It’s that time of year when many homeschool bloggers share what curricula they will use in the coming school year. I always love taking a look at what other moms use in their homes! It helps me think through my own choices and evaluate why I am doing things the way that I do.
This year, I will have a (very busy) preschooler, 4th grader, 6th grader, 8th grader, and 10th grader.
Whew! I say it often but homeschooling is not for the faint of heart!
My 10th grader has been at various private schools for the past 3 years, and my Mama heart is just bursting with joy that he will be back in our homeschool this year. While it will bring its own set of challenges, I am beyond happy that he will be home with us each day.
Over the next week or two, I’ll post all of the homeschool curriculum choices for my lovely young people.
Today, I’ll start with my 4th grader!
More 2020-2021 Homeschool Curriculum Posts:
→ 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021
→ 8th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021
→ 10th Grade Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2020-2021
Browse through all of the homeschool curriculum posts here at Mama’s Learning Corner.
This post uses affiliate links. You can see my disclosure policy at any time. I am not affiliated with Memoria Press at this time, except as an affiliate. I’m just a very happy customer.
A couple of years ago, we moved to mostly using Memoria Press. While I taught my children using unit studies and more delight-directed learning in the very early years, our homeschool is one that teaches classical education now.
→ Read more: How I Educate Myself as a Classical Homeschooling Mother
For the past two years, reading and phonics have been the main goal with this particular child. My 4th grader was a later reader and required intense phonics work, but the hard work has paid off. I am so proud of this girl that is now a reader!
4th Grade Latin – Latina Christiana
My 4th grader will work through Latina Christiana from Memoria Press this year. She is so excited after her lovely year working through Prima Latina.
This will be my fourth child to go through Latina Christiana. While it is certainly a big step up in work and memorization from Prima Latina, the workload is very appropriate for a 4th grader.
We’ve used the DVDs in the past, but I’ll be teaching her each week myself since I’m comfortable with the material now.
The Latina Christiana lesson plans from Memoria Press include using the Student Guide, Ludere Latine, and all of the memory work and drills she will need to practice.
4th Grade Math
We will continue on with Rod and Staff Math Grade 4. We switched to Rod and Staff Math years ago, and it has given my 4th grader such a solid foundation in math facts.
She will continue working through the lessons in the book, along with the Blackline masters to reinforce those pesky math facts.
She and I will do the daily oral work from the Teacher’s Manual because that is where the excellent review prompts and helps are located. Make sure you don’t skip those parts!
4th Grade Bible Study
Even though it has looked differently through the years, we have always started our homeschool day together with Bible study. This year, my girls and I will finish up Christian Studies II, which covers the rise and fall of Israel and the period of the Prophets. We only have one unit left of this study as a carry-over from last year.
Then we will move on into Christian Studies III which is all of the major accounts from the New Testament.
In the past, I haven’t assigned any writing to my 4th grader in Christian Studies, but this year, she will be required to answer a few of the written questions and she will take the unit tests with the other girls.
Tests in Bible study? I know. That would have seemed really strange to me a few years ago. Now that I have seen the fruit of that memorization, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Yes, you can certainly do the memorization without tests, but my children remember better with tests regardless of the subject. 😉
4th Grade English, Spelling, Poetry, and Cursive Handwriting
We have used Rod and Staff English for years and years, so my 4th grader will move on to the lovely yellow fourth grade book. This year steps up just a bit in grammar and requires more writing. The grammar concepts dovetail so beautifully with our Latin and one reinforces the other.
Totally win-win!
→ Read more: How We Use Rod and Staff English Grammar in Our Homeschool
Sadly, Memoria Press does not have Traditional Spelling III ready for publication yet, so we will have to settle for Spelling Workout D. I will continue on with her spelling using all of the strategies I’ve gleaned through the years.
→ Read more: How I Teach Spelling in Our Homeschool
We will also read and memorize several poems from Poetry for the Grammar Stage.
Lastly, my sweet Red Head will work through Cursive Copybook II and a few of my cursive handwriting packets.
4th Grade Literature and Composition
My daughter didn’t work on composition at all last year in 3rd grade. Reading and phonics were the main priority and I know that there are many years ahead of us for practicing formal writing.
This year, my daughter will work on Intro to Composition the first half of the year and we will work through several lessons of Classical Composition: Fable during the last half of the year.
And literature? Fourth grade is such a neat literature year!
She will read through MP’s 4th Grade Literature Set: The Cricket in Times Square, Homer Price, The Blue Fairy Book, and A Dangerous Journey. Of course these will not be the only books that she reads, but these are the books that we will read and study and analyze together.
The benefits of reading great works and analyzing them, even at this young age, reaps great rewards. I have older children that have proven this over and over!
4th Grade Classical Studies and Timeline
I am excited to work through D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths with my 4th grader this year. Even though she knows the stories just from listening in with older siblings, she will have her own turn at understanding these great tales.
She will complete the study guide questions with my help. Learning to write a full sentence answer takes a lot of practice and modeling. This Greek Myths course is just another opportunity to practice.
We also work through Memoria Press’ Timeline program together in the mornings. My fourth grader will start her own Timeline Composition book this year.
4th Grade Geography and Science
Lastly, my sweet fourth grader will learn all of the U.S. States and Capitals. After I show her what is expected, she will work on this mostly independently.
I planned for her to work through Mammals during 3rd grade, however, I had to shelve that and history. It was just too much for her, since most of her mental energy went to learning to read well and to math and Latin.
So I have pulled Mammals back off of the shelf for her and we will work through it 1-2 days each week.
If we have time, I will pull back out American Pioneers and Patriots and a few Evan-Moor books, starting with History Pockets: Life in Plymouth Colony. There may not be time for this, and if there’s not, I’m okay with that. The above work is plenty for a fourth grader!
What is your fourth grader studying this year?
Color Your Own Calendar 2020-2021
Wonder site you have Lauren! So happy to have this!
Oh thank you, Shelley!
xo, Lauren
I love reading your blog, we also use R&S and MP for a lot of subjects. I was wondering if you buy the curriculum guide and then flip around, or if you buy the digital lesson plans separately? I have a handful of kids spanning 1st-3rd grade materials and am not sure what’s most efficient/cost effective. I’d appreciate your feedback, thank you so much.
Hey Stephanie! We sound like similar homeschoolers. 🙂
I DO buy the curriculum guide for a couple of reasons: I like to see how it all fits together and seeing what the pacing is in other subjects (even if I don’t use them). Also, if you buy the CG, you get the package pricing on everything else that you DO purchase for that grade, even if you don’t buy the whole package. Lastly, it’s helpful to me to have all of the MP plans for that child in one place.
My big kids don’t fit into a package at all any longer (10th and 12th), and I have lesson plans for all subjects printed for them. For whatever the reason, it just feels “more” to me instead of the CG. I’m sure this is just me. 🙂
And just in case you didn’t know – MP will send you an updated CG each year as long as you originally purchased it from them. You have to pay shipping, of course, but a newly updated one is nice when you teach the next child down!
xo, Lauren