Rhetoric, Recitation and Relocation: A Year of Change for Calvin Institute (Part 1)

National Homeschool Day is this week, so I thought it fitting to give my yearly run down of what is going on at the Calvin Institute for Higher Learning this school year. My hope is you will find having a peek into our school encouraging and maybe I can gain some ideas from you!

The 2014-2015 school year is our 9th year of this home education adventure; it is also a year of big changes for us.  Later this fall the children and I will move several hundred miles, closer to family and friends, while our school principal (aka "Daddy") serves God and Country across the globe for the next year. We officially opened our high school this year with the promotion of the graduating class of 2018 to Rhetoric, 2 enrolled in Dialectic (middle school), 2 in Grammar (elementary) and a preschooler.  Academically, this is a year of solidifying skills for all our students. Except for the preschooler, for the first time, everyone is reading and writing at the beginning of the school year!

The family and location changes, and the wide range of ages/abilities, prompted big curriculum changes for this year. Our "core" curriculum is now Tapestry of Grace - a Christian curriculum based on the 4 year classical cycle and pedagogy including social studies, literature, government, philosophy, church/biblical history, fine arts and language arts. (We chose not to use the language arts portion.) All the children now study the same topics at the same time with a lot of flexibility to customize assignments and skill-acquisition for each child.  For me, the teacher's manual provides an overview of the history being studied each week, guides for leading Socratic discussions, and a wide variety of ideas of activities to incorporate into our studies each week. 5 weeks into it, and I could not be happier!

To coincide with our study of Ancient History, we are diving into the world of Biology this year. Well, most of us. The high schooler hits Chemistry this year, continuing with Science for High School - an inquiry based curriculum, with labs.  Our Dialectic students are using Classiquest Science to guide their exploration of Biology. The Grammar students and I are piggy-backing off the topics the Dialectics dive into each week using a variety of Kingfisher, DK and Usborne encyclopedias with hand-on activities.

Language Arts is the most diverse aspect of our school this year. I really wanted to work on strengthening each students' skills, so each sub-subject was fully individualized. Literature and literary analysis is being covered with Tapestry of Grace, with books coordinating with our history studies. We've already enjoyed some Egyptian Myths, Ancient Egyptian poetry and the Epic of Gilgamesh this year.  Everyone is continuing to write with The Instutite for Excellence in Writing (IEW), though each child is using a different thematic book based on individual skill level and interest. The youngest is enjoying Bible Heroes (written expressly for early elementary students who are reading, ready to write, but not ready for their Student Writing Intensive); our 8 year old is working on Fables, Myths and Fairy Tales; the 10 year old on Bible-based Writing Lessons; and the 12 year old on Ancient History Writing Lessons. Our high schooler is doing a one-semester intensive course on Writing Research Papers and hopes to follow it up with A Guide to Writing Your Novel.  Spelling is being covered through Phonics Zoo (from IEW) and All About Spelling - both are phonics-based, mastery programs.  We took a very different approach to grammar this year, realizing that much of our grammar instruction was being duplicated with Latin. The 8, 10 and 12 year olds are using Memoria Press's  Latina Christiana, First Form and Second Form Latin. They have developed English Grammar Recitation which reinforces the grammar already being taught through Latin, and adds in aspects which are unique to English. The 6 year old is using First Language Lessons from Peace Hill Press. Our high schooler's Latin Alive 2 includes so much grammar we didn't feel the need to give her separate English grammar.  I've also added in additional copywork, dictation, and handwriting practice using  New American Cursive, from Memoria Press, and Write Through the Bible. The 12 year old has begun a formal vocabulary study using Vocabulary Through Classical Roots and continues with logic skills using Spider Island (Critical Thinking Inc). She may move into a more formal study of logic later this school year.

We are in our 9th year using Math U See, but adding in daily fact review and strengthening with Xtra Math. Most of the children are also daily working with flash cards, Math Wrap-ups and Turbo Twist Math to work on mastering addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.  Math U See has gained a reputation in some circles of being math-lite. After some testing with my children over the summer, and some research, I've come to the conclusion that it isn't the curriculum is light, but that it provides such a solid foundation in mathematical thinking and concepts, that even more advanced math become easy! All the bells, whistles, and cluttered worksheets are unnecessary when there is solid instruction and mastery. Now, our real test of the curriculum will come this and next year as our oldest confronts honors chemistry and physics!

Finally, our "preschool". The longer I do this, the more convinced I become that structured formal learning for preschoolers is a waste of time and money (and my degree is in Early Childhood Education).  An environment rich in real language (not screens or digital media!), freedom to engage in open-ended play and varied experiences will do more to prepare a child for formal education than anything else. Our 3 year old asked to "do school" with us this year, so we have accommodated her request. She has a "school shelf" with a box of toys that develop shape, letter, number, sorting and sequencing skills. She has a binder in which to put her coloring pages and "writing". She loves to play in the room while I do read-alouds with the other children; she builds with the math manipulatives; the older children will read their assignments to her; she has playdough within easy reach (and she knows how to clean it up!). I have stocked alphabet coloring pages for her to color and decorate with crayons, markers, stickers, cheerios or whatever else I can find, and basic Kumon workbooks with easy mazes, tracing and cutting activities. She works on what she wants to, when she wants to. Right now her favorite activity is matching magnetic wooden letters to letters I have printed onto a whiteboard. We work together to put them away, naming letters and phonemes as we go. Frequently we have music on in the background during our school day to which she dances and sings. Full, well rounded preschool "curriculum" with very little expense, no stress and lots of fun!

As with any year's curriculum plan, we leave much room for changes. Already one child has switched spelling curriculum and another has changed Latin levels. But, that is the beauty of home education - the freedom to change as growing children change and develop individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests.