Clickable Table of Contents (click to jump down to your selection, and on most browsers a yellow arrow will appear in bottom right corner that upon clicking it will take you back to here, the top of page)

Third Grade Classes and Book List

Fourth Grade Classes and Book List

Fifth Grade Classes and Book List

Sixth Grade Classes and Book List

Seventh Grade Classes and Book List

Eighth Grade Classes and Book List

Ninth Grade Classes and Book List

Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth Grade Classes and Book List

Kindergarten Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 5 of the MP catalog.

Bible (we have the Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
Literature Read-aloud (we follow the MP read-aloud schedule in the curriculum manual, we have all the read-alouds, you don’t need to buy unless for your own library, nearly all can be found at library or ebay.com/thriftbooks.com)
Poetry Books MP suggests will be covered in class
Music Enrichment (learning about a classical piece and listening to it)
Art Cards (we’ll go over a famous work of art)
Craft
Kindergarten Enrichment (Science and History Read-alouds) We will read great books about science and do activities and experiments when it fits in with what we are learning about. Note on buying these books yourself—It is not needed as we’ll have them all in class. Buying all these books can be a big investment and we’ll cover them in class. If you do want to buy them for your personal library you’ll see that many of the books are repeated in first and second grades. Nearly all can be found on ebay/thriftbooks/library.
Kindergarten Morning Workbook
Reading Class A

This class is phonics and some handwriting. It is a kindergarten class though we call it Reading Class A. This allows parents to put their students in the appropriate class without the stigma of “grade” level.

Fun in the Sun reader
- Soft and White reader
- Scamp and Tramp reader
- Core Skills Phonics Workbook 1
- Core Skills Phonics Workbook 2
- First Start Reading Workbook A
- First Start Reading Workbook B
- First Start Reading Workbook C
- First Start Reading Workbook D
- First Start Reading Storybook A
- First Start Reading Storybook B
- First Start Reading Storybook C
- First Start Reading Storybook D

Math Games Class “A” – this class is focused on memorizing key math facts that should be memorized at the kindergarten level so students are ready to move on to first grade. Each year the math facts will build so eventually they will be ready for multiplication and division in 3^rd and 4^th grades. Kindergarten Math Games class will be called level “A” so that it doesn’t have the stigma of being just for “kindergarten”.
A student’s parent can choose the appropriate class based on their student’s ability (meaning they are not grade bound by age—we can put them in the correct class based on what they know or where they need to be).
- We will follow the math fact progression in the Memoria Press Math Challenge Book A
- You do not need to own this book but I do recommend it if your child has trouble memorizing math facts. It is a drill book. You can time the children but that does add pressure, for some students it is debilitating, others will rise to the challenge.
- The progression in the book builds so slowly only adding one new math fact each week. It was created by MP because many moms were forgetting to drill flashcards. This book eliminates the need for flashcards and the results from it have been great.
- Note—it is not a math curriculum but rather a math supplement. It will not cover coins, clocks etc. Just math addition/subtraction facts.

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Kindergarten level is called “Primer.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. At kindergarten level its not too much—2 pages big font. By 2^nd grade it can be 3 pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. It feels like a repeat to what is in their Math Challenge books. And then Rod and Staff has their own drill books. It is excessive to buy all that. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has waaaaay less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend the above Memoria Math Challenge Book (it accomplishes the same goal as flash card drills). Also an option to buy flash cards.

Books you may want to buy for home

Do you have a math curriculum? You will need one—see my above notes and recommendation about MathUSee.com

You may want the Memoria Press Math Challenge Book A for drilling facts if needed.

Do you have a phonics curriculum? You will need one —the above books are just what you have to have for co-op but are only a piece of the MP phonics curriculum. I have used it with my daughter and it taught her to read very well so I can recommend it.

The rest of the phonics curriculum (see pg 5 of MP catalog) includes:

Copybook I
Primary Phonics Readers Set 1 (used more towards the end of the year, simple paper readers but the stories are fun and interesting and match what phonics they’ve learned)
Spiral bound small book called Classical Phonics –this is used through second grade and contains word lists to practice reading with –essential book.
Phonics Flashcards (also used through second grade—you’ll refer to these often. We’ll cover them on Mondays but they are used throughout the week).
First Start Reading Teacher Guide (this goes with the First Start Reader Workbooks. It has good discussion prompts to make the stories more interesting. When they only know a handful of sounds the stories are short and boring—you asking question like “why do you think the rat sat on the cat?” make story time fun.
Nature Reader

Also great to own:

Manners Flashcards (you could pin these up in your home—a new one each week)

Kindergarten Art Cards—I display these in my home—the last 5 weeks worth on boards—the curriculum has you review them—one student memorized all of them by having them all on the wall—beautiful God honoring works of art—5×7 size

Kindergarten Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

First Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 6 of the MP catalog.

Bible (we have the Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
Literature Read-aloud (we follow the MP read-aloud schedule in the curriculum manual, we have all the read-alouds, you don’t need to buy unless for your own library, nearly all can be found at library or ebay.com/thriftbooks.com)
Poetry Books MP suggests will be covered in class
Music Enrichment (learning about a classical piece and listening to it)
Art Cards (we’ll go over a famous work of art)
Craft
First Grade Enrichment (Science and History Read-alouds) We will read great books about science and do activities and experiments when it fits in with what we are learning about. Note on buying these books yourself—It is not needed as we’ll have them all in class. Buying all these books can be a big investment and we’ll cover them in class. If you do want to buy them for your personal library you’ll see that many of the books are repeated in first and second grades. Nearly all can be found on ebay/thriftbooks/library.
Reading Class 1

This class is phonics and some handwriting. It is a first grade class though we call it Reading Class 1. This allows parents to put their students in the appropriate class without the stigma of “grade” level.

This class will begin with First Start Reading E and learn the last of the more difficult phonetic sounds and then go into readers like Frog and Toad and Little Bear. They will soon progress into beautiful children’s picture books that have simple words like Make Way for Ducklings and Miss Rumphius. The reading assignments will build to 5 pages with a good sized paragraph on each page. They are getting ready to read chapter books in second grade. A common wonder is “Should my intelligent 4 year old be in first grade or kindergarten?” I have only seen it once where a 5 year old really was meant for first grade, but they basically need to be ready to read Frog and Toad. Ideally, they are not sounding out basic words anymore like jet or dog but rather just read them quickly. If they are reading some—but really still learning and sounding words out, and they are at a kindergarten age—keep them in kinder—there is no rush.

Books you need for Reading Class 1:

First Start Reading Workbook E
- First Start Reading Storybook E
- Memoria Press Literature Set—we will use just the book in class (see page 6 of catalog—these books are easily bought used if needed)

NOTE: This above and alone is not a complete phonics curriculum—this is just what you absolutely need to buy for cottage school. If you do not have a phonics curriculum see below the items I recommend purchasing for home. I heavily recommend the StoryTime TEACHER book at minimum for the continuation of phonics training that is specifically curtailed to the reading books we are doing in class.

