I am looking at EO Wilson's :Life on Earth" iBooks as a text for high school biology this year (our current science has been a train wreck these first 5 weeks so I am recalibrating). I see that back when "Life on Earth" was released that there was a corresponding course on iTunes U and that there was a place to compile educator resources for the text. But, iTunes U has been discontinued and the interwebs say that the courses were integrated into Apple's podcasts, but I cannot find a single podcast that looks like course material for this book. Anyone have any leads on teaching resources that align with this text? Second question - I have read elsewhere on these boards that some think "Life on Earth" is a light bio text. Anyone have specific thoughts about which areas it seems to lack? I know Wilson was an ecologist and you certainly see a more robust treatment of biodiversity and ecology in the text, but at first glance I am not seeing any gaping holes, but I am doubting my assessment since it has been said on these boards more than once that this is a "light text."

About your mention of Geometry over the summer...she would actually have several months this spring, plus the summer. Any recommendations on a Geometry course that fits the bill, but is shorter than a full year so she could it done without tons of doubling up on lessons?? (P.S. - y'all are so very helpful and I am very grateful)

My daughter is a sophomore and will finish Jacobs Algebra 1 mid-year. She didn't get Algebra 1 done last year because of a failure in planning on my part - she is very bright, math confident, but I wasn't available to teach like I needed to be. She wants her high school transcript to show a strong math/science progression despite this hiccup with Algebra 1. Where would you go from here? My thought: next up: Algebra II with Trig after that: dual enrollment precalc so she can complete in a semester what would take a year of high school? That has her skipping Geometry all together. How concerning is that? (She loves Geometry so if all things were equal she'd definitely enjoy a year of Geometry.) I welcome course name suggestions and/or specific titles/publishers that you think will get her through precalc by the end of 12th grade.

Music question: I have 8th and 10th grade girls and am wanting us to listen to global music during our morning time as it lines up with and is linked to in our human geography curriculum (Guest Hollow). Anyone aware of a music listening journal that would work well for global music and not be too babyish for my older kids? I am looking for some music journals/SQUILT-type journals that would work well for global music and for older kids. I have been perusing Teachers Pay Teachers, but haven't found anything that seems quite right. Anyone put focused time into listening to global music and have other input or suggestions for me?

I hear that and appreciate the clarification.

To be sure I am understanding, even though the problems are quite different from Set II and Set III you are saying that you don't think both sets are necessary? And yes - we used MEP math in elementary years and did it together, orally/on a whiteboard with the child explaining her thinking after she completed the problem. We worked far fewer problems, but got great results because I could tell if the child was actually getting it. In MEP the teacher's lesson plan indicates whether concepts are review, core to the lesson or extension activities that help build bridges to future more advanced concepts. I got very comfortable knowing what/when to review, how to work through the core material at a decent pace, and I sprinkled in some extension things tailored to each child's interests (one loves geometry, for instance and another loves calculating). I share that to say, I was blind about that with Jacobs, but now see that Set I = review and Set IV = extension. Can anyone provide further clarification about any preference I should give between Set II and Set III? Or, does it make sense to work through Set II one day and Set III the next as it seems like Set III has more applied problems that are toward the end of learning a new concept. I immensely appreciate the help!

I used Jacobs Algebra with my oldest daughter using the Dr Callahan course. Dr Callahan has a course syllabus that has students do some of the problems in the text, but not all as this book has SO. MANY. PROBLEMS. I m about to start Algebra 1 with my younger daughter and am looking at pacing this so we actually get through Algebra 1 in a single year so I need to pare down the problems even further from Dr Callahan's recommendations or she will be spending too much time on math each day. Some of the problems are easy to cut as I can assign odds or evens, but many others are multi-step/multi-question applied practice problems that are varied enough from one another that I certainly see the merit in doing them all, but real life precludes us from being able to - and my daughter won't need that much practice as she's quick at math. My question: anyone have a shortcut or know of a pared back list of selected problems that aligns with Jacobs Algebra? I certainly can go through one lesson at a time and do the work, but am hopeful there's an easier way. Thoughts os suggestions?

