2012 – 2013 School Plan

If you’re interested in the background, see the next post on School Planning.  Otherwise, here’s ‘The List.’

Home School Plan 2012 – 2013

 Sarah, Summer                                                        Hannah, Summer

*Finish Traditional Logic II __                                                   *Traditional Logic I

*First Aid and CPR Class __                                                    *Gardening, Flowers,

*Dave Ramsey __                                                           Sewing Decorating,  Entertaining

*Economedes __                                                     *Sewing Project, Other Project

*Loving God with All Your Heart __

*Best Friends for Life  __

 FALL

 Family Learning

Creek Edge Press: Year 3 Recitation, Dictation, Memory and Copy Work (not yet available to others) __

Creek Edge Press Music Task Cards Year 2 __

Bible Stories for Daily Prayer and Catechism __

 Sarah, Grade 11

Theology of the Cross, The Lutheran Difference __

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Rhetoric __

Chalkdust Trigonometry __

Apologia Physics __

French (On-Line, Grammar Exercises) __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots  __

Spelling Workout __

Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation  __

Writing Exercises (Various Handbooks) __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

SAT Prep. __

Material Logic __

~ Violin, Orchestra, Ballet

~ Summer Institutes

 

Hannah, Grade 9

You Ask About Faith and Life, Paulus and Lutheranism 101 __

Creek Edge Press High School History Year 3 (not yet available)  __

Excellence in Literature Year 3 Selections __

Chalkdust Algebra I __

Apologia Biology __

On-Line Spanish __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots  __

Spelling Workout __

Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. __

Writing exercises  __

TBD Writing Curriculum __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

~Cello, Orchestra, Symphony?, Seasonal Extras

 

Holly, Grade 6

Concordia Press Voyages 6 __

Creek Edge Press Early Modern Task Cards __

Rainbow Science Chemistry and Creek Edge Press Chemistry Task Cards __

Chalkdust Basic Math __

Spelling Workout F __

Rod and Staff English 6 __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6 __

Writing with Skill Level 1 (or other writing curriculum) __

Memoria Press Literature Guides Grade 6 __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

~Violin, Orchestra, Symphony, Seasonal Extras

 

Abby, Grade 4

Voyages 4 __

Calendar, Math Drill __

Creek Edge Press Early Modern Task Cards __

Calvert 4 __

Apologia Science __

Spelling D __

Rod and Staff 4 __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots 4 __

Memoria Press Literature Guides Grade 4 __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

~Cello, Piano, Seasonal Extras

 

 

Beret Anna, Preschool 4

Reading: Jolly Phonics and Beginning Reading at Home Cards, Phonics Pathways, Beginning Readers

Hands on Math: Common Sense Press Math for Kindergarteners

Preschool Read Alouds (mainly from Sonlight)

Seatwork: Calendar, Number and Letter Printables, Tracing Name, Workbooks

Seasonal Projects, Unit Projects, Bible Projects with older sisters

Montessori Shelves

~ Music Class, Suzuki Group, Seasonal Extras?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

School Planning for Fall

I usually get the ‘bug’ in February. Planning has mostly been fun this year. Beret Anna will be in K-4 and the rest will be in grades 4, 6, 9, and 11. My planning is streamlined now that I’ve launched Creek Edge Press. Making things as easy as possible for others has lightened my own load considerably!

Sarah has been using Tapestry of Grace since the middle of her fifth grade year and will continue that work. It is a good fit for her. Hannah will be transitioning form Tapestry dialectic work to what will eventually be the Creek Edge Press high school history series. Year one and two are aleady mapped out and I’m planning to map out year three as I direct her work. Hannah is a bit of a perfectionist about school work and, while Tapestry has been fabulous for her dialectic level learning, I fear she will get lost in the rhetoric level of Tapestry without finding the point of her assignments. Abby and Holly will continue with the Creek Edge Press task card sets that were designed during Sarah and Hannah’s grammar stage. Holly will be using them at the dialectic level and Abby will be using them as an independent grammar stage student.

With the move away from Tapestry work, comes a need for direction with literature and writing. I have recently discovered Excellence in Literature and am excited for Hannah to begin using it and especially excited that someone else has already written my ideal high school literature program. Holly and Abby have been using Memoria Press Literature Guides this  year and we will certainly continue with those. They are a perfect fit for our family’s style and are the perfect gentle and clear introduction to focused reading and literary analysis. I am still in need of a writing curriculum for the middle three and am considering Writing With Skill Level 1 for Holly. I might also look at Writing Strands again for all of them. I enjoy tutoring them in their writing skills, but like them to have direction in their writing assignments.

Our high school students have full days, so it is necessary for them to complete some coursework and reading in the summer. We generally complete the Memoria Press Logic courses via video with note taking and summaries of the lectures as all of the exercises are a bit much for our summer pace. Family Learning is done four days a week during the school year. It provides an opportunity to come together and bend spirits that might otherwise be a bit overly independent. You might notice the extra art and the inclusion of music theory as well as a section of Beret Anna’s preschool that will be overseen by the older girls. I teach  music lessons during the afternoons and the older ones generally have the youngest for one hour each week during that time. Next year, they’ll be organizing and doing projects with her – each following themes they’ve chosen. The girls generally do art one afternoon each week while I’m teaching as well.

