Our plan for the 2020-2021 school year

It has been a really strange year so far, hasn't it? I'm not sure if this is a relief, or if we are just gearing up for 2020 part two, but we are finally officially halfway through this year! YAY! It's July, it's summertime, and normally that would mean VBS and summer camps and baseball. This year, it mean gardening, time at home, and staying out of the South Carolina heat (okay, that part is the same). It also means that we have started on our new school year. Yes, while parents around the country are anxiously awaiting news of if, when, and how schools will be opening up in the fall, we are already a good bit into our 2020-2021 academic year, and I'm so excited to share with you where we have landed!

I shared last year about the classical curriculum we put together for grades 2 and 6 after making the decision to walk away from the Classical Conversations program that we had adhered to for our first six years of homeschooling. Some of that worked great, some needed tweaking, and some we traded out completely. The biggest change for us this year is that we are adopting a good bit of the Memoria Press curriculum for grades 3 and 7. Let me give you a quick overview of what we are doing. In the weeks to come, I will dive a bit deeper to share more fully how this is all going to be fleshed out this year.

Bible/theology

Our hope for our children is that they will know the Bible thoroughly and intimately. We want them to know the stories and the truths contained therein, but also to turn to it regularly, to study it on their own, and to hide it in their hearts. For this, we are using a lot of familiar materials and some new ones.

For both of my children, we use the New City Catechism to introduce foundational truths of our faith. We are also using the Awana program (whether or not we can do it in a church setting this year) for memory work, including the Trek middle school program for my daughter. She will also continue to choose Bible studies from the Discover 4 Yourself series by Kay Arthur to hone her inductive Bible study skills. In addition to these things, we will be adding the Memoria Press Christian Studies program (level 1 for my son and level 4 for my daughter) to round out their Bible learning.

Math

We are sticking with Saxon. It is thorough and works for us. My son will be using Saxon 5/4 and my daughter will be stepping into Algebra 1.

Science

We will be doing two things with science. Each of my children will use their grade level material from Memoria Press. My son (grade 3) will spend the year learning about mammals. My daughter will focus on trees for the first part of the year as an introduction to botany and biology. At the same time, I will be using Christian Kids Explore Chemistry with them as well, to introduce those concepts to them. None of these are a daily program, so it is quite manageable!

History/geography

For grade three this year, my son will focus on US Geography (using Memoria Press' States and Capitals set) and we will also read a number of biographies from American history. My daughter will also focus on American history using The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic, along with Story of the World Volume 4, and 200 Questions about American History. At the same time, they are both going to be introduced to classical studies. My son will begin learning about Greek Mythology and my daughter will be digging into Greek history with Famous Men of Greece.

Language

Language is multi-faceted! For grammar, we are using Memoria Press' English Grammar Recitation series, book 1 and book 4. For Writing, my son will be continuing with Writing With Ease book 2 and 3 (we are doing every other chapter to catch him up). He is also using the Memoria Press New American Cursive program. My daughter is beginning the Classical Composition program from MP. We are starting her in Level 2, Narrative, and may continue with Level 3, Chreia & Maxim mid-year, depending on how quickly she grasps it.

Along with English language arts, both will be learning Latin. My daughter is finishing First Form Latin, and will begin Second Form sometime in the winter. My son is beginning Latina Christiana. And I am learning right along with them! My daughter is also dipping her toe into Greek with a weekly lesson from the Greek Alphabet.

Literature

I am very excited about using MP's literature program with my kids this year. There are four books in the third grade literature studies and in the seventh grade. They will also each be learning poetry from Poetry for the Grammar Stage. To fast start her understanding of poetry, since we haven't really studied it yet, my daughter will also be using Young Scholar's Guide to Poetry.

Fine arts/practical arts

This part is still a little in flux. I am using Young Scholar's Guide to Composers with both of them. I am thinking about also using Creating Art (MP) as well as several topics from the Ambleside Online scope and sequence.

And that is it, plus our extracurricular activities if those actually happen in the fall. I will give a more in-depth look at each of these areas, as well as how we are structuring our days, in the coming weeks. If you homeschool, what curriculum choices are you making this year? Share in the comments!