Showing posts with label High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High School. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The Finish Line: Graduation

Our final topic for the Homeschooling High School blog hop is, of course, graduation.

Now that your child has covered all the requirements, and some electives, how do you celebrate the completion of the high school years? Does the homeschool group you may be a part of have an annual graduation ceremony? What if you don't belong to a homeschool group; what then?
When Tim was ready to graduate, we actually just had a simple program at church, after church and potluck.

I had prepared a PowerPoint presentation, which played on the screen. Then the pastor spoke a few words, then I spoke a few words and presented Tim with his diploma. I don't think the program lasted more than about thirty minutes. The only family present were the kids, hubby and I.
Timothy and I designed his graduation announcement together.

The verse on his announcement is Isaiah 32:2, NIV:
Each one will be like a shelter from the wind    and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
For those of you who know anything about Tim, you know why this verse is appropriate! He has been interested in storms and natural disasters from a very young age. Perhaps it's an "inherited" trait. <grin> Both his biological father and I are interested in such things (his father more than I, perhaps).

Of course I blogged about his graduation, and about him, around that time. Part 1. Part 2. (some of the pictures are missing in these posts, because I connected them from Webshots, which seems to no longer exist; I'll have to fix that sometime...when I get back to my own computer) There are photos from our senior photo shoot, here.
When Jen was ready to graduate, we were part of a homeschool group, which holds an annual graduation ceremony for all the high school seniors in the group...or at least for those who wish to participate in the ceremony.

We (the seniors and parents) had several planning sessions, beginning in January or February of the senior year. Caps, gowns, and diploma covers were ordered. There was even a photographer who did a photo shoot of the kids.

It was a lovely ceremony, very spiritual and Christ-centered.

The young people marched in. There were musical numbers performed. Someone gave an inspirational speech. The students then sat up on the platform. There was a PowerPoint played for each student, and each of us parents went up to give a brief address to our child, and presented him/her with the diploma.
Jennifer and I designed her graduation announcement/invitation. The verse she chose was Jeremiah 29:11.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Naturally, I blogged about her graduation, as well...or at least preparations for it. You may want a tissue handy if you read that post; I know I do, anyway.

Looking ahead to the Botanist Boy's graduation (fortunately I have about 2 1/2 years yet to prepare my heart for that one!!), I imagine his will be more along the lines of a quiet, simple celebration, like Tim's was. But we'll see.

As you can see, there are different types of graduation celebrations from which to choose. Simply choose which ever best suits your student and your family. Be sure to treasure the memories, and take lots of photos!
Homeschool High School 2015 Blog Hop

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Help! How Do I Fit It All In?!

Even though I have graduated two already, and number 3 is about one-third of the way through high school now, I still am asking myself, "How do I fit it all in?!"

By the time my children reach high school age, I figure they should be able to be independent learners, for the most part. If I "did my job" properly while they were at the elementary/middle school levels, I taught them to love learning. Still, I'm here, if they have questions or need assistance with anything. Aside from that, I provided an outline, or list, of what I wanted them to cover during their high school years. Some of it has been the same for all three of my high schoolers; some of it has been specialized for each individual.

For example, they all have to cover the basics: math, English, history and science. How they do that, was individualized, as far as resources used, etc.

So, first step: Decide what has to be covered. Some colleges/universities require 4 years of math, for example, and some only 3. Some require 3 or 4 years of science, some only 2.

Second step: With your student, write up your "game plan," what subjects will be covered which year, and maybe even decide together what resources you will use. Also, decide together what extra curricular activities you may wish to include. Will your student have a part time job to work around? Will your student do dual enrollment at a community college at any point?

Third step: Together fill in the calendar, or student planner. Teach your student to fill in the deadlines, etc. I think this is where I may have failed, to some degree, with my oldest. My daughter, though, seems to be naturally inclined to journal and fill in calendars, etc. This serves her well now; she writes her work schedule on a calendar, so her grandparents (with whom she is currently living) will know what her schedule is. Botanist Boy does plan to attend college, so now is the time to be teaching him how to closely manage his time.

Fourth step: On that calendar, you will also want to fill in any extras, like co-ops, field trips, music lessons...and the student's work schedule, if he/she does have a job. Also, if your student will be taking tests, such as PSAT, SAT, ACT, you'll want to write those dates in.

