This week, we are beginning our second 12-week term here at Ambleside Classical! Here is a list 20 Things coming up this term, in no particular order, and a list of two things we are switching and ditching. ; )
20 Things About Second Term - All of a Kind Family. The Guilded Age. Earthquakes. Oliver Twist. Marie Curie. Rocks & Minerals. Capitalism. The Wizard of Oz. Plate Tectonics. Monopoly. Inferno in Chicago. Properties of Magma. Arctic Explorers. Henry Ford. Volcanoes. Hawaii's last queen. Conservation. The Teddy Bear President. The Great War. Rilla of Ingleside.
Switch and Ditch #1 - Elementary Greek is not working and dh and I have decided to ditch it for this term. Instead, we will be switching to Prentice-Hall's Inside Earth in that slot. At end-of-term assessment, I discovered that my dd needs additional science reinforcement with the Cyber-Ed Science we are currently using. I also believe that we need to devote more days to science at this level in order to synthesize all the science vocabulary. A once-weekly block for science was great up until now, but at this point dd seems to need more days for science. Another good reason for adding more science is to exercise the mind. Though not in the same way as Greek, science can stretch the mind and exercise it in logical thought. Science for Greek seems like a good switch for us at this point.
Switch and Ditch #2 - A planned Language Arts switch this term is Total Language Plus in place of Christian Light. We will be using the Where the Red Fern Grows guide, and this will be our first run with this curriculum (I am not a big fan of literature analysis and guides until middle school, when a student has entered the Logic stage). The TLP (Total Language Plus) guide includes comprehension questions, vocabulary, spelling, dictation, special project choices and writing ideas each week. Many of the exercises call for making judgements and exercising Biblical principles. It looks moderately difficult, and it is going to ask my middle schooler to THINK, however painful that may be. : )
I plan to alternate traditional grammar instruction with a literature guide each term. My dd is very solid on parts of speech and sentence diagramming, thanks to her background in Shurley and CLE. I dream of the day we will eventually drop grammar as a separate subject after 8th or 9th grade! From then on, we will be able to concentrate on composition, essay writing, and literature analysis. But I am digressing....
Our new schedule for Term 2 looks like this:
Age of Extremes or The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt
Wise Up! Bible or Heaven For Kids
CLE Math
Phy-Ed & Music (alternate composer study, folk, hymn)
Total Language Plus
Poem-A-Day
Earth Science or Book Basket Reading
Fridays will still have a hands-on focus with science activities, geography, notebooking and choice of Total Language Plus projects.
Have you switched or ditched anything this year? How is your homeschooling going?
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3 comments:
We are halfway through our TLP study and loving it. I think it's going to be one of the highlights of our year. I hope you find that it works for you. :)
Rhonda
Your plan looks great! Keep us posted on TLP. I looked into that too, but decided against it at the time. All the best!
Stacy :-)
So far, so good on the TLP! We completed our first week and no problems yet. TLP is strong on vocabulary and spelling, which is something we have been pretty light on lately. I hope Lesson 2 goes as well.
: )
Tami
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