bald eagle puppet, timeline cards and movement cards set out on table

Cycle 1 Week 6 Tutor Ideas for Classical Homeschooling

Looking for fresh Cycle 1, Week 6 tutor ideas for Classical homeschooling? This post offers a variety of engaging ways to to introduce the memory work. If you’re a few weeks behind me, see my posts with tutor ideas for prior weeks:

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 6.

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 6 Tutor Board

Cycle 1 Week 6 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.

preschool lined paper notebook opened to cycle 1 week 6 with prepositions and blanks for kids to write other prepositions on.

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.

opened notebook with written prepositions and blanks for kids to write on zoomed in.
english notebook cover decorated with students name and biology design

Cycle 1 Week 6 Prepositions

In Cycle 1 Week 6, we learn the next five prepositions. I prep the notebooks with some of the prepositions already written, a few dotted prepositions that the children can trace, and a horizontal line where I will have the children write the third preposition. See picture above. Depending on the ages of the kids in your class, you could adjust this to meet their level:

  • Write five 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 Preposition song that we have learned so far. See my video below:

Cycle 1 Week 6 English song

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:

  • Down: squat, hands down on knees
  • During: stay in squat, wave motion with one hand
  • Except: stay in squat, arms cross at “x” in front of body
  • For: standing, palms up and out like giving, “this is for you.”
  • From: bring hands in like taking something from someone
stick figure image of hand motion for preposition down
stick figure image of hand motion for preposition during
stick figure image of hand motion for preposition except
stick figure image of hand motion for preposition for
stick figure image of hand motion for preposition from

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.

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

Since I have the younger 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 6 Timeline

First, I have all the children practice singing this week’s part of the timeline song with me a few times. I also practice this myself, before our community day, so I know it well.

Then I choose two children to go outside the room with a parent volunteer while the other children work together to hide two of the timeline cards somewhere around the room. They must hide the cards in the same spot. I explain to everyone that we will sing this week’s part of the timeline song louder if the child is close to where the cards are hidden, and quieter if the child is far away from where the cards are hidden.

Once the cards are hidden, I tell the children who are outside to come back in the room. I explain to them that they need to find two hidden timeline cards. If we sing loudly, that means they are close; if we sing quietly, that means they are far away.

After the children find the cards, they each put one up on the wall on painters tape in the correct spot.

painters tape on wall ready for timeline cards to be hung.
girl putting timeline cards with letters up on the wall

Then two other children go outside the room and we repeat the process until all the timeline cards are found. The children absolutely LOVE this game! It’s a great way for them to hear this week’s part of the timeline song a lot and have a lot of fun in the process.

Once all the timeline cards are taped to the wall, we go over the timeline motions. 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 6 Tutor Ideas video

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.

geography trivium table map prepped with features outlines in dry erase marker.
close up of geography trivium table map prepped with features outlines in dry erase marker.

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. I also give them a rainbow or cloud eraser to use to point to the different places on their map. I get little erasers like this from the dollar section at target whenever I see them.

Cycle 1 Week 6 Geography: Ancient Greece

This week we are learning about the Ancient Greece. I tell them to first find the Mediterranean Sea and go just north to find Greece which is the outlined in red. Just north of Greece is Macedonia which is outlined in orange. I explain to the children that the people who lived on mainland Greece were the Mycenaeans. I ask if the children remember when we sing about these people in the timeline song.

Next I tell the children to go just east to the Aegean Sea which is outlined in blue. I explain that the Aegean Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea but it’s a branch. “Aegean” is a Greek word which translates to “weighty coast.” Then I tell the children to go just south of Greece and find the island of Crete which is outlined in green. Then, a little bit to the west is the island Rhodes which is purple.

I explain that the Minoans lived in Crete and migrated to Rhodes so they lived in both places. We sing about them in the timeline song too.

Then I teach the kids the tune I have made that will help them remember these places. This song is to the tune of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. See my video below:

Cycle 1 Week 6 Geography song

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 this.

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

I have also found that it works best to review geography WHILE we are doing geography. The kids have their maps in front of them and it’s really easy to talk about places we have learned about previous weeks.

