classical conversations cycle 1 week 1 tutor plan materials

Cycle 1 Week 1 Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling

It’s about that time to start thinking about Cycle 1 Week 1 tutor and memory work ideas for Classical homeschooling! I love using time during the summer to plan ahead so when the school year begins, I don’t fall behind.

Please note, I am not affiliated with any Classical education organization; these are simply my own ideas and suggestions based on my experience as a tutor. I hope they inspire and support you as you plan for Cycle 1, Week 1.

We love being part of our Classical homeschooling community. Read more about how God redirected our path from private education to homeschooling and Classical education here.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Are you new to the Classical model and want to know more about it? Keep reading below about how it’s organized, the different cycles, our community time, and MORE!

If you already know about the Classical homeschooling model and you are ready to jump to the actual tutor ideas, click here.

A Classical model of homeschooling

We are part of a Christ-centered homeschool program that follows the Classical model. The younger children, ages 4-12, focus on a memorization-based curriculum which acts as the groundwork of learning that is built upon in later years.

Children and their parents learn key facts across the core subject areas including history, science, English, mathematics, geography, and Latin. Tutors use fun activities, games, songs, and lots of energy to introduce the new material. The parents can then expand on that material at home throughout the week.

Cycle rotation

The material is divided into three cycles, which each last one year. The cycles continue to rotate every three years, so most children who start when they are kindergarten age, complete each cycle at least twice. This allows them to develop a deeper comprehension and grasp of the material through repetition.

Cycle 1 material

This year, in Cycle 1, we are learning about ancient world history, biology, earth science, Latin noun endings, and English prepositions and verbs.

The following ideas are what I’m planning to do with the group of kids I am tutoring this year (ages 4-6). You may use these ideas if you are also tutoring in a Classical homeschooling community, or if you’re a parent who is looking for memory work ideas to use at home.

Also, you don’t have to be part of any particular Classical homeschooling group to use these ideas! These are ideas to help children learn key concepts in the core subject areas. If you are a homeschooling parent, or just a parent who wants to supplement what your kids are currently learning in school, these ideas will be helpful for you.

Community group time

Our homeschooling community has been meeting on Tuesdays. Our leader starts off the morning with everyone together in a big group setting. She typically begins that time with a devotional reading and prayer, and then continues with some announcements, celebrating birthdays, the pledge of allegiance, and anything else she wants to cover with everyone.

After this time, we split off into our different groups based on age. The tutors lead their groups into different classrooms and begin the New Grammar part of the day. This is when the tutor introduces the memory work for each core subject. Check out my post and video about how to make your own tutor board!

Cycle 1 Week 1 Tutor and Memory Work Ideas

New Grammar

English

Young children thrive on routine and knowing what to expect. Therefore, I usually begin with English and present the rest of the subjects in the same order each week. Sometimes I change it up depending on what I feel like the class needs at the moment, but I at least start class the same way each week.

English tutor notebooks with cycle 1 week 1 english

I have purchased a lined notebook for each child in my class to use for English. This is not required, but I like giving the kids some writing practice as I introduce the English memory work. During the summer, I decorate the front of each notebook with each child’s name and a fun biology design related to Cycle 1 (see below for picture). You can download a template of this biology themed notebook cover here and customize for your kids.

In these notebooks, I write each week’s English memory work on a blank page as large and neatly as I can. I use a light colored marker, so that the kids can trace my writing and easily see their own writing with their pencil.

I lay the notebooks out on the table before our class time begins, and after English, I collect them back and bring them back the following week. At the end of the school year, they will have all 24 weeks filled out and they can take their notebooks home with them.

classical conversations cycle 1 week 1 definition of a preposition written in notebook.
english notebook cover decorated with students name and biology design

For Cycle 1 Week 1, we learn the definition of a preposition. I prep the notebooks with a blank horizontal line where I will have the children write the word “preposition” and then I write the rest of the definition so that it is easy for the students to see and read. See picture above.

As the children are writing, I start singing the tune I have made that will help them remember this definition. This song is to the tune of Yankee Doodle. See my video below:

Cycle 1 Week 1 English song video

I love making little jingles to the memory work we are learning. Children memorize much quicker if it is to a song, and it’s more fun too! It’s also a great way to review the material throughout the week at home. It is so easy to play the week’s songs while you’re at home or in the car. I also like playing previous week’s songs at the end of our new grammar class time to help review previous material.

