Monday marks the first day of school. While this seems early, the whole family looks forward to the return of rhythm and routine. This year is a test drive of a six weeks on and two weeks off schedule, after noting last year that the typical nine week quarters lost steam in their last third. By starting earlier, the breaks coincide with holiday seasons and milder weather for outdoor adventures.
I keep everything organized using a weekly assignment sheet template I developed. It is a customizable Excel file and you can purchase it for just one dollar in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! I fill it out ahead of time and then Emma is set to work independently in most subjects.
Here's a preview of the subject material coming in the next six weeks! (Note: The links below are Amazon affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you purchase through them.)
Religion
The Life of Christ using the Bible Timeline Journal.
Virtue and Saint Studies by doing family read alouds of The Extraordinary Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, and Edith Stein.
Friendly Defenders Catholic apologetics flashcards.
History
The Roman Empire. I am cobbling together history studies from several resources, so stay tuned for a whole post on this topic!
Science
Fungi and Microorganisms. Here again, I am building a course from several parts so stay tuned for more details.
Language Arts
The first literature study of the year will be The Bronze Bow. This is the first time using literature guides from Memoria Press.
Writing is continuing on with Memoria Press' Classical Composition series. It's very different than modern writing curriculums.
Math
Finishing up Glencoe Math Year One Volume Two. The Glencoe curriculum is very much designed for classroom use and I wouldn't recommend it for homeschool use unless your student is able to teach themselves math from the written instructions OR you are willing to invest in the teacher materials and plan to do formal instructional presentations.
Latin
Latin is a key element of my homeschool strategy. The formal process of memorizing and reciting the grammar rules and conjugations is providing Emma with some much needed education in patience and discipline as well as experience learning material that is profoundly unfamiliar and for which there are no shortcuts. The year starts with translation skills.
Fine Art
While Art Appreciation will usually line up with history studies, I have this wonderful coffee table book that I've just been waiting to incorporate. It is full of art from nearly every period and style an walks through the life of Christ.
Music Theory continues with Book 2 in Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory.