Like many kids, Caroline finds natural disasters fascinating. So when we had the opportunity to review the Grade 6 Environment Unit featuring Mount St. Helens that is part of Kendall Hunt Pathways 2.0 Reading and Language Arts curriculum, I thought this would be a fun opportunity. The unit is part of an extensive offering of curriculum for grades one through eight by Kendall Hunt Religious Publishing Division (Kendall Hunt RPD).
I received this product for free. I am being compensated for my time to write this review. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
Pathways 2.0 Reading and Language Arts
The Pathways 2.0 curriculum integrates reading, writing, and spelling into one comprehensive program. Each grade focuses on a theme such as:
- Heroes
- My World
- Living Things
- Walking with God
- Friends and Family
- Environment
- Personal Feelings
- Yesterday
- Social Issues
You can see all of the books that go with each unit in the theme in this digital brochure (PDF) on their website.
This curriculum is aligned with the Common Core. Each lesson is labeled with the Common Core objective(s) it addresses (L.A. 6.W.3, LA.6.RI.13, etc.).
Grade 6 – Environment – Volcano
We received a grade six curriculum unit that is included in the overarching theme of the Environment.
This particular unit includes a special emphasis on Mount St. Helens. I thought this was a great fit for Caroline to try since she is interested in disasters and David has been to Mount St. Helens and could provide firsthand input. (This also nicely integrates with science topics which I like as a relaxed homeschooler.)
(Please ignore the white stickers on the covers. They came on the review copies I received and I was afraid I would rip the book covers if I removed them.)
The text is Patricia Lauber’s Newberry Honor Book Volcano – The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens.
Also included is the comprehensive Teacher Daily Lesson Guide.
The Teacher Daily Lesson Guide includes both overviews and detailed plans for four weeks.
There are directions for whole-group instruction, but these can be adapted for homeschooling needs.
There are also many pages in the Appendix to print and use with the students.
Rigorous Faith-Based Homeschool Curriculum
Kendall Hunt publishes materials with an emphasis on critical thinking and challenging the intellect. I reviewed their By Design Science last year and mentioned at that time that it was rigorous. This reading and language arts unit is similar.
Kendall Hunt is part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church so their materials will reflect that worldview, including the Sabbath being on Saturday. It doesn’t permeate the books, but I mention it so Christians who would be concerned about this are aware of the publisher’s theological framework.
This curriculum would be an excellent choice for homeschoolers who:
- utilize a textbook approach
- need curriculum that is aligned with the Common Core standards
- desire clear directions of everything to do each day of the study
- learn best with a systematic, integrated study of reading, writing, spelling, etc.
- want a curriculum that will support their preparation for standardized testing
It’s clear to me that Kendall Hunt PRD desires to publish engaging curriculum that includes both intellectual and faith development. They offer highly engaging themes that will appeal to many learners. For homeschoolers who fit into the categories I listed in bullet form above, Kendall Hunt could be a very good fit for your family’s homeschooling needs.
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Standardized Testing with a Homeschooled Gifted/2e Child