2023-24 school year

2023-24 Curriculum

Better late than never, right?

I honestly thought I had typed this up months ago. But apparently it was just something I meant to do, not something I actually did. So here’s a look at the curriculum we used for the 2023-24 school year, with one 11th grader (Ladybug) and one 6th grader (Chickadee). I hope I remembered everything, but the beginning of the school year seems like an eternity ago, so there’s a decent chance that I forgot to include one or more resources we used this year!

Religion

For Ladybug

  • Chadwick’s The Early Church
  • Eusebius’ History of the Church

For Chickadee

  • A Bible History

Math

For Ladybug

  • Math-U-See Pre-Calculus

For Chickadee

  • Horizons Math 6

Language Arts

For Ladybug

  • Writing Strands Level 7
  • Wordly Wise 3000, Book 11
  • Analytical Grammar

For Chickadee

  • Spelling Workout G
  • Wordly Wise 3000, Book Six
  • Writing with Skill, Level One
  • A Reason for Handwriting F
  • Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind: Purple Workbook

Literature

For Ladybug

  • The Divine Comedy (all three parts!)
  • The Hound of the Baskervilles
  • Macbeth
  • The British Tradition II: Poetry & Prose from the Elizabethan to the Neoclassical Age (1485-1784)

For Chickadee

  • The Hobbit
  • Anne of Green Gables
  • The Door in the Wall

History

For Ladybug

  • The History of the Renaissance World
  • US History with A History of US

For Chickadee

  • The Story of the World, vol. 2–The Middle Ages

Science

For Ladybug

  • Apologia Exploring Creation with Physics

For Chickadee

  • Apologia Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

Electives

  • Duolingo
  • Apologia Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition (Ladybug only)

2023-24 School Year–Week Thirty-Two

We finished the final chapter of the 2023-24 school year!

Ladybug wrapped up a few final things this week. She read about magnetism in physics. In history, she read about Joan of Arc, Henry VII, and the fall of Constantinople. She read some literary selections from the Restoration and Neoclassical Age, including Phillis Wheatley’s “To S.M., A Young African Painter, On Seeing His Work.”

Chickadee finished her math curriculum by learning how to calculate simple interest with i=prt. She completed her final writing assignment about African and Asian elephants and their habitats. She also completed her grammar review for the year. We read about Paul’s missionary journeys and trip to Rome.

We had one final field trip for the 2023-24 school year…we attended the final History Exploration Day for the year at the Missouri History Museum, which focused on recreation, which is both a fun and serious topic, as we looked not only at how people enjoyed recreation in the past, but also who wasn’t welcome at various locations.

And one last fun activity before the end:

On to the summer…there’s a lot we’re looking forward to, including the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games!

2023-24 School Year–Week Thirty-One

Ladybug had her final review and test in pre-calculus this week. In US history, she read about the Civil Rights movement. She finished reading about electric circuits in physics. In literature, she read selections from “Paradise Lost” and “Pilgrim’s Progress.” In history, she read about Scandinavia and the Kalmar Union under Margaret I, as well as Jan Hus. She finished her religion curriculum by reading about liturgical art, which brings me to our field trip for the week…we visited The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis!

We went to see the mosaics (the largest collection in the western hemisphere!), but while we were there, we were invited to join a guided tour, so we not only got to admire the art, but we also learned a lot about the history of the building!

Chickadee practiced budgeting in math. She continued working on her final composition in writing. In religion, she read about the early church, including the conversion of Saul. She finished science for the year. We did a lot of review in grammar, and she also learned a few new uses of punctuation. In history, she read about the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

One week to go, and a short week at that…I have a few more fun things planned before we’re done!

2023-24 School Year–Week Thirty

This week Ladybug was introduced to limits in pre-calculus (the last topic in the book!). She finished health. In religion, she read about Gregory the Great (Pope Gregory I). She started a unit on early 17th Century and Puritan literature, reading “Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women” by Aemilia Lanyer. In physics, she started learning about electric circuits. She read about The Black Prince in world history.

Chickadee graphed ordered pairs in math, and started dividing with negative numbers. She began working on her final composition in writing, which is going to be about elephants and their habitats. In science, she read about Gregor Mendel and dominant and recessive traits. We skipped the Holy Week readings in religion (since they are still fresh in our minds), and moved straight to the Ascension and Pentecost. In history, she read about John Cabot and Jacques Cartier.

We also took the train to St. Louis this week and walked the Arch grounds and visited some of our favorite downtown spots, including the Old Cathedral, Kiener Plaza, Citygarden, and Ballpark Village:

Two more weeks to go!

2023-24 School Year–Week Twenty-Nine

This week, Ladybug solved inequalities with absolute value and radicals in pre-calculus. She finished the chapter on electric potential in physics. In history she read about the House of Visconti and also Antipope Clement VII. She finished learning about the immune system in health. She read “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Raleigh in literature.

Chickadee started adding positive and negative numbers in math. She did a study of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Bells” in writing. In science she started a chapter on growth and development. She also learned about Sir Walter Raleigh this week, reading about the early colonization attempts of the British in North America and the lost colony of Roanoke in history.

At the end of the school year, when the weather is nice, I try to make sure we get out of the house one day a week. This week, we went to the St. Louis Zoo. That was fun…the day was beautiful, and we had fun observing the animals (although we didn’t get to see the baby tigers)…but the real highlight of the day was going to lunch at Olympia Kebob House, where not only did we enjoy gyros and chocolate baklava, but we got to see them set cheese on fire…Opa!