I encourage the children to sing the tune with me several times as they finish up writing in their notebooks. After we have sung the song several times, I hand out a sticker for each child to stick to the front of their notebook. This is just for fun and I often try to find stickers that relate to some of the material we are learning about that week.

Timeline

I like to follow English with Timeline. Each week, I use these Timeline Cards: Set 1 (Ancient World), Set 2 (Medieval World), Set 3 (New World), and Set 4 (Modern World) I highly recommend investing in them (you should get all four sets) whether you are a tutor or a parent. I consistently use them as a tutor and also at home with my kids.

4 sets of classical conversations timeline cards set out on table.

Since I have the 4-6 year old children, I like to tape the paper letter that the timeline event starts with at the top of the card. I have found these letters at my local Dollar Tree. Some of the children in my class can’t read yet, so this helps them identify the event I’m referring to.

classical conversations timeline cards with large paper letters on them.

Before our class time begins, I put seven pieces of painters tape on the wall and I hide the cards around the room. I try to pick spots that aren’t too difficult to find, but also not too easy. Then when it’s time to start Timeline, I tell the children to look around the room and see if they can find 1 or 2 cards (depending on how many children are in my group), and to bring them back to their seats.

I sing this week’s part of the timeline song as the children are looking for the cards. I sing it myself instead of playing the music so I can control the speed of the song. See my tutor video for the tune of this week’s timeline song.

When the cards have all been found and all the children are back in their seats, I go through each timeline event in the correct order and see which child has each card.

For example, I will say, “The first card is Age of Ancient Empires. What letter does “age” start with?”

A child answers, “It starts with the letter “A.”

I say, “Correct! Who has a card with a letter A on it?”

I instruct whoever has the correct card to walk up to where I have put the painters tape on the wall, and to stick the card to the correct spot on the wall. We repeat this for each timeline event until all the cards are on the wall in the correct order.

painters tape on wall ready for timeline cards to be hung.
classical conversations timeline cards hung up on wall.

Then I have the students stand against the wall, each picking a timeline card to stand in front of, and I go over the timeline hand motions with the children. Then we sing the song together, trying to do the hand motions at the same time. See my video below which includes the hand motions for this week in the timeline section:

Cycle 1 Week 1 Tutor and Memory Work Ideas video

Geography

Now for geography! During this part, the children will be sitting at the table, so it follows the timeline part well where the kids were standing. I like to try to alternate more active parts with more sitting to mix things up and keep the kids engaged.

classical conversations cycle 1 week 1 geography trivium table map prepped.
classical conversations cycle 1 week 1 geography trivium table map prepped and close up.

I prepare these trivium table maps ahead of time. You could always print a map too and laminate it. This is the laminator I have and use all the time. I outline the features we are discussing this week in dry erase marker, each in a different color.

During class I hand out a prepared map to each child and have them first find the Mediterranean Sea. We are going to talk about the Mediterranean Sea a lot this year!

I give each child a few goldfish to hop around the places on their maps with. I tell everyone to put one of their fish in the Mediterranean Sea (they can’t eat any yet!!)

Next, I tell them that just east of the Mediterranean Sea, they will find the Fertile Crescent which is called the “Cradle of Civilization.” This is because some of the earliest civilizations were established here, including the Sumerians (source).

I point out that when we sing the timeline song and sing the part “Mesopotamia and Sumer”, we are singing “between two rivers” and these rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates. I will have the children find these rivers on their maps and have their fish swim in each one. Then, their fish swims to where the rivers meet which is Sumer. The area between the rivers is called Mesopotamia.

Depending on time, I will give each child a few different colored dry erase markers and let them color in the Mediterranean Sea, and Mesopotamia. Or if you need to move on to the next subject because of time, you definitely don’t have to do that.

As the children are coloring, I start singing the tune I have made that will help them remember these places. This song is to the tune of Hokey Pokey. See my video below:

Cycle 1 Week 1 Geography song video

I encourage the children to sing the tune with me several times as they finish up coloring their maps and eating their goldfish.

