Home School Curriculum Guide

Under the H ome
2020 K-5 Curriculum Guide
Learn from the Masters

UNDER THE HOME 2020-2021 CURRICULUM GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW.........................................................................................................................................................................................4
SCHEDULE..........................................................................................................................................................................................4
KINDERGARTEN .................................................................................................................................................................................5
ART HISTORY............................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
MATH ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
MUSIC ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
POETRY .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
PROSE...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
PHONICS .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
READING .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
STUDIO ART .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
WRITING .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
FIRST GRADE .....................................................................................................................................................................................8
ART HISTORY............................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
GEOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
MATH ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
MUSIC ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
POETRY .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
PROSE.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
PHONICS ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
READING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
SCIENCE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
STUDIO ART ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
WRITING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
SECOND GRADE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 13
ART HISTORY........................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................................................................................ 13
AMERICAN HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
WORLD HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
MATH .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
MUSIC ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
POETRY .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
PROSE.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
PHONICS ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
READING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
SCIENCE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
STUDIO ART ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 17
WRITING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 17
THIRD GRADE .................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
ART HISTORY........................................................................................................................................................................................... 18
GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Copyright © 2020 - All Rights Reserved - underthehome.org 2

WORLD HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

MATH .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
MUSIC ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
POETRY .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
PROSE.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
SHAKESPEARE .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
READING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21
WRITING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21
SCIENCE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
STUDIO ART ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
FOURTH GRADE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 23
ART HISTORY........................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................................................................................ 23
WORLD HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
MATH .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
MUSIC ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
POETRY .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
PROSE.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
SHAKESPEARE .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
READING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
WRITING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
SCIENCE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27
STUDIO ART ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
FIFTH GRADE ................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
ART HISTORY........................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
GEOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................................................................................ 28
GRAMMAR ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
MATH .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29
MUSIC ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 30
POETRY .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30
PROSE.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 31
READING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 31
WRITING ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 31
SCIENCE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 32
STUDIO ART ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 32

Overview
Under the Home (UTH) is a Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum that seeks
to build upon children’s natural love of learning. Lessons focus on
developing the fundamental skills of listening comprehension, reading,
writing, and mathematical thinking. These fundamental skills are enhanced
and reinforced by integrating beautiful music, inspiring artwork, and
charming poetry and prose. Additional subjects include American history,
world history, geography, science, and studio art.
Masterworks in the public domain constitute the heart of the curriculum. Created by master
authors and artists, passion for teaching, learning, and creating inspired these works. Many
chosen works incorporate or inspire a rich use of language critical for developing a full and
expressive vocabulary. Providing quality, non-trivial masterworks in subjects such as music, art,
poetry, and prose results in an educational benefit not only for children, but for instructors as well.
When explicit instructions are not provided in the lessons themselves, book chapters and lessons
are accompanied by lesson guides that provide information such as teaching instructions,
synopses of lesson content, vocabulary words, fundamental concepts, enrichment activities, and
review questions.
Schedule
UTH schedules lessons using a 36-week school schedule. The exceptions are
phonics, reading, writing, and mathematics, where UTH recommends that children
progress upon mastery of lessons rather than by a set schedule. Keep in mind that
“grade levels” merely provide reference and structure and need not be followed
precisely. Instructors are free to either use UTH's suggested schedule or to schedule lessons at an
optimal pace for individual children.

Kindergarten
The kindergarten curriculum includes nine subjects: art history, mathematics,
music, poetry, prose, phonics, reading, studio art, and writing. The goals of the
year are to enhance listening skills, to transition to chapter books, to build
observational skills, to work on listening comprehension, to gain a concrete
understanding of numbering and basic mathematical operations, to work on
phonics, visual word recognition, and writing letters, and to delight in rhyme, music, and art.
Art History
Children study 36 masterworks of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, Sandro Botticelli, Mary Cassatt,
Vincent van Gogh, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and Georges Seurat. Children study one master artist
for several weeks with one new work introduced weekly. This course provides lesson guides with
descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all 36 works.
The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
Math
The kindergarten through first grade mathematics curriculum provides four phases of step-by-
step instructions for introducing primary-level arithmetic to children in preparation to begin Ray's
Primary Arithmetic. Phase I teaches children to recognize numbers of objects up to ten. Phase II
drops physical objects and teaches children to combine and separate up to ten imaginary objects
in their minds. In phase III, children combine and separate abstract numbers directly. Finally, in
phase IV, children write addition and subtraction equations including values up to ten. Teaching
guides to assist instructors accompany all 56 lessons.