The most fun thing we did this week, though, was quite unexpected. When we went on our weekly trip to the library, we participated in a scavenger hunt on the research floor (I assume the point of the activity was to acquaint patrons with the research floor). While we were there, we learned a ton about the collections they have (some dating back over two hundred years!), and even made a second trip to do some local research, which was very enlightening. We’re looking forward to going back soon to delve even deeper into their collections!

I’m hoping for pleasant weather again next week so we can spend some time walking around the Arch grounds for the first time in years!

2023-24 School Year–Week Twenty-Eight

The big news this week was the solar eclipse! We didn’t get full totality this time around, but we were at 99%+ so we still had an impressive show, and I’m sad that it’s over!

Ladybug reviewed equations with radicals and absolute value in pre-calculus. She started the chapter on electric potential in physics. In US history she read about WWII. She started a chapter on the war against infection in health. In history she read about the end of the Avignon Papacy. She began her final literature study of the year, focusing on poetry & prose from the Elizabethan to Neo-Classical Age. In writing she worked on composing a (fictitious) complaint letter.

Chickadee used what she learned about calculating percents in math last week to find discounts and tax when shopping. In religion we began reading about the events of Holy Week, which are fresh in our minds. She finished the chapter on the immune system in science (just as Ladybug is starting it in health) by learning about antibiotics and vaccinations. We finished reading The Door in the Wall. In writing she learned how to add footnotes to a paper and how to determine if something is considered common knowledge. In history she read about Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare.

We also went to the History Exploration Day at the Missouri History Museum today…the theme was transportation, but the really exciting part of the day was seeing the newly renovated north entrance of the museum:

We’ve only got about four weeks to go before the end of the school year!

2023-24 School Year–Week Twenty-Seven

It was quite a challenge to get right back to work following Easter, but we did plan a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden in the middle of the week, which gave us a chance to enjoy the spring flowers (especially the tulips!) if not spring weather!

Ladybug worked with geometric sequences and series in pre-calculus. She read about the rise of the papacy around the time of Pope Leo I in religion. In health, she finished reading about bones and muscles. She did the final review and paper for Macbeth. She finished the chapter on Coulomb’s Law and the electric field in physics. In world history, she read about the rise of the Ming Dynasty in China.

Chickadee learned how to calculate percents in math. In history, she read about Copernicus and Galileo, and the contributions they made to modern science. We are almost done reading The Door in the Wall. In writing, she learned how to construct a two-level outline. She learned about antigens and antibodies in science.

The end of the school year is so close now…I’m hoping for lots of good opportunities for field trips to keep us going to the finish line!

2023-24 School Year–Week Twenty-Six

Back to work after spring break…we’re in the home stretch now! First the fun stuff…we’ve been working on a project for Easter. The girls painted Ostereier and we made an Ostereierbaum to display on Sunday…it turned out beautifully, and reminds me of the one I had when I was a child!

In pre-calculus, Ladybug worked with sequences and series. She read about Augustine and the Donatists in religion. In physics, she started the chapter on electrostatic force and Coulomb’s law. She finished reading Macbeth. In history, she read about Edward III’s fight against Scotland and France and the beginning of the Plague. She read about the different types of joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons in health.

Chickadee continued to work with ratios in math, and also had an introduction to simple probability. In religion, we read more of the teachings and miracles of Jesus. She started reading about the immune system in science. In history, she learned more about the Reformation, Gutenberg’s printing press, and the Renaissance. We continued to read The Door in the Wall.

2023-24 School Year–Week Twenty-Five

This was a busy week, which had me out of the house a lot for various appointments, but fortunately, my students are good at getting their work done even when I’m not home! We also made a few trips to the library this week, and I was very excited to find a book in the children’s section called Bob…my family can tell you that I will name literally anything and everything Bob, so this was a very special moment for me!

Ladybug followed up last week’s pre-calculus lessons by learning how to graph tangent and cotangent. She finished the chapter on geometric optics in physics by learning about Snell’s Law of Refraction and the structure of the human eye. In health she read about how bones grow, remodel, and heal. She finished Act IV of Macbeth. In history she read about Louis IV of Bavaria, who was eventually crowned as Holy Roman Emperor. She also spent a lot of time working on a special Easter craft project (details to follow)!

Chickadee reviewed ratios in math. In religion she read about some of the parables of Jesus. She finished learning about hair, skin, and nails in science. We continued reading The Door in the Wall. Her writing was extra fun this week, because it was centered around an excerpt from one of her favorite books, Anne of Green Gables. History was also fun, because we read about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, as well as Henry VIII and all of his wives.

Next week is spring break, Bunny will be home from college, and we have two birthdays to celebrate…I’m really looking forward to it!

2023-24 School Year–Week Twenty-Four

Even though it’s the first full week of March, which is normally nice after a long, boring February, we didn’t really do anything exciting…maybe next week! We did get a lot of work done, though.

Ladybug graphed cosecant and secant in pre-calculus. She learned about the Law of Refraction in physics, and practiced ray tracing. In US history, she read about the events up to WWI, including the Sherman Antitrust Act, the creation of the National Parks system, and the birth of unions. She finished Act III of Macbeth. In religion she read about the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. She caught up to Chickadee in world history, reading about Mansa Musa.

Chickadee continued to use the compass to construct different shapes in math. She learned about the structure of hair in science. In history, she read about the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas of the Americas. We continued reading The Door in the Wall. In grammar she learned how to identify floating elements including appositives and absolute constructions. We read about Jesus’ early ministry in religion, which overlapped a great deal with our Jesus Tree readings for Lent.

Hopefully next week we’ll find a little something exciting to add to one of our school days!