Saturday, September 3, 2011

Homeschool 2011-2012, part 3: Gabriel

How is it even possible my son is going to be a Second Grader? Second Grade!

Daniel always says that Gabe makes me look like a great teacher. He is a quick learner, a great memorizer, and an eager student. He excels in math but is also a great reader, except he has inherited or learned a unique trait from his father: guessing at words. They both have an uncanny ability to insert a word that fits the context and starts with the same sound as the word which is actually printed. It's wrong, but truly remarkable.

Fall 2011


Math
Curriculum: Teaching Textbooks 4. Yes, he is doing math 2 years ahead. He could probably do more but eventually we would run out of things to do. It is a blessing and challenge.
Goals: Keep up with him.
Bonus: Same curriculum as Mckenna, spent last year's school money on it.


Language Arts
Curriculum: Moving Beyond the Page. I bought this 2 years ago for Mckenna, but halfway through 2nd grade she went to public school. It's a fantastic curriculum, and very challenging, which I think will be good for him. He is reading: Charlotte's Web, Poppy, One Day in the Tropical Rainforest, The Whipping Boy, 50 American Heros, Sarah Plain and Tall, and Iggie's House. 
Goals: Get him to write longer, neater, and more complex sentences and paragraphs.
Bonus: Already own it. Difficult curriculum which I think he needs. I have used it before and am familiar with it.


Science
There is science in his language arts curriculum, but like his big sister Gabe loves science.
Curriculum: Moving Beyond the Page; Answers for Kids
Goals: Further develop his love for science and facts; expand his horizon into new areas of science (you can only study dinosaurs and the ocean for so many years....)
Bonus: We already own it all.


History -- US History (same as Mckenna)
This is where I have my fun. My kids LOVE history so we spend a ton of time on it. But while we are studying history we are also studying philosophy, geography, reading, science, etc. because we take history chronologically and study the people, inventions, thoughts, and  changes of the time.
Curriculum: Story of the World Vol. 3. This is my favorite History curriculum and we will use it to  keep up on what is going on in the rest of the world while America is being formed. If you buy it you must buy the CDs and Activity Books--they are amazing. Early American History, a Literature Aprroach. Gabe and Juliana will use the Primary Set and Mckenna will use the Intermediate set. Essentially, this curriculum offers good, quality literature that lets students read their way through history.
Goals: As True Blue Americans, this year feels like the culmination of our studying. I have no idea what we will do next year! We started with the earliest recorded history and have worked our way to Christopher Columbus. Now we get to discover what makes our nation so unique and wonderful. I want my kids to fall more in love with America while at the same time understanding their responsibilities as citizens. 
Bonus: You guessed it: Free! I am borrowing E.A.H. and I used last year's school money to buy STOW 3. Oh yeah!



P.E.
Gabe is playing AYSO soccer this year (his second year), and once it is over I hope to get him involved in either golf, water polo, or martial arts, depending on practice days and times.


I need to make a decision about handwriting. His printing is atrocious unless he is actually trying to write neatly, but he really wants to learn cursive. Do I make him work on his printing, teach him cursive, or teach him how to type? 

1 comment:

Becky R said...

next year in history you can do Story of the World 4. We did it last year and it was great, more American history and such.

My boys will be 13 and 8. 8th and 3rd grade. But they are all over in grade levels with actual work that we do.

This year we are doing Story of the World 1. (We are out of sorts.)

Have fun!