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School 2013-2014 Planning (MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures)


IDEA BOX on Pinterest

Ian is going into 3rd grade and this is the curriculum we'll be using coming school year.
Take a trip around the world and explore diverse countries and cultures while learning geography and being challenged by true stories of missionaries.

Our easy-to-teach unit study includes a teacher's manual with daily lesson plans and all books for Bible, geography, science, art, and music. Supplement these with picture books and information books from the library for the countries you study. Add math and language arts for a complete curriculum.
(My Fathers' World ECC)

I think it's super fun!! Here is my plan and some simple add-ons.

Spelling:


English Language


Primary Language Lessons (continued from last year)
After every country, will print a letter paper with country icon on and child will write a letter.

Math

Singapore Math (finish 2A fr last year, maybe 2B and a bit of 3A?)

Music



Bible
We'll be reading through Matthew and memorizing verses from there.
We'll be using copywork from here
And we'll be using this very useful app for reinforcing bible memory (I added the ECC verses as "My Verses")
AND, I made a bookmark for all the verses to read for Matthew. This way, I may ask boy to do his devotions using this bible reading plan.(this pic is not updated. I did add in the missing alpha)








Mother Tongue (Foreign Language)
I'll rather call Mandarin Chinese our Mother Tongue, than F.L. Just to make me feel better. =)

After a lot of thinking, struggling, we have decided that the children need to learn ZhuYin after all. ZhuYin because it's a different set of characters and will not be confused with the Roman letters of Hanyu Pinyin. (I am not ZhuYin trained though, so I'll have to learn on my own)

And we need to learn ZhuYin so that the children can start reading right away. In this way, they will be willing to learn Chinese easier, instead of learning to read many many characters before they can read.

I found a great resource here for learning the Chinese Phonetics (ZhuYin)
And this blog has a great pictorial flashcards/worksheets free for printing!
Between these two sites (and some wonderful friends) I should be able to teach the kids (AND ME) ZhuYin, in preparation for reading and learning Chinese characters! I'm very excited!

 The guide to the sounds here

Want the font with zhuyin on the side? (super cool!) go here

Making things fun I made a travel memory page (something like a scrapbook page for every country)
There were many good ones out there, I just made one that fits us.
Download here : Memory Book


I also made a Geography Vocabulary page. Mamajenn has a good one, but I think one full page for one vocab is a bit too much for us, so I made it into 2 in one page.
Download here: Geog Terms

And I thought of (let's hope it'll succeed!) to change our dining table (a.k.a school table)' centerpiece for every country (simple things like the country's colors/flag, the finished crafts we are going to do...landmark pictures...)

We are doing the whole passport/stamp/flag sticker deal. 2 tag-a-longs will be very thrilled.

 And here's where you find the customized air tickets and here for the stamp on the passport

 Go to idea box on my Pinterest Page (that should be updated regularly)


Customizable music sheets
Introduction

 Interesting 3 min song clip of the overview of the 7 continents.
Local mapping (using google map)
Continent crossword puzzle
Orange globe activity
Geography Map Pretest
John 3:16 poster using magazine cutouts
North America

Week 3-4
Countries/Geog: USA
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

Science: Forests
Draw layers of Forests
Forests Preschool Pack
Preschool Letter "U" craft, "A" crafts

Hero Tales: Moody, Tubman
Character Traits copywork from here

Art: Motion Picture Flipbook
Paper Doll USA
Food: burgers/hotdogs

 Week 5-6
Countries/Geog: Mexico
Spanish Lapbook
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language)
Preschool Letter "M" craft, "D" craft

Science: Deserts
Desert Diorama
Preschool Desert Pack

Art: Tissue paper flower
God's eye
Paper Doll

 Food: homemade tortilla
Some mexican dish
Week 7-8
Countries/Geog: Canada
French lapbook
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

 Very Last First Time (Book), lapbook
Preschool Letter "C", "Q"

Science: Food Chain, life cycles (plant/animal)

Hero Tales: Booth, Muller
Character Traits copywork from here

Art: maple leaf print
soap carving
Paper Doll 
Food: Baked Blueberry Dessert

 South America
Week 9-11
Countries/Geog: Brazil
Portuguese lapbook
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

 Preschool Letter "B", "R"

Science: Rain Forests
Preschool Rain Forest Pack
Diorama (Desert/Rainforest)

Art: drinking straw flute
Rainforest frog
Rainforest thumprint art
Paper Doll 
Food: Brigaderiros, Pão de Queijo(Puffed Cheese bread)


Europe

Week 12-13
Countries/Geog: Norway
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

 Preschool "N", "E"

Science: Northern Forests
Find pinecones?

