Our 2017-2018 Homeschool Curriculum
Our 2017-2018 homeschool curriculum post is here! This year has taken more thought and planning than some, but I think that will only make it better!
As you may remember, our oldest daughter graduated this past spring, so now I only have four students instead of five. Honestly, it was sort of strange to plan a school year without including my original homeschool student.
At least planning was made so much more enjoyable by my new homeschool planner!
2017-2018 Homeschool Curriculum
This year we have the following grades (and I only refer loosely to grades): 11th, 8th, 6th, and 2nd-ish.
Yes, I’m rather sad that I no longer have any preschoolers! I miss doing Before Five in a Row with my youngest. But, time must go on, and things change. I’m still enjoying the fact that I can include Montessori trays and sensory bins with him, though. 🙂
I made a video to go with this post, so if you’d like to see me go over some of our picks “in person,” watch the video below!
11th Grade
Affiliate links included below. Read my disclosure here.
My second daughter will be in 11th grade this year. If you look back at our curriculum choices last year, she was in 9th grade, but she’s had quite a jump in her academic progress and her work this year reflects that.
Her birthday is in one of those months where it was hard to decide which grade to put her in (when she was younger), but she wants to graduate with friends her age, and she’s perfectly capable of doing so.
This girl prefers to work independently, and she particularly requested textbooks for history. So, that’s what she’s got. 🙂
- Notgrass American History and Government
- Teaching Textbooks Geometry
- Easy Grammar Grade 11
- Writing with Skill
- Literature Reading List
- Integrated Physics and Chemistry
- Physics 101 and Chemistry 101 DVDs
- Rosetta Stone Spanish
- The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Study
- Hand Lettering 101
8th Grade
I can hardly believe this oldest son of mine is going to be in 8th grade! I spent a lot of time thinking about and praying about which books would be the best for him this year. He’s such a sweet guy, and he loves everything electronic. He’s always been that way, even as a little boy.
I wanted to do a completely Charlotte Mason living books approach for him, and I think I succeeded! I love the year I have planned for him, and I think he will, too.
- Beautiful Feet Books Early American and World History
- Pin It! Maps
- Teaching Textbooks math
- Physics 101 DVDs with the following living book choices: The Flying Circus of Physics, Exploring the World of Physics, Six Easy Pieces, and Michael Faraday: Spiritual Dynamo
- Physics Experiment Kit
- Easy Grammar Grade 8
- IEW Student Writing Intensive Level B
- Latina Christiana
- The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Study
- Computer programming course (we haven’t decided which one yet)
6th Grade
My youngest daughter will be in 6th grade this year. She’s an extremely diligent and hard-working student, and she loves her school work!
I think she’s really going to enjoy her books this year. Except maybe that huge grammar book!
- Beautiful Feet Books Early American History Intermediate
- Pin It! MapsÂ
- Teaching Textbooks Math 6
- A Reason for Handwriting F
- Easy Grammar Grade 6
- Institute for Excellence in Writing
- Spelling You See Level G
- Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology
- Latina Christiana
- God’s Great Covenant: Old Testament 1
2nd Grade
My youngest will be doing a mixture of 1st/2nd/3rd grade this year. One of the things I love about homeschooling is the ability to tailor the lessons to each individual child, and that’s what I’m doing for this little guy.
As I mentioned last year, he seems to have a bit of dysgraphia, which makes writing letters and numbers difficult for him. He’s extremely smart, is a great reader, and does a great job of answering questions verbally. It’s just the writing that is hard for him, and that makes traditional math options a struggle.
Last year I tried to come up with my own hands-on math program that he could complete without doing much writing. But this year I found an even better option in the form of Right Start Math. I am so excited about this math curriculum.
We struggled along with a simple handwriting program, working slowly on his letters a little each day, but it didn’t seem to help much. We wrote letters in sand and did some Montessori tray activities to help with fine motor skills.
I plan to continue with the Montessori trays and fine motor activities, as I think they’re good for him, and they’re also fun.
This year I’m trying Handwriting Without Tears. We went back to first grade for that one, because it seemed he might need that foundation. It looks like such a cute program, and it’s supposed to help those who don’t love handwriting. 🙂
- Right Start Math Level B
- Handwriting Without Tears 1
- Beautiful Feet Books Early American History Primary
- First Language Lessons
- All About Reading Level 3 (possibly—I’m still trying to decide!)