Music
Kindergarten music captures the magic of the seasons. Children will enjoy shivering to spooky
music, dancing to Christmas melodies, huddling from stormy musical concoctions, and skipping to
renewing spring compositions. Lesson guides with directions, synopses, enrichment activities,
and review questions accompany each of the 36 musical selections. All music is included on the
website. Just click a button and enjoy!
Poetry
Mother Goose poems provide children an enchanting first venture into the world of rhyme and
poetry. Well-known favorites such as Rain, Jack, Wee-Willie, Pat-A-Cake, If Wishes Were
Horses, and Humpty Dumpty are joined by other lovely poems including Bees, Pippen Hill, and
Pussy-cat and Queen. This course provides audio recordings, lesson guides, coloring pages, and
copywork for all included 108 poems.
Prose
Kindergarten prose includes charming tales of friendship, loyalty, perseverance, and adventure.
Written text, pictures, and audio readings of the books are integrated on the website. The
included books are My Father's Dragon, The Great Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter, Raggedy Ann
Stories, Raggedy Andy Stories, The Velveteen Rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily's Adventures. This
course provides teaching guides for each chapter with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review
questions, and enrichment activities.
Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle

Phonics
The leveraged phonics textbook was devised to be used for the first three years of education in
conjunction with a series of readers (e.g. McGuffey’s, Treadwell’s). Phonics, associating sounds
with letters and blending those sounds into words, provide children with a foundation to decipher
novel words. The author of the utilized textbook evolved this system of teaching phonics in her
own schoolroom and used it with great success. This method incorporates four activities: 1) Ear
Training, 2) Tongue Training, 3) Eye Training, and 4) Word Building.
Reading
The kindergarten through first grade reading curriculum integrates the time-tested McGuffey's
Eclectic Primer with audio recordings of letters, words, and sentences to provide an effective
reading curriculum with no additional textbook costs. This course provides teaching guides with
instructions on how to teach each of the 52 lessons.
Studio Art
Kindergarten studio art provides hands-on opportunities to create novel artwork such as
paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Kindergarten studio art adapts Text Books of Art Education
(Volume I), the first book in a 7-volume set of textbooks created in the early 19th century via
conferences and consultations with art education experts. Leading art teachers and educators in
large public school systems and universities such as Harvard helped to create the textbook.
Supplies needed to complete the course are minimal and inexpensive. Pencils, crayons, markers,
paper in a variety of colors, washable acrylic paints, paintbrushes, polymer clay or oven-
hardening clay, and dish soap or bubble solution are all children require.
Studio Art - Making an Origami Boat
Writing
Kindergarten through first grade writing provides a printable 63-page tracework book and a
printable 96-page copywork book to reinforce the provided McGuffey's Eclectic Primer reading
lessons. Some children might start with tracework. Others may immediately be ready for
copywork. Convenient links to the relevant page are provided within the reading lesson guides.

First Grade
The first-grade curriculum includes lessons in twelve subjects: art history,
geography, history, mathematics, music, poetry, prose, phonics, reading, science,
studio art, and writing. First grade adds the topics of geography, history, and
science to the areas covered in kindergarten. The goals of this year are to
transition from listening to independent reading, to continue to build observational skills, listening
comprehension, and vocabulary, to expand the range of mathematical operations, to progress to
more complex children’s poetry, to draw and sculpt a range of 2D and 3D shapes, and to
continue to study masterworks of music and art.
Art History
Children study the masterworks of Henri Matisse, Georgia O'Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, Ivan
Aivazovsky, Edward Burne-Jones, Robert Scott Duncanson, and Natalia Goncharova. Children
study a single master artist for several weeks with one new work introduced weekly. This course
provides lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment
activities for all 36 works.
The Dessert: Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse
Geography
In first grade geography, children first study the geography of the familiar stomping grounds
surrounding their homes before expanding to explore the far-off reaches of the world. Children
explore and map the places they are most acquainted with: their bedrooms, their homes, their
neighborhood streets, and their cities.

