I never thought that I would be writing a back-to-school post in JUNE, of all months. When I was a student and then a teacher back in California, our school year didn’t even end until the third week of June. Here in Texas the school schedule is shifted, and we wrapped up our own school year just before Mother’s Day. So why are we back at it so soon? What a great question, glad you asked.
I’ve been toying with the idea of moving into a year-round schooling calendar for a while. Our family does best with a rhythm and a schedule, and I prefer the flow of our homeschool days to the lack of structure that happens when we are taking extended breaks. I’ve also never loved the amount of learning and general momentum that we lose over our long summer break. And if we WERE to take a longer break, summer is the worst time to do it: it’s hot here in Texas, so we don’t really want to be outdoors, and all of the indoor or water-based spaces are so overwhelmed with summer-breakers that we resist being out and about. It made a lot more sense to work through summer and take more short breaks in the “off season.”
I resisted the change for a while; even though I get to determine the schedule for our own home, I have no say in the rest of our school-based activities and extracurriculars which all follow a traditional school calendar. As I thought more about it, though, I decided that it might be nice to focus in on our core curriculum in the off-months so that we wouldn’t feel quite so overwhelmed when all the extra activities start back up. Working year-round will give us the freedom and flexibility to take more school days off for things like field trips or just mental health days. This will also mean that we don’t have to fit quite as much work into each week, relieving some of the pressure we were experiencing in our school days last year.
Having mostly made the decision to alter our schedule, I presented the idea to my kids; much to my surprise, they were completely on board! I reassured them that working through the summer would not mean we couldn’t do our usual summer activities like VBS or swim lessons, and that we would be taking week-long breaks as needed—through the summer, and into the school year as well. I think we are all feeling good about this shifted calendar, and if it doesn’t work out, we can just go back to taking summer breaks next year! Flexibility is one of the many great benefits of homeschooling, and one I want to lean into more in the coming year and beyond.
And so . . . here we are in June, jumping into our SEVENTH year of homeschooling, with Charleston starting Sixth grade and the twins beginning First (numbers that seem unfathomably big and make me want to cry if I think about them too much. Where does the time go?!). Per tradition, I am sharing our plans for the coming school year, including the curriculum we will be using and our tentative schedule for our school days.
A lot of this coming year is a continuation of what we did last year. If it isn’t broken, why fix it? There is also something to be said for sticking with a curriculum over time, since different programs teach skills at different grade levels and switching programs can lead to academic skill gaps. That said, we are making a few tweaks this year to accommodate our shifting interests and the needs of my kiddos. I am particularly excited about our new History and Science curriculum, our themed read-alouds, and getting the kids into journaling.
Before we get into the game plan, I want to include my usual caveat that this is NOT my prescription for every homeschool family. These plans are what works for OUR family, based on six years of homeschooling experience. But no two homeschooling families are exactly alike, and just because something is a good fit for us does not mean that it is what would work for everyone else. That said, I’m always fascinated by glimpses into the specifics of other people’s lives; I love knowing how other people parent, or homeschool, or simply spend their day, and it’s fun for me (and hopefully helpful—or at least interesting—for many of you) when I give YOU a glimpse into OUR homeschool world.
THE CURRICULUM
WHOLE FAMILY:
Classical Conversations Foundations: Foundations English Language, Cycle 3 This material, introduced at our weekly CC community day, includes memory work in the subjects of Latin, Science, Math, Geography, English Grammar, and History (with a focus this cycle on US History). This summer we will be reviewing last year’s (Cycle 2) memory work, covering a few of the subjects each day. Beginning in the fall we will start memorizing the material in Cycle 3, and since I will be a Foundations tutor this year, my kids and I will work a week or two ahead of our community as preparation for me to lead my class. These flashcards and this app are great tools that assist with our memory work.
Bible Study: Not-So-Quiet Time: Psalms Each day of this study from Phylicia Masonheimer includes a Scripture reading, reflection questions, and correlating art and music selections. We will take two days with each lesson, reading the passage both days and spending Day One enjoying the art and music and Day Two discussing the reflection questions. Once we finish this study, we will jump into Not-So-Quiet Time: Proverbs.
Catechism: The New City Catechism for Kids Even though we have done a lot of Bible memory and study with our kids, we have never done an official catechism. We are not working through the curriculum, just reading and discussing two of the questions per week with a goal of having all 52 questions and answers memorized by the end of the school year.
