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HS during 6-8th only- Help with my plan for global awareness?


Guest Shlee Brown
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Guest Shlee Brown

I will begin HS my dd starting next year in lieu of public middle school. The plan is for her to return to ps in 9th grade. 

 

This is the broad framework I want to cover while I have her at home:

6th grade- Global awareness, culture, religions, understanding the world is bigger than me (MFW ECC, or SL Core F or ?)

7th Grade- World History overview (like SL W, or similar if I can find something else that does one year coverage)

8th grade- American History overview (SL D+E? or Core 100 or another option for one year coverage)

 

I know I do not have to have each year nailed down- things will change as i discover my needs and hers- but since I only have 3 years before reentering public, I can't spend a leisurely amount of time rotating through some of the curriculum systems, and totally miss something like American History. ~To make it slightly more complicated, my son who is currently in 3rd grade, will join us in HS'ing for 6th when dd is in 8th. So whatever I do that year has to be compatible with a 6th grader, and an 8th grader. That's why I chose American History, so that he would get it, then a global culture study, then a global history study)

 

So what I'm trying to figure out is this coming year: Global Awareness

 

I do feel that this year I need a program that is packaged with an IG since I am new and do not know how to gauge pacing of subjects. Nor do I know my daughter's specific strengths and weaknesses in learning. She is a voracious reader, currently an all A student, but very social and artsy an loves to 'do' new things. 

 

MFW ECC appeals to me because the IG plan, it covers a sampling of the whole globe, geography and ecosystems info, worldview, fun activities, etc. But I fear the repetition others have mentioned by following the same pattern country after country. I have contacted MFW, and they emailed me an alternate package for 7/8th graders with no younger siblings participating along. It eliminated some of the more youthful items form the package, and included the more advanced readers/RA's which would be on her reading level. I know I could find/buy substantial books to beef it up if the program seems light on work. (Love some of the SL books!) But again, this is for our first year, I don't want to overwhelm us both.

 

SL Core F appeals to me because of the countries studied, book selections, significant discussions of books, more critical thought training, slightly less churchy(?) and having the IG laid out for me. In general is seems more rigorous. But I worry that the amount of reading (though dd would love it) would take a majority of the time and prevent us from doing some of the enrichment things that are benefits of homeschooling for us (time with people, service, sewing, museums, co-op, nature, etc)

 

So, I'd appreciate your thoughts on these curriculum or suggestions for one I haven't looked into that might accomplish these goals.

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So what I'm trying to figure out is this coming year: Global Awareness

 

I do feel that this year I need a program that is packaged with an IG since I am new and do not know how to gauge pacing of subjects. Nor do I know my daughter's specific strengths and weaknesses in learning. She is a voracious reader, currently an all A student, but very social and artsy an loves to 'do' new things. 

 

I have no experience with the curriculum you mentioned (except minimal use of SL Core F), but doing Current Events as a subject is taking our homeschool by storm this year. I have thought many times since I began that a good solid year could be made of it. With a creative, capable DD, it could be a hit in addition to (or instead of) a package. I would get subscriptions to National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, The Economist, The New York Times, your local paper, etc. and I would read those daily. We do this and mark up this map with what is going on around the world. We backtrack and look at history when it is a significant part of the story. It is astounding to me how much we are learning about history (and science, art, etc.) by focusing on current world events. Also, the pace is easily set by how much you can cover in a day. Here we find that personal interest carries into after school hours. 

 

What I would personally do with all those packages is research individual books, buy the most interesting ones, and throw them at her to read. :tongue_smilie:

 

As far as geography is concerned, you get a lot of that by looking at current events, but I will also mention that we were actually led into our intensive current events study through the door of our geography study. We did a project where each of the kids prepared tour packages for different cities/countries/regions based on the specific needs of a picky traveler (me, LOL). Fun, fun, fun! My artsy kids (particularly my art loving DD) really enjoyed putting together brochures. Computer skills were brought in, geography was learned, current events was stumbled upon as a subject by its own right. We are in Global Awareness heaven over here. LOL

 

So sorry I can't help with packages, but I did want to mention this in case it is of any interest to you. (If not, just ignore me!  :lol: ) I would discuss with DD and see which package is most attractive to her, ask about her interest in current events resources, news, etc. I think either way it sounds like tons of fun! 

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Guest Shlee Brown

I had never looked at WInter's Promise Program- but I found the website and will read into it! Thanks SilverMoon for another option.

 

My dd currently reads MUSE magazine cover to cover when it comes. I love the science/arts articles. We also subscribe to Appleseeds and ASK for my two younger boys, and she reads those when the boys aren't looking. : ) MFW does include a suggestion to subscribe to GodNews, I think, which is a current event publications for kids. I had never heard of it. But the idea of using Current Events to enrich the global programs is a great one. Hmm. there might even be a way to index the MUSE magazine by country.... {squee! new project!}

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