This year we found ourselves utilizing a lot of the same processes and curriculum as we did in sixth grade. However, we did add a couple new things within our learning.
For Bible, we had a memory verse where we learned it by writing it in cursive, identifying the parts of speech for each word in the verse, drawing a picture of it (or acting it out), summarizing it, and then writing it in cursive from memory at the end of the week. We also continued reading through the History Lives series (by Mindy and Brandon Withrow) and Boyhood and Beyond (by Bob Schultz) as well as finished up Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends (by homeschooled siblings…Sarah, Stephen, and Grace Mally).
For History, we continued three days a week using the Mystery of History…vol. 3…which took us into the Renaissance and Reformation years as well as the start of the United States. It also incorporated geography skills and the mapping of locations we were studying. In addition, the other two days we utilized a copy of Abeka’s US History as well as continued to use The Story of US (also used in 4th and 6th grade) to parallel the global history in Mystery of History with the history of our country, the United States. And we added in Indiana History as a review along the way for local history of our state. If you have read along with each year of our schooling, you’ll notice the repetition beyond 2nd grade (American history) and 4th grade (Indiana history). This has been an intentional way of reviewing and reminding us of how all of it connects together in the world. Small reviews have kept it fresh along the way.
For Science, Dr. Jay Wile’s chronological science series (Science in the Industrial Age and Science in the Scientific Revolution) kept us going into the Renaissance years three days a week. I also had the boys use an Abeka book (Order and Design) twice a week to read and work through questions and concepts within it.
For Writing this year, in addition to summarizing weekly current events in a written paragraph…I discovered a series called Writing Rhetoric. These books are geared more for a mid to upper-elementary level, but I adapted the basic concepts into usable form at the grade levels we were at because I really liked how the process of writing was laid out so clearly. We worked through Fables (book 1) and Narrative 1 (book 2)…covering each in a semester (again, since they were designed for lower grade levels than we were at, we moved through them more easily). This was a helpful find for us at the homeschool convention.
For English, we again used Rod and Staff (Building Securely). And, as I mentioned in sixth grade, we were able to review concepts together in each chapter (even though the boys were at different grade levels) simply because the book is laid out so similarly each year. We also used the Vocabulary Cartoons I mentioned in sixth grade, as well as spelling words, Latin and Greek work root activities, and DOL (Daily Oral Language reviews).
For Math, Abeka’s seventh grade book (Basic Mathematics), was the main source of learning. And we supplemented it with Math Minute activities and Critical Thinking activities. Our typical week found us doing 3 days of math with 2 lessons each of those days. Our boys seem to pick up math pretty easily and remember the process pretty easily. So with the way this book is laid out (with built in continuous review of past concepts on a daily basis), we were usually able to double up and cover 5-7 lessons a week depending on the content. Also…at the beginning of each school year, I have the boys start their math book by simply taking the chapter test for the first 2-3 (sometimes 4) chapters because it is all review. This checks them at a “cold turkey” point to see if they truly remember the concept from the previous year/s. And I can gauge what chapter we need to start with based on where they are starting to miss questions and show forgetfulness of concepts. This process allows for several things…1. a good checkpoint of true learning, 2. less time spent on already mastered lessons, and 3. frees up time to space out and focus on the new learning through the rest of the school year.
In addition to continuing Spanish, art, swimming, and 4-H, we did add in beginning trombone and coronet lessons this year. My parents had family instruments that they got back in working order and my dad (who played coronet and whose father play trombone) worked each week with teaching the boys these instruments. It was priceless to see our younger’s face when I played a recording of my grandfather playing “In the Mood” with the band he played with and telling our son that the trombone he was hearing being played by my grandfather in that song was the same one he was learning to play currently. J
Our 7th grader also delved into a research paper this year. Since he has great interest in history and wars, he chose to research Navy Seals during the first semester and write a research paper on his findings. We covered note taking, recording citings/resources, outlining and organizing notes, compiling notes and writing paragraphs, rough draft, revisions, final draft, typing, and writing a bibliography. Then, second semester, he used his research paper to write a fictional story. He chose to re-create Gettysburg (which we had visited the previous year) in a more modern day/Navy Seal type engagement. He focused on Pickett’s Charge and was able to incorporate dialogue, transition words, foreshadowing, theme, focus, etc. And it helped that we got to visit the Navy Seal Museum in Florida during our visit in the area.
At the end of the year, we again finished the year with our “All About Me” document. (see fifth grade for details)