Math

This week in math we are skip counting the 11’s and the 12’s. We start with the 11’s and I first sing a song to the tune Row Row Row Your Boat to them while pointing to the 11’s on my board. Then I have the kids sing with me while they pretend to row their boats. Each time we sing, I tell them to “row their boats” these different ways:

  • slowly
  • fast
  • through rough waters
  • through gentle waters

For the 12’s we sing these to the tune Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. I sing it one time to the kids while I point to the 12’s on my board. Then I have the kids join me and do these different actions around the table as they sing:

  • walk
  • skip
  • lightly jog
  • crawl

You could also give each child one of these movement cards (get these for FREE below), and have the kids switch off doing these different movements as they sing the 12’s.

Free Silly Voice and Movement Cards

History

We learn about some ancient Greeks this week. I say the history sentence once NORMALLY to the kids and tell them to listen very carefully. Then I say the history sentence again but with some “silly words” added in. I tell the kids that if they hear a silly word, to raise their hand and try to tell me what the correct word should be. Here is the correct version of the history sentence:

Homer, a famous poet; Pythagoras, a famous mathematician; Socrates, a famous philosopher; and Archimedes, a famous inventor, shaped Western ideas. Ancient Greek city-states were among the first democracies.

Here is the history sentence with silly words:

Homer, a famous panda; Pythagoras, a friendly mathematician; Socrates, a famous photographer; and meatballs, a famous inventor, shaped winter ideas. Ancient geese city-states were among the fierce democracies.

Each time I say a silly word and the kids catch it, I ask them to correct it. Then I say the history sentence from the beginning, correctly, until I get to the next silly word. This way the kids are hearing the history sentence correctly several times. I repeat this until I have said all the silly words and the whole history sentence correctly.

Latin

In Latin this week we continue to learn the 2nd Declension Noun Endings. See my tutor video for the tune we sing these to.

woman holding bald eagle puppet up by face
Baldy helping us with Latin this week

This week I bring in “Baldy,” my Bald Eagle puppet who joined us a lot last year in Cycle 3 when we learned about the United States. He is back and going to help us with Latin this week.

I have the kids sit on the floor in a circle and I tell them we are going to play the game “Duck Duck Goose.” I choose one child to go first and tap the other children gently with Baldy as we sing the 2nd Declension Noun Endings together. Whoever Baldy is touching when the song ends, gets up and runs around the circle. That child now gets to hold Baldy and tap each child gently as we sing the song again. The child who was previously holding Baldy sits down in the empty spot in the circle. We repeat this until all the children get a turn.

Science

This week in science we learn about the major groups of vertebrates. I teach the kids some hand motions and we sing the song to the tune of Dem Bones.

  • Fish: Put palms of hands together and swim like a fish
  • Amphibians: Bring hands up and fingers together like a frog hopping.
  • Reptiles: Make a snake motion with finger
  • Mammals: Crawl on the floor with all fours
  • Birds: Pretend you are flying

See my video of tune below.

Cycle 1 Week 6 Science song

You can also hand out a silly voice card (get these here) 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.

For review time this week, we play this BINGO game. Here is an editable template of the game if you want to customize it a bit. The kids switch off rolling two dice (one with the subjects and one with fun actions). I ask a review question about the subject rolled and the child tries to answer while doing the fun action rolled. For example, if a child rolls “hop like a bunny” and “science”, they answer a science review question while hopping like a bunny.

I prefer to ask review questions on the fly instead of preparing them ahead of time. Here are some example questions I ask (remember I have the youngest children in my group)

  1. Tell me some of the prepositions we have learned so far.
  2. Do you remember any parts of an animal cell or plant cell?
  3. What was one of the names of a Greek or Roman god we learned about?
  4. Do you remember the Fertile Crescent song? “The Fertile Crescent, Mediterranean Sea…”

When a child answers a question correctly, they put a marker (pieces of paper or candy) on the corresponding square on their Bingo board. The first one to get five in a row wins! The children can each have their own Bingo board or you can divide your group into teams.

Printable and Editable Cycle 1 Week 6 Tutor Plans

Here is a printable EDITABLE template of these Cycle 1 Week 6 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.

How have the first few weeks of tutoring been so far? Comment below and share some of the best moments and any questions you might have.

Cycle 1 Week 6 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!

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