This is not a curriculum, but a cohort program that could be a great runway into Global Studies stuff at a higher level. It is open to homeschoolers. I particularly like the Year 3 project and plan to use it as a Capstone project for my rising sophomore. https://columbusworldaffairs.org/program-training/global-scholars-diploma/

THANK YOU!!!

We are using the Conceptual Physics textbook for my 9th grader, but a tag along middle schooler watches the free videos that cover each chapter's content. You could consider using the videos for these books, then adding in a handful of online labs (look at Phet simulations as they have a bunch of teacher's guides with each simulation). https://www.conceptualacademy.com/textbook/conceptual-physics https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/filter?type=html&sort=alpha&view=grid

Khan Academy has an AP Art History class that I have pulled from during our art appreciation discussions at home https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history

Meteorology would be great to do with kids that age. You can probably pick up a simple meteorology unit study from Teachers Pay Teachers. Or, if I remember correctly Elemental Science had something decent for weather in the elementary years...but it was many years ago when I used it!

This older book could be decent for that age. Since it was written in the 1950s it is outdated a bit - especially in the last part where they talk about how mountains form, but this was written before the theory of tectonic plates was accepted so there is a different theory included. I actually thought it was interesting to read those older ideas. https://www.amazon.com/Rocks-Rivers-Changing-Earth-Geology/dp/0486782018

My kids are taking a writing class taught by a local friend who is a CM-inspired friend of ours. They are using Michael Clay Thomspon's Essay Voyage alongside Lively Art of Writing. They have complemented each other quite well and my kids are thriving AND don't hate writing essays like they have every other time we've attempted essay writing.

Just adding in my experience with MEP math, like someone else added. It is conceptual math, but FREE (why not try it?) and very visual in that the kid learns using concrete examples time and again before they move to abstract use of numbers. Their website is busy and intimidating, but please look past it and look at the lesson plans and worksheet pages. https://www.cimt.org.uk/projects/mepres/primary/index.htm#year1

I know the OP is solved, but in case someone comes across this in the archive... We use a number line with right and left movement from 0 as addition or subtraction. But, we use a car and the car faces right or left depending on whether it is addition or subtraction. Then, the car itself goes forward or backward depending on whether the number is positive or negative. 2 + (-5) = the car faces to the right since it is an addition problem The car starts on +2 (facing to the right as I said), then goes in reverse 5 steps because (-5) means (reverse 5) This was *super helpful* for my kids. I let them make their own number line and pick a car, yes even in late elementary they loved that, then they could use it until they had internalized the concept.

My family has participated in this fully virtual co-opfor three years now, even pre-COVID it was a virtual co-op, and it has been just what we've needed at logic and rhetoric stages. I wanted to share this here as an option for next school year. Online co-op using Y4 for the 2021-22 school year has openings at the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels. Our virtual co-op, Virtual Threads, has been in existence for more than 14 years. For 2021-22, we will be meeting on Thursday mornings for Dialectic (D) & Rhetoric (R) literature classes and Friday mornings for D & R history classes (exact times detailed below). On Thursday mornings we also offer an Art Appreciation class for member families. It is not a requirement that students participate in all classes - a student may be in just history or just literature, but Art Appreciation is limited to families who are in one or more of the core classes - but we do encourage participation in both history and literature, if possible. We encourage students to turn in written homework to that week’s teacher, but we support individual family’s leadership as the homeschool parent for their student. We prefer that new families have at least one year’s experience with Tapestry of Grace, but if you are new to Tapestry, please apply anyway and let's talk about your situation. We share the teaching load among the moms and/or dads. We use a team-teaching approach with multiple parents assigned to each unit (one unit = one quarter). This helps provide continuity from week to week as the unit team splits the actual teaching duties and works together to make decisions about which themes to emphasize, which assignments to reduce/add to, which resources to cut, etc. We are not an online class, but a co-op. Our families get to know each other - online and in real life, where possible. We support, encourage and pray for each other as our kids grow up together walking through the dialectic and rhetoric years with a group of friends. We use Canvas as our free classroom platform, Google Drive for sharing necessary documents, plus the GroupMe app for communicating in text message-like fashion. If this sounds like something that you could commit to and would benefit your homeschool, please complete the attached application or email our leadership team with any questions at virtualthreadscoop@gmail.com. Class times: **Dialectic Literature (Thursdays 9-10 am EST) **Dialectic History (Fridays 10:15 am-11:45 am EST) **Rhetoric Literature (Thursdays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) **Rhetoric History (Fridays 10:15-11:45 am EST) **Art Appreciation (Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am EST) https://forms.gle/hKh8UKGzJYNUkjy56

