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7th Grade
When our kids were in grades 1, 4,
and 7 we began using a curriculum called Tapestry of Grace. TOG follows
the “classical method” using a 4-year rotating cycle of Ancients, Middle
Ages/Reformation, Early Modern and Modern. Based on a Christian
worldview, this is the BEST curriculum I have ever used. Having all three
of my girls using the same curriculum means that they all cover the same
topics and subjects, but each grade level has age appropriate activities
and expectations. Each Year Plan can be purchased in digital format (DE)
as well as in print. You purchase the lesson plans (instructions) for
Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 and then use them over again as you go
through each cycle. If you began this curriculum with your child in 1st
grade you would go through the 4 year cycle 3 times before he graduates
(going through Ancients in grades 1, 5, and 9). The reading books and
reference materials will change with each grade level as you go through
the curriculum, but you only have to purchase the lesson plans once. You
can purchase additional pieces to go along with the curriculum for
subjects like writing/grammar, map work, etc. We added our own math and science
for the older students and the Tapestry lesson plans provided
instructions for everything else...including hands on projects!
At first glance, it can be
intimidating. I honestly looked at it for 3 years and didn’t think I
could do it, but I eventually figured out that each Year Plan has
everything in it for grades 1-12 and I would never “do it all” in one
year. We have now worked with Year Plans 1, 2, and 3 and
I can honestly say that we are solid in our decision to use this curriculum
until our last child graduates from high school. You even have access to
online help including other users and the authors through the Tapestry
Forum on their website. Check it out by clicking here...
Using the
Writing Aids which came with our Tapestry of Grace, we really didn’t need
to supplement with any other grammar, but we did choose to continue with Rod
and Staff for reading/grammar for all three kids (grades 1, 4 and 7)
www.rodstaff.com
This is an
EXCELLENT grammar program teaching grammar from the ground up. It is very
thorough and while friends called it “dry” my kids had no problem with
the lessons being at least interesting enough to get through without much
fuss. (It worked so well that we went on to use it in subsequent years)
(Note: we
used Rod and Staff for various kids in grades 4-6. When we began to use
Tapestry of Grace the oldest was in grade 6 and the youngest was in grade
1 - at that time all kids went to the grammar suggest by TOG. For as long
as we have used TOG, we have used the grammar series by Writer's Inc.
Lessons are short and even colorful in the younger grades and all have
learned grammar by using it in their writing rather than studying grammar
for grammar's sake).
While the
younger girls continued with Singapore Math, our oldest began to take math
and science at our homeschool co-op. For this reason, she needed to use
the program they offered – Saxon. Saxon seems to be either really well
liked or not liked at all, depending on whom you ask. Not being the
teacher or student in this case, I’ll keep my opinion to myself (but I
will say that my daughter seems to have a much better grasp on algebraic
concepts than her mother).
- A word on homeschool co-ops
Not everyone
who homeschools chooses to attend a co-op. For our family this was a huge
blessing. We had attended a co-op in the past which was mostly for
enrichment (fun classes). As my children got older I quickly realized
that there was not enough time in my week to fit in all of the
educational activities AND the day of fun classes. But I didn’t want to
give up on the co-op idea because my kids loved interacting with other
homeschoolers. So we simply changed our focus and started with a co-op
which offered more core classes. Instead of our day being spent in extra
classes, my children made choices that replaced things I no longer had to
teach at home.
The co-op we
chose met once a week and offered 5 classes each semester. The older kids
(junior and senior high) could take science and math classes that were
2-semester classes, but many of the classes were only 1 semester long. So
my kids got up to 10 different classes in a single year. For my kids, the
older ones had to take at least 2 academic subjects that replaced
something at home. Because they thought science was so much more fun in a
group, that was one subject each of them chose at co-op. That could be
anything from bugs/animals, rocks/minerals, machines, Legos/K’nex (engineering), or even cooking. From the cooking classes I was even
able to hand off breakfast, lunch and most of the dessert making to my
kids (it was homework!).
In addition
to the large co-op (about 80 families), we also had a smaller co-op on a
different day of the week with just 2 other families. This group came
together when three of our big co-op families discovered we were all
using Tapestry of Grace. So we decided to get together once a week and do the “teaching” then, leaving Wednesday through
Friday for work at home. This was an excellent opportunity for the older
kids to have discussions in both history and literature. Much more fun
than question and answer time with mom.
Our 5 hours of Tapestry co-op classes gives the kids from ages 4
through 15 instruction with vocabulary/spelling,
writing, reading, history, literature, worldviews (Bible), art, and
hands-on projects. For our family,
this was the perfect solution. We have been so happy with Tapestry of
Grace that we will continue to use this curriculum until our last child
graduates from high school!
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