Scripture Memory: We memorized the first chapter of The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) last year and will memorize all of Matthew 6 this year, adding a verse or two each week. On Mondays I introduce the week’s verses, which serve as their handwriting practice/copy work for that day (I used this website to create my own copy-and-trace worksheets—cursive for Charleston and printing for the twins). The kids come up with motions to correspond to the verse, and we practice it throughout the week, reciting the verse for a video on Friday that we share with family.
History: The Tuttle Twins America’s History, Volumes 1 and 2. We are leaning into American History this year, both through Classical Conversations (Cycle 3 focuses on US History) and at home; how perfect for the 250th anniversary of our country! These volumes cover the origins of freedom and limited government, from the Magna Carta to Enlightenment ideas, through the foundations of early American society, the Revolutionary War, and the creation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We will study one lesson each week and work through a few of the hands-on application activities from the accompanying PDF. There are only 22 lessons total, so we will likely finish the curriculum before the end of the year; if that’s the case we we will begin this Music Appreciation course from The Good and the Beautiful which is technically an elective but with a heavy focus on music history.
Science: The Good and the Beautiful Birds Unit with a course book and accompanying read-alouds for the whole family, activity books for Kali and Sully, and student journal for Charleston. Our selection of this particular unit was inspired by our family’s newly-discovered fascination with birds, thanks to the bird feeders Luke bought for our back yard that left us all wanting to learn more about this part of nature! This course uses stories, videos, and hands-on activities to teach the characteristics, anatomy, and habitats of birds around the world. We will do the lessons as a whole family, then the kids will do correlating assignments in their age-appropriate journals/activity books. These lessons are long, so we will take two weeks for each one.
Independent Reading: The kids are given free choice in their independent reading selections, though I do provide some guidance and have veto power if necessary. Charleston and Sully are both reading chapter books (Sully’s currently working his way through the 13 Story Treehouse books, while Charleston is midway through the Wingfeather Saga series); Kali likes to read picture books or read/listen to Wonderbooks from the library. Scheduled independent reading happens during DEAR time, but the kids also choose to read in the car, during quiet play time, and sometimes in the evenings before bed.
Journaling: This is new for us this year! The kids had fun picking out their journals—a traditional leather-bound one for Charleston and wide-rule journals with space for drawing for the twins. The goal here is creative writing and expression, not necessarily practice with grammar, spelling, or mechanics. Some days I will assign a journal prompt related to our day’s school material or another relevant topic; other days they will have free-write days where they will be encouraged to write about anything they choose.
PE: The kids attend a weekly sports program for homeschoolers that we’ve participated in since Charleston was in Kinder. Throughout the year they learn a variety of formal sports as well as various other games, and in the spring they participate in the President’s Fitness Challenge (last year they all reached Silver or Gold level!).
Music Appreciation, Art/Art History, Science Experiments, & Presentation Skills: These are all covered during the Foundations portion of our CC community day on Tuesdays.
Read-Alouds: Our study of US History will extend to our read-alouds this year, with each of our books set at some point in America’s history! The goal is to read along the timeline, beginning with The Witch of Blackbird Pond (set in the 1680s) and ending with In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (set in 1947), with the American Tall Tales sprinkled in. We have been reading two of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books each school year, and this year we will be reading On the Shores of Silver Lake and The Long Winter (the plan is to read this one over our Christmas break, even if that means reading out of order). Other books in the lineup include The Sign of the Beaver (set in 18th century Maine), Johnny Tremain (American Revolution), By the Great Horn Spoon (California Gold Rush), Across Five Aprils (American Civil War), and Bud, Not Buddy (The Great Depression). We don’t usually do any extra work or activities that coordinate with our read-alouds beyond discussing each day’s reading, making personal applications, and drawing connections to other subjects. After finishing each book, we work together as a family to write a book review (the ones I feature in my Quick Lit reviews!) and Charleston adds the book to his Reading Journal. This year I may experiment with more advanced, project-style book reports; more on that (maybe) soon!
CHARLESTON (6TH GRADE):
Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Level 6 Language Arts Course Set This open-and-go course includes instruction in reading, writing, spelling, grammar & usage, poetry, punctuation, vocabulary, literature, geography, and art appreciation & instruction. The course combines an emphasis on good and beautiful literature, nature, and art, with a focus on developing strong writing and editing skills. At this level, the material is largely student-led with parent-child portions at the beginning of each lesson. In addition to the main course, I also purchased this accompanying reference guide that offers a quick and easy overview of the vocabulary and grammar concepts taught in grades 4 through 8. (Charleston and I both wish we had known about this reference guide sooner.)