My family has participated in this fully virtual co-opfor three years now, even pre-COVID it was a virtual co-op, and it has been just what we've needed at logic and rhetoric stages. I wanted to share this here as an option for next school year. Online co-op using Y4 for the 2021-22 school year has openings at the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels. Our virtual co-op, Virtual Threads, has been in existence for more than 14 years. For 2021-22, we will be meeting on Thursday mornings for Dialectic (D) & Rhetoric (R) literature classes and Friday mornings for D & R history classes (exact times detailed below). On Thursday mornings we also offer an Art Appreciation class for member families. It is not a requirement that students participate in all classes - a student may be in just history or just literature, but Art Appreciation is limited to families who are in one or more of the core classes - but we do encourage participation in both history and literature, if possible. We encourage students to turn in written homework to that week’s teacher, but we support individual family’s leadership as the homeschool parent for their student. We prefer that new families have at least one year’s experience with Tapestry of Grace, but if you are new to Tapestry, please apply anyway and let's talk about your situation. We share the teaching load among the moms and/or dads. We use a team-teaching approach with multiple parents assigned to each unit (one unit = one quarter). This helps provide continuity from week to week as the unit team splits the actual teaching duties and works together to make decisions about which themes to emphasize, which assignments to reduce/add to, which resources to cut, etc. We are not an online class, but a co-op. Our families get to know each other - online and in real life, where possible. We support, encourage and pray for each other as our kids grow up together walking through the dialectic and rhetoric years with a group of friends. We use Canvas as our free classroom platform, Google Drive for sharing necessary documents, plus the GroupMe app for communicating in text message-like fashion. If this sounds like something that you could commit to and would benefit your homeschool, please complete the attached application or email our leadership team with any questions at virtualthreadscoop@gmail.com. Class times: **Dialectic Literature (Thursdays 9-10 am EST) **Dialectic History (Fridays 10:15 am-11:45 am EST) **Rhetoric Literature (Thursdays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) **Rhetoric History (Fridays 10:15-11:45 am EST) **Art Appreciation (Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am EST) https://forms.gle/hKh8UKGzJYNUkjy56