This will give your student a greater sense of independence.

What if your student has younger siblings? Well, this is one of the reasons you're encouraging independence: so you are able to devote the extra time the younger children demand. Still there is plenty that can be done together as a family, which is one reason I like unit studies so well. And I read aloud to the children. Jen sat in on a lot of the books I read aloud to the boys. And now I am reading several books aloud to both boys, especially related to history.

I feel like I am beginning to ramble, so maybe I better end here. Next month we will be discussing graduation. Please come back then.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Help! How Do I Teach High School Math?!

Anyone who's been following my blog over the years, knows that math is our greatest down fall around here. It's my weakest subject...which has caused it to be a weak subject for my kids. So, yeah, high school math kind of "freaks me out." If I could, I'd just hire a tutor for my high schoolers for their math!

Tim began his high school years while we still lived in Florida. We tried the Florida Virtual School for his Algebra 1 class, because I really needed someone else to teach him. It was too hard for him to keep up that pace, though. After that, we borrowed VideoText from a friend, which wasn't really a "good fit" for him, either.

I really don't remember what we tried after that, for him. We did use Stewardship Math from Math-U-See, also something we borrowed from a friend. Again, I was thankful for a program with video instruction. Tim also began his first job midway through his junior year of high school, which gave him hands-on experience in handling finances.

If you have a student who isn't much in to math, but enjoys reading (voraciously, like Jen and Botanist Boy), Life of Fred is a good choice. Well, at least it was for Jen. Botanist Boy ended up asking for Math-U-See, to have the video aspect. CTC Math is also a good program, for those of us who need to turn high school math instruction over to someone else.

Still, what I really wish is that I could find a live person to help my kids with their math.

How do you handle math instruction for your homeschooled high schooler?

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

High School Language Arts

Here I am, scrambling again to get this post written on Tuesday night! Yikes! ...In my defense (or as an excuse) for today: our internet was down most of the day!

This month we are discussing high school language arts. We have tried several different things around here, thanks especially to being on the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

One of our favorite products we've used (which Botanist Boy used his 9th grade year) is King Alfred's English, by Laurie J. White. She has resources on her website, so your student can make the most of studying this book.

As you may remember, we recently reviewed Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide, by Writing with Sharon Watson. Botanist Boy enjoys reading the books (but not so much doing any activities along with them, like answering comprehension questions).

We've also reviewed Excellence in Literature by Everyday Education, and The Art of Poetry, by Classical Academic Press.

It seems my children like best to just read classic literature, and sprinkle in a bit of poetry, without following any curriculum.

This year, we are attempting to work through Write Your Roots (which I was able to purchase on sale last spring), to work on some of the writing techniques, etc., as well as helping the boys learn about their ancestry. I may be enjoying it more than they are!

Botanist Boy is also doing a copious amount of writing on his own, and has even begun his own blog on which he shares some of his creative writing. He'd love to have you come read and subscribe to his blog, Daniel's Writings.

Visit our Homeschool High School Bloggers this month-

Carol from Home Sweet life shares Homeschooling High School- Language Arts (&History!)
Tess from Circling Through This Life shares Teaching High School Language Arts: Resources
Michele from Family, Faith and Fridays shares Language Arts
Erica from Be the One shares Language Arts Resources
Kym s from Homeschool Coffee Break shares History in the Form of Stories
Debbie from Debbie’s Homeschool Corner shares Teaching High School English
Gena from I Choose Joy shares Homeschool High School: Using Socratic Discussion for Literature Studies
Laura from Day by Day in Our World shares How to Teach High School Language Arts Without Tears

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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Homeschooling High School: Maths, Sciences, and History

Okay. I have to admit. The deadline for this post really sneaked up on me. So, here I am, Tuesday evening, writing this post. What do I write?

We're to talk about high school maths, sciences, and history.

Let's start with math, and "get it over with." This is the one subject in our home that most of the kids and I always have that attitude about: Let's just get it over with! A "necessary evil." Ha!

I don't remember what I had Tim using for math in high school. I never found a math program that worked for him; poor guy. Then when Jen started high school, we discovered Life of Fred. She used Beginning Algebra, Advanced Algebra, and Geometry. It was a good fit for her.