I find myself enjoying wrapping up this school year. It’s been one of our best and quite a blessing to be on track with little illness or interruption despite the surgeries and medical appointments we faced during the first semester. I’ve had a nice window of opportunity to embrace other things, mainly setting up Creek Edge Press and building my teaching studio again, as my older four have grown in independence and responsibility and my youngest isn’t quite school age. Next year, I’ll be easing myself into the busy K-2 years with Beret Anna and enjoying one of Sarah’s final years learning at home. I’m looking forward to it.

I know it’s ‘early,’ but I wouldn’t be myself if I wasn’t prepared. Detailed list and plans coming in the next post. Those of you who’ve followed my posts for a while know that they’ll be posted again in the fall. I tend to get rather excited by these things…

Beret Anna 3 Year Old Preschool

• Preschool Read Alouds with Mom (mostly Sonlight preschool books)
• Suzuki Violin with Mom
• Dailies with Mom: Weekly Calendar, Weather, Tracing, Counting
• Jolly Phonics with Mom (stage two as she finished finger phonics last year)
• Hands on Math with Mom
• Montessori Shelves
• Preschool Art and Activity Workboxes with Sisters
• Books on tape or i-pod for free time or when she stops taking naps

Abby Grade 3

• Family School – Creek Edge Press Music and Art Task Card Sets, Creek Edge Press Recitation Book 2
• Independent Work (Calendar, Zaner Bloser Handwriting, Independent Reading, Creek Edge Press Grammar Reinforcement, Math Drill)
• Bible – Voyages 3
• Spelling Workout, Rod and Staff English 3
• Calvert Math 3
• Theory Time
• Creek Edge Press Task Cards: Physics
• Creek Edge Press Task Cards: Medieval World
• Minimus II (Latin)
• Logic (Mindbenders workbooks)
• *Private Piano, Magnificent Musicians, Private Cello, Chamber Music

 

Holly Grade 5

• Family School – Creek Edge Press Music and Art Task Card Sets, Creek Edge Press Recitation Book 2, Simply Charlotte Mason’s Spelling Wisdom
• Bible Voyages Grade 5
• Calvert Math 6
• Zaner Bloser Handwriting, Spelling Workout
• Rod and Staff English 5
• Vocabulary from Classical Roots
• Creek Edge Press Task Cards: Medieval World (and maybe some Tapestry Year 2 as I have no idea how they line up even though I wrote one and used the other for five years)
• Lively Latin II
• One or two Veritas Press Literature Guides
• Rainbow Science
• *Private Violin, Private Piano, Youth Orchestra, Home School Symphony

Hannah Grade 8

• Family School – Creek Edge Press Music and Art Task Card Sets, Creek Edge Press Recitation Book 2, Simply Charlotte Mason’s Spelling Wisdom
• Bible – Voyages Applying Luther’s Catechism
• Chalkdust Pre-Algebra
• Tapestry of Grace Year 2 Dialectic
• Apologia Physical Science
• Lively Latin II
• Rod and Staff English 8
• Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Spelling Workout
• Theory Time
• Artistic Pursuits
• *Private Piano, Private Cello, Youth Orchestra, Chamber Music

Sarah Grade 10

• Family School - Creek Edge Press Music and Art Task Card Sets, Creek Edge Press Recitation Book 2, Simply Charlotte Mason’s Spelling Wisdom
• Bible – Lutheranism 101 and several People’s Bible commentaries
• Tapestry of Grace Rhetoric Year 2
• Chalkdust Algebra II
• Apologia Chemistry with lab
• Francais Interactif
• Vocabulary from Classical Roots, Blue Book of English Grammar
• SAT Prep
• Theory Time
• Artistic Pursuits High School
• Health and First Aid (completing this summer)
• Memoria Press Traditional Logic II (completing this summer)
• *Senior Ensemble Ballet, Private Violin, Youth Orchestra

 

Completed Task Card Sets

Chemistry should be done within the week and History Sets are on tap for July (www.creekedgepress.com)!

Task Card Response Samples

Abby is finishing her study of the Solar System using the Montessori style task cards I made for Sarah years ago.  Here are a few of her recent posters. 

Jolly Phonics

This is Beret Anna’s *thing.*  If you aren’t familiar with Jolly Phonics and have someone who’s learning to read in the 2-6 age range, check it out.  It’s a program from England that uses a variety of approaches that engage children as they learn the letter sounds in a developmentally fun and appropriate way.  That’s a bunch of mumbo jumobo for reading is fun and easy.  We start with this, usually at age 3, and progress through the steps until they’re sounding out simple words with the program.  It’s the perfect program for the pre-seatwork stage, though it offers simple workbooks for 4-6 year olds too.  From there we start the “black book” (ie. Phonics Pathways) and reinforce with seatwork from Veritas Press.  But this is where it all starts and she’s so proud.    Here are her “graduation” shots as she’s learned book #1 and #2.  I didn’t want to miss it.