Math

This week in math we are skip counting the 1’s and the 2’s. I’m using my agility ladder for this to get the kids moving. You definitely don’t have to use an agility ladder. You can put lines of painters tape on the floor or just not use tape or a ladder at all.

jumping through agility ladder skip counting the 1's and 2's.

For the 1’s, I tell the kids to all hop on one foot down the ability ladder as they count out loud. I will have them do this several times, alternating the foot they hop on.

For the 2’s, they will jump with BOTH their feet. After a few times of this, I will let them do whatever they want down the agility ladder as we sing the 2’s song. See my tutor video for the tune of this song.

History

After lots of hopping and jumping in math, I have the kids come sit back down at the table and we will do history. For history this week, I teach the children some hand motions as we say the first five of the ten commandments together. I don’t like doing hand motions for more than one subject area each week because they already have the timeline hand motions and too many hand motions would get confusing.

History this week is a good area to bring in some hand motions. I got these hand motion ideas from Krystle K on youtube.

  1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me: Hold up one finger (for number 1) and point up towards God.
  2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image: Hold up one finger from both hands (for number 2) and have one finger bow to the other finger.
  3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: Hold up three fingers (for number 3) and cover mouth with three fingers.
  4. Thou shalt remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy: Hold up four fingers (for number 4) and then lay those fingers down on the other hand like they are taking a nap.
  5. Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother: Hold up five fingers (for number 5) and then touch thump to forehead for “father” and to chin for “mother”.

I then play the history song and we all sing along and try to do the hand motions together a few times. See my tutor video for the tune of this song.

Latin

In Latin this week we learn about the noun cases. I teach them these to the tune of Do Your Ears Hang Low. I’ll sing it for the kids and then have them try to sing it with me a couple times in a normal voice. See video below for tune.

Cycle 1 Weeks 1, 2, 13 & 14 Latin song video

Then I hand out a silly voice card (get these for FREE below) to each child and we sing in those different voices. The kids love doing this!!! It’s a fun way to make them laugh and keep them engaged when it’s getting towards the end and they are getting tired.

Free Silly Voice and Movement Cards

Science

This week in science we are learning about the classifications of living things. Since this is our last subject for memory work and my kids are probably pretty tired by this point, I keep it simple and teach them a song to the tune of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. See video of tune below.

Cycle 1 Week 1 Science song video

Then I hand out movement card (get these for FREE above) to each child and we all do the fun action while singing the song together.

Review

Honestly, with the young kids that I have in this class, by the time we are done with everything, they are pretty done and don’t have much capacity for a fancy review game. Therefore, I like to have some review time that helps them wind down.

I will often bring in play-dough and let them play with that while listening to a playlist of the memory work songs.

Since this is the first week, I will just play this week’s songs for review, but next week, I’ll play the first week’s playlist. In future weeks, I also like to review throughout the memory work time. This works especially well in geography because we can just go over the past week’s locations and find them on their maps. I have found that this style of review works much better especially with little children, rather than trying to do a review game at the end.

Printable and Editable Cycle 1 Week 1 Tutor Plans

Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 1 Week 1 Tutor Plans. Here is a blank template too!

I hope this helps give you some ideas and songs to use whether you are a tutor or a parent. Please comment below if you have any questions about anything.

Also check out the FREE games for the memory work this week!

Blessings to you on this homeschooling journey!

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12 Comments

  1. this is amazing!! Thank you so much!
    I followed you through Cycle 3 and appreciated all of your tutor tips for community day! Excited for another year! Also, love the memory activities too! – Kelsey

  2. Thank you so much for this amazing resource! I already printed the entire pack for both of my littles! Last year was my first full year of tutoring and I used so many of your ideas ❤️ thank you for blessing us with these activity packs and resources!

  3. I’m not a tutor, but a first time cc mom and I love your age appropriate suggestions. I can’t find the link for the free resources you mentioned in the video.

    1. I’m so glad this page has been helpful for you! If you go to the “Resource Library” tab in the menu on my homepage, the link for all the free resources is there! Please let me know if you have any trouble finding it.
      Blessings to you!

  4. Thank you soooo much for this page! it’s help me a lot… greetings from our comunity in Venezuela (Guatire)… I’m a Foundations tutor and your page is a treasure!!! Gob bless you!

  5. Hello! You mentioned the silly voice cards, but I can’t find them. Can you please point me to them? Thanks! Your website is super helpful!

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