History
First grade American history focuses on stories that intrigue children, including the noble bravery
of leaders, the daring discoveries of explorers, the ingenuity of inventors, and the unimaginable
achievements of scholars and scientists. Tracework, coloring pages, and lesson guides with
synopses, vocabulary words, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities are provided
for all 48 stories.
Battle of Trenton by Hugh Charles McBarron, Jr.
Math
The first and second grade mathematics course integrates the time-tested Ray's New Primary
Arithmetic, which covers addition, counting, skip counting, subtraction, multiplication, division,
money, and time. Teaching guides are provided to instructors for all 132 lessons.
Music
This course continues the study of classical music in a concrete, pictorial way, combining music
with famous works of art. Works from Modest Mussorgsky, Gustav Holst, Frédéric Chopin, John
Philip Sousa, Claude Debussy, and Edvard Grieg are featured this year. This course aims for
children to enjoy classical music and to become familiar with master composers and their works.
Lesson guides with directions, synopses, enrichment activities, and review questions accompany
all 36 musical selections. All music is included on the website. Just click a button and enjoy!

Poetry
Poetry of Fables, Fairies, and Fauna includes ancient fables retold with lyrical poetry and child-
friendly poems of green hills, blue mountains, rocks and streams, birds, woodland, starry-night,
sea-foam, flowers, fairies, children, music, dreams, a book, and sweet home! Enjoy the beautiful,
charming, and sometimes spine-tingling works of famous poets such as Jean de La Fontaine,
William Allingham, Henry W. Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe. This course provides audio
recordings, lesson guides, coloring pages, and copywork for all included 72 poems.
Illustration of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven by Gustave Doré
Prose
In Stories of Whimsical Adventure, children travel to Africa and cure sick monkeys with Dr.
Dolittle in The Story of Dr. Dolittle, and take a wild car ride with Toad in The Wind in the Willows,
and explore subterranean caverns beneath mountains and evade grotesque goblins with
Princess Irene in The Princess and the Goblin. This course provides lesson guides with
descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all stories.
The Princess and the Goblin

Phonics
The leveraged phonics textbook was devised to be used for the first three years of education in
Reading
The first and second grade reading course integrates the time-tested McGuffey's First Eclectic
Reader with audio recordings of letters, words, and sentences to provide an effective reading
curriculum with no additional textbook costs. This course provides teaching guides with
May we go to the swing now, mamma?

Science
First grade science focuses on building reading, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. The
Peter and Polly series features the lives of two young farm children in the early 1900s. The stories
incorporate the flora, fauna, and seasonal events in a small farming community. This course
provides lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, scientific concepts, review questions, and
science-themed enrichment activities for all 36 stories.
In Story 12, A Bite of Apple, Poor Polly is Stung by a Bee
Studio Art
In first grade, UTH Studio Art focuses on intersections between art and math - drawing lines and
shapes. To balance structure while still allowing creativity and imagination to flourish, each
lesson enables children to first practice creating specific lines and shapes and then to create
artwork by applying their new skills in any manner they wish. Supplies required to complete the
36 exercises are minimal and inexpensive. Sculpting clay or Play-Doh, a ruler, drawing paper, and
drawing implements such as pencils, pens, and markers are all children need for these lessons.
Lozenge with Grey Lines by Piet Mondrian

Writing
The first and second grade writing course provides a 191-page printable copywork book to
reinforce the lessons in McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader. Convenient links to the relevant writing
page are provided within each reading lesson guide.

