Sixth grade thoughts & more

It's only January, but next year is nagging at me already. I'm sure this is partly because it's mid-winter and our current school plans become a bit tedious, thanks to the winter "malaise" for which I am famous in my home.

More likely though, the nagging is panic brought on by the fact that my oldest "baby" is about to be middle school age. The panic is of the I-only-have-7-years-left-to teach-her-everything-she-needs-to-know variety. Insane? Yes, of course, it is. It's not realistic that I will ever impart a lifetime of knowledge to my kids because I'M still learning. So, my revelation (again) is that my real desire to instill a love for life-long learning so that it's not really over in 7 years. It's only my involvement and direction that will be coming to a close...I'm supposed to want that, right?

So, here's what we're looking at for 6th grade for Sweet Pea, and the changes that it involves:

MATH
Currently, we are using RS Geometry and BJU Math 6 in a 2 week rotation, over 2 years. It's going well overall but the layout and process of BJU is not working for either of us. I really don't care for the teacher's manual which instructs me in all minutiae as if I can't possibly figure it out for myself. I prefer a more bullet-point approach to my guide so I'm not wading through paragraphs of small print to figure out what it's really trying to say.

Next year, we will definitely keep RS G...it's so much fun to see Sweet Pea enjoy math!! I'm considering a DVD-based curriculum for the more general math portion of her studies. My dilemma is the cost...I'm impressed by Chalkdust Math but think I'd rather wait to shell out the big bucks in upper level math rather than elementary. This means I have to work through math without the DVD for a couple more years. (sigh)

If not BJU or DVD programs, then what? Therein lies the dilemma. The search will continue...

WRITING
I used to teach middle school language arts so this should not be such a big deal. But I still need an overall plan for instruction so that we develop writing skills over several years and in several disciplines. For this, I prefer to defer to a curriculum.

Currently, we use a blend of TOG writing assignments along with IEW which I teach at our co-op. I don't love it and I don't feel that we are getting the depth of understanding that I had hoped. Thanks to our R&S grammar studies, Sweet Pea can diagram ANYthing, so adding dress-ups in IEW is a breeze. I want more.

Next year, I am trying Classical Writing and I am SO SO excited! We will still use our key-word outline skills from IEW in history and science work as it's a priceless skill and has made narrations a reality. Alongside this though, we will delve into the richness of CW and I am honestly giddy at the thought. Sweet Pea will begin with Homer A and skip all Aesop levels because I think her foundational knowledge is strong enough. Since her younger sister will be using Aesop, we'll have it available to go back to if my assumptions are wrong.

SCIENCE
For the last few years, we have played at science and loved it...Zoology studies with her younger sisters have been a hit. In earlier years, science was more focused and followed WTM more closely, which we also loved. We studied, in-depth, the human body, cells, and we later spent a year with physics.

Next year, we want to return to the higher intensity of science because this is Sweet Pea's love (other than her dance classes). Since Coffee-Man is a Ph.D. Chemist, it makes sense to finally tap into that resource and develop a chemistry program! His college-level professorial skills aren't ideal for developing a middle school program, so I am researching other programs and comparing their scope & sequence plans for middle grades. My plan is to develop a year-long list of topics using these resources in addition to WTM recommendations. Then, Coffee-Man will create related experiments and activities, and I will scout out library books for background learning.

This will be a REALLY new way for us to homeschool together, but I think the end-results will be well worth it. Plus, the younger two will get a light dose of chemistry learning too...

OTHER PLANS
No other changes are as huge as the ones listed above. However, additionally, we will be stepping up Latin and literature. We are thoroughly enjoying our nature studies and wish to include this time more regularly, using Barbara's Outdoor Hour challenges. We are sporadic participants but have loved the direction she provides freely.

WISH LIST of NEW BOOKS:
Handbook of Nature Study Anna Botsford Comstock
Latin Centered Curriculum by Andrew Campbell
Living Memory by Andrew Campbell