My 4th grader is enrolled in Seton Home Study.  However, since they are an institution based in the East Coast AND they cater to all of the U.S., they don’t make state-specific textbooks.  I’m not too concerned since my goal is to raise knowledgeable and God-loving Catholic kids.  Seton’s books are definitely tailored towards Catholicity.

Still…I know that a sad fact in this new world is that you must know what the majority knows in order to compete, too.  I don’t ever want my daughter to get shorthanded because she doesn’t know what “regular” California students are expected to know.

That’s why I’m thankful that I had the chance to be a schoolteacher for 5 years (before homeschool).  I know what California students are supposed to know (before Common Core too!)  So, even though the California Missions isn’t covered in detail by Seton, I’ve decided to create a whole project for it!

Most 4th graders are only required to research ONE California Mission and then do a report on it, possibly a model for extra credit.  But we have the luxury of (almost) unlimited resources and I know what my child can handle.  Therefore, we’ll be doing ALL 21 Missions, one mission per week!

I’ve put together a binder for my daughter to use.  For each mission, there is a Research Note/Report Outline page (with Illustration and Grading Scale pages).  It helps that I bought a 24 Tabs Divider, so she can easily arrange each mission in order.  At the end of the binder, I placed the Extra Info page so she knows which website to go to for information on each mission, and even look up the address on Google Maps for a street view!  On the front, I made a nice little CA Cover showing all the mission locations in California for quick reference.

The good news for you is that you can get these pages as FREE PRINTABLES!

You can print out one copy each if you just need to do one mission report for school.  Or you could go homeschool crazy and print the outline, illustration, and grading scale pages for each mission…that’s 21 times!  Then 3 hole punch, put in binder with tabs, place cover in front, and extra info in back….and voila!  California Missions Project Book for 4th Grade!

She’s truly enjoying this project and can’t wait to visit some of the missions this year.  I’m excited she gets to practice doing research and typing up 5 paragraph reports – every week!  She’s learning so much, not just about the missions and their impact on California, but also about the Writing Process, how to use different resources, and how to type.  Also, my husband is quite excited to help and discuss with her all the things she’s learning about!

Grab all the pages for the Free California Missions Report Printables right now!  Please do let me know when you use it and how it goes.  Thanks!

• Research Note/Report Outline page (with Illustration and Grading Scale pages).
• Extra Info page (website address for each mission, and physical street address to use on Google Maps for a street view!)
• CA Cover (shows all the Missions on California Map)