Second Grade
The second-grade curriculum includes lessons in thirteen subjects: art history,
geography, American history, world history, mathematics, music, poetry, prose,
phonics, reading, science, studio art, and writing. Second grade adds the topic of
world history to the areas covered in first grade. The goals of this year are to focus
on handwriting and independent reading, to continue to build observational skills, listening
comprehension, and vocabulary, to expand the range of mathematical operations and introduce
concepts of money and time, to encourage consideration of complexity and nuance within
children’s poetry, to learn the fundamentals of drawing using object drawing, position, direction,
and color, to learn and listen to string, keyboard, and percussion instruments, and to familiarize
children with art from around the world.
Art History
In second grade, children study artists from around the world. Countries include Japan, India,
Persia, China, Egypt, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, and South Africa. Children study one master
artist or country for four weeks with one new work introduced weekly. This course provides
lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities
for all 36 works.
Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province by Katsushika Hokusai
Geography
Children expand outward from their homes and communities to continue their study of
Geography. Children study the four cardinal directions, the animals, the plants, the people, and
the major landforms and divisions of the Earth. Children also draw maps of the world and plot
courses across the great oceans. Notebook work accompanies all 54 lessons.

American History
In second grade American history, students learn about American Indian life, frontier peril and
escape, colonial pirate adventures, daring Revolutionary feats, dangerous whaling voyages,
scientific exploration, and encounters with wild beasts. This course provides lesson guides with
descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all 36 lessons.
The Revolutionary War
World History
In second grade world history, students study the earliest development of civilization along the
banks of the Nile and the Mediterranean and in the fertile valley of Mesopotamia. This course
provides lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment
activities for all 17 lessons.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon, by Martin Heemskerck

Math
The first and second grade mathematics course integrates the time-tested Ray's New Primary
Arithmetic, which covers addition, counting, skip counting, subtraction, multiplication, division,
money, and time. Teaching guides are provided to instructors for all 132 lessons.
Music
Second grade music features twenty string, keyboard, and percussion instruments. Selected
musical compositions, sound clips, and artwork highlight the featured instruments. Studied
instruments include the violin, the cello, the viola, the piano, the harp, the snare drum, and the
xylophone. Lesson guides with directions, synopses, enrichment activities, and review questions
accompany all 36 musical selections. All the music is included on the website. Just click a button
and enjoy!
Poetry
Delight in the child-friendly poetry of Lewis Carroll, James Whitcomb Riley, Mary Austin, Eugene
Field, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Abbie Farwell Brown, and Sara Teasdale. Eat
oysters with the Walrus and the Carpenter, learn about goblins from Little Orphant Annie, visit
old Peter Prairie-Dog in Prairie-Dog Town, and maroon yourself with pirates on Dead Man's
Chest Island. Children study each poet and their poetry over a five-week period. This course
provides audio recordings, lesson guides, coloring pages, print copywork, and script tracework for
all 40 poems.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, by Eugene Field

Prose
Second grade prose features absorbing children's books chosen for their positive life lessons, their
vocabulary-building diversity of language, and their inclusion of fast-paced, exotic adventures.
The selected books have persisted over decades as true classics. Second grade prose whisks
children away to the Yellow Brick Road and Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, to the
Mad Hatter’s tea party in Alice in Wonderland, and to the inside of a Dog-Fish in Pinocchio. The
website integrates story text, pictures, and audio readings. This course provides lesson guides
with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all stories.
Alice Receives Advice from the Caterpillar in Wonderland
Phonics
The incorporated phonics textbook was devised to be used for the first three years of education in
Reading
The first and second grade reading course integrates the time-tested McGuffey's First Eclectic
Reader with audio recordings of letters, words, and sentences to provide an effective reading
curriculum with no additional textbook costs. This course provides teaching guides with

Science
Second grade science features animal nature study, which integrates classic fiction and non-
fiction works by Anna Botsford Comstock, Clara Dillingham Pierson, and Thornton W. Burgess.
Children listen to charming animal stories, study the appearance, behavior, and habitats of birds,
mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, annelids, arachnids, crustaceans, and mollusks, venture
outdoors on nature walks, and create a field journal.
Studio Art
In second grade, studio art introduces a first-year drawing course by D. R. Augsburg. First year
drawing focuses on object drawing, position, direction, and color. Students learn to capture the
relative positions of objects, draw objects in perspective, capture actions such as running and
walking, draw in a two-handed rhythm, and produce even color washes. Materials required are
minimal and include pencils, crayons, drawing paper, and a ruler.
Drawing Objects in Perspective

Writing
The first and second grade writing course provides a 191-page printable copywork book to
reinforce the lessons in McGuffey's First Eclectic Reader. Convenient links to the relevant writing
page are provided within each reading lesson guide.

