Fifth Grade Reading List

This is the first year I am implementing required reading books for my boys. 

For fifth grade these are the books my son will read.
Most of these he will read alone but a few are part of our History read alouds.

• Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
• Cabin on Trouble Creek by Jean Van Leeuwen
• Sir Lancelot The Great by Gerald Morris
• The Silver Balloon by Susan Bonners
• Escape By Night by Laurie Myers
• Cora Frear by Susan E. Goodman
• Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
• Squanto Friends of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla
• Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
• The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
• The Beatinest Boy by Jesse Stuart
• The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
• The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angela
• Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
• The American Twins of the Revolution by Lucy Fitch Perkins
• Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan 
• A Penny's Worth of Character by Jesse Stuart
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

I chose them from The Good and The Beautiful book list. 

I decided to use this list as I wanted to give my kids books with good morals and values.

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Teaching Textbooks 3.0 GIVEAWAY

This year we chose to use Teaching Textbooks new online subscription. Last year was our first year using Teaching Textbooks and we love it!! I found it took the stress out of math for my oldest and he actually started to enjoy doing math. This year I knew I wanted both of my children to use it.

The reason I decided to continue using Teaching Textbooks is because it is fun and my kids are learning at the same time. I hear laughter every lesson.

My goal as a homeschool mom is to create a love for all subjects and areas that they are working on. I want them to enjoy what they are doing even when they might be having a hard time with a problem. 

Another reason I love Teaching Textbooks is that it is very independent. My children have a schedule everyday and when it is math time they know how to get to the website and log in to their own area and continue with the next lesson. It makes it easy on me and I think it makes them feel more responsible for their time and work.

As you may or may not know Teaching Textbooks 2.0 was book and discs that were shipped to your house before the 3.0 version was released. Everything from the lectures to problems is all online in the 3.0 platform. 

So you may be asking yourself if there is still an option to have a book with the 3.0 version. In the parent area of the 3.0 platform they offer an E-book for each level you are subscribed to. The answer key is also available there. 

This year I love how flexible it is. My boys can use any of the computers in our household and even their tablets because it is online based. 

One thing my kids both have loved is the new buddies and new backgrounds. We use them as rewards. When the kids get a 100 on a lesson or a quiz, they can chose a new background or buddy. It gives them a little incentive to really master the lessons and quizzes. 

As you can see in the picture below the program even offers hints here and there throughout the lessons. They get to chose if they want to use it or not, but it gives them a little information that may help them with solving the problem. You also have control on if you want them to have hints offered.

When they are working on problems, you can set it to allow them two chances or turn that option off. It is extremely functional and easily changed all from the parent area.

My favorite part is that with the 3.0 version I can keep track of grades on any computer. It is not stuck on just one computer as it was with the 2.0 version. I can pull up their grade as soon as they finish a lesson right from my smartphone because of the permanent grade storage they now offer. It makes it so easy to keep up with how they are doing without being right over their shoulder.

The new version 3.0 is extremely affordable now too!

They now offer a Family Plan if you have 4 to 8 students you can get the versions you need at a discounted price. 

They even offer a Free Trial to try it out!! 

When you subscribe you are given a year long subscription to the level of your choice. You are also given 3 months of pause time. This is great if you are traveling and plan to not have school time, just pause it for the time you are away. 

Teaching Textbooks is so kind to offer a GIVEAWAY of a one year subscription of any level that the winner chooses.

Giveaway ends Oct 1 at 12 am.

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5th Grade Curriculum Choices

My youngest is entering 5th Grade and this is the curriculum I chose for the 2018-2019 school year.

Math: Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Math 5
Language Arts: The Good and The Beautiful Level 4
History: The Good and The Beautiful History Year 1
Science: The Good and The Beautiful; Arthropods, Human Body Part 1, Energy, Space Science ( not pictured)
Handwriting: The Good and The Beautiful Level 4
Writing: The Good and The Beautiful Creative Writing

It may seem that we are missing some subjects but The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts includes Geography and Art.

7th Grade Curriculum Choices

My oldest is entering 7th Grade and these are his 2018-2019 curriculum choices. 

Math: Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Math 7

Language Arts: The Good and The Beautiful Level 6

History: The Good and The Beautiful History Year 1

Science: Masterbooks Archaeology and Geology

Handwriting: The Good and The Beautiful Level 6

Writing: The Good and The Beautiful Creative Writing

It may seem like we are missing subjects but The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts covers Geography and Art. 