Additional Language Arts: Classical Conversations Essentials This is Charleston’s second tour through this material that provides in-depth instruction in English grammar. Concepts are taught at co-op each week and reinforced through daily sentence-diagramming exercises and copying grammar charts.
Writing: IEW US History-Based Writing and IEW Teaching Writing Structure and Style Workbook This curriculum uses history-based literature as a launching point for teaching writing skills such as note-taking, retelling narrative stories, summarizing references, picture-based writing, and composing multi-paragraph essays and formal critiques. Lessons are presented at co-op, and writing assignments are completed at home to be read and critiqued by classmates the following week. We saw great improvements in Charleston’s writing last year thanks to this course.
Math: The Good and the Beautiful Math 6 Course Set Charleston completed the first third of this curriculum last spring and will finish up Level 6 this school year. The course, which takes a spiral approach to math, includes 120 open-and-go lessons that incorporate games, logic puzzles, and review activities intended to make the material fun. The lessons are video-based and student led, though I often assist Charleston with fully mastering the material after he has watched the videos. We have found these lessons to be fairly long and challenging, so Charleston works through half of a lesson each day, watching the video lesson and doing review activities on Day One and finishing the practice exercises on Day Two.
Handwriting: PreScripts Cursive Passages and Illuminations: American Documents This copywork course refines cursive handwriting skills through copying, while integrating rich, history-based content. Charleston will simultaneously be working through PreScripts Cursive Sentences and Art Lessons: American History, which offers copywork and handwriting practice using the history sentences we will be memorizing in Foundations.
Piano: Simply Piano Charleston has been doing piano lessons with this app for a few years and has made good progress in just ten minutes of practice each day.
Typing: Charleston is now a proficient typist and no longer needs daily practice through a typing program. His typing practice will now come through typing his writing assignments for Language Arts and IEW and occasionally copying charts for Essentials
KALINDA & SULLIVAN (1ST GRADE):
Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Level 1 Language Arts Course This parent-led course combines reading, phonics, writing, spelling, literature, grammar & punctuation, geography, and art to cover more than 80 foundational rules. Th lessons incorporate plenty of beautiful artwork and fun activities to make challenging concepts more enjoyable while emphasizing God, family, nature, beautiful art, and strong moral values.
Reading for Kali: Reading Booster B Cards and Booster B Book Set These cards align with the Level 1 Language Arts Course and are designed for students to work through at their own pace. Each card focuses on a certain phonics principle or a group of first grade sight words. These Reading Booster Cards also tell you when to read the Reading Booster Books that reinforce the cards’ phonics principles.
Reading for Sully: Reading Booster C Cards and Booster C Book Set Sully worked through the Booster B cards and books last year, and since the cards are designed to go at the student’s pace, he will begin the Booster C cards and books that technically align with the Level 2 course book but can be done ahead of the course.
Math: The Good and the Beautiful Math 1 Course Set This parent-guided course uses activities and games to teach foundational math principles. The course takes a spiral-based approach, so difficult concepts are introduced early and revisited periodically in subsequent grade levels. (A great advantage to sticking with the same curriculum with multiple kids over many years is that I can see where we are headed! Based on my experiences with Charleston, I am much more intentional with helping Kali and Sully master these basic skills.)
Handwriting: The Good and the Beautiful Level 1 Handwriting Workbook The course begins with review of print letter and number formation and moves on to copying more advanced Bible verses and quotes. In addition to printing practice, each sheet offers an opportunity for the child to draw, color, or complete an activity, such as a maze or dot-to-dot.
Typing: Read and Spell A friend recommended this beginners typing course that offers a multi-sensory approach to teaching writing, reading, and spelling. I initially planned on using it with just Kali, who is having a tougher time mastering phonics principles, but after looking through the course I think that Sully will also benefit from the gentle introduction to typing.
ORGANIZATIONAL TOOLS
All of our school resources are kept in a large bookcase in our playroom. Each child is responsible for his or her own pencil box, and every kiddo has a basket that holds his or her folders, course materials, a blank sketchbook for drawing during read-aloud time or while waiting for their siblings to finish work, and a binder with divider tabs for each of our subjects.
