Hey there, I’m back again! This time with an update on one of my daughters’ curriculum for this school year. (I previously blogged about our 4th grader’s picks so definitely head back a post and view that if you need!) Today is all about 3rd grade! Luckily we just finished up this level with my son last year so I was already pretty solid on what had worked and what didn’t, therefore planning her year was fairly painless. Let me just mention again that we homeschool with help from a Charter (even though prior, I spent 4 years private homeschooling), so all of her curriculum does align with Cali expected State Requirements. To clarify, we don’t use any common core aligned curriculum but I do have to touch on certain topic criteria within a subject to align to that grade level, similar to children in the public school system. I used to think this was a hindrance in my planning but I’ve really come to love that I have a benchmark to check and I can teach the certain topics any way I see fit with any curriculum I see fit. From not only a secular view but a Biblical view, as well. Here it goes:
Language Arts: The goal is to get her into Michael Clay Thompson’s Grammar Island Level like her older brother, however, she’s definitely not there yet in the sense of understanding parts of speech so easily. We are going to quickly go through the Poodle Series initially and if all goes well she will move into that directly after. We pair Poodle Knows What? with a Words I Use When I Write notebook. This covers her Vocabulary and she can also just add to it along the way in read-alouds or wherever a word comes up that she asks me what it means. This is her 2nd year doing the Easy Grammar Daily Review workbook, she actually looks forward to this everyday. It’s super easy for her to just pick up independently and complete 1 page. It focuses on review or correct capitalization, punctuation, writing errors, abbreviations, and compound sentencing, etc. She’s finishing up level 2 and will move into the 3rd this school year and this has definitely been a win in her daily rhythm. Last, Spelling… This has been a sore subject of her’s over the last couple years SO we are trialing some different options to see which works. I will post an update as soon as we reach that decision but feel free to reach out to me prior if you want more info!
Math: She started a review with Themeville Math this year. Luckily her little sister is in 1st grade so I’m quickly going through that level workbook to administer the unit tests and review where needed, which is nice because I didn’t need to purchase the entire book just for this and it will all be used eventually by her sibling. The plan is to continue reviewing this way until she reaches the 3rd grade level and then can move forward utilizing this program the way it’s set up. It’s actually going swimmingly which is a huge shock, as math is her enemy subject! She’s really understanding the concepts and it’s so straightforward and direct I think it’s been good for her. There is manipulatives that can be paired if she needs more visual hands-on practice along the way but so far she’s made it through 5 unit tests with only a small hang up on word problems. We completed that review and she’ll be testing on unit 6 next. **It may seem like it’s not great that she needs a review on a 1st grade math level while she’s technically based in 3rd grade according to her age. However, in our home I really don’t push formal book work until 7 years of age and so I don’t expect her to be up to the “world” or “state” standards of learning. (She just turned 8 in August.) **10/27/23 UPDATE: she was feeling pressured to be on a 3rd grade level of math too quickly, so we made changes accordingly and you can read about them in my blog dated this day in October, titled Cha-cha-cha-changes.
Science: I’ve put together an eclectic lesson plan filled with good books, videos, and hands-on activities that I will share shortly! You can peek the 1st grade Plan & 4th Grade Plan available to get an idea of what’s in the works. *There is also a partial flip through of our Creation Unit Study on my YouTube channel.
Social Studies, History, & Geography: I’m also piecing this subject together very eclectically and will have that available soon on the etsy shop! We are using a handful of A&O Lifepacs, literature, and resources from Teachers Pay Teachers. As I mentioned above, I do have a list of criteria that she needs to learn this year according to CA State Requirements so a lot of it is U.S. History related. I will weave in the subject from my Christian perspective as always. Also, the goal is to complete as much as possible with her younger sister for added fun. Stay tuned or message me for more info. For Geography I’m mostly using the States Notebook which comes with stickers and quick worksheets to fill out partnered with the Desk Atlas. I have gathered a bunch of YouTube videos related to the 50 States that all 3 of my elementary kiddos are enjoying SO MUCH and this is a free resource you can find on my Instagram profile, link in bio, @blendedhomeschool. We are also adding in the usage of a Timeline that will partner with all their subjects learned in History this year. I plan to make a YouTube video showing more in depth what this will look like. It’s also going to partner Art as an elective as well!
Electives: She is working through the Draw. Write. Now. Book Series, starting on book #1. This is such a happy find for us! It’s fun how to draw lessons partnered with copy work so it can be considered Language Arts also, however, we aren’t focused on this as a daily necessity and will fit in once or twice per week, or when she asks, which has also been the case. Secondly, she’s touching on Lollipop Logic at least 1 time a week. Thirdly, The Good and the Beautiful Typing 1 Course.
Extracurriculars: In addition to all this, we find time to get out and take Tap dance classes, Jr. Cooking classes, and a Clay/Ceramics Art Class each once a week. She’s asking to take up the Piano as well so I’m working on setting this up as an option. We have our eyes on the Hoffman Academy for online learning.