Updated School Room

With my boys getting older it was time for an updated and new school room look! Took me most of the summer to gather everything I was really wanting and to achieve the look I was going for.

This is when you walk in to the room. The grid will be used to hang important papers from Units we will be doing and to show off work that my boys do.

I decided to get a couple of maps to use as learning material and decoration for the room. My goal was to keep the room very simple and clean. 

Our homemade white board made from marker board from Lowes. The sign to the left will be used to post encouraging quotes. Under the white board is our time line for History 1.

Our new book display that my husband built for us. I love being able to see what the boys are going to read this next school year and some of our read aloud books. 

My desk area

The shelf with drawers is filled with our school supplies. On top of it is my youngest boys Science theme that we are starting with. I also found some nature posters to hang above to go with the Science theme.

My kids desks and chairs from IKEA both look the same. They each have a set of drawers with their school books in them. And our most used supplies are in the middle of the table to share. 

I love that I achieved exactly what I was going for and was able to get rid of so much clutter. Now we all know as Homeschoolers that it might be clean at the beginning of the year but it never stays this way for long. 

I will be back with more posts on what curriculum we chose for 5th Grade and 7th Grade in the next couple of weeks!

We will officially be starting the 2018-2019 school year August 13th. 

When are you starting the school year or have you already started?

Finding What Works

If you are just starting out homeschooling it can be very overwhelming when choosing curriculum. I am entering my 3rd year of buying curriculum, and I finally feel that I have found what works for my family. Go into it knowing that what you chose may or may not work and always be ready to make changes. 

Over the past 2 years I have started each year thinking I found the perfect curriculum for my kids. To only get a few months in and realize it's not working. Then I have to find a way to get something that will work. It can be frustrating or overwhelming, but once you find what works and your child's learning style it gets better! 

My oldest has always hated Math. I started him the first year using Saxon, because I felt I would be able to teach it to his understanding level. It worked but he still hated it. Then I decided to look at his interests. He loves video games and computer time. Why not find a program that will meet his interests while learning. So we started using Teaching Textbooks. It has been a totally different and pleasing year with Math! He loves it and we will continue to use it.

I also learned that minimal curriculum is better. Becoming a minimalist and realizing that less is more has been a blessing in disguise. Our first year I felt I needed to focus on just the basic subjects and we managed to get through them. This year I decided we needed to have writing, handwriting, spelling, geography and all this extra curriculum, which almost seemed like busy work in the end. I ended up setting it all aside and finding something that had it all mixed in and wasn't so overwhelming. We started using The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts and fell in love with this curriculum. We used the Science curriculum also and I could go on and on about how much we love this curriculum! It's very open and go, and they have just made it so easy to teach without stressing about all these extra subjects. 

It just goes to show that you can think you have it all figured out but they are kids and they will through curve balls at you. Interests will change and curriculum will need to be changed. If you go into it knowing this it helps when the stress of making a change has to happen. 

Curriculum Changes Once Again

Choosing curriculum can be one of the hardest parts I've found to homeschooling. I always seem to think I have found what is going to work best for my boys and then they hate it or I hate the layout once we really get into it. 

We have made some changes to our curriculum this school year and what I  have picked has been amazing to take place of what we were using! 

First up was Science. I had chosen the Cambridge Primary Science for both of my boys in level 4 and 6. The material was so dry and boring once we really got into it that I stopped using it pretty early on! We made the switch to The Good and Beautiful Science curriculum and I can't say enough good about it!! We decided to study Intro to Energy and Meteorology!

 We are loving Science now and plan to continue using it for the years ahead. 

Our next change was Spelling. Spellwell just wasn't a good fit for my boys. We also dropped Growing with Grammar as I felt it was just too much like busy work and not enough retention when my boys were using it. Next was the Maps and Geography it was too easy and my boys flew right through it. There was nothing really wrong with it they just found it to be too easy and not enough of a challenge. So you are probably asking yourself well why aren't you telling us what you chose to use instead for each of those. Most of the time you would need to find separate curriculum for each. I was lucky enough to find that The Good and Beautiful offers Language Arts curriculum that includes; Reading, Writing, Literature, Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Vocabulary, Geography, and Art!!

Yep it covers it all!!! So we only needed one book! And better yet Levels 1-5 are free downloads!! No I am not sponsored I am just LOVING this curriculum!!!

So that's where we are at! The rest of the curriculum for History and Math has worked out really well!

