Curriculum/Teaching Review 2013/14 (4th)

We follow a classical education model. This means a lot of different things but one of the primary attributes is that the first four years of instruction are largely devoted to stuffing the brain full of facts and information. The idea is that brains at this stage are not ready to discuss and dissect the information; but they are sponges and can take in and memorize far more than an older child.

But near the end of those four years ("Grammar" stage), you might begin to see them making connections and finding the fallacies in things. This is the entrance to the "Logic" stage. Ben is certainly there. Watching him form connections this year was amazing. "So we thought the Cold War was over, but it sure looks like it is heating up again!" This was just one of the many things that he said this year that brought me joy.

Here is what we did for 4th grade:

The Story of the World Vol. 4 and The Story of the World Vol 4 Activity Book

Ben's favorite subject this year was history. This curriculum has a lot to do with it. The book, in and of itself, is good. The corresponding activity book is great! It takes the material and reinforces it with activities, book lists, map work, recipes, review/discussion questions and writing assignments. We didn't do all the activities which cover arts/crafts, science, and math. We did check out nearly all the book recommendations (10-15 per lesson, of which there are 42) from the library. Some are history, and some are literature recommendations. We read a lot. But history becomes real when the Berlin Wall being erected overnight is accompanied by a story of a girl who ends up on the Eastern side of the Wall and her parents in the West. While previous volumes of Story of the World can be used for any grade level between 1 and 8, Volume 4 is best for 4th grade and older. The history covered (Victorian Empire to the end of the USSR) is full of violence, brutality and destruction in a more apparent way. And the activity book is devised for the older student. Two-thirds of the way through the book, students are expected to begin writing short essays for each lesson. Ben started writing prolifically and I had to call in help on grading.  Grade: A+

First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind, Volume 4 (instructor book and student workbook)

Also from Peace Hill Press, this grammar curriculum is great. It covers parts of speech, punctuation, diagramming, and poetry memorization in short easy lessons. We spent 15-20 minutes on it three times a week.  Grade: A

Writing and Rhetoric (Book 1: Fable and Book 2: Narrative 1)

Last year, we used Writing with Ease. We are very impressed with Peace Hill Press so it was the natural thing to do. However, Ben hated the repetitiveness. Each week was nearly the same, each day of the week the lessons were the same. I thought it was boring; he thought it was abysmal and declared he hated writing. We limped through it. I was about to make the switch to a well-known and recommended, but very parent/instructor-laborious writing curriculum when Classical Academic Press rolled out their writing curriculum.

This curriculum is awesome. It has just enough repetition to teach key concepts; but mixes it up stylistically and is very engaging. There are 10 lessons in each book. We spread each lesson over a week, mixing it in with Ben's grammar curriculum. I was reminded that a lot of busy work is not needed to learn a subject well. Ben loved these books; he went from "hating" writing to loving it and being quite original. The rhetoric component is essential for today's world. I have a friend who teaches internationally and her students have to turn every written report into a video presentation so they learn to speak clearly and be on camera. This curriculum lends itself to filming spoken content and familiarizing the student with speech. Grade: A

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting 4

I didn't use a handwriting curriculum in grade 3, thinking that handwritten reports and letters would be enough. It wasn't. Ben didn't want to focus on developing his handwriting so we went back to Zaner-Bloser this year. We mixed it in with grammar and handwriting and printed sheets off of Zaner-Bloser's website (the free version is enough). Grade: B+ (spendy)

Latin for Children B

I love Classical Academic Press's Latin curriculum. But Latin is hard. Ben's first year, Latin was his favorite subject. This year, the workload went way up and he struggled with it. In the future, I will start Latin A in 4th grade (recommended) so that Latin B happens in 5th. But all that said, the curriculum is great. Both classical and ecclesiastical Lation are included in the curriculum, but it is recommended to choose to avoid confusion. There are multiple components: the Primer (essential); Answer Key (very essential-ha!); DVD/CD (essential--the chants, skits, and grammar presentation are very, very helpful); Activity book (lots of puzzles and very helpful, but a child who doesn't love these things would be turned off); Clash cards (very helpful--essentially sophisticated flash cards); History Reader (we haven't used these but we are next year and they look awesome!); and website, Headventureland, that has film clips, games, review exercises, etc.... (essential). It is the well-rounded approach to teaching a really tough subject and the way humor and imagination are used make this amazing.  A very expensive interactive web course is also available. Grade: A

Horizons Math 4

I knew that the writers change after Horizons grade 3 math and that grades 4-6 are not as highly reviewed. I debated making a change to something else and Ben made the case that he wanted to continue with Horizons. He likes the workbooks; and Horizons has the edge on visual appeal, not a strong component in most math curricula. I like the spiral method. He did like the 4th grade version, but he noted that it was pretty easy compared to past years. The first book was a review of grade 3. I noted that there is a lot more Bible puzzles, some weighty on math concepts, some, not so much. But essentially, this is still a good math curriculum, and Ben was engaged and learning grade-appropriate (or better) material. But more busy work, less substance in 4. Grade: B

God's Great Covenant: Old Testament 1

We loved this Bible curriculum which focused on the story of God's work in the world, going linearly through Scripture. The little girls listened in on the reading and Ben did the workbook questions. It is winsome and engaging, while being faithful to the text. I didn't buy the teacher's guide and we did fine without it.  Grade: A


Science  - Ben took classes at the nature center in our area all year long, tromping through the snowy woods and conducting hands-on activities. At home, we filled this out with science activities from Story of the World and these books on Energy and Power, and Sound and Light. We also used the Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science and the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, both internet-linked. The girls join him in our science classes.

Art and Computers - Ben took co-op classes in art and computer coding this year. This takes a little burden off of me, gives him social interaction, and also teaches him to respect an outside authority/teacher (who does things differently than his mom). We took some time off from music instruction but picked it up a little this summer and will resume it in 5th grade.

Typing - We have paid for typing curriculum before. Just as good is the free Dance Mat Typing from the BBC. My only complaint is that it ends before speed is really achieved. There are other free typing curricula which I will be exploring for Ben. He has finished all four levels and Kyrie is going through it now.