Spelling Class 1
- Spelling class is a phonics based class—so truly it is an extension of phonics learning
- Memoria Press Traditional Spelling I Student Workbook
- Memoria Press Traditional Spelling I Practice Sheets

NOTE: This above and alone is not a complete spelling curriculum—this is just what you absolutely need to buy for cottage school. If you do not have a spelling curriculum you will want to buy the remainder of the Traditional Spelling books– see below the items I recommend purchasing for home.

Math Games Class “B” – this class is focused on memorizing key math facts that should be memorized at the first grade level so students are ready to move on to second grade. Each year the math facts will build so eventually they will be ready for multiplication and division in 3^rd and 4^th grades. First grade Math Games class will be called level “B” so that it doesn’t have the stigma of being just for “first grade”.
A student’s parent can choose the appropriate class based on their student’s ability (meaning they are not grade bound by age—we can put them in the correct class based on what they know or where they need to be).
- We will follow the math fact progression in the Memoria Press Math Challenge Book B
- You do not need to own this book but I do recommend it if your child has trouble memorizing math facts. It is a drill book. You can time the children but that does add pressure, for some students it is debilitating, others will rise to the challenge.
- The progression in the book builds so slowly only adding one new math fact each week. It was created by MP because many moms were forgetting to drill flashcards. This book eliminates the need for flashcards and the results from it have been great.
- Note—it is not a math curriculum but rather a math supplement. It will not cover coins, clocks etc. Just math addition/subtraction facts.

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. First grade level is called “Alpha.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. By 2^nd grade it can be 3 pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. It feels like a repeat to what is in their Math Challenge books. And then Rod and Staff has their own drill books. It is excessive to buy all that. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has waaaaay less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend the above Memoria Math Challenge Book (it accomplishes the same goal as flash card drills). Also an option to buy flash cards.

Books you may want to buy for home

Do you have a math curriculum? You will need one—see my above notes and recommendation about MathUSee.com

You may want the Memoria Press Math Challenge Book B for drilling facts if needed.

The rest of the phonics curriculum (see pg 6 of MP catalog) includes:

Copybook II
First Start Reading E Teacher Guide
Story Time Treasures Student and Teacher Books (We won’t have time for this book in first grade but is a great vocab and phonics building tool for at home. The teacher book will tell you which flashcards to pull each day as your student is introduced to new words in their books they are reading). I heavily recommend the TEACHER book at minimum for the continuation of phonics training that is specifically curtailed to the reading books we are doing in class.
Spiral bound small book called Classical Phonics –this is used through second grade and contains word lists to practice reading with –essential book.
Phonics Flashcards (also used through second grade—you’ll refer to these often. We’ll cover them on Mondays but they are used throughout the week).
The Complete Traditional Spelling I Set (including Teacher Guide)
New American Cursive (MP students begin cursive in first grade)
Primary Phonics Readers Sets 2-6 they are pricey but fun and excellent

Also great to own:

First Grade Art Cards—I display these in my home—the last 5 weeks worth on boards—the curriculum has you review them—one student memorized all of them by having them all on the wall—beautiful God honoring works of art—5×7 size

First Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Second Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 7 of the MP catalog.

Bible (we have the Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
Literature Read-aloud (we follow the MP read-aloud schedule in the curriculum manual, we have all the read-alouds, you don’t need to buy unless for your own library, nearly all can be found at library or ebay.com/thriftbooks.com)
Poetry Books MP suggests will be covered in class
Music Enrichment (learning about a classical piece and listening to it)
Art Cards (we’ll go over a famous work of art)
Craft
Second Grade Enrichment (Science and History Read-alouds) We will read great books about science and do activities and experiments when it fits in with what we are learning about. Note on buying these books yourself—It is not needed as we’ll have them all in class. Buying all these books can be a big investment and we’ll cover them in class. If you do want to buy them for your personal library you’ll see that many of the books are repeated in first and second grades. Nearly all can be found on ebay/thriftbooks/library.
Reading Class 2

This class is phonics and some handwriting. It is a kindergarten class though we call it Reading Class 1. This allows parents to put their students in the appropriate class without the stigma of “grade” level.

Memoria Press Second Grade Literature Set—we will use just the books in class (see page 7 of catalog—these books are easily bought used if needed)

NOTE: This above and alone is not a complete phonics/reading curriculum—this is just what you absolutely need to buy for cottage school. If you do not have a phonics curriculum see below the items I recommend purchasing for home. I heavily recommend the literature guide TEACHER manuals at minimum for the continuation of phonics training that is specifically curtailed to the reading books we are doing in class.

Spelling Class 2
- Spelling class is a phonics based class—so truly it is an extension of phonics learning
- Memoria Press Traditional Spelling II Student Workbook
- Memoria Press Traditional Spelling II Practice Sheets

Complete Prima Latina Set – the second graders will begin their first baby steps into latin. They will come to class having watched the video. We expect our moms to also watch as well. You are not required to do the workbooks like the students nor memorize the words, but we ask that all homeschool parents begin the process of understanding latin as we are not a 5 day a week school and you are required to teach your child some in latin. You don’t have to know latin to teach it –but you do need to know where to point them if they need to relearn something. I don’t expect you to memorize a declension but I expect you to know what it is and where to point your student to it if they need to review. Same with conjugations. Same with vocab. Same with latin sayings. Watch the video with the child while you are prepping dinner and that will do the trick. Have them come to class with that week’s lesson watched so the teacher can review and get right into the assignment with them.

Prerequisite is that they are reading.

Math Games Class “C” – this class is focused on memorizing key math facts that should be memorized at the second grade level so students are ready to move on to multiplication and division in 3^rd and 4^th grades.
Second grade Math Games class will be called level “C” so that it doesn’t have the stigma of being just for “second grade”.
A student’s parent can choose the appropriate class based on their student’s ability (meaning they are not grade bound by age—we can put them in the correct class based on what they know or where they need to be).
- We will follow the math fact progression in the Memoria Press Math Challenge Book C
- You do not need to own this book but I do recommend it if your child has trouble memorizing math facts. It is a drill book. You can time the children but that does add pressure, for some students it is debilitating, others will rise to the challenge.
- The progression in the book builds so slowly only adding one new math fact each week. It was created by MP because many moms were forgetting to drill flashcards. This book eliminates the need for flashcards and the results from it have been great.
- Note—it is not a math curriculum but rather a math supplement. It will not cover coins, clocks etc. Just math addition/subtraction facts.

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Second grade level is called “Beta.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. By 2^nd grade it can be 3 pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. It feels like a repeat to what is in their Math Challenge books. And then Rod and Staff has their own drill books. It is excessive to buy all that. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has waaaaay less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend the above Memoria Math Challenge Book (it accomplishes the same goal as flash card drills). Also an option to buy flash cards.