Third Grade
The third-grade curriculum includes lessons in thirteen subjects: art history,
geography, American history, world history, mathematics, music, poetry, prose,
Shakespeare, reading, writing, science, and studio art. Third grade adds the topic of
Shakespeare to the areas covered in second grade. The goals of this year include
exploring genres of paintings, delving deeper into a structured study of history, exploring the
woodwind and brass instruments, increasing the sophistication of studied poetry and literature,
expanding and refining drawing skills, venturing out into nature to observe plant life, engaging in
a comprehensive study of notation, mathematical operations, reduction, and compound numbers,
and continuing to build vocabulary, writing, and reading skills.
Art History
In third grade, children study and recreate a variety of painting genres including landscape,
cityscape, seascape, still life, history, portrait, space art, genre, and wildlife. Children study one
genre for four weeks with one new work introduced weekly. This course provides lesson guides
with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all 36
works.
An Example of Genre Art, The Dancing Couple by Jan Steen
Geography
In third grade, geography may be divided into the geography of the home and the geography of
the world at large. A knowledge of the home must be obtained by direct observation; of the rest
of the world, through the imagination assisted by information. Ideas acquired by direct
observation form a basis for imagining those things which are distant and unknown. Students
delve into topics such as the water cycle, landforms, and the earth's place in the solar system. In
addition, children study the geography, people, and culture of the Far East as they visit historical
Japan and China of yesteryear with 'The Boy Travelers.'

American History
Third grade American history provides a study of major figures in American History from
Christopher Columbus through the Civil War. This course provides lesson guides with
descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all 32 lessons.
Washington in the Revolutionary War
World History
In third grade world history, students study global history from the start of humankind through
the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and into the Crusades. This course provides lesson guides
lessons.
Chivalry
Math
As taught by teachers of bygone eras and recommended by The Eclectic Manual of Methods, this
third-fourth grade course interweaves related theory and problem sets from Ray's New
Intellectual Arithmetic, Ray's Practical Arithmetic, and Ray's New Test Exam. This course expands
upon the study of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and introduces notation,
reduction, and compound numbers. This course also provides a workbook of text exercises and
an answer key.

Music
Third grade music features eight woodwind and brass instruments. Selected musical
compositions, sound clips, and artwork highlight the featured instruments. Instruments include
the flute, the clarinet, the oboe, the bassoon, the trumpet, the trombone, the French horn, and the
tuba. Lesson guides with directions, synopses, enrichment activities, and review questions
accompany all 36 musical selections. All of the music is included on the website.
Poetry
Visit mermaids by the sea with Emily Dickinson, pick apples on a crisp autumn day with Robert
Frost, fight to follow your dreams with Paul Laurence Dunbar, puzzle over the mystery of the
Queen of Hearts with Christina Rossetti, and venture into the wild American West with Walt
Whitman. This course interweaves poetry, vocabulary, mapwork, discussion, copywork, narration,
dictation, and artwork. Lessons also introduce literary devices including metaphors, similes, and
personification.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson
Prose
Third grade prose whisks children away to the jungles of India, the lagoons of Neverland, the
roads of Spain, a Hoosier schoolhouse from yesteryear, and the magical realms of fairy tales. This
course provides lesson guides with synopses, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and
enrichment activities.
Wendy Sews on Peter Pan's Shadow

Shakespeare
Third grade introduces the immortal bard using child-friendly retellings of twelve of
Shakespeare's works including A Midsummer's Night Dream, The Tempest, The Winter's Tale,
Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, and All's Well That Ends Well. Children create
character maps, set the scene, order major plot events, and recite lines. This course begins
preparation for the study of Shakespeare's plays in their original form. The website integrates
story text, pictures, and audio readings. This course provides lesson guides with descriptions,
vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all stories.
Miranda - The Tempest by John William Waterhouse
Reading
This course integrates text and audio recordings of McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader to provide
a time-tested reading curriculum with no additional textbook costs. McGuffey Readers were used
in American schools for over a century. This course provides lesson guides along with a printable
pdf containing vocabulary, copywork, narration, and dictation.
Writing
The third-fourth grade writing course provides a 262-page printable copywork, narration, and
dictation book to reinforce the lessons in McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader. Convenient links to
the relevant writing page are provided within each reading lesson guide.

