Sixth Grade Curriculum Choices 2014/2015

 

I can hardly believe we are ready to start sixth grade surreal how fast they grow. We have a very full year planned. I plan for the entire year to make it easier on me in the long run. Though you will see many “plans” know that we are also relaxed schoolers and will slow down if the need should arise. Last year was our first year using the Heart of Dakota curriculum. We really feel that the Lord led us to this curriculum. It has been a perfect fit for us. I love that it’s all planned out, yet flexible enough for me to not feel boxed in. I can change things and add things, but I know that I can pick up the manual and use it as is and we won’t miss a thing.

This year Hailey will be working her way through Heart of Dakota’s Resurrection to Reformation guide. With each category we will use the plans in this teaching manual.  I have all of her notebooking pages and math pages organized in a large binder, and I pull out six weeks at a time and place it in her smaller student binder. All subjects are separated by tabs (shown below). She will reference the teachers manual for daily instruction. 

  

Math

This year we will be working our way through Saxon Math 6/5. We will also utilize many online resources to help teach concepts.

 

• Saxon Math 6/5

History / Geography

We were very excited about history. Both Hailey and myself really love history so we have loved using a history based curriculum. Geography is woven beautifully in with history in this guide. We will use the following resources to learn about this time period.

 

• Heart of Dakota Teacher Manual
• Heart of Dakota History Notebook Pages
• Monks and Mystics
• Peril and Peace
• Story of the Middle Ages
• Draw and Write Through History – Middle Ages
• Famous Men of the Middle Ages
• Mystery of History Vol. 3
• What in the World? Vol. 2
• Map Trek
• World History Atlas

Reading About History

These book are living history books that add so much to our curriculum. I read these over the summer and am excited for Hailey to read them.

• The Legend of Squanto Audio Book
• Mystery of the Silver Coins
• The Tinkers Daughter
• Forbidden Gates
• Ink on His Fingers
• Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation
• Morning Star of the Reformation
• The Story of Walter Raleigh
• A Piece of the Mountain
• Good Queen Bess
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• The Illustrated Book of Knights

Language Arts (Writing, English, Latin/Greek Roots, Spelling)

Language Arts is one of the areas I have done some tweaking to fit our needs. HOD chose a different writing program. I didn’t feel like it was a good choice for us. I chose Essentials in Writing because it was a more step by step program and because of the DVD instruction. If it works out we will stick with this writing program for the duration of her schooling. HOD uses it in 9th grade anyways so it will be a smooth transition to high school writing. At least that’s my hope. We added spelling for additional advanced phonics instruction. I am not sold on the addition of English from the Roots up, and I was going to sell it because we already have such a full schedule I didn’t want to overload her. Well, she has been doing it on her own. So this is not something I will enforce, but as long as she’s interested I won’t stop her.

• Spelling Workout F
• Essentials in Writing
• English from the Roots Up
• Rod and Staff English 5 second half

Bible

I’m excited about the studies and devotions this year.

• Heart of Dakota TM
• The Hidden Treasures in Philippians
• What is God’s Design for My Body?
• Beautiful Girlhood
• The Companion Guide to Beautiful Girlhood
• From Girl to Woman
• Scripture Memory
• Classes at Torah School

Science

• Heart of Dakota TM
• Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy
• Our Weather & Water
• A Child’s Geography Vol 1

Literature

Along with her reading material Hailey will be doing a Shakespeare study. We are both really excited about that.

• Heart of Dakota TM
• HOD Shakespeare Notebooking pages
• Netflex Documentaries and movies
• Bard of Avon
• The Giver
• Heidi
• The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey
• The Prisoner in the Third Cell
• Eight Cousins
• Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa
• The Secret of the Old Mill
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Magicians Nephew
• The Horse and His Boy

We are very excited about our year. Extra Curricular will be taken as it comes. I am getting into a therapy swimming class so that will take up a lot of her time. We will continue with Torah School classes and American Heritage Girls. Art is woven into the teachers manual, and she will be learning to use a sewing machine. We will be busy bee’s.