Botanist Boy began using Life of Fred in junior high. He used Fractions, Decimals, and the pre-algebra books (he did pre-algebra for ninth grade). About a week ago, he told me he didn't think Life of Fred was working for him, and he wanted to switch.

His friend in Florida is using Teaching Textbooks. Little Bit is using Math-U-See. So he was trying to decide between the two. I went to the Teaching Textbooks website; we listened to a sample of one of the lessons. We looked at each other and he said, "I think I'd rather listen to Steve Demme!" As I type, his Math-U-See Algebra 1 books are on their way. I think at this rate, he'll only be covering Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry.

We might try to fit Stewardship math in, or personal finance somehow. He hopes to get a job, perhaps next summer. That will certainly teach him personal finance practically.

At this point, I foresee Little Bit continuing with Math-U-See all the way through. I regret that I didn't try MUS for Tim. I think it would have been a good fit for him, too.

Moving on to science. Frankly, for our high school sciences, I've stuck with Apologia sciences all the way. Tim and Jen both enjoyed science, which is almost amusing, since there is so much math in science!

If I remember correctly, Tim used biology, chemistry, and physics. He also covered a ton of science by watching Discovery channel, National Geographic, the Weather Channel, and lots of science documentary videos.

Jen used biology, marine biology, and advanced biology: the human body. She even did all of the dissections, with an audience of her younger brothers each time!
Botanist Boy isn't as much in to science as his older siblings. He did physical science in 9th grade, using living books as suggested on Simply Charlotte Mason. This year he will be using Apologia Biology. Currently he plans to also use physics and the advanced biology: human anatomy.

The kids also had quite a bit of hands-on science, while we were raising rabbits, chickens, and goats. We also have bird feeders, and I keep attempting gardening. Ha!

Ah, now my favorite subject to teach: history. It's also the favorite subject of Tim and Botanist Boy.

Again, a large portion of Tim's history education was through History channel, and history documentaries and historical videos. We do use a large number of videos in our homeschooling, as well as numerous living books for history. Don't forget field trips!

As for resources we've used, thanks to being part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, we have reviewed several things. Some I can think of are: TruthQuest History; Z-Guides to the Movies, by Zeezok Publishing, a couple times; and Heritage History.

We've used Simply Charlotte Mason lesson plan guides for ancient history the past couple years. This year for world history, I plan for Botanist Boy to use a book list I've prepared for him using books from Heritage History. We'll also be using videos, through Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as ones we already have on hand. I might even purchase a few Z-Guides. I also have several living books on hand that I'll make available for him to read.

To be honest, I am really looking forward to American History in Botanist Boy's 11th grade year. We'll definitely be adding in a lot of field trips, especially to Civil War battle sites, including Gettysburg, if possible. I'd also like to get to Jamestown and Williamsburg.

What are some of your favorite resources for high school maths, sciences, and history? Please share. And be sure to check out the rest of my Crew mates' blog posts.

Home School High School Hosts Share this Month:



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Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

From the time we began homeschooling, literature has always been a major part of our education. I think that, for the most part, my children all do enjoy literature, especially Botanist Boy. So he was eager to check out Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide, by Writing with Sharon Watson.

We received:
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide (Student Book)
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide: Teacher's Guide
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide: Quiz and Answer Manual
Illuminating Literature: When Worlds Collide:Novel Notebook (Free PDF Download)

We also received the first two novels in the list of necessary books for this curriculum. (The books are sold separately.)
Pudd’nhead Wilson, by Mark Twain
The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells
The Friendly Persuasion, by Jessamyn West
Peter Pan, by Sir James Barrie
Warriors Don’t Cry, by Melba Pattillo Beals
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis

The books are sold separately from the curriculum. It is also stressed that it's best to purchase (or borrow from the library) the suggested editions, since all page references in the student book and teacher's guide are keyed to these versions, making it easier for the student to keep up.
This 302 page, 70 lesson worktext will guide your student through the books in a conversational way. To help your student stay on track and complete his assignments on time, there are weekly schedules and clear lessons. Your student will learn important literary terms and writer's devices, some of which are: pseudonym, protagonist and antagonist, satire, genre, tenses, plot stages, alliteration, simile, metaphor, euphemism, mirror scenes, and more.
The 102-page Novel Notebook is a free pdf downloadable file which coordinates with the worktext. Your student will answer questions in it, collect favorite passages, and record the conclusions drawn from what has been read from the book. Just print it off and place it in a 3-ring binder.
This quiz and answer manual is optional, and is available for those who prefer to take the quizzes on paper rather than online. In this manual you'll find the literary terms and "Yes, I read it" quizzes, and opinion surveys for each of the books your student reads.

