Last week I shared our Family Learning Cycle and all the books that we will be using to go along with those subject. This week, I will share what we will be using for our 5th grade “skills based” subjects. Skills based subjects are things such as math, reading, and language arts that have components that have to build upon one another. These are the subjects that have to have some type of understanding of one concept before moving on to the next concept. Skills based subjects are the areas where I will more than likely have each kid doing a different thing simply because they are all at different mastery levels for the various subjects.
Math
Math is a subject that I just haven’t always had the best relationship. Sure I can handle basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and (most of the time) division. However, when you start throwing in things like letters, extra symbols, and other things of that nature you lose me. This is why I have spent many hours searching, studying, reading, and discussing various math curriculums. A couple of years ago, however, I stumbled across a program called “Beast Academy” Math. This is a fun online math program that uses comic book style text books and interactive game style lessons to teach math concepts. If you have ever met any of my kids you know this is the perfect combination for all my kiddos. We have been using this curriculum for a couple of years now and so far the kids seem to be enjoying it and learning from it so we are going to continue to use it.
Language Arts: Language Lessons for Today Grade 5
Language Lessons for Today is a language arts program that combines Charlotte Mason and Classical learning approaches to guide learners through various elements of language arts in short tidbits that introduce various elements and concepts to the students without overwhelming them. There are basic elements such as grammar, parts of speech, and punctuation as well as short stories, poetry, and picture studies. Students are encouraged to practice writing letters, narration, dictation, copy work, memorization, and more. This year’s program builds on and expands concepts that we learned in last years program while also introducing new authors, poets, artists, and techniques.
Writing: Writing Skills Level A
Last year I had big plans to incorporate this writing curriculum but it was just one of the things that fell by the wayside. This year, my hope is to actually get this writing book integrated into our weekly routine. The teacher’s guide recommends 3 days of Language Lessons (English) and 2 days of Writing, however, since we only school Monday-Thursday we will do 2 days of each. This writing program helps students develop a foundation for effective writing. We will learn parts of sentences, parts of paragraphs, parts of essays and stories and how to communicate through writing well.
Reading
Reading is important, I don’t think anyone would say otherwise. I am a firm believer that if you can read you can learn almost anything you set your mind to. That’s why for 5th grade reading this year we will be focusing simply on boosting our reading skills. This will be done through our English and writing curriculums but we will also take weekly or biweekly trips to the library where my little learners will be able to choose books they want to read just for the sake of reading. The only assignment that will go along with these books will be to read for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. No book reports, or narration back, or worksheets to prove they have been read and comprehended. Just reading for the sake of reading. We will also have some read aloud time which I will discuss in more detail in another post.
So there it is. Our 5th grade skills based curriculum for this year. I’m excited to see how much the girls grow and learn this year! Check back next week to see what we will be doing for 7th grade!
A Wise Woman in Progress 