Books you may want to buy for home

Do you have a math curriculum? You will need one—see my above notes and recommendation about MathUSee.com

You may want the Memoria Press Math Challenge Book C for drilling facts if needed.

The rest of the phonics curriculum (see pg 7 of MP catalog) includes:

Copybook II
English Grammar Practice (MP knows that we are learning a lot of grammar in latin so their grammar is basic and simple, covering the age appropriate English nuances that we need to know).
Second Grade Literature Guides, Teacher Guides, and Dictionary
Core Skills 2
Spiral bound small book called Classical Phonics –this is used through second grade and contains word lists to practice reading with –essential book.
Phonics Flashcards (also used through second grade—you’ll refer to these often. We’ll cover them on Mondays but they are used throughout the week).
The Complete Traditional Spelling II Set (including Teacher Guide)
New American Cursive 2 (MP students begin cursive in first grade)

Also great to own:

Second Grade Art Cards—I display these in my home—the last 5 weeks worth on boards—the curriculum has you review them—one student memorized all of them by having them all on the wall—beautiful God honoring works of art—5×7 size

Second Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Third Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 10 of the MP catalog.

Commonplace Book – this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, Astronomy and others. Budget $10-15
Bible-Christian Studies I (we have the Golden Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
- They will need the Bible Verse Flashcards (covers all verses 3^rd-7^th) They will be expected to come to class with their verses ready to recite.
Poetry—Buy the 3^rd-7^th grade Anthology book at a minimum.
Music Theory—Leeann’s class—there will be a music theory book – budget $15—she will source and provide from a local music store.

Complete Latina Christiana Set – Trust me you need the whole set. This is the course for 3^rd or 4^th graders. They will come to class having watched the video. We expect our moms to also watch as well. You are not required to do the workbooks like the students nor memorize the words, but we ask that all homeschool parents begin the process of understanding latin as we are not a 5 day a week school and you are required to teach your child some in latin. You don’t have to know latin to teach it –but you do need to know where to point them if they need to relearn something. I don’t expect you to memorize a declension but I expect you to know what it is and where to point your student to it if they need to review. Same with conjugations. Same with vocab. Same with latin sayings. Watch the video with the child while you are prepping dinner and that will do the trick. Have them come to class with that week’s lesson watched so the teacher can review and get right into the assignment with them.

Note: IF you bought the flashcards for Prima Latina they are the same ones.

Science–Astronomy (afternoon class)—a black page spiral “lay flat” notebook + white colored pencil or gel pen for drawing the constellations. We will do Astronomy with 3^rd/4^th this year and Mammals next year.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation I (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards)

Composition – Introduction to Composition you don’t need the TM—we’ll cover this book in class. (this is a change from previous years—it is the original composition book MP made for 3^rd grade and it is superior. IEW’s all things fun and fascinating has proven to be neither fun nor fascinating and we don’t complete the book by the end of the year and so much of it is repeated the following year. MP’s Intro to Comp is such a better choice and so gentle. If you normally buy the full curriculum package and need to sub this out for IEW but want to still get the package discount search the term “customizable third grade curriculum” and that will give you options to sub)

History, Geography, and Timeline—for History we will cover American history (we will use Beautiful Feet’s American history book) –this will go so beautifully with what they are learning in States and Capitals as they will read stories from all over the US. From Leif Erickson to the first ever Baseball game to the 1950s. It’s a great history book for this age level written in story format with pictures. Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will also work on a giant timeline that the students will build together, culminating in 7^th grade. It’s neat to see it all laid out on our giant scroll vs in a book page by page.

For Geography we will do flashcard and map review, working on memorizing all 50 states and capital and their spellings by the end of 4^th grade. The expectation is they are working on states at home. I heavily recommend the MP states and capitals curriculum for home. See pg 7.

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Third grade level is called “Gamma.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. It can be multiple pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend buying flash cards.

Core Skills 3
The Complete Traditional Spelling III Set (including Teacher Guide) Spelling is no longer done at co-op as we make way for other higher level classes on Mondays.
New American Cursive 3 (MP students begin cursive in first grade)
Literature Set and Literature Guides – see pg 10–These are their readers. They are working through wonderful classics building on their reading skills, expanding vocab, and comprehension. I LOVE the literature guides TEACHER manuals as we can have a discussion about what they’ve read but I don’t have to read the book! It has the questions and answers RIGHT there for you. I don’t make them write out the comprehension questions (we get plenty of writing practice in MP) but we do audibly discuss. I do make them write out the vocab as I found they weren’t learning it without writing it out. The enrichment suggstions each chapter can be really neat. In Mr. Popper’s Penguins it suggested we write to a zoo about penguins and the San Diego zoo wrote us back and answered every question! Super fun. It has you track adventures on maps so you get map work. Dig deeper in history, Memorize poems etc. You could get by with just the teacher manual and save money by not purchasing the blank student guide. But literature is one of MP’s shining subjects—by 7^th grade the lit guides start to go deep and really focus on things they need to learn for college—literary devices and terms. So I heavily recommend the guides.)

Poetry Student Book and Teacher Manual—I do ask you buy the anthology at a minimum, as we do recite poems together for performances, but if you want to dig deeper into poetry the teacher manual helps you go over vocab and cadence (how the poem rhymes, the rhyming structure). The student book you could save on as it is the same as TM but just wants the student to write it all in.

History Read Alouds and Literature Read Alouds – These are TREASURES. Memory making time in my house! The children and I sit down and spend precious moments together. The MP curriculum manual schedules these books in week by week. The history ones are an excellent way to learn history through a captivating novel. You can add dates and names to your timeline book. By 4^th/5^th grade I let my kids read the history read alouds independently.

The literature read alouds we read together always. Lots of amazing discussion points. Typically a little above their reading level so good for read alouds though. Great moral stories. Such good family memories reading together!

These books will drop off in the 7^th grade curriculum so treasure the read aloud time together! They can nearly all easily be found on ebay.com or thriftbooks.com or library.

D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths- This picture book is excellent. We will read excerpts from it in Astronomy as we learn the story behind the constellations. MP would have you cover this book super in depth over 2 years in 3^rd and 4^th grade (flashcards, study book, quizzes, the whole works). I think it is so interesting that the kids don’t really need all that. You could do it as a easy going read-aloud just fine and they’ll remember it. We leave it for at home as many parents want to wait until children are a little older (it is appropriate for their age level but some parents have concerns with children learning myths at 9 years old). That’s fine—I would recommend reading it by 7^th grade though as they’ll review it some in Famous Men of Greece and then also gives great perspective to the Iliad and Odyssey they read in 8^th.