My family has participated in this fully virtual co-opfor three years now, even pre-COVID it was a virtual co-op, and it has been just what we've needed at logic and rhetoric stages. I wanted to share this here as an option for next school year. Online co-op using Y4 for the 2021-22 school year has openings at the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels. Our virtual co-op, Virtual Threads, has been in existence for more than 14 years. For 2021-22, we will be meeting on Thursday mornings for Dialectic (D) & Rhetoric (R) literature classes and Friday mornings for D & R history classes (exact times detailed below). On Thursday mornings we also offer an Art Appreciation class for member families. It is not a requirement that students participate in all classes - a student may be in just history or just literature, but Art Appreciation is limited to families who are in one or more of the core classes - but we do encourage participation in both history and literature, if possible. We encourage students to turn in written homework to that week’s teacher, but we support individual family’s leadership as the homeschool parent for their student. We prefer that new families have at least one year’s experience with Tapestry of Grace, but if you are new to Tapestry, please apply anyway and let's talk about your situation. We share the teaching load among the moms and/or dads. We use a team-teaching approach with multiple parents assigned to each unit (one unit = one quarter). This helps provide continuity from week to week as the unit team splits the actual teaching duties and works together to make decisions about which themes to emphasize, which assignments to reduce/add to, which resources to cut, etc. We are not an online class, but a co-op. Our families get to know each other - online and in real life, where possible. We support, encourage and pray for each other as our kids grow up together walking through the dialectic and rhetoric years with a group of friends. We use Canvas as our free classroom platform, Google Drive for sharing necessary documents, plus the GroupMe app for communicating in text message-like fashion. If this sounds like something that you could commit to and would benefit your homeschool, please complete the attached application or email our leadership team with any questions at virtualthreadscoop@gmail.com. Class times: **Dialectic Literature (Thursdays 9-10 am EST) **Dialectic History (Fridays 10:15 am-11:45 am EST) **Rhetoric Literature (Thursdays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) **Rhetoric History (Fridays 10:15-11:45 am EST) **Art Appreciation (Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am EST) https://forms.gle/hKh8UKGzJYNUkjy56

I am building an earth/astronomy/meteorology course for my high schooler and middle schooler for next year. This on classical astronomy is fantastic: https://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Understanding-Elements-Classical-Astronomy/dp/097922110 We are going to use Eric Sloane’s book on weather as it is meaty, for a non textbook, but visually engaging. We are also going to get a Roadside Geology book for our state. That’s what I have so far

Online co-op using Year 3 of Tapestry of Grace for the 2020/2021 school year has openings at the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels. Our virtual co-op, Virtual Threads, has been in existence for more than 13 years. For 2020/2021, we will be meeting on Thursday mornings for Dialectic & Rhetoric literature classes and Friday mornings for Dialectic & Rhetoric history classes. On Thursday mornings we also offer Art Appreciation class for member families. Exact class times: Dialectic Literature (Thursdays 9-10 am EST) Dialectic History (Fridays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) Rhetoric Literature (Thursdays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) Rhetoric History (Fridays 9-10:30 am EST) Art Appreciation (Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am EST) It is not a requirement that students participate in all classes - a student may be in just history or just literature, but Art Appreciation is limited to families who are in one or more of the core classes - but we do encourage participation in both history and literature, if possible. We encourage students to turn in written homework to that week’s teacher, but we support individual family’s leadership as the homeschool parent for their student. We prefer that new families have at least one year’s experience with Tapestry of Grace, but we encourage you to apply even if you are new to the curriculum . We share the teaching load among the moms and/or dads. We use a team-teaching approach with multiple parents assigned to each unit. This helps provide continuity from week to week as the unit team splits the actual teaching duties and works together to make decisions about which themes to emphasize, which assignments to reduce/add to, which resources to cut, etc. We are not an online class, but a co-op. Our families get to know each other - online and in real life, where possible. We support, encourage and pray for each other as our kids grow up together walking through the dialectic and rhetoric years with a group of friends. We have been using CourseSites as our free platform, both for sharing of information and for classroom meeting space, but are looking at new options for the upcoming year. If this sounds like something that you could commit to and would benefit your homeschool, please complete this application form. In his grace, Carrie

