ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, K-4 Copyright 1999 by the author. Please do not reproduce. This material is adapted from The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home.
Jessie WiseNOTEBOOK SUMMARY, GRADES 1-4
Use six notebooks, one each for Spelling, Grammar, Reading, Writing, Science, and History.
SPELLING (use the same notebook for grades 1-4)
This notebook contains three sections:
1. RULES: Start copying rules when you reach Spelling Workout B
2. TROUBLE WORDS: As soon as you notice that the child is consistently misspelling words, write these into the notebook.
3. ALL ABOUT WORDS: Start when you reach Spelling Workout C.GRAMMAR (use the same notebook for grades 1-4)
1. EXERCISES
2. RULES
You'll begin using this notebook when you start English for the Thoughtful Child (around second grade) and will continue to use it as you progress into formal grammar.READING (use the same notebook for grades 1-4)
This notebook contains two sections:
1. MY READING: Summaries or illustrations of books.
2. MEMORY WORK: All pieces learned by heart and recited in front of family or friends.WRITING (use the same notebook for grades 1-4)
This notebook contains four sections:
1. COPYING: In first grade, use the Copying section for samples of penmanship; every week or two, put a writing sample in this section. When the child begins copying sentences from great writers, file these in Copying as well.
2. DICTATION: When dictation work begins (around second grade), put all dictation exercises in the Dictation section (you'll no longer be using the Copying section at this point).
3. EXERCISES
4. COMPOSITIONS: This section and Exercises, above, will not be used until you start the Writing Strands program (usually around third grade). In this way, the notebook will serve as a complete record of the child's writing development in grades 1-4.HISTORY (use the same notebook for grades 1-4)
This notebook contains four divisions: each has pictures, compositions, and historical narrations, arranged in chronological order:
Grade 1 Ancients, BC 5000-400 AD
Grade 2 Medieval/Early Renaissance, 400-1600
Grade 3 Late Renaissance/Early Modern, 1600-1850
Grade 4 Modern Times, 1850-PresentSCIENCE (use a new notebook each year)
The life-science notebook (first grade) has three divisions:
1. Animals
2. The Human Body
3. Plants
The earth-science notebook (second grade) has two divisions:
1. The Earth
2. Sky and Space
The chemistry notebook (third grade) has two divisions:
1. Definitions
2. Experiments
The physics notebook (fourth grade) has two divisions:
1. Definitions
2. Experiments
Phonics Pathways (Dorbooks) can be ordered from Bookzone. The Victory Drill phonics primer is available from Rainbow Resource Center. For a supplements, you can use MCP Plaid Phonics, new edition. Order from Modern Curriculum Press (1-800-321-3106). Starts at K for alphabet recognitions. You may be able to start level K with a 3 or 4-year-old depending on ability to cut, color, follow dot-to-dto, etc. K-4 RESOURCE LIST
PHONICS
MCP Spelling Workout series can be ordered from Modern Curriculum Press. Starts with A (first grade level) and goes through H (eighth grade level). SPELLING
Ofrder all from Zaner-Bloser, 1-800-421-3018. For parent: Self Instruction in Handwriting for $9.99 (Item CI700080). This is all you need, if you just want to teach using pencil and paper. If you prefer, you can also order continuous-alphabet student practice books: Grade 1 is manuscript printing, Grade 2C transitions into cursive. HANDWRITING
Begin English for the Thoughtful Child (order from Greenleaf Press, 1-800-311-1508 for $18.95) after you have completed Spelling Workout A, or when the child can write simple sentences. Use around grade level 2, and take a full year (or as much as two years) to go through it. When you have finished, go on to A Beka BookLanguage 3 and Writing Strands 2. A Beka Book grammar workbooks begin with the Language 3 and continue on with God's Gift of Language A, B, and C (grades 4, 5, and 6). Start buying the teacher's editions when you need the answers. Don't buy the language curriculum. It was written for classroom use and contains material that doesn't help home schoolers. GRAMMAR AND BEGINNING COMPOSITION
Saxon Math (1-800-284-7019) starts with K, which you can begin at either age 4 or age 5. You can also go straight into 1 in first grade without doing the kindergarten curriculum. Math-U-See (757-72107129) also offers a good math program. MATH
Latin Primer, Book I and Latin Primer, Book 2 can be ordered with teacher's guides from Canon Press (1-800-488-2034) for $15 each. Teacher's guides are $15 each. Audio cassette pronunciation aide is $4. Can be used with third and fourth-grade level students. Canon has just introduced a Matin Latin book for young students; although we haven't seen it, this sounds like a good introductory text to use before the Latin Primer. LATIN
The Usborne Book of World History can be purchased from bookstores, Usborne dealers, or Rainbow Resource Center. Over the four years of grades 1-4, cover the following years. If you're teaching several children, adjust this so that you've covering the same period of history with each child, demanding more reading and writing from the older ones. HISTORY
Grade 1 Ancients, BC 5000-400 AD
Grade 2 Medieval/Early Renaissance, 400-1600
Grade 3 Late Renaissance/Early Modern, 1600-1850
Grade 4 Modern Times, 1850-Present
For fourth grade, you'll need the Usborne History of the Twentieth Century, a separate volume.Most of these texts are easily available from major bookstores, online booksellers, or Rainbow Resource Center (1-888-841-3456) or an Usborne representative for Usborne texts. SCIENCE
Grade 1, Biology The Usborne Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Natural World. For experiments, use More Mudpies and Magnets: Science for Young Children (Gryphon House, 800-638-0928). Also use for Grade 2.
Grade 2, Earth Science/Astronomy Visual Factfinder: Planet Earth (Kingfisher) and Visual Factfinder: Stars & Planets. Both available from Rainbow Resource Center. NOW OUT OF PRINT; SEARCH FOR USED COPIES AT ABEBOOKS.COM, OR USE THE USBORNE EARTH & SPACE INSTEAD.
Grade 3, Chemistry Adventures with Atoms and Molecules 1 and 2, supplemented by The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia.
Grade 4, Physics Science in a Nutshell Kits (order from Delta Education, at http://www.delta-education.com/teachers/science/nutshell.html), supplemented by The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia.
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