States and Capitals—in 3^rd/4^th the goal is to memorize all 50 states, learn about them, spell them correctly, identify them on a map, know their capitals. In class we will do flashcard and map review but the expectation is they are working on states at home. I heavily recommend the MP states and capitals curriculum for home. See pg 7 on the third grade side – it is done in 2 years, just 1 day a week, 1 state a week + review weeks built in.

Third Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Fourth Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 11 of the MP catalog.

Commonplace Book – this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, Astronomy and others. Budget $10-15
Bible-Christian Studies I (we have the Golden Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
- They will need the Bible Verse Flashcards (covers all verses 3^rd-7^th) They will be expected to come to class with their verses ready to recite. If you bought in a lower grade it is the same set—you are covered.
Poetry—Buy the 3^rd-7^th grade Anthology book at a minimum.
Music Theory—Leeann’s class—there will be a music theory book – budget $15—she will source and provide from a local music store.

Complete Latina Christiana Set – If you already purchased in 3^rd grade you don’t need to buy anything new. They cover this course in 2 years. If you are new to buying, trust me you need the whole set. This is the course for 3^rd or 4^th graders.They will come to class having watched the video. We expect our moms to also watch as well. You are not required to do the workbooks like the students nor memorize the words, but we ask that all homeschool parents begin the process of understanding latin as we are not a 5 day a week school and you are required to teach your child some in latin. You don’t have to know latin to teach it –but you do need to know where to point them if they need to relearn something. I don’t expect you to memorize a declension but I expect you to know what it is and where to point your student to it if they need to review. Same with conjugations. Same with vocab. Same with latin sayings. Watch the video with the child while you are prepping dinner and that will do the trick. Have them come to class with that week’s lesson watched so the teacher can review and get right into the assignment with them.

Note: IF you bought the flashcards for Prima Latina they are the same ones.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation Workbook I (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards). Note—this is the same book as last year—they’ll finish it this year.

Composition – Classical Composition I: Fable Complete Set with DVD You will want the Teacher Guide as it is not the way you probably have learned composition. This is the progymnasmata—the 14 step method that Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare and thousands of others would have learned. It dates back to the Greeks 2000+ years. No silly venn diagrams or things we learned in elementary school. The Teacher Guide and videos will be so helpful.

I especially love the DVD whenever I need it to teach that days lesson of composition. The outline days! The teacher will teach exactly what they need to know. For any day you don’t want to teach have them pop the DVD in.

History, Geography, and Timeline—for History we will cover American history (we will use Beautiful Feet’s American history book) — this will go so beautifully with what they are learning in States and Capitals as they will read stories from all over the US. From Leif Erickson to the first ever Baseball game to the 1950s. It’s a great history book for this age level written in story format with pictures. Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will also work on a giant timeline that the students will build together, culminating in 7^th grade. It’s neat to see it all laid out on our giant scroll vs in a book page by page.

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Fourth grade level is called “Delta.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. It can be multiple pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend buying flash cards.

Core Skills Language Arts 4
Spelling Workout E set Spelling is no longer done at co-op as we make way for other higher level classes on Mondays.
Copybook Cursive II (MP students begin cursive in first grade)
Literature Set and Literature Guides – see pg 11–These are their readers. They are working through wonderful classics building on their reading skills, expanding vocab, and comprehension. I LOVE the literature guides TEACHER manuals as we can have a discussion about what they’ve read but I don’t have to read the book! It has the questions and answers RIGHT there for you. I don’t make them write out the comprehension questions (we get plenty of writing practice in MP) but we do audibly discuss. I do make them write out the vocab as I found they weren’t learning it without writing it out. The enrichment suggestions each chapter can be really neat. In Mr. Popper’s Penguins it suggested we write to a zoo about penguins and the San Diego zoo wrote us back and answered every question! Super fun. It has you track adventures on maps so you get map work. Dig deeper in history, Memorize poems etc. You could get by with just the teacher manual and save money by not purchasing the blank student guide. But literature is one of MP’s shining subjects—by 7^th grade the lit guides start to go deep and really focus on things they need to learn for college—literary devices and terms. So I heavily recommend the guides.)

These books will drop off in the 7^th grade curriculum so treasure the read aloud time together! They can nearly all easily be found on ebay.com or thriftbooks.com or library.

Fourth Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Fifth Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 12 of the MP catalog.

Commonplace Book – this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, history, and others. Budget $10-15
Bible-Christian Studies II (we have the Golden Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
- They will need the Bible Verse Flashcards (covers all verses 3^rd-7^th) They will be expected to come to class with their verses ready to recite. If you bought in a lower grade it is the same set—you are covered.
Poetry—Buy the 3^rd-7^th grade Anthology book at a minimum.
Music Theory—Leeann’s class—there will be a music theory book – budget $15—she will source and provide from a local music store.

Complete First Form Latin Set – Trust me you need the whole set. This is the course where 5^th graders start (if they didn’t do Latina Christiana that’s fine—it is not a prerequisite to First Form Latin).They will come to class having watched the video. We expect our moms to also watch as well. You are not required to do the workbooks like the students nor memorize the words, but we ask that all homeschool parents begin the process of understanding latin as we are not a 5 day a week school and you are required to teach your child some in latin. You don’t have to know latin to teach it –but you do need to know where to point them if they need to relearn something. I don’t expect you to memorize a declension but I expect you to know what it is and where to point your student to it if they need to review. Same with conjugations. Same with vocab. Same with latin sayings. Watch the video with the child while you are prepping dinner and that will do the trick. Have them come to class with that week’s lesson watched so the teacher can review and get right into the assignment with them.

Science—Insects (afternoon class)—The Book of the Insects Reader and Student Workbook. We will have the TM in class as well as the flashcards. The Petersen’s insect book is cheap and neat if you will use it to look up insects. You may want the TM if you want to review the comprehension questions (we will not fill those in during class) OR if you want your student to take the tests—you’ll want the TM as an answer key. Up to you if you buy it. The afternoon class is an hour, we’ll cover the book material and also supplement with specimen study and experiments.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation Workbook II (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards).

Composition – Classical Composition II: Narrative Complete Set with DVD

Whichever course you are currently in, you will want the Teacher Guide as it is not the way you probably have learned composition. This is the progymnasmata—the 14 step method that Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare and thousands of others would have learned. It dates back to the Greeks 2000+ years. No silly venn diagrams or things we learned in elementary school. The Teacher Guide and videos will be so helpful.

NOTE: The progymnasmata is a 14 step process that BUILDS –so MP recommends that EVERYONE start at Fable. If you didn’t do Fable last year, do a semester of Fable, and then join the narrative kids second semester. If your student is older we can work out a quicker process to move them through as many books as needed to get them to where they should be. It is possible they have done some similar writing and we can compare if they need to do all the levels.

History, Geography, and Timeline—Famous Men of Rome Textbook (reader) they don’t need the student workbook. They will use their commonplace book. If you already own the student workbook that is just fine—they can use that.

Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will also work on a giant timeline that the students will build together, culminating in 7^th grade. It’s neat to see it all laid out on our giant scroll vs in a book page by page.

For Geography we will do flashcard and map review, working on memorizing world geography, capitals, and their spellings by the end of 8^th grade. The expectation is they are working on Geography I countries at home. I heavily recommend the MP Geography I curriculum for home. See pg 12.

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5-10 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Fifth grade level is called “Epsilon.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. It can be multiple pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend buying flash cards.

Core Skills Language Arts 5
Spelling Workout F set Spelling is no longer done at co-op as we make way for other higher level classes on Mondays.
Copybook Cursive III (MP students begin cursive in first grade)
Literature Set and Literature Guides – see pg 12–These are their readers. They are working through wonderful classics building on their reading skills, expanding vocab, and comprehension. I LOVE the literature guides TEACHER manuals as we can have a discussion about what they’ve read but I don’t have to read the book! It has the questions and answers RIGHT there for you. I don’t make them write out the comprehension questions (we get plenty of writing practice in MP) but we do audibly discuss. I do make them write out the vocab as I found they weren’t learning it without writing it out. The enrichment suggestions each chapter can be really neat. In Mr. Popper’s Penguins it suggested we write to a zoo about penguins and the San Diego zoo wrote us back and answered every question! Super fun. It has you track adventures on maps so you get map work. Dig deeper in history, Memorize poems etc. You could get by with just the teacher manual and save money by not purchasing the blank student guide. But literature is one of MP’s shining subjects—by 7^th grade the lit guides start to go deep and really focus on things they need to learn for college—literary devices and terms. So I heavily recommend the guides.)

Geography I—in 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th grades they will cover 1/3 of the world. The goal by 8^th is to memorize all countries and capitals, learn about them, spell them correctly, identify them on a map. In class we will do flashcard and map review but the expectation is they are working on states at home. I heavily recommend the Geography I curriculum for home. See pg 12. If they never covered States and Capitals, or only partially or need work, it does come with a review book which is super.

These books will drop off in the 7^th grade curriculum so treasure the read aloud time together! They can nearly all easily be found on ebay.com or thriftbooks.com or library.

D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths- This picture book is excellent. I would recommend reading it by 7^th grade though as they’ll review it some in Famous Men of Greece and then also gives great perspective to the Iliad and Odyssey they read in 8^th.

Fifth Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Sixth Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 13 of the MP catalog.

Commonplace Book – this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, history, and others. Budget $10-15
Bible-Christian Studies III (we have the Golden Children’s Bible and Christian Studies Enrichment, we’ll cover the Bible readings in class so you don’t need to buy it unless you want to)
- They will need the Bible Verse Flashcards (covers all verses 3^rd-7^th) They will be expected to come to class with their verses ready to recite. If you bought in a lower grade it is the same set—you are covered.
Poetry—Buy the 3^rd-7^th grade Anthology book at a minimum.
Music Theory—Leeann’s class—there will be a music theory book – budget $15—she will source and provide from a local music store.

Complete Second Form Latin Set – Trust me you need the whole set. If they didn’t do Latina Christiana that’s fine—it is not a prerequisite to First Form Latin—but if they haven’t done First Form Latin that is the class they will start on. Like math, latin builds.

They will come to class having watched the video. We expect our moms to also watch as well. You are not required to do the workbooks like the students nor memorize the words, but we ask that all homeschool parents begin the process of understanding latin as we are not a 5 day a week school and you are required to teach your child some in latin. You don’t have to know latin to teach it –but you do need to know where to point them if they need to relearn something. I don’t expect you to memorize a declension but I expect you to know what it is and where to point your student to it if they need to review. Same with conjugations. Same with vocab. Same with latin sayings. Watch the video with the child while you are prepping dinner and that will do the trick. Have them come to class with that week’s lesson watched so the teacher can review and get right into the assignment with them.

Science—Insects (5^th/6^th combined afternoon class)—The Book of the Insects Reader and Student Workbook. We will have the TM in class as well as the flashcards. The Petersen’s insect book is cheap and neat if you will use it to look up insects. You may want the TM if you want to review the comprehension questions (we will not fill those in during class) OR if you want your student to take the tests—you’ll want the TM as an answer key. Up to you if you buy it. The afternoon class is an hour, we’ll cover the book material and also supplement with specimen study and experiments.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation Workbook III (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards).

Composition – Classical Composition III: Chreia/Maxim Complete Set with DVD

NOTE: The Progymnasmata is a 14 step process that BUILDS –so MP recommends that EVERYONE start at Fable. If you didn’t do Fable last year, do a semester of Fable, and then join the narrative kids second semester. If your student is older we can work out a quicker process to move them through as many books as needed to get them to where they should be. It is possible they have done some similar writing and we can compare if they need to do all the levels.

History, Geography, and Timeline—Famous Men of Medieval Times (reader) they don’t need the student workbook. They will use their commonplace book. If you already own the student workbook that is just fine—they can use that.

Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will also work on a giant timeline that the students will build together, culminating in 7^th grade. It’s neat to see it all laid out on our giant scroll vs in a book page by page.

For Geography we will do flashcard and map review, working on memorizing world geography, capitals, and their spellings by the end of 8^th grade. The expectation is they are working on Geography II countries at home. I heavily recommend the MP Geography II curriculum for home. See pg 13.

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5-10 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Sixth grade level is called “Zeta.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about Rod and Staff? Rod and Staff is what is recommended by MP. It is a good classic math curriculum. It can be multiple pages of math problems. A child given to day dreaming can take 30-60 min to complete with plenty of nagging. It can be a chore. I have moms who really have liked R&S. MathUSee has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the facts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 6^th grade MP has you switch to a new curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend buying flash cards.

Core Skills Language Arts 6
Spelling Workout G set Spelling is no longer done at co-op as we make way for other higher level classes on Mondays.
Copybook Cursive IV (while they are practicing cursive this book will have them practice their Bible verses they are working on and other info they are learning in fifth grade).
Literature Set and Literature Guides – see pg 12–These are their readers. They are working through wonderful classics building on their reading skills, expanding vocab, and comprehension. I LOVE the literature guides TEACHER manuals as we can have a discussion about what they’ve read but I don’t have to read the book! It has the questions and answers RIGHT there for you. I don’t make them write out the comprehension questions (we get plenty of writing practice in MP) but we do audibly discuss. I do make them write out the vocab as I found they weren’t learning it without writing it out. The enrichment suggestions each chapter can be really neat. In Mr. Popper’s Penguins it suggested we write to a zoo about penguins and the San Diego zoo wrote us back and answered every question! Super fun. It has you track adventures on maps so you get map work. Dig deeper in history, Memorize poems etc. You could get by with just the teacher manual and save money by not purchasing the blank student guide. But literature is one of MP’s shining subjects—by 7^th grade the lit guides start to go deep and really focus on things they need to learn for college—literary devices and terms. So I heavily recommend the guides.)

