Our Curriculum

Having been a former elementary educator, I assumed that the curriculum selection process would be a relatively easy process; however, I think some of my knowledge-base actually convoluted my decision making.  I really struggled in the area of curriculum selection, internalizing a lot of pressure to make the -right- choice for our children.  I wanted to find curriculum that met my teaching style and the children's different learning styles.  I wanted to find something that would effectively integrate literature, mulitculturalism, constructivist principles, and be faith-based.  In addition, I had to factor in budget and the resources that I had already accumulated throughout my teaching years, and I wanted the curriculum to be easily differentiated to meet the various learning stages of each child.  When I combined all of these self-imposed requirements with all of the options available, I was OVERWHELMED (to put it mildly)!

To begin the curriculum search, I reflected upon my prior years of teaching.  Then, I met with several homeschooling families and inquired as to what was working in their homes.  I also spent a lot of time perusing this resource which was a great recommendation from a homeschooling family:

Cathy Duffy's 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum provided a great review of some potential curriculum options.  After MUCH research, a LOT of question asking, and some TRUST in intuition, I decided on some of the following:

Language Arts:  

Before Five in a Row, Five in a Row (FIAR), and FIAR Christian Character and Bible Supplement
  

http://fiveinarow.com/

There are several reasons that this curriculum stood out for me.  I really like how it utilizes literature to teach SO many skills.  Children LOVE to hear stories, and much learning can be done by just listening to a story.  The literature that is selected gives children a global perspective and allows for them exposure to cultures outside of their own.  Each story has activities that link several curricular areas together so that the children can see how our world is a connected place. In addition, I like how, with this particular curriculum, I can utilize the public library for the literature and, hence, save a lot of money!  The lessons can be modified easily for a variety of developmental levels, and the Christian Character and Bible Supplement lessons connect directly to the literature as well.

Immersion in literature...that is the goal!

Recently, I stumbled upon this quote, and although it is not true for ALL kiddos all the time, it sure does make a difference in the life of a child when he/she gets to have the opportunity to be read to:

  

Math:

Everyday Mathematics

http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/about/

While teaching elementary school in the Millard Public School system in Omaha, Nebraska, I was blessed to be able to utilize this phenomenal mathematics curriculum.  The curriculum is fabulous at introducing Mathematical concepts concretely and then transitioning toward a more abstract understanding.  In addition, the curriculum spirals, so children review concepts frequently.  Through this repetitive exposure of mathematical principles, children develop an improved understanding of how Math works. Although I am not a huge proponent of the Common Core philosophy and how it is impacting education, it is the current trend and children are being held accountable for their mastery of Common Core standards; therefore, I think that it is important to note that the Everyday Mathematics curriculum is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.  

I found this curriculum to be SO effective with the students that I worked with at the elementary level, that I even designed my graduate education project around constructivist mathematical principles.  I wanted to empower parents to understand constructivist mathematical concepts so that they could relay them to their children when completing homework assignments at home.  I hosted "Mathemagical Nights" for parents and invited them to learn Math in the manner in which their children were learning Math in my classroom.  It was phenomenal watching how these "Mathemagical Nights" transformed parents' perceptions of constructivist math.  

Calendar Math

As part of our daily routine, our children will do calendar Math each morning.  Patterning, place value, estimation, problem solving, graphing, and counting can all be integrated into this daily routine.

History:

The Mystery of History

http://www.themysteryofhistory.info/

This year, we will be working through Volume 1 of the Mystery of History entitled "Creation to the Resurrection."  This curriculum is differentiated very well for K-12, and so it is a program that I will be able to utilize more than once as the children are able to process concepts at higher levels of thinking as they get older.  As the children progress through the program, they continue to update a timeline and add to a notebook of their learning about the seven different continents.  It has been intriguing to me how the lessons are arranged chronologically so that one can truly see how biblically recorded stories and teachings fit into the big picture of world history.  Since world history and the bible are not taught as separate entities with this curriculum (as is often the case), there is not the missing link of how events were linked together in a scope of time.  

The author of the curriculum, Linda Lacour Hobar, says it so well in her introduction, "History is oftentimes tragic, but it is real and therefore immensely meaningful.  When not tragic, it is uplifting and inspiring.  I am enthused by the great stories of God's justice, of man's patriotism, and of ordinary heroism.  The good and the bad all help to give me perspective" (xxiii).  The author relays the importance of learning "HIS-Story..." that if the reason "we are here one earth is to know God and to make Him known," then "the STORY of God and man is worth our extra attention" (xxii).  I hope that, through this curriculum and our many experiences making history come alive for our children that they, too, will discover that "the STORY of God and man is worth our extra attention" (xxii).

Phonics:

A Handbook for Reading: Phonics Textbook by A Beka

A Beka is very traditional in its approach to teaching.  Although this does not necessarily fit my overall teaching style, I do think that there is a time and place for "traditional."  I am believe that the ultimate way to teach a child how to read is to read to him/her from the time he/she is born.  There is nothing like snuggling up together with a wide array of literature several times a day to fuel the passion for reading.  If one teaches a child to read, he/she can truly be a life-long learner on his/her own.  There are certain phonetic principles though that I feel are really beneficial to a child's overall understanding of language, and, so, therefore, I felt it necessary to integrate phonics into our daily routine.  And, to be honest, as we work through the curriculum, I am learning rules that I never even knew existed in the English language.

In addition, we will utilize the BOB books with our phonics instruction.  Our oldest child really enjoyed these in her preschool experience!

Handwriting:

Zaner-Bloser

Having been trained in my undergraduate experience how to teach handwriting, this is an area that I definitely did not feel the need to invest in a whole curriculum set of fancy handwriting pages.  Instead, regular handwriting paper will suffice.  The important thing is that I relay that "handwriting" is NOT "writing."  I believe that they are completely different "subject areas" during the school day and are, therefore, both allocated time each day. 

Writing:

Six +1 Trait Writing

Children can begin writing LONG before they have mastery of handwriting.  There are so many techniques to utilize with the little people to help them convey their ideas in written language from guided writing, to writing through pictures, etc.  Empowering children to see themselves as authors at a very early age is so important.  The six traits of writing are:

1.  Ideas

2.  Organization

3.  Voice

4.  Sentence Fluency

5.  Conventions

6.  Word Choice

+1 Presentation

Each trait needs to be explicitly taught, and one of the BEST ways to teach writing is to utilize fabulous pieces of writing by phenomenal authors as models.  Capturing ideas in writing is a powerful tool that I want each of our children to feel confident in and ENJOY doing.

Four-Square Writing

As a tool for developing the writing trait of Organization, we will utilize the Four Square Writing method.  I think that this is a powerfully VISUAL tool for children to develop an understanding of how to organize their thoughts.  As the child gets older and more adept at writing, the method integrates tools to help the child utilize effective transition words in his/her writing pieces, too.

Each curricular area will be supplemented by additional resources, but these will be our main texts that we utilize.  This is what I thought would work best for our family and my teaching style.  There are SO many other FABULOUS resources available on the market.  I am sure that my selection choices will be modified or changed as needed.