I have my own basket that holds my teaching manuals and the materials we use as a whole family, such as our history and science textbooks, read-alouds, Bible study, and this simple planner that I use to keep track of our lessons.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
I shared a huge roundup of all of my favorite homeschooling resources in a post last month. One book I’d add to that list is Leigh A. Bortins’ The Core, which I just finished this month. The book, written by the founder of Classical Conversations, gives a detailed explanation of the Classical model of education and explains how (and why) to incorporate this model into each subject of your homeschool. It’s an excellent tutorial for anyone wanting to learn more about Classical education as well as those who are already engaged in this form of education and want a better understanding of where the model came from and how to make the most of it in our homes.
THE GAME PLAN
I am sharing our ideal schedule based on what has worked for us in the past, but this is flexible and will likely change a great deal as the school year progresses. This schedule is our plan for the next few months, before we jump back in with our weekly co-op, sports program, and other activities; starting in September, we will need to make adjustments to allow for these new additions and the work they entail.
I am often asked about how we manage Nico during this time. Sometimes, Luke is able to help out with him. Otherwise, he hangs out with us, coloring or playing while we are at the table. It’s far from ideal, but we make it work! My *hope* is that this will get a little easier as he gets older, but only time will tell.
MONDAY—THURSDAY:
6:45—Gather in our playroom for morning “circle time,” which includes family prayer followed by our Pledges of Allegiance to the Bible and the American flag and a recitation of the Apostle’s Creed. We also review that week’s Geography memory work on our giant world map.
7:00—Neighborhood walk. The kids take turns choosing each day’s route, and we practice our weekly Bible verse and CC Foundations memory work while we walk. (On rainy days, we skip the walk and review memory work with games indoors.) On Fridays, we choose a spot on our route to record a video of the kids reciting their weekly verse.
7:30—Gather in the living room for our Bible study and review of that week’s catechism questions.
7:45—Move to the school table for half an hour of reading aloud from our current novel. The kids work on their Bible copywork (Monday) or handwriting workbooks (Tuesday through Thursday) while I read, and are allowed to draw or work on other crafts at the table if they complete their work before we are done reading. We end this time with a brief discussion/review of what we have read.
8:15—Charleston moves to another room to work on his Math (taught through video lessons) while I complete the daily Language Arts and Math lessons with the twins.
9:30—Break for breakfast! (If the kids get hungry before this, they are welcome to drink milk or snack on dried fruit or nuts while we work.) We play word games and discuss the morning read-aloud while we eat.
10:00—One-on-one time working with Mom (while the other kids play outside with Nico). This involves Reading Booster Cards, typing practice, and other read-aloud practice with the twins, as well as any other work from their Language Arts or Math lessons that needs to be done individually. With Charleston, this is when we work through the parent/child sections of his Language Arts and I assist him with any of the math concepts he didn’t understand from his lesson. When we begin CC, Charleston and I will work on sentence dictation/diagramming and writing assignments.
11:00—Break time! This is when we do chores, go to the playground or the pool, schedule appointments, visit the library, or run errands. During the school year we will probably go the Y at this time, but in the summer the plan is to go to the Y in the afternoon/evenings when the crowds have died down.
12:30—Gather in the living room for DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time. We all read our own books, Mom included! (Sometimes Luke even joins in if he can take a break from work.)
1:00—Quiet journaling time while Mom makes lunch. The twins may need some help with this, but my hope is that I can assist them if they sit at the counter and work while I cook.
1:30—Lunch time! We usually listen to Adventures in Odyssey or an audiobook while we eat.
2:00—Naptime for Nico (and usually me) and quiet play time for the twins while Charleston does his piano practice and then heads to the office or his room to finish his independent work for the day.
FRIDAY:
6:45 through 7:30—Same as the rest of our weekdays.
7:30—Read through the week’s History lesson. Follow up with discussion and accompanying activities.
9:30—Breakfast!
10:00—Science time as a family, followed by independent activities related to that day’s lesson.
11:00 through the end of the day—Same as the rest of our weekdays, though Charleston will not have independent work on Fridays.
I always get excited to kick off a new school year, even when that “new year” is coming right at the heels of the last year. Sitting down and writing these Game Plan posts are incredibly helpful for ME as I make plans for the year, and I hope that it is beneficial for some of you, too.
If you are a homeschooler, have you started making plans for your coming school year? I’d love to hear about them! And if you have any questions about our own plans, the materials we use, our approach to the school day, or anything else, I would be happy to answer them!