You will find passwords for the online quizzes in the student worktext book or teacher's guide.
The teacher's guide contains grading grids and answers for all the lessons and discussions in the student worktext. You'll also find a suggested schedule for a book-of-the-month club for your teen and his friends. Some of us on the Crew who have been reviewing this set up a Facebook club.

I like that this course will help my high schooler be prepared for college literature courses. It's a two-semester course, providing him one credit in English.

We ran into a bit of a "speed bump" with this, since during the review period, Botanist Boy was at my brother's in Texas for nearly three weeks to help with Vacation Bible School. We've gotten a bit behind the rest of the Crew book club. Now that he's back home, we hope to quickly get back up to speed.

If you want a Christian literature curriculum for your high schooler, you'll want to check this out for yourself.

Connect with Sharon Watson on social media:
Facebook
Pinterest
Writing with Sharon Watson Review

Crew Disclaimer



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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

High School Electives

So, you have the core subjects planned out. What do you do about electives? Sometimes they are almost funner to plan and prepare.

First of all, I do have each of my high schoolers do Home Ec; yes, even my sons. I think it's important for each of them to know how to cook, and do laundry. They also need to learn how to properly clean the house.

In this day and age, we find it is important to learn computer skills; not just proper hand placement on the keys, but also the proper format of typing up essays and reports. I've also tried to teach the kids proper format for business letters, and even personal letters.

Other courses I have had or plan to have my kids cover in their high school years are: foreign language (Botanist Boy wants to learn several languages; he plans to become a missionary); music appreciation, music lessons if possible; art appreciation and art techniques; physical education.

My husband is excellent at teaching the boys, in particular, home maintenance and repairs. He's even taught them some carpentry. They have also been learning auto mechanics and maintenance. Oh, don't forget driver's ed!

These are all great skills, which will benefit Botanist Boy if indeed he does become a missionary.

Tim began a job when he was in 11th grade. He's been at that job nearly 7 years now. He is dependable, and well-liked. Botanist Boy hopes to spend the next couple summers working for his friend, M's, dad in his landscaping business.

We have had a hobby farm; all of the kids have helped with the animal care. It was a great way for the kids to learn responsibility. I've also tried to have them work on gardening.

Now, drama, speech and debate are some subjects we've never covered. I think speech especially would be good for Botanist Boy to do, to prepare for a life of preparing and giving sermons.

What are some of the classes you plan to use as electives?

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Planning for High School

One of my favorite parts of homeschooling is planning. Yeah, maybe I'm nerdy that way. I like to plan and organize, and get things all laid out. Then life happens! The plans don't always go as I envisioned. Still, being prepared is always a good thing.

I have planned for high school twice, and we are well underway with our third high schooler. Frankly, it has been a different approach with each one. And I've learned more about planning each time.

My oldest took more of a vocational preparation approach, and even had a job the last year and a half of his high school years. He also expressed interest in auto mechanics, so hubby helped him learn some of the basics of auto repair and maintenance.

My daughter has always expressed a strong interest in animals and animal care. She also has a wonderful rapport with children. So while she was homeschooling high school, I made sure she had a quality microscope, and that she had proper tools and specimens for dissecting.

My current high schooler has long expressed the desire to become a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. A few weeks ago, he said he is interested in becoming a missionary.

In our planning, for all three of them, it was and is with the hopes that they would be able to attend our Seventh-day Adventist university in southeast Tennessee. So we have researched what the admission requirements are for that university, and planned our high school years with that goal in mind.
I have pulled out the high school planning sheet, and filled in the classes under each grade. On the University's website, they even provide a recommended sequence, so I have planned our courses with those suggestions in mind.
After I figure out what courses my high schooler will take, and decide which year each one will be covered, I then begin pulling together all the books and materials he will need for each subject. To be honest, I have boards on Pinterest for each school year. I've been pinning the resources onto them. For my current high schooler: Ninth grade; Tenth grade; Eleventh grade; Twelfth grade.