Science
Plant Nature Study I integrates classic fiction and non-fiction works by Anna Botsford Comstock
and Thornton W. Burgess. Children study the appearance, needs, and habitats of plants,
including how plants grow, where plants grow, and types of plants with a special emphasis on
flowers. Children venture outdoors on nature walks and create a field journal.
The Dutchman's-breeches
Studio Art
Third grade studio art expands upon the prior year's drawing lessons. Students continue to
master capturing the relative positions of objects, sketching objects in perspective, portraying
actions such as running and walking, drawing in a two-handed rhythm, and producing even color
washes. Materials required to complete the lessons include pencils, crayons, drawing paper or a
notebook, and a ruler.
Vertical, Horizontal, and Oblique Lines

Fourth Grade
The fourth-grade curriculum includes lessons in twelve subjects: art history,
geography, history, mathematics, music, poetry, prose, Shakespeare, reading,
writing, science, and studio art. The goals of this year include exploring art
movements, reinforcing understanding of geography, history, and government,
exploring the musical scores and librettos of operas and ballets, investigating literary devices in
poetry, building on drawing skills, immersing into novels of adventure and legend, deciphering the
beautiful language of Shakespeare, engaging in nature studies of tree life, continuing a
comprehensive study of notation, mathematical operations, reduction, and compound numbers,
and continuing to build vocabulary, writing, and reading skills.
Art History
In fourth grade, children study select western art movements in chronological order from 1000s
Romanesque to 1880s Post-Impressionism. Explore both illustrative artwork and architectural
characteristics of the featured times. This course provides lesson guides with descriptions,
vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities for all 36 works.
A Timeline of Select Western Art Movements
Geography
This course updates and expands 'First Lessons in World Geography' by James Monteith.
Through interactive mapwork, children study the continents, the oceans, the countries, the
landforms, and the cities of our world. This course provides a printable pdf providing written
mapwork to accompany the lessons. In addition, children study the geography, people, and
culture of central Africa of yesteryear with 'The Boy Travelers.'

American History
Fourth grade American history covers early American settlements, relations and wars with the
American Indians, colonial life, the French wars, government in colonial times, the rise of the
American Revolution, and the establishment of the new nation. The text pays liberal attention to
the domestic and social life of the people of the times, their dress, their food, their modes of
thought and feeling, and their ways of making a livelihood. This course provides lesson guides
lessons.
Embarkation of the Pilgrims by Robert W. Weir
World History
In fourth grade world history, students study global history from the medieval period to the
industrial age. This course provides lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review
questions, and enrichment activities for all 36 lessons.
Math
As taught by teachers of bygone eras and recommended by The Eclectic Manual of Methods, this
third-fourth grade course interweaves related theory and problem sets from Ray's New
Intellectual Arithmetic, Ray's Practical Arithmetic, and Ray's New Test Exam. This course expands
upon the study of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and introduces notation,
reduction, and compound numbers. This course also provides a workbook of text exercises and
an answer key.

Music
Fourth grade music features works of the opera and ballet that combine storytelling and music.
Featured works include 'Hansel and Gretel,' 'The Nutcracker,' 'Swan Lake,' and 'The Magic Flute.'
Lesson guides with directions, synopses, and enrichment activities accompany all 36 musical
lessons. All of the music is included on the website.
Study the Story and Music of the Ballet of Swan Lake
Poetry
Fourth grade poetry overviews nine literary devices: 1) Rhyming, 2) Alliteration, 3) Similes, 4)
Metaphors, 5) Personification, 6) Foreshadowing, 7) Allusion, 8) Hyperbole, and 9) Onomatopoeia.
This course incorporates poetry, vocabulary, mapwork, discussion, copywork, narration, dictation,
and artwork. Featured poets include Christina Rossetti, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Lord Alfred
Tennyson, William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson.
Rhyming: All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander

