3rd Grade
Sample Schedule
At this point I had 3rd, 1st, and Prek K aged kids.
6:00 Mom's workout
7:00-8:00 up, chores, beds, breakfast
8:00 Play
Language Arts
9:00 Opening Exercise Together (Composition, Grammar, etc.)
Juggling Act Begins ;) Working 1-1 with each and moving around as needed.
PreK
Reading Lesson w/ Mom
Workbook w/ Mom
Story Time
Letter Rhymes
Games
1st Grade
Phonics (handwriting)
Spelling (handwriting)
Journal and Draw
Memorization
Reading w/Mom
3rd Grader
MCP Phonics or Spelling Workout
Dictation Study/Test once a week
Journal or Brainquest
Cursive or Keyboarding
Memorization Time
Free Reading
BREAK
MATH
10:30
3rd Grader w/MOM
1st Grader Math Play time
PRE K Playtime
11:00
3rd Grader Homework
1st Grader with MOM
Pre K Playtime
11:30
3rd Grader Homework or free time
1st Grader Homework
Pre K w/ Mom
12:00-1:30 Lunch/Play (Mom check email, etc.)
1:30-Science, Art, History, or Music
3:00-Swim, Library, Go somewhere, Games, Hikes, Free Play, Quiet time
(Flip-Flop mornings and afternoons as needed)
Other: church, Cub Scouts
Summers: The kids also did whatever sports they wanted (soccer, baseball, tee ball, kayaking); we found community art classes and "college for kids" in the summers along with a summer camp I worked at where they hiked and did crafts and games for several weeks for free.
At this point I had 3rd, 1st, and Prek K aged kids.
6:00 Mom's workout
7:00-8:00 up, chores, beds, breakfast
8:00 Play
Language Arts
9:00 Opening Exercise Together (Composition, Grammar, etc.)
Juggling Act Begins ;) Working 1-1 with each and moving around as needed.
PreK
Reading Lesson w/ Mom
Workbook w/ Mom
Story Time
Letter Rhymes
Games
1st Grade
Phonics (handwriting)
Spelling (handwriting)
Journal and Draw
Memorization
Reading w/Mom
3rd Grader
MCP Phonics or Spelling Workout
Dictation Study/Test once a week
Journal or Brainquest
Cursive or Keyboarding
Memorization Time
Free Reading
BREAK
MATH
10:30
3rd Grader w/MOM
1st Grader Math Play time
PRE K Playtime
11:00
3rd Grader Homework
1st Grader with MOM
Pre K Playtime
11:30
3rd Grader Homework or free time
1st Grader Homework
Pre K w/ Mom
12:00-1:30 Lunch/Play (Mom check email, etc.)
1:30-Science, Art, History, or Music
3:00-Swim, Library, Go somewhere, Games, Hikes, Free Play, Quiet time
(Flip-Flop mornings and afternoons as needed)
Other: church, Cub Scouts
Summers: The kids also did whatever sports they wanted (soccer, baseball, tee ball, kayaking); we found community art classes and "college for kids" in the summers along with a summer camp I worked at where they hiked and did crafts and games for several weeks for free.
My Favorite Curriculum & Ideas
Give kids time to play, to think, to dream, to daydream, to explore, to find their purpose.
Scripture Study Ideas:
Language Arts (handwriting, letter recognition, reading, narration/writing)
Math:
Curriculum: Horizons 3 with Teacher Edition and student workbooks
Other:
Social Studies/History/Geography:
We used Story of the World #1 by Susan Wise Bauer. Although we used her curriculum several years, this was never a good fit for us because it wasn't enough for me and the projects just didn't fit what I could handle. We did love that it was stories and could read it together. It's also on audio. I'd supplement with library books and things I found.
Favorite Books:
Science Ideas:
I am all about cyclical learning. Teach/explore it at a basic level very young, then intermediate level, then advanced, cycling around to similar topics every 3-4 years or so. So they get it in elementary, middle, and high school.
Thematic Exploration together: (I surveyed the kids and got some input here.)
