Monday 4 August 2014

2014-2015 Learning Plan

This autumn, Tiger will be ten years old and will head towards the Logic Stage (according to the Classical Education convention).  As we are progressing according to his interest and ability, we are not adhering strictly to school year definitions when choosing what he will be learning in the new academic year.  In fact, Tiger's study programme will be tailored, as much as is possible, to align with his continued interest in military history.


While Tiger is strong is a few areas (history, reading, maths), he needs to develop in others (notably writing).  Therefore, instead of rushing into Logic Stage, we will be spending the next 12 months concentrating on language arts to bring Tiger's skills up to a level where he will be ready to take on the amount of written work required of a Logic Stage student.   In short, I am looking to focusing on three specific areas over the next few years:
  1. writing
  2. character building
  3. study habits

The resources that we will be using will vary according to the theme that we are studying at any point.  I will share the specific resources that we use as we progress through each theme.


Maths
Topics that will be covered this year include:
  • Decimals
  • Prime  numbers
  • Percents
  • Factors
  • Addition
  • Subtraction
  • Multiplication
  • Square numbers
  • Division
  • Fractions
  • Money
  • Constructing triangles
  • Angles
  • Coordinates
  • Symmetry
  • Measurement - imperial and metric units
  • Patterns - numeric, symbolic and algebraic
  • Data and graphs
  • Probability

Science
Topics that will be covered this year include:
  • Forensics
  • Biology - genetics and DNA
  • Physics - engineering, sound, flight, relativity
  • Scientists and inventors - Faraday, Bell, Wright brothers, Einstein

English
Topics that will be covered this year include:
  • Grammar - Eight Parts of Speech, Plurals, Four Types of Sentences, Diagramming, Simple and Complete Subjects, Direct Objects, Predicate Nominatives, Predicates, Abbreviations, Contractions, Direct and Indirect Quotations, Compound Subjects and Predicates, Fragments, Splices, Punctuation, Synonyms and Antonyms, Double Negatives, Dictionary Skills, Oral Usage
  • Spelling - Prefixes, the four sounds of Y, Months of the Year, Spelling Strategies, Unaccented A, Words ending with double S, Words with silent E, Plurals
  • Vocabulary - Suffixes, Prefixes
  • Handwriting - cursive copywork
  • Writing - Letter Writing, Oral and Written Narration, Dictation, Analogy, Comprehension, Sentence/Word Play, Rewriting, Summary, Amplification, Idea, Conflict, Outline
  • Poetry - Similes and Metaphors, Sound-words, Rhyme and Limerick, Rhythm, Alliteration, Comparison, Personification, Recitation, Interpretation
  • Structured Reading - written narration and summary, plot and character analysis, comprehension, book reports
  • Drama - Improvisation, Storytelling, Performance, Movements, Voice Work

Mandarin
Topics that will be covered this year include:
  • Countries and languages
  • Subjects of study
  • Making phone calls
  • Weather
  • Seasons
  • Sickness
  • Hobbies
  • Vegetables and fruits
  • Meals of the day
  • Eating out
  • House
  • Furniture
  • Neighbourhood

History
Topics that will be covered this year include the following period, with a emphasis on war studies:
  • Victorian Britain
  • Edwardian Britain
  • WWI
  • WWII 
  • Military history (self-directed study)

Music
Topics that will be covered this year include:
  • Instruments - piano, recorder
  • Music appreciation - instruments of the orchestra

Art
Topics that will be covered include:
  • Drawing - contour drawing, negative spaces, proportions, light and shadow, hatching and crosshatching
  • Art appreciation - the Pre-Raphaelites, war art of WWI and WWII

Other Areas of Learning
  • Logic - Describing shapes, Figural similarities and differences, Figural sequences, Figural classifications, Figural analogies, Describing things, Verbal similarities and differences, Verbal sequences, Verbal classifications, Verbal analogies, Coding
  • Character building - discussion of different scenarios and stories
  • P.E. - tennis, swimming, squash, table tennis


"You can make your own son or daughter one of a kind if you have the time and will to do so; school can only make them part of a hive, herd or anthill."
-- John Taylor Gatto


This post is linked up to:
  1. The Homeschool Mother's Journal (8/2/14)
  2. 6th Annual "Not" Back-to-School Blog Hop: Curriculum Week
  3. Hip Homeschool Hop - 8/5/14
  4. Finishing Strong - Homeschooling the Middle & High School Years Week 24
  5. Home Ed Link Up Week 10
  6. Weekly Wrap-Up: The one with all the stuff that's working

8 comments:

  1. I've been so enjoying reading all the posts around at the moment on curriculum choices. Yours are particularly interesting and very specific. You look very organised! I am in need of a bit of spare time to figure out what we're doing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Claire. Now you know how I've been spending my time on the side benches while waiting for Tiger to complete his activities! :-) I'll share the specifics later in the week when they're finalised.

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  2. Thank you for sharing this detailed plan with us on the #homeedlinkup this week.
    My eldest is coming up to 10 as well and our plan looks a little similar although we are studying French not Chinese. I will be sharing ours next week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Prudence. I look forward to reading about your plans. It's exciting to see what others will be learning. :-)

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  3. Exciting times ahead!
    I'm looking forward to reading more about the Forensics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed! I shall be sharing what we do soon. Thank you for visiting! :-)

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  4. Wow, how do you plan all this out ahead of time? I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants! I have a general idea, but I plan only about a week in advance at a time. Impressive that you've been able to capture all the various topics! Do you sit down and plan it all out at the beginning of the year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I usually take mental note of topics/resources throughout the year, then sit down and write out my plan for the following year in the summer. However, the plan is a more of a guideline than a concrete to-do list, such that it allows for flexibility and interest-led learning in actual application.

      You'll find your own groove as you go along. I think having a general plan is a good way to go. Different people have different ways of going about their homeschooling, depending on their individual styles/preferences. Some people love to have a full-year plan laid out in front of them to check things off, while others are stressed by the sheer amount of work that lies ahead, so whether to use a plan or not, and how far ahead to plan, really boils down to individual tastes. :-)

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