Prose
Fourth grade prose sends children on a treasure hunt with bloodthirsty pirates, explores a famous
tale of greed, ghosts, and redemption, delights with tales of knights, dragons, and magicians, and
introduces stories from Greek and Roman mythology. This course provides lesson guides with
synopses, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and enrichment activities.
'The Taking of Excalibur' by John Duncan
Shakespeare
Fourth grade continues the introduction to the immortal bard using child-friendly retellings of
eight of Shakespeare's works including 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'Othello,' 'Macbeth,' and 'King Lear.'
Children create character maps, set the scene, construct simple costumes, order major plot
events, and recite lines. This course also incorporates Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer's Night
Dream' in its original form, accompanied by an audio recording and a line-by-line translation. This
course provides lesson guides with synopses, vocabulary, concepts, review questions, and/or
enrichment activities for all lessons.
Painting of Romeo and Juliet by Lord Frederick Leighton

Reading
This course integrates text and audio recordings of McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader to provide
a time-tested reading curriculum with no additional textbook costs. McGuffey Readers were used
in American schools for over a century. This course provides lesson guides along with a printable
Writing
The third-fourth grade writing course provides a 262-page printable copywork, narration, and
dictation book to reinforce the lessons in McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader. Convenient links to
the relevant writing page are provided within each reading lesson guide.
Science
Plant Nature Study II focuses on the ultimate of plants - the majestic tree. Children study the
appearance, needs, and habitats of trees, including how trees grow, where trees grow, and types
and characters of trees. Children venture outdoors on nature walks and create a field journal.
Please note that the lessons primarily feature trees of the eastern United States, so some
adaptation may be required for those living in other areas.
The Majestic Foliage of the Maple in Autumn
Studio Art
Fourth grade studio art builds upon the prior lessons of the previous two years. Students draw
geometric shapes, real models of objects, graded and emphasized lines, figures engaged in
actions, and landscapes in color. Students also continue to practice two-handed drills, drawing
loops, triangles, whorls, blades, and trumpets. Materials required to complete the lessons include
pencils, crayons, drawing paper or a notebook, and a ruler.

Fifth Grade
The fifth-grade curriculum includes lessons in twelve subjects: art history,
geography, grammar, history, mathematics, music, poetry, prose, reading,
writing, science, and studio art. The goals of this year include investigating art
movements from pointillism to pop art, expanding geographical knowledge to
other continents, studying early American history, investigating the lives and music of twelve
tremendous composers, exploring poetic forms, fostering drawing and watercolor skills, learning
the nine parts-of-speech, studying renown novels and short stories, studying rocks and minerals,
continuing a comprehensive study of fractions, ratios, and percentages, and continuing to build
vocabulary, writing, and reading skills.
Art History
In fifth grade, children study select movements of art in chronological order from pointillism to pop
art. This course provides lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts, review questions,
and enrichment activities for all 36 works.
A Timeline of Studied Western Art Movements
Geography
This course updates and expands 'Comprehensive World Geography' by James Monteith.
Through interactive mapwork, children study the continents, the oceans, the countries, the
landforms, and the cities of our world. This course provides a printable pdf providing written
mapwork to accompany the lessons.

Grammar
Have you ever been to Grammar-land? Fifth grade grammar overviews the nine parts-of-speech:
nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and
interjections. This gentle introduction to the nine parts-of-speech leverages M.L. Nesbitt's
Grammar-Land and Alice E. Ball's The Child's Own English Book.
American History
Fifth grade American history covers the War of 1812, the 1800s exploration and expansion of the
country, the American Civil War, early American presidents, and early American inventions,
literature, and art. This course provides lesson guides with descriptions, vocabulary, concepts,
review questions, and enrichment activities.
The Battle of Bull Run
Math
As taught by teachers of bygone eras and recommended by 'The Eclectic Manual of Methods,'
this course interweaves related theory and problem sets from 'Ray's New Intellectual Arithmetic,'
'Ray's Practical Arithmetic,' and 'Ray's New Test Exam.' This course continues the third-fourth
grade course with factoring, fractions, decimal fractions, the metric system, and percentages. This
course also provides a workbook of text exercises and an answer key.

