Cycle 1 Week 2 Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling

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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 2 Tutor and Memory Work Ideas
New Grammar
English
I like to start with English each week. I have purchased a lined notebook for each child in my class to use and I lay these out on the table before our class time begins. When the kids walk into the room, they find their notebook which shows them where to sit.

I love using these notebooks because I think it’s great for the kids to get some writing practice. 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. After English, I collect them 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.


Cycle 1 Week 2 Prepositions
In Cycle 1 Week 2, we learn the first five prepositions. I prep the notebooks with some of the prepositions already written and a few blank horizontal lines where I will have the children write the other prepositions. See picture above. Depending on the ages of the kids in your class, you could adjust this to meet their level:
- Write four of the prepositions and have the kids write the last one.
- Write some of the prepositions normally and then write one or a few very lightly or with dots so the kids can trace.
- Have the kids write all five prepositions on their own.
- Write the prepositions but with missing letters and have the kids fill the correct letters in.
As the children are writing, I start singing the first part of the Preposition song. See my video below:
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 sing the song several times, I hand out a sticker for each child to stick to the front of their notebook. I often try to find stickers that relate to some of the material we are learning about that week.
Once the kids are finished writing, I have them stand up and show them the hand motions to this week’s prepositions:
- About: bring hands up like “what?”
- Above: point up with pointer fingers
- Across: cross arms while pointing
- After: point with thumbs over shoulders
- Against: push palms forward





Check out this handout for stick figure drawings of each of the hand motions for the ENTIRE Preposition song.
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.

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.

Cycle 1 Week 2 Timeline
Before our class time begins, 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 one or two cards (depending on how many children are in my group).
I sing this week’s part of the timeline song as the children are searching for the cards. See my tutor video for the tune of this week’s timeline song.
Then I have everyone sit in a circle on the floor with the cards they found. I tell the kids to lay the cards FACE UP on the floor in the center of the circle.
I say this week’s first timeline event, “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,” and I ask, “what letter does “seven” start with?”
A child answers, “It starts with the letter “S.”
I say, “Correct! Who sees a card with the letter “S” on it?”
We find the card and go over the hand motion for that event. I put it back down on the floor and then pick the next card, until we have gone over all the hand motions.

I spread out the cards so everyone can see all of them. The kids close their eyes and I turn one of the cards over. I tell the kids to open their eyes and guess which card I turned over. Then we all practice the hand motion for that card. Repeat for the remainder of the cards. See my video below which includes the hand motions for this week in the timeline section:
Geography
Now for geography! The children are now sitting at the table which follows the timeline part well where the kids were standing. I like to try to alternate active parts with sitting to mix things up and keep the kids engaged.


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.
Cycle 1 Week 2 Geography: Assyrian Empire
This week we are learning about the Assyrian Empire. 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 little M&M to hop put on the different places on their map. I tell everyone to put one of their M&M’s in the Mediterranean Sea (they can’t eat it yet!)
Next, I tell them to find the sea that is north of the Mediterranean Sea, which is called the Black Sea. I have them put one of their M&M’s on the Black Sea and then I show them the Caspian Sea, Babylon, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea. They can put an M&M on each one.
Then I teach the kids the tune I have made that will help them remember these places. This song is to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus. See my video below:
Depending on time, I give each child a few different colored dry erase markers and let them color in all the places we talked about. Or if you need to move on to the next subject because of time, you definitely don’t have to do that.
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 3’s and the 4’s. We start with the 3’s and sing normally. See my tutor video for the tune we sing. Then I hand out movement cards (get these for FREE below) to each child and we all do the fun action while singing the song together. We repeat this for the 4’s with different movement cards.
History
After a lot of hopping and jumping in math, I have the kids come sit back down at the table and we begin history. I teach the children some hand motions as we say the second five of the ten commandments together. I don’t like doing hand motions for more than one subject area each week. They already have the timeline hand motions and too many hand motions gets confusing.
These hand motion ideas are from Krystle K on youtube.
- Thou shalt not murder: Hold up six fingers (for number 6) and poke sixth finger into palm.
- Thou shalt not commit adultery: Hold up seven fingers (for number 7) and cross two as a commitment to stay faithful to spouse.
- Thou shalt not steal: Hold up eight fingers (for number 8) and take five fingers and grab the other three fingers like stealing.
- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor: Hold up nine fingers (for number 9) and then bring hands together and cover mouth.
- Thou shalt not covet: Hold up ten fingers (for number 10) and turn them into binoculars and look around at other people’s things.
We all sing the history song and try to do the hand motions together a few times. See my tutor video for the tune of this history song.
Latin
In Latin this week we are continuing to talk about the noun cases. I teach them these to the tune of Are You Sleeping Brother John. 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.
I hand out a silly voice card (get these for FREE below) to each child and we sing the song in different silly voices. The kids love doing this! It’s a fun way to make them laugh and keep them engaged, especially when they are getting tired.
Free Silly Voice and Movement Cards
Science
This week in science we learn about the kingdoms of living things. Since one of the kingdoms is animalia (animals), I give each child an animal finger puppet.

We sing the song to the tune of Do Your Ears Hang Low together with our finger puppets. See video of tune below.
I have the children sing several more times doing the following:
- sing TO their puppet
- sing LOUDLY, sing QUIETLY
- sing EXCITED, sing SAD
Review
For review time this week, I give the kids some homemade play dough. I encourage them to make some of the kingdoms of living things that we learned about this week. While they are doing this, I play last week’s memory work songs. I like to keep things chill for review time since the kids in my group are so young and pretty exhausted by the end.
Printable and Editable Cycle 1 Week 2 Tutor Plans
Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 1 Week 2 Tutor Plans. Here is a blank template too!
Cycle 1 Week 2 Memory Work Activities
Also check out the FREE activities and games that you can use at home to help your kids practice the memory work this week.
Blessings to you on this homeschooling journey!
I am so excited to have come across your blog! Thank you for all the time and effort that you put into blessing others with these amazing ideas and resources!
I’m so glad you found them and they are helping! I hope you are having a great school year so far!
Very happy to have found you! For some reason, the activities for Cycle 1, week 2 are not coming to my email. The silly voice and action cards did, though so there seems to be something wrong, maybe? I’m not sure!
Good morning,
I’m so sorry you didn’t get the Week 2 activities to your email. If you go to the main page of my blog and click on the “Resource Library” in my menu, you can find all the week’s activities there. Please let me know if you have any trouble finding it.