Online co-op using Year 3 of Tapestry of Grace for the 2020/2021 school year has openings at the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels. Our virtual co-op, Virtual Threads, has been in existence for more than 13 years. For 2020/2021, we will be meeting on Thursday mornings for Dialectic & Rhetoric literature classes and Friday mornings for Dialectic & Rhetoric history classes. On Thursday mornings we also offer Art Appreciation class for member families. Exact class times: Dialectic Literature (Thursdays 9-10 am EST) Dialectic History (Fridays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) Rhetoric Literature (Thursdays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) Rhetoric History (Fridays 9-10:30 am EST) Art Appreciation (Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am EST) It is not a requirement that students participate in all classes - a student may be in just history or just literature, but Art Appreciation is limited to families who are in one or more of the core classes - but we do encourage participation in both history and literature, if possible. We encourage students to turn in written homework to that week’s teacher, but we support individual family’s leadership as the homeschool parent for their student. We prefer that new families have at least one year’s experience with Tapestry of Grace, but we encourage you to apply even if you are new to the curriculum . We share the teaching load among the moms and/or dads. We use a team-teaching approach with multiple parents assigned to each unit. This helps provide continuity from week to week as the unit team splits the actual teaching duties and works together to make decisions about which themes to emphasize, which assignments to reduce/add to, which resources to cut, etc. We are not an online class, but a co-op. Our families get to know each other - online and in real life, where possible. We support, encourage and pray for each other as our kids grow up together walking through the dialectic and rhetoric years with a group of friends. We have been using CourseSites as our free platform, both for sharing of information and for classroom meeting space, but are looking at new options for the upcoming year. If this sounds like something that you could commit to and would benefit your homeschool, please complete this application form. In his grace, Carrie

Online co-op using Year 3 of Tapestry of Grace for the 2020/2021 school year has openings at the Dialectic and Rhetoric levels. Our virtual co-op, Virtual Threads, has been in existence for more than 13 years. For 2020/2021, we will be meeting on Thursday mornings for Dialectic & Rhetoric literature classes and Friday mornings for Dialectic & Rhetoric history classes. On Thursday mornings we also offer Art Appreciation class for member families. Exact class times: Dialectic Literature (Thursdays 9-10 am EST) Dialectic History (Fridays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) Rhetoric Literature (Thursdays 11 am-12:30 pm EST) Rhetoric History (Fridays 9-10:30 am EST) Art Appreciation (Thursdays 10:15-10:45 am EST) It is not a requirement that students participate in all classes - a student may be in just history or just literature, but Art Appreciation is limited to families who are in one or more of the core classes - but we do encourage participation in both history and literature, if possible. We encourage students to turn in written homework to that week’s teacher, but we support individual family’s leadership as the homeschool parent for their student. We prefer that new families have at least one year’s experience with Tapestry of Grace, but we encourage you to apply even if you are new to the curriculum . We share the teaching load among the moms and/or dads. We use a team-teaching approach with multiple parents assigned to each unit. This helps provide continuity from week to week as the unit team splits the actual teaching duties and works together to make decisions about which themes to emphasize, which assignments to reduce/add to, which resources to cut, etc. We are not an online class, but a co-op. Our families get to know each other - online and in real life, where possible. We support, encourage and pray for each other as our kids grow up together walking through the dialectic and rhetoric years with a group of friends. We have been using CourseSites as our free platform, both for sharing of information and for classroom meeting space, but are looking at new options for the upcoming year. If this sounds like something that you could commit to and would benefit your homeschool, please complete this application form. In his grace, Carrie

Have you ever looked at Tapestry of Grace? My strong readers just LOVE how the history and lit reinforce each other. They find both history and lit so much more engaging that way. Plus, there are online co-ops (translation: free if you teach some weeks) for TOG as well as online classes since it is a discussion rich curriculum.

We have enjoyed Real Science Odyssey. I tried Elemental and find it to be too much book and too little hands on. I prefer a structured curriculum for science. I love science and we talk about it all the time. Just yesterday we were on an airplane and I started thinking about Bernoulli's principle. My 6th grader and I started talking about it and imagining what it would have been like to be an early pioneer in aviation. Structured curriculum helps me introduce ideas and topics that are like seeds that come up in conversation over time. I did use Ellen McHenry for Chemistry along with experiments I pulled together myself from the Royal Chemistry Society website. I do think of science as being about exposure to concepts and ideas and experience doing labs and making observations.