By the grace of God this will be our sixth year of homeschooling. The first three years we exclusively used Abeka and the structured approach worked well for us. Last year I switched our oldest daughter to Rod & Staff in order to cut down on our costs, yet maintain a similar teaching method. It was a great fit for us and we will stay with R & S for both of our girls in Math, English, Reading, and Spelling. We are going to branch out a bit this year though in Science & History.
Here is a list of what we will do together for 4th and 5th grade.
Bible
Grapevine Studies- New Testament Overview, Stick Figuring through the BibleWe did the Old Testament version a couple years ago and our girls loved it.They love to draw, color, and create. What better way to learn God's Word than to draw their way through it!
Health
We didn't use this last year, so we will make use of it together this year.
Science
We are very excited to be doing this together and have heard so many great things about Apologia. I am also looking forward to just having to teach from one book. We will be covering two of their topics this year to stay on track in completing all of them by 7th grade.
Astronomy Notebooking Journal
What a great addition these notebooking journals are! We will do Astronomy in Semester One.
Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day
This will begin in Semester Two.
Zoology 2 Notebooking Journal
History
Students I
This is brand new to us this year. This is getting me out of my comfort zone as far as structure goes. Although visiting the library will be a welcome change in routine. Reading aloud with more discussion is what lead me to this choice. The reviews were outstanding too. We will be doing this first one during Semester One.
Students II
This will be the material we cover in the second semester. I would love feedback from anyone who has already used this program. Any pointers that you can share on planning it out?
5th Grade
I love the simplicity of this teaching method. Last year it helped our daughter become more of an independent learner too. It is very well laid out, easy to understand, and it is a hardcover book.
Again, the simple layout of this and the way it flows is such a blessing. There is plenty of review and just enough oral and written practice on the new concepts that are covered each day.
A much more thorough approach than Abeka. We were used to just memorization for the first three years. This covers so much more than that.
Our fifth grader loves to read and flies through the pages. In fourth grade
R & S uses the Bible readers and does a great job with the paired workbooks that aid in comprehension and vocabulary. Beginning in fifth grade they transition into the upper- grade reading series containing 40 prose works, 15 poems, and 5 composition themes. There is also a workbook that goes with it.
We never used this so I couldn't spend the money on anything else. Most of what you need for supplies is already in this book.
4th Grade
I am believing this will be a good transition for our youngest daughter from Abeka. Another thing that I adore about Rod and Staff are the old fashioned pictures throughout the book of classrooms, simple moments of old time fun, etc.
Another great tool is that you only have one book for the teachers manual. Each page has a reduced snapshot of the students text in your book and has the points to cover in teaching, as well as, the answers to the worksheets and tests all in one book.
The instructions for what will be taught are very clear and easy to follow.
This really challenged our fifth grader last year. I am hoping it will do the same for our fourth grader this year coming from Abeka.
The biblical content of the reading material is what sets this program apart. The workbooks are great to strengthen their comprehension and vocabulary.
Again, these were not used so we will save the money and make use of them this year. Most of what you need for supplies is already in this book.
Extra Curricular
Our church offers our girls amazing opportunities in the Arts. They have been in several plays with a church wide cast at Christmas and Easter. They have also been a part of the annual children's play where they have sung solos and had speaking parts.
This year they are going to be taking a dance class with Ballet, Jazz, and Lyrical.
On Valentine's Day we plan to host a craft & cookie exchange.
Field Trips
Our family really enjoys learning through field trips. We started off the year in 2010- 2011 by going to Kennedy Space Center. That was one of the neatest ever and we all had such a great time. It was an awesome value on Homeschool Day and they even gave you a ticket to come back a second day. You will need it- there is so much to see and do there. This year we already have a big science center and aquarium on the calendar to visit this fall.
We will begin schooling the day after Labor Day this year.
Hope you all have a wonderful year teaching, learning, and pouring into your kids. What a blessing it is for us all to have this opportunity to spend such precious time with our children! May the Lord bless and guide us throughout the year!
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