Briarwood Hollow

Curriculum plans & Activities

I am presently refining methods for utilizing complimentary or acquired educational resources for family-centered learning in subjects such as history, geography, science, music, art, and specific components of language arts. Below is an overview of current initiatives, with additional information forthcoming as time permits, given my concurrent responsibilities in homeschooling.

You choose the curriculum…

4-Year Cycle  Rotation

🔹Year 1:  Foundations

History: Ancient Civilizations

Science: Life Science & Earth Basics

  • Mesopotamia, Egypt, Ancient China, Indus Valley
  • Plants, animals, habitats, basic earth science

🔹Year 2: Expansion

History: Classical & Early World

Science: Human Body & Ecology

  • Greece, Rome, early Americas
  • Body systems, health, interdependence in nature

🔹Year 3: Change & Conflict

History: Medieval → Early Modern

Science: Physical Science

  • Middle Ages, Renaissance, Age of Exploration
  • Matter, energy, motion, simple chemistry & physics

🔹Year 4: Modern World

History: Modern History & Civics

Science: Earth, Space, & Technology

  • Revolutions, U.S. history, world history
  • Space, weather, climate, technology

🔁 Then → repeat, increasing:

  • Vocabulary
  • Connections
  • Discussion depth
  • Independent work (only for those ready)

Cycle Expectations

Scope & Sequence

Living Book Lists

Book Substitute Rules

4-Year Cycle Literature & Poetry Rotations

🔹Year 1: Literature & Poetry Focus

Myths & Legends:

  • Mesopotamian myths
  • Egyptian stories
  • Early Chinese tales
  • African creation stories

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 story per week → oral narration or discussion

Optional Extension:

  • Compare stories across cultures

Poetry:

  • Simple nature poems & chants related to environment or seasons

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1–2 short poems → recitation optional

🔹Year 2: Literature & Poetry Focus

Literature Focus:

  • Greek & Roman myths
  • Homeric tales (abridged)
  • Early classical stories
  • Early American and indigenous stories

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 story → oral narration or family discussion

Poetry Focus:

  • Poetry from Classical and early indigenous cultures
  • Seasonal or thematic poems tied to story settings

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 poem → oral narration, memorization optional

🔹Year 3: Literature & Poetry Focus

Medieval tales:

  • King Arthur and His Knights
  • Knights of the Round Table

Early Renaissance literature:

  • Simple excerpts from Shakespeare
  • Fables
  • Folk tales

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 story → narration or sketch to capture events or characters

Medieval and Renaissance poetry:

  • Ballads
  • Sonnets
  • Folk songs

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 poem → recitation optional, discussion encouraged

🔹Year 4: Literature & Poetry Focus

Modern classics:

  • Gulliver’s Travels
  • Treasure Island
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Early science fiction
  • Biographies

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 story → oral narration, character timeline optional

Poetry Focus:

  • Romantic
  • Victorian
  • Early 20th-century poetry

Weekly Read-Aloud:

  • 1 poem → oral narration, memorization optional

Family Rotation Notes

  • One literature story and one poem per week, repeat exposure over 2–3 weeks
  • Children participate together; narration depth varies by comprehension
  • No worksheets; oral narration, discussion, or sketching counts
  • Optional: older children can explore deeper context or compare authors/artists across periods

4-Year Cycle Art & Music Rotations

🔹Year 1: Art & Music Focus

Artists / Traditions:

  • Egyptian murals
  • Mesopotamian reliefs
  • Ancient Chinese bronzes
  • Early African sculptures

Weekly Activity:

  • Observe 1 artwork → oral narration → optional sketch
  • Repeat exposure over term

Music Traditions:

  • Ancient chants
  • Folk songs from early civilizations
  • Simple rhythmic patterns

Weekly Activity:

  • Listen 1–2 pieces → discuss instruments & rhythm → optionally sing or clap patterns

🔹Year 2: Art & Music Focus

Artists / Traditions:

  • Greek pottery
  • Roman mosaics
  • Maya/Inca textile patterns

Weekly Activity:

  • Picture study + narration + timeline placement if desired

Music Traditions:

  • Greek modes
  • Roman ceremonial music
  • Indigenous/American folk melodies

Weekly Activity:

  • Listen 1–2 pieces, note instruments or cultural context, optional movement or hand drumming

🔹Year 3: Art & Music Focus

Artists / Traditions:

  • Byzantine mosaics
  • Islamic tilework
  • Gothic cathedrals
  • Renaissance painters (Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli)

Weekly Activity:

  • Observe → narrate → optional sketch/focus on composition or color

Music Traditions:

  • Gregorian chant
  • Medieval secular songs
  • Renaissance compositions

Weekly Activity:

  • Listen, identify instruments or motifs, optional singing/recording

🔹Year 4: Art & Music Focus

Artists / Traditions:

  • Impressionism (Monet, Degas)
  • Post-Impressionism (Van Gogh)
  • Early modernists (Picasso, Matisse)

Weekly Activity:

  • Observe → narrate → optionally relate to contemporary objects or photography

Music Traditions:

  • Baroque (Bach, Handel)
  • Classical (Mozart, Haydn)
  • Romantic (Beethoven, Chopin)
  • Folk revival

Weekly Activity:

  • Listen 1–2 pieces → narrate impressions → optionally create simple rhythm/tempo exercises

Family Rotation Notes

  • One artwork and one musical piece per week; repeat exposure over 2–3 weeks
  • All children participate together; narration level differs by comprehension
  • No worksheets; sketches, oral narration, and discussion only
  • Optional extension for older children: deeper composer/artist study once per term

Book Substitutions (Art, Music, Poetry, Literature and Nature Study)

Family Style Curriculum

Family Style Math (Can be used for family or group math fun days for multiple ages)

Subjects/Unit Studies

Enrichment Activities

More coming soon!

Briarwood Hollow: Resources