Shopping Haul | Target and Mardel's

It's that time of year where I find it very hard to walk past the Dollar Spot at Target. I usually end up spending my whole budget there and don't even get to enjoy the rest of the store. Most of our school room decorations came from the Dollar Spot last year. This year is not much different. I found a lot of new goodies and want to share what I got!

I had seen these books posted all over Instagram and knew they would be fun to read this year with my boys. My first stop at Target I was able to find 5 of them and I later picked up the last of the set. There are 6 in total. The books are Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, Little Women, and The Call of the Wild. I also picked up a pack of blank books to use for poetry writing this year. 

 

I also picked up a Multiplication workbook for my youngest to use this summer and a book about Presidents.

Next from the Dollar Spot were these bookmarks. I like to set a time limit as a minimum for my boys so that they read for at least 30 minutes but usually they read longer. Some days though it can be a struggle and I think these will help. They have a timer right on them which will come in  handy!

Next are just a few things that caught my eyes and I figured we could use somehow. The paper roll we will use for Art. The banks we just needed to replace the small ones my boys have had for a while. The dry erase blocks I plan to use in several areas of our homeschool. I want to use them for Language Arts, Writing, and Math at least. I am sure I will find more ways to use them as the year goes on. 

I found these Fossil Digs and Gem Digs to use with our first couple of Chapters of Story of the World. My boys love things like this so I picked up two of each for them. 

The rest of the stuff from Target I didn't really need but had to have. 

Some pretty new stationary items and mouse pad.

Two new coffee cups even though I don't drink coffee. I might have a slight addiction to these cups as I tend to buy one every time we go to Target. I will use them for hot chocolate in the winter. 

A bin for our Math Manipulatives as our Trofast bin from Ikea was getting too small. 

And the popular storage caddy that is all over Instagram that I am in love with and had to search all over for! It is really cute when filled with a lot of colorful school supplies! 

I also made a trip to Mardel's which is a Christian bookstore and School Curriculum store. 

I only picked up a few things this time. 

A Math fact game in hopes it will make memorizing our facts fun.

A inflatable globe and multiplication flashcards.

And a few books to read this school year. Heroes of History; Daniel Boone and Abraham Lincoln. I also picked up Holes because it was a book I really enjoyed in school and we have seen the movie so I think my boys will really like it. 

Have you found any really good items in the Target Dollar Spot or at another Store? 

Feel free to share! I love a good shopping trip!

6th Grade Curriculum Choices

My son is 11 years old and going into 6th grade for the 2017/2018 school year. These are my curriculum choices for this school year.

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• Grammar- Growing with Grammar Level 6

This is new to him this year and I really think he is going to like the layout and how the curriculum works. He will read his lesson on his own and do the assignment in the student workbook each day. I think it will be much better than all of the diagramming we did last year. 

• Math- Teaching Textbooks 6

I am very excited about him starting Teaching Textbooks this year. He didn't like Saxon Math last year and he loves his time on the computer, so I think he will really enjoy Teaching Textbooks 6. I like that it will teach him and I will be here if he needs help. 

• Science- Cambridge Primary Science 6

I had a hard time finding a science program that I really liked this year. I finally found this and fell in love with the program. Each section has experiments. I also bought the activity book for follow up to each lesson so he would have an activity to really grasp what he has read. 

• Spelling- Spellwell D

With spelling last year I just gave him a list and an expectation to use it each day by writing the words three times or writing them colorfully. This year I wanted to have different activities to do with the spelling words and Spellwell really had everything I was looking for. Each week he will have a new list and activities for each day and then on Friday we will do a spelling test. 

• History- Story of the World Volume 1

This is the subject that both of my boys will do together. I am really looking forward to History this year. I like the fact that I will read the chapter each day and that we will have follow up questions and activities to do that come with the program. We will be using both the Book and Activity Book.

• Geography- Carson Dellosa Maps & Geography

We will be starting off by following directions on a map, to then learning about the United States and the Continents. Both boys will be using the same workbook and we will work together throughout the year. 

Want to see what he used in the past?

Fifth Grade Curriculum

This is what we are starting with! I will update if we make any changes and review how we liked everything at the end of the school year! 

4th Grade Curriculum Choices

My son is 9 years old and going into 4th grade for the 2017/2018 school year. These are my curriculum choices for this school year.

