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14 October 2011

Week 6 - Focus on Fifth Grade


Fifth grade is starting to smooth out.  We've rearranged things and settled on what is important.  CC has quit trying to do everything everyday so she can focus more.  Here is how we are currently doing fifth grade.

Our core subjects that get done everyday are math, left-hand handwriting (she's right handed), poetry memorization, and rune memorization.  Right now she is learning the Elder Futhark alphabet.  With our core work, we're focusing on exercising her brain.

After her core subjects, she does some physical stretching and strength work then practices cello.

Next she works on her combination of mythology and art.  Each week she draws a mythological creature and writes a one page paper about it.

For history, she is writing summaries from SoTW twice a week.  She is also doing one level outlines once a week from a book on natural history.

Once a week she works on a section from Ellen McHenry's The Brain.  And we're still working through ClassiQuest Biology with friends once a week.

We've moved her additional reading to night so that she has more free time during the day.  She's alternating Every Bone Tells a Story which is a book about anthropology, Sophie's World which is philosophy, and Aristotle Leads the Way which is the history of science.  After she reads from one of these, she does her free reading.  Right now she is reading Swiss Family Robinson.  She's already read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Anna and the King , The River, and something else this week.  A library card and a large selection of books from when BB was homeschooled are indispensable.

Other than school work, she takes cello twice  a week with a strings group, does pottery at the art school with her dad, and takes judo once a week.  She still seems to have plenty of time to play, go for walks, and enjoy being 10.  We have found that her work is easier for her to keep organized if she keeps each subject in a separate composition book.  I've been attempting to try to balance her education into equal parts artistic, physical and mental work.
Nothing better than snow

4 comments:

laughinglioness.lisa@gmail.com said...

I always love reading about what you are doing- it challenges me to think about what we are doing ; ) Your dd is turning into a beauty!

Tiffany said...

Wow, looks like a busy week. I am intimidated by the older grades as the work load increases. How do you manage it all?

Regena said...

I loved Every Bone and Aristotle, too, but I just don't know about that Sophie - it breaks down completely for me at the end. How do you like McHenry's Brain book? I'm thinking of adding her stuff in to some of our work for next year....

Thanks,

Regena

Daisy said...

Your school is always so inspiring. I love that your children are so creative.