Curriculum 2009-10

This week's topic is curriculum at the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop over at Life With My 3 Boybarians. Here's a little of what we will be doing this year.

For Math Rylan will be using this:
A combination of Singapore 3A,3B and his Mastering Mathematics curriculum that be has been using since Kindergarten. He is using the Defeating Division book mostly, but will review mutiplying by a 2-digit number and by a 3+ digit number in is Mastering Multiplication book.

Cale will be using this:
Singapore 1A,1B. But in the past 4 weeks that we have been using it I have realized that I prefer a mastery program, so we have taken a break from it for now and are focusing on mastering addition, using the same form as Mastering Mathematics, but using online pages since we don't have another set of work books yet.

For Spelling both boys are using Spelling Power- Rylan as it is written and Cale in more of a weekly spelling test sort of format.

Cohen's using a menagerie of workbooks...2 of which were unused, the others partially used from the other 2 boys. He gets upset if I don't give him workbooks in his box, and goes and gets them off the shelf. He is using a lot of manipulatives too...but he likes workbooks.


Then I picked up a few random workbooks from the $$ section at Target last time we were there. Some preschool, math and phonics ones. They sit on the shelf and if I need them for extra practice or the boys choose to use them they do. Rylan has almost completely finished the Multiplication one...he felt he needed the extra practice :)
With all that said....I get a little anxious when there is too much book work. I *do* like book work for Math, Rylan is a terrible speller and refuses to write if it isn't correct, so we both agreed to do the spelling book. But most of our school time comes from this:
My binder, with my self-made schedule. Numbered day 1 to day 180, so that if we are out one day I don't have to deal with messed up weeks. Sectioned in major subject areas and has areas for read alouds and books to be read. I do about 4 weeks worth at a time, since most of our year is 4 weeks on, 1 week off.

It has lists like this:
and this:

which are a list of about 100+ books, complied from various sources, for each of my readers to either read aloud to me or to themselves. They list the author, which library I can find it at, if we own it, or if we have to find it elsewhere, an approx. reading level and a place for my notes. I use them to pick appropriate books for the other topics we are studying.

My binder also include lots of pages like this...my unit planner page, self made with a place for me to write 4 weeks worth of activities, books to read along with it and book call number for easy finding at the library. Chapterbooks for Rylan to read to himself and for me to read aloud abd important people to study...

We have about 9 different unit we will be studying this year, a different one for each of our 4 week blocks. We are about done with Art, next up is Global Concerns then onto Chemistry. We will do some on government and economics. And ecosystems/biomes and physics.


Speaking of chemistry and physics....A friend of mine introduced me to these great books that are full of great activities and information. We will be using both the Physics (k-3) and Chemistry (5-7) altered for more level-appropriate learning.