(this post may contain affiliate links)

• Grammar- Growing with Grammar

I am excited for him to use Growing with Grammar as I think he will be able to be more independent while learning. I like the layout of having one section to read each day and then an assignment that follows up with what he will have learned. This is a new curriculum for us so I am excited to see how we like it. 

• Math- Saxon Math 5/4

We used Saxon Math last year and he really liked it and asked to continue to use it. I think it fits his learning style really well and he will be able to be more independent with his Math this year. 

• Science- Cambridge Primary Science

I had a hard time finding a science program that I really liked this year. I finally found this and fell in love with the program. It offers studies in the human body, living things and environment, solids, liquids, and gases, sound, and electricity and magnetism. Each section has experiments. I also bought the activity book for follow up to each lesson so he would have an activity to really grasp what he has read. 

• Spelling- Spellwell C

With spelling last year I just gave him a list and an expectation to use it each day by writing the words three times or writing them colorfully. This year I wanted to have different activities to do with the spelling words and Spellwell really had everything I was looking for. Each week he will have a new list and activities for each day and then on Friday we will do a spelling test. 

• History- Story of the World Volume 1

This is the subject that both of my boys will do together. I am really looking forward to History this year. I like the fact that I will read the chapter each day and that we will have follow up questions and activities to do that come with the program. We will be using both the Book and Activity Book.

• Handwriting- Carson Dellosa Handwriting Cursive

Cursive is an area he struggled with last year. I found his print handwriting needed help so we ended up not doing much cursive the year before. Now that his print handwriting has improved he will be moving on to learning the basics of cursive.

• Geography- Carson Dellosa Maps & Geography

We will be starting off by following directions on a map, to then learning about the United States and the Continents. Both boys will be using the same workbook and we will work together throughout the year. 

Want to see what he used in the past?

Third Grade Curriculum

This is what we are starting with! I will update if we make any changes and review how we liked everything at the end of the school year! 

Summer Learning

We are on our Summer break and will be until September 5th. Our Summer usually involves a lot of swimming, more electronic usage then usual, and lots of playing with friends. This year it includes all of those but we are also reviewing materials learned this previous year. 

We started our Summer by taking a break from the normal learning aspect and just really enjoyed our pool and time away from the homeschool room. As July hit though I realized we needed to implement a little review in to our days as I didn't want them forgetting important aspects from the last school year.

My youngest son is focusing on memorizing all of his multiplication facts. He is also working on his handwriting as it was a struggle we faced this past year and I really wanted him to work on controlling his pencil. I knew if I told him he was in control of how it looked he would do better and so far I have noticed a huge difference in his handwriting. He is also working on Summer reading. I don't give specific books to read but I do ask that he reads 30 minutes a day. 

My oldest son is mainly just focusing on Summer reading. He knows his math facts and I really just wanted to see him curled up with a book. I did assign him 3 books to read this Summer as he is entering 6th grade and I want to start some assigned reading this year. The books he is reading are Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Where the Red Fern Grows, and Dork Diaries book 11. 

I feel it is important for them to have free time to enjoy being kids and exploring. I also want them to have plenty of time with their friends, but I  want to see them learning and remembering what they learned the years before. I think that without some sit down time I would find myself having to remind them of what they know and be in a struggle when it came to certain aspects of homeschooling the next year.

What are your Summer learning plans? Are you still doing school or are you taking a break?

Homeschooling Different Grades

This was a huge worry of mine when we decided to homeschool both of our boys. I knew I was going to have a 3rd and 5th grader at that time and that they would be on different levels with certain subjects. I sat down and researched to see how and if it was something I could do. 

My first realization was that I could teach them both at the same time and that I didn't have to stress, that it would all work out how it was supposed to. I knew I would have to be flexible at times but that it was definitely possible to do.

I decided I wanted to teach them as a group at some times with certain subjects and that I also wanted to be independent with them on other subjects. Last year our group subjects were History, Literature, Geography, Science, and Art. They then had independent time with me for Math, Language Arts, Handwriting, Writing, Spelling, and Reading.



This year my plan is to have our group subjects be History, Geography, Reading, Writing, and Art.
When shopping for curriculum that can be shared I either look for what the publishers say the ages or grade levels their curriculum can be used for. This helps to know that my oldest will learn and my youngest will learn something new from it. This also goes back to other posts where I said being hands on with the curriculum is very helpful as you can really see how it will benefit each of your children.