Resources:
Assignments:
Art:
Other:
Scripture Study Ideas:
- Get them a copy of the scriptures they can read/write/mark in.
- Read a scripture story together.
- Watch a scripture related video.
- Listen to the scriptures in the background during breakfast.
Language Arts (handwriting, letter recognition, reading, narration/writing)
- Writing: 6+ Traits of good writing (I'm a writing teacher, so at this point I broke away from using curriculum and used this general program--you can google it for tons of info. Just teach it point by point and find examples of each trait in storybooks to enjoy together. Then challenge them to do it--model it or try it. )
- Writing: Spiral notebook for journals (just whatever writing they are doing)--enforce good handwriting; require some cursive
- Reading: Mostly Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) (time depends on the kid; my oldest could read 60 minutes, my youngest was unable to read alone at this point with dyslexia)
- Grammar, Poetry, Memorization, etc. all-in-one (great to slowly introduce grammar!): Fist Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind by Jessie Wise, Level 3
- Spelling: MCP Phonics and Spelling Workout at level--used these every year (except with my dyslexic child when I used All About Spelling)
- Oral Presentations
- Dictation (combo spelling, mechanics, grammar): "Spelling Wisdom" by Sonia Shafer
- Keyboarding (did a couple times a week free versions online or other stuff I bought that wasn't worth it)--I started using TTRS (touch-type-read-spell) with my dyslexic child and it is well worth it!!!
- Brainquest workbook, 3rd grade (did a couple times a week)
Math:
Curriculum: Horizons 3 with Teacher Edition and student workbooks
Other:
- Cards, Dominos, etc.
- Sum Swamp or Money Bags board games
- PBS Kids Games
- Pattern Blocks
- Oral math races with Dad! (mom says take 7, minus 3, add 5, divide by....etc.)
Social Studies/History/Geography:
We used Story of the World #1 by Susan Wise Bauer. Although we used her curriculum several years, this was never a good fit for us because it wasn't enough for me and the projects just didn't fit what I could handle. We did love that it was stories and could read it together. It's also on audio. I'd supplement with library books and things I found.
Favorite Books:
- Usborne Encyclopedia of World History
- National Geographic Kids Atlas
- Storybooks about history or comic-style books about historical events and people
Science Ideas:
I am all about cyclical learning. Teach/explore it at a basic level very young, then intermediate level, then advanced, cycling around to similar topics every 3-4 years or so. So they get it in elementary, middle, and high school.
Thematic Exploration together: (I surveyed the kids and got some input here.)
- August: firearms, gunpowder, explosions, trajectory, hunter's education curriculum & class with NM Game & Fish
- Sept: force & motion, simple machines
- Oct: sound, instruments, electric guitar
- Nov./Dec.: magnetism, electricity
- January: Chemistry
- Feb: matter, atoms, molecules
- March: weather, microscipes
- April: light & color
Resources:
- Use what you have to make what you need.
- How it Works video series on You Tube
- Eyewitness Books
- Library
- Bill Nye
- Evan-Moor Daily Science workbooks are awesome!!! (by grade level)
Assignments:
- Presentations
- Draw & Write about what you learned
- Hands-on experiments
- Games
- Read & Report back to the group
Art:
- Curriculum: Discovering Great Artists by Mary Ann F Kohl & Kim Solga (Love this one! We'd study the artist, maybe find an appropriate video to watch, look at the actual art, and then do the project)
- Also: Discover Great Paintings book--we would explore and be inspired to create something. Lots of fun!
- Ideas from my friend who teaches art.
- Sketch books
- Nature drawing/journaling
- Pinterest related to science/history/writing topics.
- Private art lessons.
Other:
- Literary Night as a family--talk about what we are reading and have fun snacks; show off art work or poetry or memorization or whatever they are working on.
- I used "what every 3rd Grader Needs to Know" and would take music stuff out of that and other levels of the same book.
- At some point here we read Tales from the Odyssey books by Mary Pope Osborne--very well done.
