I Never Met a Curriculum…

…I didn't tweak.

I'm finally sitting down to try to sort through and figure out what topics we'll be studying for history this year. My two oldest students, Judith and Nathan, will be working through Gileskirk Modernity. My younger five will be studying the same time period.

A dear friend gave me three years of Tapestry of Grace, classic edition. The thing about curriculum someone has given me (in other words, that I haven't paid for) is that there's a great deal of freedom to tweak and tweak and tweak. When I've bought something, if it doesn't work, I hope to sell it, which limits how much I'm willing to take it apart. However, if this doesn't work, I can give it away or I can wrap fish in it - it really doesn't matter.

I've gone through the three years and have pulled out the units I want to cover this year. I'm working to fit them into our Gileskirk study, but I'm also trying to plan out the units for the younger kids. I've pretty much chucked the writing instruction and will substitute other things I have that I like better, but I'll be able to pull writing topics from Tapestry.

I'm also pulling from blackline map masters on CD, Romantic poetry from the internet, and even Veritas Press history cards. I don't seem to have as many books about this time period as about others, so I may have to do some shopping. Some of the activity sheets from Tapestry are definite keepers, while others just don't trip my trigger (those are going into the circular file).

And while I'm planning a general overview of the year's topics, I'm only getting detailed about the first four or so weeks (we're in the second week of our first six-week session, adding in a bit more each week), although at the rate I'm working, I may have to content myself with only two or three weeks.

I'll try to keep you updated on my progress, Dear Readers, but until the wedding, don't hold me to that!

SDG!