This year I have changed our school calendar to work around three twelve week terms, instead of the traditional four quarters of nine weeks each, as done in most schools. I have also incorporated some breaks inbetween, for when times that 'life just happens' and some much needed rest and relaxation! I have found our year thus far to be going much smoother like this, and the breaks have given us the needed flexibility when life has taken over, or we just needed to 'breathe'! I have been able to stick to our daily/weekly schedule for the most part, which suits my type-A personality, yet also gives me flexibility when things come up, and I not feel like we are behind as a result! Whew!
I like to look at our subjects and assess the progress we are making, and re-evaluate any areas that may need more work or practice. Here is an overview of our first term.
Devotions/Proverbs:
What a great start to our days! I came across Pictures from Proverbs last spring and thought I would check it out. What a great purchase! These cards are pictures that Caterpillar colors while I read from Proverbs and various bible illustrations for the particular topic of the week. From laziness, to honoring a fool, quarreling and many others we have had several great conversations about the importance of godly character. We are also reading Everyday Graces, which does a great job teaching everyday manners in life through short stories and poems.
Handwriting:
We have been using A Reason for Handwriting since we started homeschooling. These lessons give just the right amount for each day, with a verse to copy at the end of each week. Caterpillar has a love - hate relationship with handwriting. He is doing very well with cursive, and making great strides in his writing having more cohesiveness. Yet in some of his other subjects, penmanship can be at both ends of the spectrum. It must be a boy thing!
Mathematics:
A breath of fresh air, is what I like to call Singapore Math. I was very hesitant to make the switch, hearing so many sides to changing math curriculums. I think I debated this choice for over 6 months. The results... fantastic. Caterpillar has always excelled in math, yet Singapore is allowing him to be challenged, in the just the right amount each day!
Logic:
Caterpillar has loads of fun with these short exercises each day. We are using a variety of things for this subject which you can find listed under our curriculum for this year. They are quick, yet challenging, helping him develop reasoning skills without even knowing it!
Spelling/Dictation:
Aaaaahhhh... Spelling! Thank goodness we gave up boring workbooks, fill in the blanks, multiple choice, and the repetitious task of memorizing a list each week! There are many great curriculums out there, and different styles work for different students. However, we have found great fun and learning of phonograms and spelling rules with All About Spelling! LOVE IT!
We are also incorporating dictation into our school work this year. Heart of Dakota has dictation passages included in the curriculum, and these exercises have proven to be just the right amount and opportunity for Caterpillar to practice applying the rules he has learned.
English/Grammar:
This is our third year with Rod and Staff English, and we are still enjoying the thorough yet gentle approach it takes. By gentle, it is no means simple. Yet it teaches in just the right size lessons, incorporating oral practice, written work and writing exercises. So far we have continued our study of subjects and predicates, kinds of sentences, nouns and verbs. This curriculum thoroughly teaches the correct structure and use of grammar in the english language.
Poetry/DITHOR:
I grouped these two together as they cover our literature studies. Poetry this year is part of Heart of Dakota's curriculum. We are studying the poet Robert Louis Stevenson. I like the way HOD incorporates memorization, godly character, mood and feeling, information on the poet, and a creative writing lesson each week. Caterpillar is developing a love of poetry this year, which is exciting to see!
DITHOR stands for Drawn into the Heart of Reading. I cannot say enough about this either. It is written by the same author as HOD, and we just love it. We cover various genres of literature, and so far have studied Biography and Adventure. The book title suggestions are wonderful literature which keep Caterpillar begging to read more and more! Each lesson teaches about various elements of literature as well as godly character.
Typing:
Caterpillar has really had fun learning to type with Typing Instructor for Kids. This program teaches typing all while having fun exploring adventure island. Caterpillar is doing very well with a beginning average of 10 words per minute!
Bible, History and Science:
We have really enjoyed Heart of Dakota for Bible, History and Science. This curriculum does a wonderful job of interweaving the Bible and Christ into History and Science. We have studied creation, Noah and the flood, the people spreading and languages and climate changes. From the beginning of the Israelites to Moses and the Promised Land. Greece, King David, Rome, idol worship and Babylon... it has all been incredibly captivating, as well as building our character and understanding more of our one true God. From comprehension, to narrations, vocabulary and geography, creating a timeline and fun projects, the richness of the curriculum is all there! We LOVE Heart of Dakota!
All in all, I am very pleased with our first twelve weeks of fourth grade! WOW, did I say fourth grade? Time must fly when you are having fun! I am very thankful for the wonderful blessing of homeschooling our son!
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