I will admit, I am much more intentional with my high school planning for my current high schooler, than I was with the older two. Too bad it has taken me this long to "get the hang of it!"

You will want to see how my friends plan for homeschooling their high schoolers.

Meg from Adventures with Jude on Planning Your Homeschool High School
Chareen at Every Bed of Roses with thoughts on Planning to Homeschool through the High School Years
April from ElCloud Homeschool shares Homeschooling High School: Planning For High School
Debra over at Footprints in the Butter asks: You mean I have to PLAN our Homeschool High School?!?
Michele at Family, Faith and Fridays shares Here's the Plan
Lisa at Golden Grasses says Don't Panic! Homeshcooling High School Blog Hop
Debbie at Debbie's Homeschool Corner Planning Out a High School Program
Gena over at I Choose Joy! shares her The Top Tip for Planning Homeschool High School
Kym at Homeschool Coffee Break shares on Planning and Preparing for Success
Tess from Circling Through This Life shares on Planning the High School Years
Erica over at Be The One shares Planning and Record Keeping for High School
Jennifer from A Glimpse of Our Life on Planning For Homeschooling Highschool
Carol over at Home Sweet Life on Making A Plan
Cristi from Through the Calm and Through the Storm shares on Making High School Plans
Dawn Oaks at Double O Farms shares Planning for the High School Years
Leah from As We Walk Along the Road shares her thoughts on Making Plans for Homeschooling Through High School
Laura from Day by Day in Our World shares Planning High School Classes for the Homeschool Parent

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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Introducing High School Homeschooling ... {A Monthly Blog Hop}

Do you have high schoolers in your home school? Or will you, soon? Several of us from the Schoolhouse Review Crew are going to share with our readers about our homeschool high school journeys, etc.

The topics we will cover are:

•  24 June - Planning for High School {How and When, Ways to/how we're planning to earn college credit while still in high school, Meeting high school requirements, How to assign credit when there aren't tests, What records do you keep?  How do you present them? What influences your method, your emphasis in certain areas?}
•  29 July - Electives {Following passions, Following interests, Fitting a job in with school,  and Being intentional in preparing for what comes after high school, Life skills.}
•  26 August - Math, Science, Biology {What do you use ? Why do you use ... ? What influences your choices/selection? }
•  30 September- Language Arts {Poetry, Literature, Composition, Writing, What influenced your choices/selection?}
•  28 October - "How am I going to teach High School ...?" {Addressing the fear factor of teaching subjects we struggle with or know nothing about,  How to achieve credit in subjects your student *hates*}
•  25 November -   How do you fit it all in? {Homeschooling high school alongside homeschooling the others, Fostering independence, Do you generalize or specialize? Schedules}
•  30 December - Graduation {Fostering independence,  How do you know when they are done ?}

Our participants are:
Chareenfrom Every Bed of Roses - Introducing the 2015 Homeschool High School Blog Hop
Jennifer from A Glimpse of Our Life - Meet The Bloggers of The Homeschooling High School Blog Hop
Meg from Adventures with Jude - Hints for Homeschooling High School
Cristi from Through the Calm and Through the Storm - Some Homeschooling High School Friends
Debra from Footprints in the Butter - My Three (Homeschooled High School) Sons
Leah from As We Walk Along the Road - Are You Really Homeschooling Through High School?! The Homeschool High School Blog Hop
Michele from Family, Faith and Fridays - Homeschooling High School Blog Hop
Lisa from Golden Grasses - You Can Do It! Homeschooling through High School Blog Hop
Gena from I Choose Joy! - Homeschooling High School monthly blog hop- Introduction
Kym from Homeschool Coffee Break - Meet the Homeschooling High School Bloggers!
Debbie from Debbie's Homeschool Corner - Homeschooling High School
Carol from Home Sweet Life - Homeschooling High School ~ What is it REALLY like?
April from ElCloud Homeschool - Introducing Homeshooling High School
Erica from Be The One - Homeschooling High School
Laura from Day by Day in Our World - Homeschooling High School ~ A New Monthly Series of Posts
Tess from Circling Through This Life - Introducing the Homeschool High School Blog Hop!
Dawn from Double O Farms - Tapping into Great Resources for Homeschooling High School

I hope you'll be sure to follow along.


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