Geography I—in 5^th, 6^th, and 8^th grades they will cover 1/3 of the world. The goal by 8^th is to memorize all countries and capitals, learn about them, spell them correctly, identify them on a map. In class we will do flashcard and map review but the expectation is they are working on states at home. I heavily recommend the Geography II curriculum for home. See pg 12. If they never covered Geography I, or only partially or need work, it does come with a review book which is super.

These books will drop off in the 7^th grade curriculum so treasure the read aloud time together! They can nearly all easily be found on ebay.com or thriftbooks.com or library.

Sixth Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Seventh Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 14 of the MP catalog.

Bible-Christian Studies
- Christian Studies IV set including the Teacher Manual (they will use this set for the rest of their school years—each time they read a book in the Bible they will complete the appropriate section in this book. They will earn points for doing so and work towards their Bible Reading Trophy and pin. The Goal of all of our Excelsior students is Bible literacy and that means having read the entire Bible.
- I will provide them with a Bible reading curriculum schedule. It will have all the Bible verses in it from kindergarten through 6^th + new ones. They are expected to come with Bible verses memorized each week. If they memorize all the verses and recite them by 12^th grade they will earn the Bible verse award and pin.
Poetry—Buy the 3^rd-7^th grade Anthology book at a minimum.

Commonplace Book – this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, history, and others. Budget $10-15

Complete Third Form Latin Set – Trust me you need the whole set. If they didn’t do Latina Christiana that’s fine—it is not a prerequisite to First Form Latin—but if they haven’t done First Form Latin that is the class they will start on. Like math, latin builds.

Science—Trees (afternoon class)—

The Book of the Trees Reader
The Book of the Trees Student Workbook
The Book the Trees Teacher Manual (to check your student’s answers midweek as well as it contains the key for quizzes/tests).
Exploring the World of Biology Set
Trees of Arizona Field Guide by Stan Tekiela (buy on Amazon).
The afternoon class is an hour, we’ll cover the book material and also supplement with tree study and experiments.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation Workbook IV (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards).

Composition – Classical Composition IV: Refutation and Confirmation Complete Set with DVD

American History, Geography, and Timeline—see pg 14 for the American/Modern box—you’ll need all that is in it. Get the complete set (you’ll want the TM for answer key helps—it is more than a one day a week class. We’ll cover the best stuff to do in class together but there will be work at home as it is a 3 day a week class)

Get:

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies & the Great Republic set
American history outline set
200 Questions About American history set
Flashcards
The Story of the World vol 4

Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will also work on a giant timeline that the students will build together, culminating in 7^th grade. It’s neat to see it all laid out on our giant scroll vs in a book page by page. We will add dates from Christian Studies, Famous Men of Greece (they’ll be reading at home), American History and any other dates.

Horatius at the Bridge Textbook and Student Guide (TM not needed, we’ll have it in class)

The Greek Alphabet Student Book

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5-10 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Seventh grade level is called “Pre-Algebra.”
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about College of the Redwoods? College of the Redwoods is what is recommended by starting in 7^th. I know nothing about it nor anyone who has used it.
- What I like about MathUSee is it comes with a video lesson for each week and it has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the concepts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 7^th grade MP has you switch from Rod and Staff to college of the redwoods, and then they have you switch again in highschool to Videotext curriculum so that’s worth noting.
- If a child needs an extra boost for math facts I recommend buying flash cards.

Core Skills Language Arts 7
Spelling Workout H set Spelling is no longer done at co-op as we make way for other higher level classes on Mondays. 7^th grade is the last year for spelling in MP curriculum.
Literature Set and Literature Guides – see pg 13–These are their readers. They are working through wonderful classics building on their reading skills, expanding vocab, and comprehension. I LOVE the literature guides TEACHER manuals as we can have a discussion about what they’ve read but I don’t have to read the book! It has the questions and answers RIGHT there for you. I don’t make them write out the comprehension questions (we get plenty of writing practice in MP) but we do audibly discuss. I do make them write out the vocab as I found they weren’t learning it without writing it out. The enrichment suggestions each chapter can be really neat. In Mr. Popper’s Penguins it suggested we write to a zoo about penguins and the San Diego zoo wrote us back and answered every question! Super fun. It has you track adventures on maps so you get map work. Dig deeper in history, Memorize poems etc. You could get by with just the teacher manual and save money by not purchasing the blank student guide. But literature is one of MP’s shining subjects—by 7^th grade the lit guides start to go deep and really focus on things they need to learn for college—literary devices and terms. So I heavily recommend the guides.)

Famous Men of Greece Textbook Reader (we will review dates in class and add to timeline). Follow the schedule to read this book at home. Student workbook optional –up to you. It has comprehension questions, vocab, mapwork. You can see a pdf sample on the MP website.

D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths- This picture book is excellent. We will read excerpts from it in Astronomy as we learn the story behind the constellations. I would recommend reading it by 7^th grade though as they’ll review it some in Famous Men of Greece and then also gives great perspective to the Iliad and Odyssey they read in 8^th.

Seventh Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Eighth Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 15 of the MP catalog.

Bible-Christian Studies
- If you haven’t already purchased the Christian Studies IV set including the Teacher Manual you will need this as they will use this set for the rest of their school years—each time they read a book in the Bible they will complete the appropriate section in this book. They will earn points for doing so and work towards their Bible Reading Trophy and pin. The Goal of all of our Excelsior students is Bible literacy and that means having read the entire Bible.
- I will provide them with a Bible reading curriculum schedule. It will have all the Bible verses in it from kindergarten through 6^th + new ones. They are expected to come with Bible verses memorized each week. If they memorize all the verses and recite them by 12^th grade they will earn the Bible verse award and pin.

Complete Fourth Form Latin Set – Trust me you need the whole set. If they didn’t do Latina Christiana that’s fine—it is not a prerequisite to First Form Latin—but if they haven’t done First Form Latin that is the class they will start on. Like math, latin builds.

Physical Science with labs (afternoon class 1-2pm)—

Apologia Physical Science Textbook NEWEST edition (purchase or check on Apologia.com)
Apologia Physical Science Notebook NEWEST edition (spiral bound notebook)
Quizzes and Tests booklet NEWEST edition
Answer Key Teacher Booklet NEWEST edition

The afternoon class is an hour, but it is worth noting, it is a four day a week class (preparing for a five day a week freshman Biology class). We chose this text because it is the same author as highschool Biology for 9^th grade. This 8^th grade year prepares them for what they will encounter in 9^th.

Our focus on Mondays together will be to do the labs together and cover whatever material we can. There is no way we can cover 4 days of material and labs all in one hour on Monday. There will be needed at home reading.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation Workbook V (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards).

