We spent 30 days on Ancient China. I could have spent more, but I think it was about all he could take.

6th Grade
Curriculum: 
History Odyssey Ancients Level 2
Intellego Ancient Civilizations I
Intellego World Religions
Scholastic Ancient Civilizations Book

Books:
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
The Story of Mankind
DK Eyewitness: Ancient China
Projects about Ancient China
Ancient Chinese Weapons
The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient China
What Did the Ancient Chinese Do For Me?
Great Ancient China Projects
The Technology of Ancient China
The Ancient Chinese
Fa Mulan: The Story of the Woman Warrior

Videos:
Legacy: The Origins of Civilization
What the Ancients Knew: China
Engineering an Empire: China
China's Terracotta Warriors
Wild China
Biography: Confucious
Dynasties of Ancient China
The Silk Route

Focus on:
History/Timeline: Dynasties of Ancient China

• Timeline of Dynasties and inventions during that time

Geography/History : The Silk Road

• Map the Silk Road - Scholastic Ancient Civilizations
• The Silk Road Virtual Tour - Intellego Ancient Civilizations I
• Listen to music by Yo Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble - Intellego Ancient Civilizations I

Philosophy/Religion
     Confucious

• Biography Channel: Confucious, Intellego Ancient Civilizations I
• Name the three Confucian Values
• Fill in chart comparing the 3 philosophies 

     Legalism

• Intellego Ancient Civilizations I 
• What principle is it derived from?
• What are the two principle sources?
• Would you call it a religion or a philosophy?  
• What was the result of Legalism?

     Taoism

• Intellego World Religions
• Explore the history of Taoism
• Examine the beliefs and customs of Taoism
• Draw a Yin and Yang - Explain what it means
• Draw a picture of Tai Shan

Lit Study: Sun Tzu: The Art of War

•  http://www.school-for-champions.com/competition/art_of_war_01.htm

•  Confucious quotes and Sun Tzu Quotes 
•  Explain what he thinks the quote means, what it actually means and where it came from. 

• Understand how Chinese pictographs work and learn how to write a few characters. 
• Scholastic Ancient Civilizations and Intellego Ancient Civilizations I.
• Write a biography on an ancient emperor or philosopher. 

Science

Preschool can be such a fun age. Here are some free printables I've found to make it educational as well. 

Homeschool Creations Preschool Packs - Includes Star Wars, Wizard of Oz and more.
Confessions of a Homeschooler
1+1+1+1=1
Totally Tots: Mommy Made Printables
Mr. Printables
Over the Big Moon
Our Little Monkeys
Living Montessori Now
Busy Bee Kids Printables
Counting Coconuts
File Folder Games

The Book
  After trying a few different programs to teach my 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter to read, I finally settled on Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (OPGTR) and I haven't looked back. It was exactly what I had been attempting to create on my own. OPGTR is a simple and straightforward step-by-step guide to teach phonics word families.  It is not overly-complicated or gimmicky and it is easily customized to fit your needs. Even nervous beginners would be able to pick this up and start working with their child quite effortlessly.  It is also very popular among veteran homeschoolers who really have tried it all. Finally, it is gentle enough, many have had success teaching their 3-4 year old children to read. 

The Lessons
     Each lesson should only take about 10-15 minutes at the most per day. I thought it was ingenious to include all the different forms of letters your child may come across as they begin reading, perfect for my middle son, who notices everything.  For example, it shows I as I and I; it also explains the different a's: a and a.  The book is broken up into 25 sections and totaling a whopping 231 lessons. You can find information on the topics of each lesson here at the Peace Hill Press website under sample. Every lesson consists of an intro to the sound you will be learning, some scripting for the teacher to read to the student, some words that use the sound, then some sentences that include the new words along with review words from the previous lessons. After the lesson, there are some optional activities offered if you want to take it further or slower. The author encourages one new lesson and review two to reinforce mastery of each sound.

My Experience
       Both my son and daughter knew the phonics sounds for the alphabet, so we skipped the beginning lessons and went straight for section 3. The routine I have finally settled into works well for teaching two at a time. While the book is scripted,  I do not read the script to them. I pre-read it before the lesson to make sure I understand what the lesson will be about, then make it up as I go. First, I have each of them read the whole word wall from previous lessons before beginning the day's lesson. Then, I made my own flashcards with each word and sound so they could each take turns reading the words. Once we finished, I would put the flashcards on the word wall for review the next day. I also printed out all of the sentences into larger print using a page or two for each lesson. I would then have them take turns reading sentences. After they were finished with their sentences, I would give them one page of copywork with two short sentences from the lesson. This daily routine, reinforced and improved their reading and writing skills dramatically. 



This simple, direct, ready-to-go phonics book has truly helped my children learn how to read. I hope you will find it helpful as well.

Where to Find It
You can find it in paperback or PDF form at Peace Hill Press. Ready-made flashcards and a complete combo pack that includes a parents guide audio companion and magnetic letters for a multi-sensory approach. Prices are subject to change, but at the time of posting they were:
Paperback: $29.95
PDF: $23.95
Flashcards Printed/PDF: $7.95/$6.35
Audio Companion CD/Download: $8.99/$6.99
Combo Pack: $55.00

Note: I'm not an affiliate with OPGTR, just a grateful homeschooling mom.  

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