Homeschool Curriculum for Grades 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10

Our homeschool curriculum for the year has some old favorites as well as some new items that I’m testing out as I teach 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th grades. 

This week is the week! The kids and I go back to school! I’m excited, thus the early start. But, I also know I tire easily. We may go in four week sprints. I’m not sure. Time will (most certainly) tell.

This blog serves as a very convenient record of our homeschool curriculum over the years. This is my 6th year recording it for posterity. Haha! I share it so that if you’re looking for something to fill a gap in your own family selections, you’ll have a new idea to try. Or if you’re just curious!

Mine is by no means the definitive curriculum for homeschools, just for our family for this particular year. Next year could be totally different. Total box of chocolate scenario here. You never know what you’ll get.

And I really really hope it isn’t that gross fruit and nut concoction that See’s smuggles into the Nuts and Chews every year, the one that I spit out into the trashcan every time. Ugh. Here’s hoping for a great school year, right?!

Our Homeschool Curriculum for the Year

In years past, I’ve shared our curriculum choices in a number of ways. If you’re interested in a walk through time, you can check out these pasts posts. I’m sure they show an electric progression as I learn my way through all the ages and stages. My kids have survived me as their teacher. So far.

Homeschool curriculum by topic

• Grammar
• Teaching Reading
• Teaching Writing
• Math
• Science
• History and Literature
• Foreign Language

Homeschool curriculum by grade level

• 2014-2015 Elementary/Grammar Stage
• 2014-2015 Middle School/Logic Stage
• 2014-2015 High School/Rhetoric Stage
• 2013-2014 All grade levels
• 2012-2013 All grade levels
• 2011-2012 All grade levels
• 2010-2011 was a weird mishmash math/science/foreign language, language arts, history/literature
• 2009-2010 All grade levels

This year, I thought I would lump it all together. In this post you’ll get the rundown of curriculum for our kids in grades: 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.

I’ll be advising my college student here and there — and carting him to the train 4 mornings a week. I’m trying not to be a helicopter mom, but I want to available to offer what help he needs. His living at home during college is a gift, I think. I’m looking forward to those morning rides to the train as a way to connect.

for Everyone

Weekly Check-ins: This is something new thing for this year. These are happening on Sunday nights, I hope. This is when the kids will set up their weekly to do lists and go over them with me. They each have an assignment binder (which I’ll share next week once we’ve tested it for a few days) from which they can copy their assignments for the week. Obviously, this will be easier for the big kids than it will be for the little ones.

Morning Meetings: We’ve always started most school days with a morning meeting. This has evolved over time as the kids have gotten bigger and attention spans have waxed and waned. This year we’ll read a chapter of the Bible together and talk about it. This is also my HEY! I NEED YOUR HELP IN XYZ SO I DON’T GO CRAZY time.

Daily Check-ins: The time for me to check-in with kids about their independent work, sign up on completed items, and make sure they file. I really don’t want a big stack of papers to sort at the end of the year.

Teatime Tuesdays: This is a new addition to our week, influenced heavily by Brave Writer Poetry Teatimes. Poetry is not one of my strong suits, but if tea and scones are involved, maybe I can adapt.

Cursive penmanship: This is not a huge deal to me, but one that I think is important enough for us to give it a go. The older kids have worked on this off and on over the years, but no one really feels comfortable doing it. (It’s really important to Grampa Jack!) My bottom line is that they need to be able to read the original Constitution. 🙂

Ways I’m making it easier: In addition to writing out all assignments for the year, I ordered student pages already printed from Peace Hill Press for the younger kids’  history and the writing. My life is too crazy to make photocopies. I also recorded spelling tests for the whole year in the app on the iPad and printed out all the tests for the year for history and science.

2nd grade homeschool curriculum

My girl isn’t quite an independent reader, so that is my goal this year. That she would love to read is one of my biggest hopes. She is the one who will need the most help from mom on a logistical basis. I kinda think she likes it that way.

Grammar: First Language Lessons 2

Writing: Writing with Ease 1

Reading: finish Phonics Pathways; lots of reading together

Spelling: Spelling Workout A in conjunction with the spelling app on the iPad.

Math: Saxon 2

Science: Science in the Beginning

History/Literature: Story of the World, Volume 1

Extras: swim lessons, running club, learning to type, Latin and French videos, Duolingo and other learning apps

4th grade homeschool curriculum

This girl is a go-getter. She can do pretty much anything once she decides to do it. She’s got a lot of drive and natural ability. Some of the books on her list are those that we didn’t finish last year.

Grammar: finish First Language Lessons 3

Writing: Writing with Ease 3

Spelling: Spelling Workout

Reading: independent an hour a day

Math: Teaching Textbooks 4

Science: Science in the Beginning

History/Literature: Story of the World, Volume 1

Extras: planning and cooking one meal a week (because she really wants to), swim lessons, running club, learning to type, Latin and French videos, Duolingo and other learning apps

6th grade homeschool curriculum

This guy is a sweet heart. He really cares about how people feel and having me tuck him in at night. While he took off like gangbusters in reading at the end of 1st grade, the physical act of printing was difficult. So, spelling and writing were just too much of a fight in his earlier years. I have a feeling that this year we will make up for lost time.

Grammar: English & Grammar, Grade 6

Writing: Writing with Ease 3

Spelling: Spelling Workout

Reading: independent an hour a day

Math: Teaching Textbooks 4

Science: Science in the Beginning

History/Literature: Story of the World, Volume 1

Extras: Minecraft online class, swim lessons, running club, learning to type, Latin and French videos, Duolingo and other learning apps

8th grade homeschool curriculum

This kiddo is the one who loves art and music. As a result, we’ve struggled in math. Oy. We are working to catch up and fill in the gaps before he starts high school work. That said, he’s really a pleasure to be with, so I have no real complaints. Just want those college doors to be wide open.

Grammar: Language: Usage and Practice

Writing: Brave Writer’s Help for High School

Spelling: Apples Daily Spelling Drills

Vocabulary: Vocabulary from Classical Roots B

Reading: independent an hour a day

Math: ALEKS self-paced

Science: Exploring Creation with Physical Science

History/Literature: Beautiful Feet Ancient History

Extras: piano, swimming, running learning to type, Latin and French videos, Duolingo and other learning apps

10th grade homeschool curriculum

Now that one son has graduated from high school, I feel like I have a little more of a clue of how this should all go down. My first child said his regret from high school was not being more on the ball with math. My bad.

With this child, already my regret is that we didn’t get farther in our French curriculum last year. My bad again. I’m delegating this year as a result. As luck would have it, I WON a free semester from Language City. I’ll give a report in the new year to let you know how it goes.

English 10 (Grammar: Language: Usage and Practice High School, Writing: Brave Writer’s Help for High School, Spelling: Apples Daily Spelling Drills, Vocabulary: Vocabulary from Classical Roots B, Reading: independent an hour a day)

Math: Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2

Science: Exploring Creation with Physical Science

History/Worldview: Veritas Press Omnibus 1

Foreign Language: Language City French 1

Performing Arts: Filmmaking from the First Directors

PE: Swimming and Running

You can get a $25 discount off a Language City class, when you use this code: VIZ40

Whew! So, that’s my year. Wish me luck, eh? And pray real hard.

What’s your homeschool curriculum looking like?

If you do extra learning after school with your kids (not specifically homeschool), share that with us, too. What are some of your great finds of the year?