Art: lapland felt squares
Rosemaling
Paper Doll 
Food: fruit soup?
Week 14-15
Countries/Geog: France
French lapbook (review)
Memory Page(air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

 Preschool: "P", "F"

Science: Animal Adaptation, Living Things

Hero Tales: Simons, Tyndale
Character Traits copywork from here

 Art: Draw Eiffel tower
make Eiffel tower model
draw silhouette
Look at Monet/Renoir paintings
Paper Doll 
Food: Crepes, hot chocolate
Week 16-17
Countries/Geog: Germany
Flag/Mapping Worksheet
Decoding Worksheet (Trip Around the World)
German words
Enjoy the Grimm Brothers' stories (Coloring and pretend play?)
For eg Cinderella 3D craft, Hansel & Gretel story and cake?
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

 Preschool "G", "L"

Science: Rivers and Lakes
Preschool pack: Pond

Hero Tales: Luther, Wesley
Character Traits copywork from here

 Art: Draw castle
Paper Doll 
Food: Potato pancakes
Apple pancakes?
sauerkraut
Africa

Week 18-20
Countries/Geog: Kenya
Flag/Mapping Worksheet
Mancala Game
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)

 Preschool "K"

Science: Grasslands
Safari Brown Sack Mural
Safari Habitat Diorama PS

Art: Dough Animals
Safari Brown Sack Mural
African Mask
Necklaces
Paper Doll 
Food: Pineapple Tapioca Pudding
Irio
Asia

Week 21-22
Countries/Geog: Saudi Arabia
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Learning about camels

 Preschool "S"

Science: Conservation/Pollution
Endangered Species

Paper Doll 
Food: hummus
Falafel?
Week 23-24
I changed China and India because Jan 31 is Chinese New Year, the year of the Horse
Countries/Geog: China
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Children Just Like Me and summary worksheet
Flag/Mapping Worksheet

 Chinese New Year activities:
CNY Traditions (Red Packet, Oranges, Couplets)
Make Red packets
Make a movable horse
"Spring" decoration

Preschool "H"

Science: Living with people, Ocean and seas
Preschool: Oceans
Hero Tales: Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward


Character Traits copywork from here
 
Art: Paper cutting (I like the idea from here) 
Paper fan
Paper Doll
Lanterns
Tangram Designs

 Chinese New Year activities:
CNY Traditions (Red Packet, Oranges, Couplets)
Make Red packets
Make a movable horse
"Spring" decoration

 Food: Dumplings
A Fish Dish (Nian Nian You Yu) - Surplus every year ("surplus" sounds like "fish")
sweet dessert soup? (sweetness for the year)
Steamboat? (for Chinese New Year Eve)


Week 25-26
I changed China and India because Jan 31 is Chinese New Year, the year of the Horse

Countries/Geog: India
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Children Just Like Me and summary worksheet
Flag/Mapping Worksheet

 Preschool "I",
Science: Mountains
Hero Tales: A.A. Judson
Character Traits copywork from here
 
Art: Rangoli Art
Peacock craft
Food: 
Naan
Lassi

Week 27-28

Countries/Geog: Japan
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Children Just Like Me and summary worksheet
Flag/Mapping Worksheet

 Science: Oceans, Beaches
Preschool: Oceans, Letter of the week crafts "O" "J"
 Art: Kimono bookmark
Koinobori (Japanese Flying Carp)
Cherry Blossom art
Origami (monsters bookmark or cranes)
Food: 
Sushi/Onigiri (riceballs)
Mochi or other Japanese snacks from the store

Week 29-30

Countries/Geog: Russia
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Language Page (Another Trip around the world)
Children Just Like Me and summary worksheet
Preschool: Letter of the week crafts "V", "W"

 Science: Artic/Tundra
Habitat Diorama
Art: Nesting dolls
Watch part of Nutcracker or other Tchaikovsky ballets
Draw St Basil's Cathedral
Food: 
Russian Tea Cakes
Ezhiki (meatballs with rice)
Week 31-32

Countries/Geog: Australia
Flag sheet from ECC student sheets
Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Children Just Like Me and summary worksheet
Preschool: Letter of the week crafts "X" and "T"

Science: Coral reefs
Art: Australian dot painting
Sydney Opera House (using paper plates)
Egg carton sea life craft set
Food: 
Meat pies?
Lamingtons

Week 33-34

Countries/Geog: Antartica

Memory Page (air ticket, air plane pic, currency, Hello in the language etc)
Arctic and Antartica page

Science: Antarctica
Habitat Diorama
Art: Penguin mosaic art
Penguin handprint art
Food: 

Week 35

Countries/Geog: Singapore/Taiwan

This is the last week and besides UK (which we added as impromptu) we are adding our home countries to ECC.

 I prepared a lapbook for Singapore and Taiwan and some internet links to the food (yum)

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Comments

  1. MegAugust 15, 2013 at 6:51 AM

    Ann you always amaze me! You are such an inspiration! Have a great year! Check this out if you get a chance a great resource for habitats .. http://elementalblogging.com/elemental-science-sassafras-science-adventures-volume-1-zoology/. Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownSeptember 1, 2015 at 8:32 AM

    Hi I just came across you blog. Looks like you had a great year with ECC. We will be starting soon. I was trying to download the memory book but every time I click the link it does not work. Can you please help? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 1, 2015 at 8:52 AM

      So Sorry Ginger. I think it's because the uploading file site is no longer working. If you want, send me an email (on the contact me on the side bar) and I'll send the file to you?

      Delete
    2. AnnSeptember 1, 2015 at 5:39 PM

      Ginger, I don't know if you got a reply from your comment. But I have fixed the link. Hope you will have fun with ECC!!

      Delete

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