So I was just bumming around the internet...

and came across this article... How to Write Your Own Homeschool Curriculum (Third Grade). I read the entire thing, enraptured. And thought, what if I did that? What if I wrote my own second and fourth grade curriculums for next year, or even first and third for the rest of this year? Using free resources (with the exception of Saxon Math from the charter school, which is free to me at least), could I create a comprehensive plan? So I started by looking at California State Content Standards for first and third grades, and came up with brief lists of goals for each...

First Grade
Language Arts:
Be able to identify letters and their sounds.
Read short words (three to four letters, short vowels) fluently.
Be able to write, and speak, in complete sentences.

Math:
Not worried about this, as Saxon covers everything plus.

History/Social Studies:
Ability to construct a simple map with four directions.
Be familiar with the meaning of holidays.
Contrast and compare living now and in the past, as well as here and other locations.

Science:
Understand what plants and animals need to live.
Understand the three phases of matter.
Use of simple tools to help understand and catalog weather.

Health Education:
Be able to name major parts and organs in body.
Understand basic concepts of safety, healthy behaviors, and cleanliness.

Third Grade
Language Arts:
Be able to read fluently (silently or aloud) at grade level.
Be able to identify various forms of literature, i.e. poetry, plays, prose, etc.
Write a single paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting information.
Read and write cursive.

Math:
Again, not worried about this, as Saxon covers everything plus.

History/Social Studies:
Ability to draw and read maps.
Be familiar with Native American tribes of their area, and how living here affected them (climate, crops, animals, etc.), as well as the influx of settlers.
Understand the basis for laws, rules and regulations.

Science:
Basic understanding of energy and matter.
Animals and plants in different biomes, adaptation.
Basic understanding of what is in the night sky, patterns formed, solar system structure and planet identification.

Health Education:
Understand the cycle of birth, life, and death in living things.
Recognize that people, plants, and animals grow at different rates.
Be able to identify major body parts and organs, as well as their functions.
Understand how recycling, reducing, and reusing help create a healthier planet.

So, after looking at this, and identifying what I felt were the key characteristics of each area (believe me, the state of California uses a lot more words), I think I could come up with something to suit us. Much of this is stuff we already cover - such as the health education. 2nd and 4th don't look that much harder to summarize and condense.

Food for thought (since my stomach is already full of delicious Thanksgiving fare)!