Composition – Classical Composition V: Common Topic Complete Set with DVD

Geography III— We will review the flashcards and maps in class but won’t have time to do the textbook work—that is to be done at home.

see pg 15 for the American/Modern box—to do this curriculum at home you’ll need all that is in it except you don’t need the Classroom Atlas. (you’ll likely want the TM for answer key helps/quizzes tests answers).

If you haven’t purchased the flashcards for geography you’ll need them (they last for all three geography courses)

We will review the flashcards and maps in class but won’t have time to do the textbook work—that is to be done at home.

Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will add dates from Christian Studies, Book of the Ancient World, Book of the Ancient Greeks (they’ll be reading at home), American History from Literature and any other dates.

Iliad and Odyssey (or if already studied choose a classical studies class you haven’t yet taken such as the Aeneid, etc)

Purchase:

the MP published books (so we all have the same page numbers and translation) we will read together in class
you don’t need the student books, TM or DVD. We’ll cover all that material in class. The only reason you might want the student guides as that is the exact format of the tests. I usually don’t make my children take the tests of this particular class. We read it for understanding and enjoyment. Your call. We will use our Excelsior Commonplace book for this class. If you haven’t yet purchased our Commonplace book nor ever heard of it– this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, history, and others. Budget $10-15
But if you have already purchased the student guide and prefer to use that your student may.

Literature/Poetry

Such a great year—probably my favorite! We will cover American classics. The students will come to class having read the assigned chapter, gone over the vocab in the student guide and the comprehension questions and come ready to discuss in a Socratic discussion.

Get these texts (ideally the same editions as MP—helps with referencing page numbers):

Treasure Island set
The Wind in the Willows set
Tom Sawyer set
Shakespeare’s Henry V set (we will sub out As You Like It—we got mixed reviews from parents and found Henry V a far superior play in every regard)
Poetry and Short Stories set

I say “set” because you’ll probably want the Teacher key if students get stuck on comprehension questions or if you have them take test/quizzes. I usually start making my children takes tests in 7^th grade to prepare for high school (test taking is a skill) and we take grades in 8^th to prepare for when it counts—in 9^th.

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5-10 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Eighth grade level is called “Algebra” but depends if you have done pre-algebra yet. If not do that course first.
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about VideoText? College of the Redwoods is what is recommended in 7^th. I know nothing about it nor anyone who has used it and then in 8^th-10ththey use VideoText and beyond they use another curriculum.
- What I like about MathUSee is it comes with a video lesson for each week and it has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the concepts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 7^th grade MP has you switch from Rod and Staff to college of the redwoods, and then they have you switch again in highschool to Videotext curriculum and then switch again in 11^th and 12th so that’s worth noting.

The Book of the Ancient Greeks -to be read at home and we’ll add dates to our timeline in class
The Book of the Ancient World – to be read at home and we’ll add dates to our timeline in class
- NOTE on this text—this book is best discussed with mom or dad—especially any chapters covering the Hebrew people. It covers all the ancient people but it does it in such a way that it makes God’s chosen people, and even our God, seem kind of like every other people or pagan god. There is just no special emphasis given… I think it is really just lacking a strong Christian perspective – I don’t like that its written in a way that a non-Christian wouldn’t be offended by it. My oldest three have all commented on that. It does a good job of covering all the ancient people in a nice story like format (Egyptians, Mesopotamians, etc) but just make sure to discuss with your child that our God is the one true God and His decrees and laws are righteous

D’Aulaire’s Greek Myths- This picture book is excellent. If they haven’t read it yet, its an easy fun read (maybe in 1 or 2 afternoons) and gives great perspective to the Iliad and Odyssey they read in 8^th.

Eighth Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

First Form Greek: We won’t be offering First Form Greek this year, we just don’t have any students currently ready—I’d like them to be in Third Form latin or later ideally–but if there is interest we will offer it again next year.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Ninth Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 16 of the MP catalog.

Bible-Christian Studies
- If you haven’t already purchased the Christian Studies IV set including the Teacher Manual you will need this as they will use this set for the rest of their school years—each time they read a book in the Bible they will complete the appropriate section in this book. They will earn points for doing so and work towards their Bible Reading Trophy and pin. The Goal of all of our Excelsior students is Bible literacy and that means having read the entire Bible.
- I will provide them with a Bible reading curriculum schedule. It will have all the Bible verses in it from kindergarten through 6^th + new ones. They are expected to come with Bible verses memorized each week. If they memorize all the verses and recite them by 12^th grade they will earn the Bible verse award and pin.

Henle Latin Second Year – Trust me you need the whole set. If they didn’t do Latina Christiana that’s fine—it is not a prerequisite to First Form Latin—but if they haven’t done First Form Latin that is the class they will start on. Like math, latin builds.

Biology with labs (afternoon class 1-2pm)—

Apologia Biology Science Textbook NEWEST edition (purchase or check on Apologia.com)
Apologia Biology Science Notebook NEWEST edition (spiral bound notebook)
Quizzes and Tests booklet NEWEST edition
Answer Key Teacher Booklet NEWEST edition
Optional: I highly recommend the DVD thumbdrive or vimeo lessons or self paced (see below for info on that)– the teacher on the video will teach the lessons that we don’t get to in class
Optional: audiobook if you have an audible learner (you still need the paper textbook though)

The afternoon class is an hour, but it is worth noting, it is a five day a week class.

Our focus on Mondays together will be to do the labs together and cover whatever material we can. There is no way we can cover 5 days of material and labs all in one hour on Monday. There will be needed at home reading.

Self paced:$249 If you prefer, there is a self paced option that Apologia offers. The biggest benefit is that it will grade the course for you online (the students completes all coursework and tests online). You do get all the above bullet points (digital and audio book, video lessons etc) included so it can be a really good deal–but please note—you still need a physical copy of the textbook and notebook. If your student attends a college like ASU, they will require physical verification proof of labs for homeschoolers and the notebook will be something you want to save.

Grammar—English Grammar Recitation Workbook VI (you’ll likely want the Teacher’s Manual too for answers but you don’t need the little green recitation book or the flashcards).

Composition – Classical Composition VI: Enconium, Invective, Comparison Complete Set with DVD

Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will add dates from Christian Studies, history (they’ll be reading at home), from Literature and any other dates.

Aeneid (or if already studied choose a classical studies class you haven’t yet taken, etc)

Purchase:

the MP published book (so we all have the same page numbers and translation) we will read together in class
you don’t need the student books, TM or DVD. We’ll cover all that material in class. The only reason you might want the student guides as that is the exact format of the tests. I usually don’t make my children take the tests of this particular class. We read it for understanding and enjoyment. Your call. We will use our Excelsior Commonplace book for this class. If you haven’t yet purchased our Commonplace book nor ever heard of it– this was John Locke’s method for organizing information – I will source a commonplace book for us—it will last years and cover subjects like Christian Studies, history, and others. Budget $10-15
But if you have already purchased the student guide and prefer to use that your student may.