- All About Spelling
- Pin It! Maps
Classical Conversations
Something new we’re doing this year is adding in Classical Conversations Foundations memory work. We don’t have a community, but we’re just going to be doing the memory work portion, probably during Morning Time. It’s perfect that we’re doing American History and we’re doing the CC Cycle 3, which is also focused on American History.
Morning Time
I have so many good things planned for Morning Time this year! My main goal for this time is to give priority to the most important things, which for us will be Bible study, Bible memory, picture study, art study, poetry, and hymn study. Here are some of the primary resources we’ll be using:
- The Ology
- God’s Names
- Children’s Bible Learning Cards
- Come Look With Me: Art in Early America
- Queen Homeschool Picture Study: Early America
Nature Study
Since I love the concept of nature study, we’re continuing on with it even though my children are getting older. Here are some of the things we’ll be using:
- Exploring Nature with Children Guide (read my full review here)
- The Handbook of Nature Study
- The Law’s Guide to Nature Drawing and JournalingÂ
Of course we’ll also be continuing with weekly art projects and cooking projects.
Now I just need to make a few more plans (dividing up books for reading assignments, planning art projects, etc.) and then I think we’ll be ready! My plan is to begin the second week in August, which will be here before we know it.
Related Posts:
What are you using this year? I’d love to hear what your plans are for the coming school year!
This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure here. Sharing here.
Hi Joy! As per my comment on Instagram, I will also be using Early American history, primary and intermediate as well as world and early American history for 8th grade from Beautiful Feet.
We also use teaching textbooks for math and I can’t imagine it any other way! My son will probably start TT math 3 in January and my girls will be in TT math 5 and TT pre-algebra. I’ve been doing Horizons and Kumon workbooks for my kindergartener and will probably continue that for 1st grade (although a young one since she just turned 6).
We LOVE IEW. This will be my 8th grader’s 3rd year doing the Fix-it Grammar and 4th year doing the writing (first year was Level A and then we moved on to the themed programs, Ancient, Medieval, and now American History writing). My 5th grader will have her first year in the fix-it and 3rd year in writing.
But, back to BF history! I was wondering how you are going to incorporate the Pin-it Maps? Which maps your family will be using? And, if each child has a set (or single) map they will be using or does everyone do it together and share?
I also like your ideas for Bible and verse memorization. I might just order The Ology and all the other items you have listed for your morning basket time! I’m always piecing that together! Thanks for the great ideas
Hi Bridget! Thanks so much for sharing some of what you’re using this year. And thanks for sharing your experience with IEW! I got a free copy of one of the Fix-It Grammar books, and I might just switch to that next year, depending on how things go.
Regarding the Pin It Maps, we have the whole set, and everyone just shares them. This year we will be primarily focusing on the U.S. History bundle (which I reviewed last year here). We’ll also use the North America Animal Ecology set and the Land and Water map set. Since we’re doing Classical Conversations Cycle 3 (which is U.S. History), the maps, the CC memory work, and BFB Early American History will all go together very nicely. I plan to incorporate the geography/map work into our Morning Time.
I’m so glad the ideas were helpful!
Those are great choices and lots of similarity to what we use. Love Teaching Textbooks, love Apologia and Beautiful Feet. For writing we love Writing and Rhetoric by Classical Academic Press. I have used Right Start math when my son was younger and I think it will be perfect for your son. Lots of learning through hands on and games, very little workbook stuff. I am using it this year for my daughter because she struggles with math and we have tried MUS and Saxon and it’s not clicking. Have a great year!! God Bless you and your family.
Thank you, Nancy! I’ve heard great things about Writing and Rhetoric. And thanks so much for the encouraging words about Right Start Math—I’m hoping it will be just what he needs right now. Blessings to you!
The IEW program you have listed, have you used it before? I am looking at the program but am not sure exactly how the program works. Any suggestions, ideas of exactly what I should purchase……..as in do I need the seperate Teaching DVDS AND then the student dvds/workbook? Trying to make our plan for the year as well . THanks
Hi Regina,
This will be our first year using IEW. If you go to their website, they have what’s called a “Decision Tree” tool, here. If you go through the questions they ask, it might be helpful in determining what you need to purchase. That’s how I determined which level to buy.
I got the Level B Teaching Writing/Student Writing value package (for my 6th and 8th graders), so I’m watching the teaching DVDs this summer and then I’ll be using the student writing part with my children when we start school in August. The student writing program states that you do not have to have the teaching writing part to teach the course. So, you could probably use the student writing set without the teacher one. I’ve been putting on the teacher instruction DVDs while I clean or work on another project, and I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve learned so far.
