The following is a list of the curriculum we’re using or have used for each grade. Keep in mind we attend a weekly co-op, where each elementary grade is working through history or geography, science, art, music, and PE. These are our lax subjects at home… sometimes we do it, often we don’t. They have homework beginning in 2nd grade for history, and by 3rd or 4th grade they also have science homework. It’s been a lifesaver now that I’m homeschooling seven children.
We’ve also changed how we start math. For my oldest two, we started with Saxon Math K in Kindergarten and worked through it each year in the correct grade level. Starting with my 3rd born, we skipped the Math K book and jumped into the 1st grade book in Kindergarten. The K book was great for my oldests when they hadn’t heard math being done in their environment… but now that the littles are hearing it all the time, I’ve found it easy to skip that book and jump them into something a bit more rigorous from the beginning. This year, I’ve jumped ship a bit with that plan, and have Charlotte and Pierce and Elliot taking Masterbooks Math in their appropriate grade. These children were lacking the maturity to handle math at a faster rate. This will slow them down for a year and we’ll head back to our regularly planned routine.
Kindergarten
Saxon Math 1
Reading books by Nora Gaydos
I have gotten away from a set phonics curriculum for the last several children after not finding one I love and not willing to put money into searching until I find one I do. I work through the Gaydos books and teach concepts as we come across them. Once we’ve finished the four levels, I move to Dick and Jane, Mr. Putter books, and other easier readers. I have many A Beka readers that I offer as reading materials but so long as they are reading well, I don’t make requirements on any one book. Our shelves are full of books and my main goal is that they continue to practice their reading skills. A few times, with an eager four year old, I’ve begun with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but we don’t usually make it through more than 25-50 lessons before we go back to the Gaydos books and drop the 100 Easy Lessons book. It’s tedious and boring and I tire of it… usually my student does too.
Handwriting – A Reason for Handwriting
1st Grade
Saxon Math 2
Rod and Staff Spelling 2
Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind (Both Grade 1 and 2 are in the one book. We typically get through the first 100 lessons in 1st grade, finishing the 1st grade level.)
Story of the World (I only own the read aloud books and CDs. I typically read these aloud at whatever pace we have time for. I do not test or do other activities with these.)
Christian Liberty Press Science Reader, merely because I have it, the kids love it, and they can typically read it on their own by Grade 1.
2nd Grade
Saxon Math 3
Rod and Staff Spelling 3
Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, 2nd half
Story of the World – our kids all get history at our homeschool co-op, so this is one that gets set aside during busier times. We’ve yet to make it through all four books… but we try.
Apologia sciences – I own Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology and Chemistry and Physics and love them both. I’d love to get their Zoology ones. We attempt to read through one or the other through the school year. The kids all get science at our homeschool co-op though, so science is, for better or worse, one that gets tossed aside quickly during busier times.
A Reason for Handwriting
Book reports… I require from 2nd grade on each of my kids to report on one book a week, one paragraph for the younger grades. The book must be, as they get older, especially, an older book or a non fiction book at least 50% of the time. I am determined they will learn to read and appreciate classics as well as current fiction.
3rd Grade
Saxon Math 5/4
Rod and Staff Spelling 4
Rod and Staff English 3
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
A Reason for Handwriting
Book Reports weekly
4th Grade
Saxon Math 6/5
Rod and Staff Spelling 5
Rod and Staff English 4
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
A Reason for Handwriting
Book Reports weekly
5th Grade
Saxon Math 7/6
Rod and Staff Spelling 6
Rod and Staff English 5
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
A Reason for Handwriting
Book Reports Weekly
6th Grade
Saxon Math 8/7
Rod and Staff Spelling 7
Rod and Staff English 6
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
A Reason for Handwriting
Book Reports weekly
7th Grade
This is where it gets sketchy. The kids begin choosing their classes at co-op beginning in 7th grade. We aim for all core as much as possible, since this takes most of the work off of me. Teachers at our homeschool co-op teach a lesson for an hour, then send the students home with a week’s worth of homework. They do the majority of grading, and the kids are old enough at this point to work independently. But, for the sake of finishing my list strong, Sterling and Ruby are in 7th this year.
Sterling is taking:
Creative Writing
Algebra 1
Geology and Archaeology
Mystery of History
Ruby, on the other hand, is taking:
IEW Writing I
Apologia General Science
Crocheting and Knitting
Math U See Pre-Algebra
At home, she’s taking Spelling 7 from Rod and Staff, since she hadn’t gotten that far at home. Ruby is a very young 7th grader and I expect to hold her back at some point to get her grade level a little closer to age. She’s keeping up great for now, so we’ve continued. Sterling is 15 months older than Ruby and actually ought to be a 7th grader. (Theoretically Ruby should be in 5th, since she misses the birthdate cutoff, but definitely 6th if she were to have started Kindergarten at almost five years old.)
9th Grade
This is where Eden is at this year. She’s repeating 9th in an attempt to get her in a class of her peers, since she was a 4 year old kindergartener. She’s taking:
Math U See Algebra 2
IEW Writing 2
Government and Economics
12th grade
Oof. That hurt just to type. Liberty is skipping 11th grade since she’s done with her credits this year. Dual enrollment here means only online classes, and she’s wished for seated classes. Since she doesn’t need more credits, we’ve decided she should graduate so she can pursue seated classes. She’ll be graduating this spring. This year she’s taking:
College Algebra through dual enrollment at the local college
Nutrition through dual enrollment at the local college
Logic II
Apologia Chemistry
IEW Writing 3
Mango Languages French
Dave Ramsey Personal Finance
I also give credit for things like horsemanship, home economics, driver’s ed, etc, as they complete those things satisfactorily.