Literature/Poetry

We will cover some great British classics. The students will come to class having read the assigned chapter, gone over the vocab in the student guide and the comprehension questions and come ready to discuss in a Socratic discussion.

Get all these literature and poetry sets (ideally the same editions as MP—helps with referencing page numbers) see pg 16

Second Form Greek –get complete set (no DVDs available—I will teach the content)

OR if not doing Greek do:

Logic I and II – This is true Aristotelian Logic (not just fallacies—fallacies are a by product of true logic—we will learn the logic behind why fallacies are a fallacy).

Get the Complete set – we’ll cover content in class but Martin Cothran teaches this course on the DVD and he is so good. If they need any review it is great to pop him in and see him teach the lesson. So DVD is optional. You’ll want the Teacher Manual for answers and quizzes/test answers.

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5-10 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn. Ninth grade level is called “Geometry” but depends if you have done Alegebra yet. If not do that course first.
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about VideoText? College of the Redwoods is what is recommended in 7^th. I know nothing about it nor anyone who has used it and then in 8^th-10ththey use VideoText and beyond they use another curriculum.
- What I like about MathUSee is it comes with a video lesson for each week and it has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the concepts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 7^th grade MP has you switch from Rod and Staff to college of the redwoods, and then they have you switch again in highschool to Videotext curriculum and then switch again in 11^th and 12th so that’s worth noting.

Modern History -Renaissance and Reformation by Dorothy Mills (MP publishes this text and edits it since Mills is Catholic they have made it more “middle of the road” as this is controversial history for both camps. And that is worth noting about the text I want to bring up. This is a period of history you really should cover, and the text does a good job of covering main events, but the neutral goal is that the result is it is not a persuasively Protestant Christian text. Mom or Dad should definitely read along or pre-read and note key points to discuss. Especially regarding Luther (it’s not bad perse—just not persuasive enough, especially if you are someone who loves Luther). Discussions and supplementing with reading some of his speeches would do perfectly to round out this text and make it an excellent class.
Christian History– covering from Christ through the churches in Asia—an entire survey of Christianity
- MP offers the text for this course The Story of Christianity by David Hart
- David Hart is an Anglican and his perspective is fairly in line with that. He doesn’t seem to believe that the Word of God is literally true every word. This text requires Mom or Dad be familiar with Christian history and the Bible or be willing to do the research to guide this text and impart a conservative Christian perspective.

AN ALTERNATIVE That is a lot more effortless:

I opted to do instead Introduction to the History of Christianity edited by Tim Dowley
- It was a good effortless read, it did a good job.
- I also supplemented with some actual writings from early Christians in Exploring Christian Heritage: A Reader in History and Theology by C. Douglas Weaver and Rady Roldan-Figueroa (editors)
- If you opt for this text option message me as I have a schedule I created to cover the text in 33 weeks

Ninth Grade Curriculum Manual—this teaches you how to use the curriculum, has an appendix full of helps, and daily lesson plans. It is well worth $30. Any of the appendix stuff that is meant to be copied is given to you as a pdf when you purchase from MP (that’s a really nice perk). You never need to scan with Memoria Press.

If you find you are buying a lot of the recommended items you may consider buying their package deal. It is discounted heavily and it may be a better deal if you are buying enough things.

Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth Grade Classes and Book List

(yellow highlights are items you need to buy) see page 49 of the MP catalog.

Bible-Christian Studies
- If you haven’t already purchased the Christian Studies IV set including the Teacher Manual you will need this as they will use this set for the rest of their school years—each time they read a book in the Bible they will complete the appropriate section in this book. They will earn points for doing so and work towards their Bible Reading Trophy and pin. The Goal of all of our Excelsior students is Bible literacy and that means having read the entire Bible.
- I will provide them with a Bible reading curriculum schedule. It will have all the Bible verses in it from kindergarten through 6^th + new ones. They are expected to come with Bible verses memorized each week. If they memorize all the verses and recite them by 12^th grade they will earn the Bible verse award and pin.

Latin– Whichever year is the appropriate level and trust me you need the whole set. If they didn’t do Latina Christiana that’s fine—it is not a prerequisite to First Form Latin—but if they haven’t done First Form Latin that is the class they will start on. Like math, latin builds.

Composition – Classical Composition IX: Thesis and Law Complete Set

Each student will have a personal timeline book. I will be having one made just for co-op—a book to last a lifetime. Budget $20-25 (note this is NOT the timeline book that MP offers)

We will add dates from Christian Studies, history (they’ll be reading at home), from Literature and any other dates.

Classical Studies

Complete sets of:

The Republic and Laws Cicero pg 59
On Obligations Cicero pg 59
The City of God St. Augustine pg 51

Second Form Greek –get complete set (no DVDs available—I will teach the content)

OR if not doing Greek do:

Logic I and II – This is true Aristotelian Logic (not just fallacies—fallacies are a by product of true logic—we will learn the logic behind why fallacies are a fallacy).

World History (Afternoon class 1-2pm) – A History of Europe In the Modern World Vol 1 and 2, 11^th Edition

Pg 44 in MP Catalog Buy:

Student Workbook
Texts (both volumes)
Teacher Manual for answer keys
Quizzes/Tests booklet

The textbooks are very expensive—must be 11^th edition. There are 2 books. Volumes 1 and 2.

They can be found 50% off used on places like Amazon.com. Try to get good or very good condition with minimal highlighting o writing in text (that can be really distracting and hard to read).

Literature Class Options:

Divine Comedy pg 50

Buy complete set

Medea and Other Plays set, Orestrian Trilogy Set pg 59

DVDs not needed

British Literature Class (see Ninth Grade)

Things we won’t cover in class but I heavily recommend for at home:

MATH CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATION

If you need a math curriculum I heavily recommend MathUSee.com It has been amazing for our family and takes you all the way through calculus. The manipulatives and Steve Demmey’s 5-10 min lessons have been incredible and made math very simple to learn.
- Do NOT buy Saxon. Many kids leaving Great Hearts or private schools continue to use it and every family ends up hating it. Every single one. I have had zero families that like it long term.
- What about VideoText? College of the Redwoods is what is recommended in 7^th. I know nothing about it nor anyone who has used it and then in 8^th-10ththey use VideoText and beyond they use another curriculum.
- What I like about MathUSee is it comes with a video lesson for each week and it has way less problems on two pages and yet they are mastering the concepts just as well. I think the visual has been so key. I have always used MathUSee and like that it’s the same guy/method through Calculus. By 7^th grade MP has you switch from Rod and Staff to college of the redwoods, and then they have you switch again in highschool to Videotext curriculum and then switch again in 11^th and 12th so that’s worth noting.

We won’t offer Physics or Chemistry this year