as well, this blog: http://goldengrasses.blogspot.com/2012/07/memoria-press-delivers-core-6-review.html  is giving away three different teacher/student guides.

Curriculum planning!!!

I have just started planning next school year.  Savannah will be in 3rd grade and Charlotte will be in 1st (according to their ages, not abilities).  I'll be continuing with Math Mammoth and Xtra Math, as well as Phonics Road, which covers phonics, spelling, dictation, and grammar (I'm dropping the literature/writing section).

I have decided to follow Ambleside Online closely this coming year and take a more Charlotte Mason approach. 

Savannah will be doing Year 2 in Ambleside's Curriculum.  Just because it is "Year 2" does not mean it is a 2nd grade curriculum; it is not.  It would be appropriate for even a 4th or 5th grader!  We have read all of the books in Year 1 and some of the books in Year 2 already, so my booklist isn't exactly the same as what is on the site.

I divided Year 1 into two years, adding a few more books to the list to beef it up.  Year 1 is great for 1st and 2nd grades.  Charlotte will be doing part of Year 1.


So here is the plan so far:   *1st term, **2nd term, ***3rd term

Together I will read to them:
* ** ***Parables from Nature - literature
* ** ***Beautiful Tales from Shakespeare - literature
* ** ***Pilgrim's Promise (audio cd) - literature
            *Seabird - geography
          **Burgess Animal Book - natural history/science
        ***Pagoo - natural history/science

Savannah's Books (Year 2) Medieval Times :
(We will tandem-read these, where she reads a paragraph, I read a paragraph.  She will gradually begin reading most of them on her own as the year progresses.  All of these books she will narrate from.  She will also be reading easier books on her own that are not listed.)

  * ** ***Our Island Story - history
     ** ***A Child's History of the World - history
         * **The Little Duke - biography
          ***Joan of Arc (Stanley) - biography
              *The Wind in the Willows - literature
            **Robin Hood (Pyle) - literature
          ***The Door in the Wall - literature

Charlotte's Books (Year 1B):
(These are definitely subject to change!  She will also be reading easier books on her own that are not listed.)

* ** ***Book of Mormon Stories (Petersen) - history
* ** ***Fifty Famous Stories Retold - history tales
            *Benjamin Franklin (d' Aulaire) - biography
          **George Washington (d' Aulaire) - biography
        ***Abraham Lincoln (d' Aulaire) - biography
* ** ***The Blue Fairy Book - literature
* ** ***Just So Stories - literature

        
Missing from this schedule are three artists to study, three composers, three poets, which animals/plants to study, handicrafts, hymns, and scriptures and poems to memorize.  I also need to figure out a system for copywork/dictation and a history timeline. 

Next, I go through each book to see how many chapters (or pages) there are and divide them up into weeks.  For instance, if I have a 23 chapter book that I want to read within 12 weeks, I would schedule 2 chapters from that book/week.

               Week:    1           2           3          4          5            6
Book:
Heidi            Ch. 1&2      3&4      5&6    7&8     9&10   11&12
Little House      p. 1-5      6-8        9-14   15-20   21-24   25-29


Hopefully I can follow through with my plans this time. This year I got way off track from moving twice and having a baby. I think I have a good excuse anyway :)