One Day of High School, Already Changes

Day One of 2012 - 2013 School Year

One day of our new homeschool year in the books, time for some changes.  Monday when I came home from work, we had a family  briefing of how things went.  As it turns out, it became apparent quickly that a couple of items weren't meeting our highschooler's expectations and needs.  Here's what happened to us:

Ryan reports that Alpha Omega's 9th grade History and Geography Lifepac is not challenging enough.  The workbook and fill in the blank approach did not work for him.  Don't think of this as a bad review for Alpha Omega's Lifepacs.  Instead, we're going to hold onto our copy of 9th grade History and Geography for Grace's 8th grade work next year.

The other problem is shame on us for not doing due diligence and finding out that the course covers only United States history and geography.  We already plan on studying American History in depth next year with Sonlight's "Core 100" in 10th grade, with Ryan's 8th grade sister and 6th grade brother following along.

That being said, Ryan wants and needs moree.  Fortunately, we already have a copy of Streams of Civilization, Volume II from Christian Liberty Press available.  So U.S. History came out of the lesson plan and World History went in.  From day two through today, all appears to be going well.

Language Arts is also off to a rough start.  Language Arts has always been a challenge, not only for us but for the homeschool community in general:  How to do basic grammar work like plurals and prepositions without getting bored with drills?  Any ideas?  Anybody who figures out an interesting, engaging Language Arts plan will corner the homeschool market, I tell ya! We tried letting Ryan work at his own pace, even testing out, but that didn't work.  So we're following through with our plan there and that's the best we can do so far.

At least the rest of the courses are off to a good start, especially Apologia's Biology.  We're supplementing that with the book Microbe Hunters by Paul di Kruif, which we downloaded to our nook.

Don't think of this as a bad review for Alpha Omega's Lifepacs.  Instead, we're going to hold onto our copy of 9th grade History and Geography for Grace's 8th grade work next year.

As homeschooling families already know, flexibility and customization are perks we enjoy.  We can make changes and customize lessons to our childrens' strengths.  Even if you are only through day one, if you find your best laid plan astray, don't hesitate.

How soon have you had to change your plans?  Are you already making adjustments?  Should you?

Applying Summer School Leaning Toward Your Academic Year

Jump into summer!

Summer is here!

This post is about why and how we are applying summer school learning toward our 2012-2013 academic year.

Thoughts on why:
Philosophy.  Consider that homeschooling is an all-day every-day life style (24/7/365), not something we do for 180 days a year and forget the rest.  It just so happens that states require 180 days of record keeping.  One of Jennifer's favorite quotes is, "class is always in session and we are tested every day."

Value.  Worthwhile learning does indeed happen every day.  The summer months are a good opportunity to focus on a summer reading program, improve a skill like spelling, or develop a new interest.  If we are going to be intentional about it, we should be getting credit for the effort!  "We" includes both parents and kids.

How:
What constitutes a school day?  Number of hours?  Completing that day's schedule?  Just getting through the day with your sanity intact?  Or is sanity optional?  There is no right or wrong answer, it depends on the family (the beauty of homeschooling).  We decided that for summer purposes, 5 hours of effort would equal "one school day."

Those 5 hours would not necessarily have to be in one 24 hour period.  For example, math on Monday takes an hour.  Spelling on Tuesday another hour.  Wednesday night youth group is 1 1/2 hours.  Another 1 1/2 hours on Thursday.  5 hours in, 1 day's credit earned.

Use a form to track progress.  Our form is inspired from the book Senior High:  A Home Designed FORM + U + LA by Barbara Edtl Shelton (published by Homeschool Seminars and Publications, Longview, Washington - www.ourhomeourschool.com

Its design:

Course:  Summer School 2012

Classmember:  Ryan

Description:  Participate in various activities during the summer to stay sharp

Value:  5 hours = 1 day

Requirements:

• Finish Apologia Physical Science Course
• Participate in Carmel Clay Public Library Young Adults Summer Reading Program
• Algebra 1 – 1 lesson or systematic review or test or honor lesson per week
• Guitar for Dummies
• Physical Education – 30 minutes per day
• Rockin' the Grove (our church's Youth Group - future posts about the value of youth group coming soon)
• Writing as self-directed, post to blog as appropriate

Come out with school days in the bank!

As the student completes an activity, time is logged.  At the end of the summer, add the number of hours, divide by 5, and you have school!

It does help to have good self discipline to be successful.  This is the first year we're trying this.  Wonder how it will go.

What are you doing to stay sharp this summer?

Next Fall's Freshman Curriculum is In the House!

Thanks to Alpha Omega Publications 20% off sale in April, we got motivated to order the last pieces of the curriculum puzzle needed for Ryan to officially start high school (or, rather, High School) this fall.






Here's the expected starting lineup:

• Language Arts:  Alpha Omega Lifepac
• History and Geography:  Alpha Omega Lifepac
• Science:  Apologia Biology
• Math:  Algebra, Math-U-See (already in process, so we will move up to Geometry during the year)
• Latin:  Getting Started with Latin - Armfield Academic Press - www.armfieldacademicpress.com
• Literature as assigned
• Physical Education:  Weekly martial arts lessons through the Gospel Martial Arts Union
• Bible and Christian Instruction:  College Park Church Youth Group (with parents assuming responsibility and accountability, of course)

Getting Started with Latin

One observation from the above list is that we've found ourselves taking an eclectic approach.  We use Alpha Omega, Sonlight, Math-U-See, and Apologia, among other sources.  We also rely on our church, even our Youth Group (someday I will write an essay in defense of church Youth Groups).  Our eclectic plan comes from eight years of trial and error, finding what works and what doesn't work.  We are still trying and erroring.  What works for one does not for another.  What works for one today may not work tomorrow.

It is a fun accomplishment to finish a school year.  We are looking forward to celebrating the end of 8th grade for Ryan, 6th for Grace, and 4th for Trevor.  Summer will come and go quickly, and even if we plan on a lot of fun, and some summer school.  The next school year will come before we know it.  We're getting ready now.  Are you getting ready?  What are your plans?