Hope that helps!
I noticed you use Teaching Textbooks….can I ask a few questions about them? I am wanting to use it this for 5th grade. Are they on cd disc? Are they a full year’s worth of math? What is your opinion? Do I need both the digital and paper forms of TT? Anything you can tell me would be great!
Yes, we’ve been using Teaching Textbooks for years now, and I can’t imagine using anything else for math. You can read my full review here. For each grade you get a set of CDs and there’s also a workbook. I always have them use both the CDs and the workbook, since I feel like they retain the information better if they’re actually writing down the problems and answers (and the completed workbooks are proof that they actually did the work). But I have heard of some families who allow their children to do it all on the computer (eliminating the workbook).
Each lesson has a lecture, and then some problems are worked as examples for the student to follow. So, the student watches the lecture on the computer, works the problems in their consumable workbook, and then types their answer into the computer. The program then grades the problem. If the student needs help, they can watch the problem being worked on the screen, and they also have the option of re-watching the lecture. All the grades are stored in a gradebook on the computer. I love that it’s all automated.
I hope that helps! I am so happy with Teaching Textbooks that it’s the one thing that stays the same year after year in our homeschool.
Thank you for your reply! I am beginning to HATE teaching math! She will be in 5th grade this year but I’m not set on which grade level she will need. I need to do the pre test for the 5th grade level and find out what she will need. Do you find it true to grade level? Do you know about how long the lessons last at this level? We aren’t math people either and I’m just tired of trying to explain and teach stuff I don’t particularly enjoy nor use (like exponential multiplication and getting into higher math concepts).
Thanks!
I can relate to hating to teach math! I enjoy it for the younger grades, but then I’m done. 🙂 For our family, we have found TT to be true to grade level, but it depends on each individual child’s abilities. I have friends (math people) who put their children into a higher grade level of TT, but for us it always seems spot on.
Independent Work–
8th grader: Apologia Physical Science
Saxon Pre-Algebra
6th grader: Apologia Land Animals
Saxon 7/6
Grammar (on their own level)–
Easy Grammar
Daily Grams
Fix-it Grammar
Wordly Wise
Writing (together under my guidance/instruction)–
journal
creative writing
IEW
letter writing
We won’t do each part of writing and grammar every day. I have them on a loop schedule. We will, however, do morning time, science, and math every school day.
Roan, thank you so much for sharing what you’re using this year! It sounds like you’ve got a great year planned! We’ve used several of the Simply Charlotte Mason history guides, and they were simple and effective. I love your plan for writing. This will be our first year with IEW, and I’m really looking forward to it. I may have to add in some journal and letter writing also.
Congratulations on the weddings! I imagine things have been very busy at your house this summer. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your curriculum choices. I am having a very different school year this year. I have 5 children but will have only 2 in my homeschool this year. My oldest is 22, she just graduated from college and is getting married this Saturday. The next daughter is 20, and she has finished 2 years of college. She got married last month and she is continuing her college education. The next child is 18, and he will begin college in August. That leaves me with the 8th and 6th grade children at home. Since they are so close in age (13 and 11), I plan on teaching them together as much as I can. Here is what we are using:
Morning Time—
Bible Study (Bible Study Guide for All Ages, the Bible, and various character study books)
Rotating Subjects (one per day): hymn study, president study (we began this year and need to finish), artist study, state study (another thing we began last year), composer study, poetry, nature journal
Simply Charlotte Mason History/Geography Module 1 (This is new for me…..I have used Sonlight for many, many years, but I wanted to scale back this year.)
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Hi Joy,
We too graduated our #4, we have four left (9th grade, 4th grade, 2nd grade, and 1st grade).
I tried Spelling You See last year and loved it! We have also used Andrew Pudewa’s writing materials and learned so much. I am a big fan of Beautiful Feet too.
We use Video Text for Algebra and Geometry, but I use Abeka workbooks for elementary math. They are solid and it has worked for us. For history I found a unit study on Washington state (where we live) so we will study state history this year and hope to add in field trips that make it relevant and fun. I could go on, but then this comment will be too long. Anyway, thanks for posting what you will be doing. You always have great ideas and resources!
Thanks so much for sharing some of what you’re using this year, Carol! Your state study sounds awesome! I need to plan one for us since we’re doing U.S. History this year. I love the idea of adding in field trips to make it even more fun.