Our Home School Curriculum
We designed this curriculum with the assistance of the Well Trained Mind’s Guide to Classical Education.
Grammar School (K-4th Grade)
Kindergarten
| Subject | Details | Time Spent | Days |
| Phonics/Reading | Easy Reading lessons, and beginning readers | 15-30 minutes | M-F |
| Writing | Writing With Phonics | 5-10 minutes | M-F |
| Mathematics | Saxon Math, level K | 20 minutes | M-F |
| Physical Education | Nature walks | 30 minutes | M-F |
| Music | Sing-along, intro to instruments | 20 minutes | T, Th |
| Art | I Can Draw series | 20 minutes | M, W, F |
| Manners | You’ve Got Manners seriesbooks, class practice | 5 minutes | M-F |
| Religion | My First Old Testament & My First New Testament | 15 minutes | M-F |
First Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Ancient literatures and guides (to supplement this year’s history curriculum) Sabertooths and the Ice Age Mummies and Pyramids Ancient Greece The Odyssey Series for Children Ancient Rome and Pompeii |
20 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling Workout primers | 15 min | M-F |
| Grammar | First Language Lessons | 10 min | M-F |
| Writing | Writing With Ease | 15 min | M-F |
| Mathematics | Saxon Math, level 1 | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical Education | Backyard playground, nature walks, games, running | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
The Story of the World vol. 1: Ancient Times: | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Smithsonian Science vol. 1: Ancient Discoveries: From Aristotle to Newton | 30 min | T, Th |
| Music | Listening to classical music, instrument lessons, singing | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Drawing Animals | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Children’s Book of Virtues, basic etiquette, class rules | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Discover the Scriptures: Old Testament | 15 min | M-F |
Second Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Medieval literature and student’s choices | 30 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling Workout, Level C | 15 min | M-F |
| Grammar | First Language Lessons, part II | 15 min | M-F |
| Writing | Writing With Ease | 20 min | M-F |
| Math | Saxon Math, level 2 | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical
Education |
Playground, nature walks, games, running, ball games | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
The Story of the World vol. 2: The Middle Ages | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Smithsonian Science vol. 2: Discoveries in Newton’s Day | 30 min | T, Th |
| Music | Listening to classical music, continued lessons, singing | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Drawing Faces |
30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Biographies of great men and women, basic etiquette, class rules | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Discover the Scriptures: New Testament | 15 min | M-F |
Third Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Renaissance & Early Modern Literature/student’s choices | 45 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling Workout, level D | 15 min | M-F |
| Grammar | First Language Lessons, level III | 20 min | M-F |
| Writing | Writing With Ease | 20 min | M-F |
| Mathematics | Saxon Math, level 3 | 30 min | M-F |
| Foreign Language | Vocabulary memorization | 20 min | M-F |
| Physical Education | Nature walks, games, running, intro to sports | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
Story of the World, vol. 3: Late Renaissance to early modern times | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Einstein Adds a New Dimension | 30 min | T, Th |
| Music | Listening to classical music, continued lessons, singing | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Drawing Our World | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Making friends, being a friend, family relations | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Personal reading, listening, or pondering time | 15 min | M-F |
Fourth Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Modern Literature & student’s choices | 45 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling Workout, Level D | 20 min | M-F |
| Grammar | Rod & Staff: Grade 4 | 20 min | M-F |
| Writing | Writing With Ease | 20 min | M-F |
| Math | Saxon Math, level 3 | 30 min | M-F |
| Foreign
Language |
Vocabulary memorization, rules of syntax | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical
Education |
Nature walks, games, running, intro to sports | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
Story of the World, vol. 4: Modern times (1850-present) | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Discoveries in history; emphasis on basic physics | 30 min | T, Th |
| Music | Listening to classical music, continued lessons, singing | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Artistic Pursuits | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Great biographies, social graces | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Personal reading, listening, or pondering time | 15 min | M-F |
Dialectic School (5th-8th grade)
Fifth Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Ancient myths and legends (after history), “fun” books | 60 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling primers, oral/written quizzes, spelling bees | 20 min | M-F |
| Grammar | Rod & Staff: Grade 5 | 20 min | M-F |
| Writing | Composition, cursive penmanship, personal narrative | 20 min | M-F |
| Math | Saxon Math, level 54 | 45 min | M-F |
| Foreign
Language |
Vocabulary memorization, speech and pronunciation | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical
Education |
Nature walks, games, running, intro to sports | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
Ancient times, level II, map work, timelines, | 45 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Biology, biographies of great scientists | 45 min | T, Th |
| Logic | Logic puzzles | 20 min | M, W, F |
| Computers | Touch typing, basic computer skills | 20 min | T, Th |
| Music | Study of orchestral instruments | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Artistic Pursuits | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Friendship, honesty, social skills | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Personal reading, listening, or pondering time | 15 min | M-F |
Sixth Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Medieval/early Renaissance literature (after history), “fun” reading | 60 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling primers, oral/written quizzes, spelling bees | 20 min | M-F |
| Grammar | Rod & Staff: Grade 6 | 20 min | M-F |
| Writing | Composition, cursive penmanship, creative writing | 20 min | M-F |
| Math | Saxon Math, level 76 and “real-life” math | 45 min | M-F |
| Foreign
Language |
Vocabulary memorization, grammar and speech | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical
Education |
Walks, running, sports, and ballroom dance | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
Medieval to early Renaissance (400-1600), map work, timelines | 45 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Astronomy/earth science, biographies of great scientists | 45 min | T, Th |
| Logic | Critical thinking | 20 min | M, W, F |
| Computers | Touch typing, basic computer skills, intro to Internet, Internet ethics | 20 min | T, Th |
| Music | Medieval/Renaissance music, composer bios (coordinated w/ history) | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Artistic Pursuits | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Book of virtues, etiquette, manners | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Personal reading, listening, or pondering time | 15 min | M-F |
Seventh Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Late Renaissance/early modern literature (w/ history), “fun” reading | 60 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling primers, oral/written quizzes, spelling bees | 20 min | M-F |
| Grammar | Rod & Staff: 7th Grade | 20 min | M-F |
| Writing | Composition, cursive penmanship, historical writing | 20 min | M-F |
| Math | Pre-Algebra | 45 min | M-F |
| Foreign
Language |
Vocabulary memorization, grammar and speech | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical
Education |
Walks, running, competitive sports, and ballroom dance | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
Medieval to early Renaissance (400-1600), map work, timelines | 45 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Chemistry (with lab), biographies of great scientists | 45 min | T, Th |
| Logic | Introductory logic | 20 min | M, W, F |
| Computers | Touch typing, intermediate computer skills, Internet research | 20 min | T, Th |
| Music | Medieval/Renaissance music, composer bios (coordinated w/ history) | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Artistic Pursuit: Jr. High | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Self-improvement: physical, social, emotional, and academic | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Personal reading, listening, or pondering time | 15 min | M-F |
Eighth Grade
| Subject | Details | Time | Days |
| Reading | Modern literature, 1850-present (w/ history), “fun” reading | 60 min | M-F |
| Spelling | Spelling primers, oral/written quizzes, spelling bees | 20 min | M-F |
| Grammar | Rod & Staff: 8th Grade | 20 min | M-F |
| Writing | Composition, cursive penmanship, historical writing | 20 min | M-F |
| Math | Algebra I | 45 min | M-F |
| Foreign
Language |
Vocabulary memorization, grammar and speech | 30 min | M-F |
| Physical
Education |
Walks, running, competitive sports, and ballroom dance | 45 min | M-F |
| History/
Geography |
Modern times (1850-present), map work, oral history interviews | 45 min | M, W, F |
| Science | Physics (with lab), biographies of great scientists | 45 min | T, Th |
| Logic | Intermediate logic, intro to debate | 20 min | M, W, F |
| Computers | Touch typing, advanced computer skills, Internet research | 20 min | T, Th |
| Music | Romantic and modern music, composer bios (coordinated w/ history) | 30 min | M, W, F |
| Art | Artistic Pursuit: Jr. High | 30 min | T, Th |
| Manners/
Values |
Intro to ethics | 15 min | M-F |
| Religion | Personal reading, listening, or pondering time | 15 min | M-F |
School of Rhetoric (9th-12th grade)
**Coming soon!
- Keep in mind the fact that these schedules include a more organic experience than simply a list of assignments–they also reflect days spent with good reads, enlightening discussion, and creative exploration.
- While the time requirements here seem stringent, we have found that our children can easily finish a day’s work before lunch, leaving them the rest of the day to explore other talents, interests, and the world in which they live (through field trips and lessons, for example).
- We also use Whole Books in our learning. For example: when studying the Polynesian Islands, we read novels and poems about them in well-written novels or stories (Whole Books), rather than just reading a table of statistics in a geography textbook (fake books).
This book has changed our lives forever. My children all overcome their attention disorders and obstacles to learning once I utilized the "nature therapy" described in this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