Independent time will be much more independent this year compared to last year where I sat with them the whole time. This year they will have a planner with what they need to do for that day and complete it. I will go back and forth as they need me to help. Some days I will sit with them to be sure they are understanding what they are doing. Our independent subjects are Language Arts, Science, Handwriting and Spelling.

Math for my youngest will be taught by me, just like last year, and my oldest will be using a curriculum on the computer that teaches him. I will be close by for my oldest though if he needs me.

It may sound complicated but I am really looking forward to how everything is planned out for this year. It is possible to teach more than one grade level you just have to be prepared and figure out what can be taught at the same time and what can be given as independent studies.

What have you found that might be helpful to someone questioning if they can teach more than one grade level?

Testing | My Thoughts

I have always wondered what other homeschoolers do when it comes to State testing or testing in general. Once we decided to homeschool I started researching what was required in my state. In Oklahoma, state testing is required in public school but not required in homeschool. I felt at ease knowing my children would no longer have the stress of having to pass a test to pass a grade, even if they were making good grades in the class. This was one of the main reasons I chose to homeschool my boys. My oldest was going to be held back due to the fact that he struggles with tests, even though he had A's and B's in all of his classes. I also realized when the boys would bring home school work it was test review or test practice. It was never History, Science or just fun reading for a book report. It was always Reading practice or Math practice. So I started to question what was being taught when they were at school. I would ask them if they did any Social Studies or History at school and they would ask what that was. I would explain and they'd say no. I asked if they had Science they said no. It really made me question if they were getting anything taught to them other than what is on a State test. 

Now that we have homeschooled one year through elementary school I realize how much my kids were really missing out on with certain subjects not being covered. I find myself feeling that I have a lot of catching up to do for them. I want them to know everything they have missed out on and to make sure that I am giving them more than what they would have gotten had they continued in the public school system. 

So you may ask, if they don't do state testing how do you know that they are learning what you are teaching? or how do you know that they are on the same level as other kids in their grade? 

I as their mother and teacher am with them basically 24/7, what is taught in the school room doesn't just stay in our school room. I will teach a lesson and then throughout the day or next few days even months ask them about that topic as review. This is how I know that it has sunk in and that they actually are learning. I don't need a piece of paper with multiple choice or fill in the blanks to tell me my child has learned what I have taught. No test will show me what I see in my children daily when they are learning. 

These are my thoughts and how we do things in our homeschool when it comes to testing.
Do you test in your homeschool? What are your thoughts?

Homeschool Supply Must-Haves

From homeschooling through preschool and now with elementary school there have been several items that I tend to use quite often. So these are the top 10 items that I couldn't live without for homeschooling.

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1. Laminator

This is a must as it makes reusing worksheets easier, because you can use them with dry erase markers. It also helps with hanging important things on the wall. There are just so many options and reasons to have a laminator on hand!


2. Dry Erase Board

I made my own and we use it daily! You can check out how I made it over HERE.


3. Pencil Sharpener




We have this one and love it! It is not automatic but it is the best pencil sharpener we have found. Pencils come out perfectly sharpened. The kids also can't over sharpen as once it's done it's done! We tend to sharpen a bunch of pencils at once so there are no interruptions during school time.


4. Lesson Planner
   

Last year I used this planner HERE but this year I plan to use Lessontrek as I want to be able to easily access it without carrying a binder around with me.


5. Computer/ Laptop

This comes in handy for teaching opportunities. We use it to watch videos on YouTube or Netflix. I also use my computer a lot to find teaching supplements on Pinterest.


6. Printer

I would not be able to homeschool without my printer. It is used daily! We are always making copies on it or printing out worksheets.


7. Hole Punch 

This goes hand in hand with my printer. I print a lot of items which means I need to hole punch them so that they can fit into a binder neatly!


8.  Pens

My favorite pens to use are the Papermate InkJoy ones. They last forever and I love that they come in so many colors! I love to be able to use different colors when helping the kids and also to let them have fun when working on worksheets and just writing in general. It adds a fun aspect to work.


9. Library Card

We depend on our Library a lot when it comes to reading time. It helps to be able to check out books we need for a couple weeks instead of purchasing them. My kids love being able to go to the library weekly and pick out books that they want to dive in to.


10 . Post-it Tabs

These come in handy when marking pages in books, planning for the school year, and my kids also use them when they need to mark something in their binders or workbooks.


These are our Top 10 Favorite must haves for Homeschooling!
Do you have any must haves that weren't listed? Share in the Comments!