2020 – 2021 Third Grade Curriculum

Another thing I am in complete denial about is that I will have a THIRD grader next year. When did that happen?! Jacob is growing up so fast. Every year I feel like I understand more and more about how he learns but we are also always making little tweaks, too.

It is fun to dive more and more into subjects the older he gets. And I can honestly say that I learn so much right along with him. Sometimes I am still surprised that we are on this homeschooling journey but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Curriculum

• The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 3
• Independent Reading
• Literature Read Alouds
• The Good and the Beautiful Math 2 & 3
• The Good and the Beautiful Science
• The Good and the Beautiful History Year 3
• The Good and the Beautiful Typing Level 2
• The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 3
• The Good and the Beautiful Creative Arts & Crafts
• The Good and the Beautiful Drawing Levels 1 & 2
• Exploring Nature with Children
• Squilt Music
• Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 & 2A

Holy smokes that looks like a TON! Writing it all out like that seems so overwhelming. But it is actually the same subjects we have been doing this year and so I know it is totally doable. It is what works for us and we are going with it!

The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 3

We have used The Good and the Beautiful from the beginning and we will continue moving forward with it. It is SOLID and we love it. The Good and the Beautiful recently reformatted this level {it just came out this week!} and I think it is going to be really helpful for Jacob.

Independent Reading

Jacob’s love for reading has really taken off this last year. It has probably been my favorite thing about this year. Jacob is transitioning to a higher level of reading and I am excited to watch him find new series to love and characters to admire.

Some of the books that I am getting for Jacob are:

• Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm by Carla Stevens
• Booker T. Washington by Thomas Amper
• David and the Seagulls by Marion Downer
• Mr. Apple’s Family by Jean McDevitt
• Sammy by May Justus

Literature Read Alouds

Read aloud time is one of my favorites! I am planning on doing an individual read aloud with Jacob and Sarah this year. That may become too much {I am trying to keep an open mind} but I am hoping to have that one-on-one time with both of them.

I will be sharing our read aloud list for next year in a later post.

The Good and the Beautiful Math 2 & 3

Jacob is still catching up with his math levels. But I think this year we will finally get there! That is our goal!

We should finish up Level 2 in the sometime in the fall and then will immediately transition to Level 3. Can’t wait!

The Good and the Beautiful Science

We do science family style and I am really excited for Sarah to join us this year! We will be doing four units in science – and three of them are repeats for Jacob. BUT Jacob and I are both so excited. These were units we did back in kindergarten or first grade and a lot has changed for him. We will learn a lot – and have lots of fun while we’re at it!

Mammals

Our first unit is going to be mammals! I am so excited! This one is our new unit and it looks fascinating {and SO beautiful!}. We are going to learn all about mammal anatomy, characteristics, and habitats. Can’t wait!

Meteorology

This unit is a BIG one but I am excited to do it again! We will be exploring all things weather and atmosphere. We will really get to know this Wyoming weather 😉

Energy

This unit is a repeat – but not quite. The Good and the Beautiful has revamped it and added lessons and shuffled things around so I think it’s going to feel pretty new! This is another LARGE unit and I think we will learn a lot!

Water and Our World

Our last unit is going to be all about water! We did this unit before and the experiments are SO FUN. I think it will be a great way to end the year!

The Good and the Beautiful History Year 3

I love history. It is definitely my favorite subject and I think Jacob is enjoying it more and more the older he gets. History will be a family subject but I am going to hold off Sarah for another year.

This year we will be covering:

• Ancient Mesopotamia
• Ancient Israel
• Ancient Africa
• Native North Americans
• Westward Expansion and Industrialization
• World War II

The Good and the Beautiful Typing Level 2

Jacob started typing this year and has loved it. He will continue The Good and the Beautiful typing program next year. It is so gentle and I love its simplicity.

The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 3

Jacob actually did The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting Level 3 this last year, but the company revamped this level {they’ve been doing a lot of that lately!} and so we are doing it again next year.

Jacob is so excited to learn cursive and he will finally learn it in this level. WOOT!

The Good and the Beautiful Creative Arts & Crafts

Jacob has been working in this book for the last several years. He loves to do crafts and is always coming up with his own projects. We only do one project a month from this book but they are so fun and it is nice to have it all ready to go!

The Good and the Beautiful Drawing Levels 1 & 2

As I said, Jacob loves anything artsy. These books will be a fun new medium for him to learn. These are our one new subject for the year and I am not really planning them out or anything. He will just have them available to do when he wants.

Exploring Nature with Children

We started this nature study this last year and it has been a fun addition to our week. It is outlined to do a different theme weekly but it works a lot better for us to do one theme a month. We are excited to continue learning and spending time in nature this next year.

Squilt Music

This is such an easy way to add some music appreciation to your day. Next year we will study the Romantic and Modern eras of music.

Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 & 2A

I am going to continue teaching Jacob piano next year. The Faber method is working out really well for us and we are going to continue using it. It is exciting to see him push forward with something that does not come easily.

Wrap Up

As overwhelming as it can be to think about educating my children, it has also been incredibly rewarding. I have gotten to know my kids in a way that I am not sure I would have otherwise. It’s been special .

I am also grateful that this has been gradual. I have had Jacob the last three years and recently been slowly adding in Sarah. This next year, Sarah will have a lot more, AND we will also be adding Benjamin to the mix as well. It seems crazy to me right now but I know it will all work out. And I can’t wait to see it unfold!