Music
Fifth grade music showcases the twelve of the famous composers featured in the 'Child's Own
Book of Famous Musicians' series by Thomas Tapper. Learn about the lives and music of Bach,
Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and other titans of composition. Lesson guides with directions,
synopses, and enrichment activities accompany all 36 musical lessons. All of the music is included
on the website.
Study Twelve Tremendous Composers in Chronological Order by Date of Birth
Poetry
Fifth grade poetry overviews nine poetic forms: 1) Sijo, 2) Haiku, 3) Limerick, 4) Sonnet, 5) Epitaph,
6) Acrostic, 7) Visual, 8) Ode, and 9) Blank Verse. This course incorporates poetry, mapwork,
discussion, analysis, copywork, narration, and artwork. Featured poets include Lord Alfred
Tennyson, Phillis Wheatley, William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and Lewis Carroll.
Visual: Voici la Maison (Here is the House)

Prose
In fifth grade prose, children escape a cave with Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher, venture to
Riverboro with Rebecca of Sunnybrook, and ponder deeper meanings of thought-provoking short
stories. This course provides lesson guides with synopses, vocabulary, concepts, review
questions, and enrichment activities.
'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' by Washington Irving
Reading
This course integrates text and audio recordings of McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader to provide a
time-tested reading curriculum with no additional textbook costs. McGuffey Readers were used in
American schools for over a century. This course provides lesson guides along with a printable
'The Snowbird's Song' from the Third Reader
Writing
The fifth-sixth grade writing course provides a 121-page printable vocabulary, narration, and
copywork book to reinforce the lessons in McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader. Each reading lesson's
guide provides links to the associated writing pages.

Science
Fifth grade science introduces concepts and examples related to rocks and minerals including the
atom, matter, the periodic table, physical and chemical properties, and the rock cycle. Children
venture outdoors on nature walks and create a field journal. A rock hardness test kit with labeled
sample minerals, a streak plate, a nail, etc. enriches field study for this course, but is not required.
At the time of this writing, kits may be purchased online for $10.00 and up.
Physical Properties: Hardness
Studio Art
Fifth grade studio art expands upon the prior year's drawing lessons and introduces painting with
watercolors. Students draw the basic forms in three dimensions and learn to create washes,
tones, and scales using watercolors. Materials required to complete the lessons include pencils,
drawing paper or a notebook, watercolors (6 standard colors plus gray, brown, and black), 5x7
watercolor paper or pad, and assorted sizes of paintbrushes.
Shade Tones (Watercolors)

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Under the H ome

2020 K-5 Curriculum Guide

Learn from the Masters

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WORLD HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

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The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

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Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle

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Studio Art - Making an Origami Boat

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The Dessert: Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse

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Battle of Trenton by Hugh Charles McBarron, Jr.

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Illustration of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven by Gustave Doré

The Princess and the Goblin

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May we go to the swing now, mamma?

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In Story 12, A Bite of Apple, Poor Polly is Stung by a Bee

Lozenge with Grey Lines by Piet Mondrian

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Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province by Katsushika Hokusai

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The Revolutionary War

Hanging Gardens of Babylon, by Martin Heemskerck

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Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, by Eugene Field

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Alice Receives Advice from the Caterpillar in Wonderland

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Drawing Objects in Perspective

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An Example of Genre Art, The Dancing Couple by Jan Steen

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Washington in the Revolutionary War

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Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson

Wendy Sews on Peter Pan's Shadow

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Miranda - The Tempest by John William Waterhouse

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Vertical, Horizontal, and Oblique Lines

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A Timeline of Select Western Art Movements

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Embarkation of the Pilgrims by Robert W. Weir

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Study the Story and Music of the Ballet of Swan Lake

Rhyming: All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander

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'The Taking of Excalibur' by John Duncan

Painting of Romeo and Juliet by Lord Frederick Leighton

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The Majestic Foliage of the Maple in Autumn

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A Timeline of Studied Western Art Movements

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The Battle of Bull Run

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