We used it for math enrichment one summer. I don't remember how much (if any) algebra it used, but we used it after algebra. As I recall, it was mostly number theory, statistics, and geometry topics not covered (or glossed over) in the usual scope and sequence.

We used this as a spine (and added other books, videos, experiments, and field trips as interest demanded): https://smile.amazon.com/Earth-Science-Easy-Way/dp/0764121464

Not to toot my own horn, but that's exactly why my lit classes are asynchronous: every student deserves to engage with the material and not just go along for the ride. I will be teaching three high school lit classes next year: *one is a class that teaches literary analysis through the prism of short stories https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/bite-size-literature.html *one focuses on science fiction literature: https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/comparative-science-fiction.html *one involves plays as literature (Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, etc.): https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/modern-drama.html

Some of the classes from CTY and CTD are self-paced. Both organizations have test-in requirements, though. (Because my older ds didn't care for the self-paced class he took, we never went looking for more.) https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/online-honors https://cty.jhu.edu/online/open-ip-courses.html

I home schooled two PG kiddos from early elem school through high school and for the last six years have offered outside-the-box, content-rich classes for other families home schooling gifted students. Because I offer more classes than I can teach in a given semester, I solicit parental input when creating my teaching schedule. You can “vote” now through February 27 on what I teach when in the fall: https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/preview-fall-2021.html If there’s a class your student would like to take in the fall, you can indicate which class and when you would prefer it is taught. This early voting matters enormously. Classes that don’t get enough early interest are trimmed from the final schedule. For those with high school students, the big news is that I have decided to add a revamped live online version of "Mission Possible: Global Issues, Leadership Choices" in the fall. Both the online and the (potential) in-person "Mission Possible" classes now have an honors option as well. All class titles link to longer descriptions. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. "Polls" close in ~10 days. Registration opens March 1. Best, Christine K.

You can “vote” now through February 27 on what I teach when in the fall: https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/preview-fall-2021.html If there’s a class your student would like to take in the fall, you can indicate which class and when you would prefer it is taught. This early voting matters enormously. Classes that don’t get enough early interest are trimmed from the final schedule. For those with high school students, the big news is that I have decided to add a revamped live online version of "Mission Possible: Global Issues, Leadership Choices" in the fall. Both the online and the (potential) in-person "Mission Possible" classes now have an honors option as well. All class titles link to longer descriptions. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. "Polls" close in ~10 days. Registration opens March 1. Best, Christine K.

@Plum Not sure if this might be of interest, but there are some good podcasts series on Irish history, including https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/category/podcast/

Given that you asked about a one-semester elective, @fourisenough, I am now teaching my high school finance and investment class online: https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/stock-market-challenge.html (If you'd like me to keep you in the loop re: scheduling for next year, you can send me an email <keenteam (at) live.com> or a note through the contact form on my website.) I also teach a one-semester philosophy class, if you might be looking for an alternative, and two one-semester literature classes.

If your dd would like to try Russian again, I have heard nothing but glowing recommendations about Julia Denne's Russian language and Russian literature classes: https://bytheonionsea.com/

Neither of my two favorite resources necessarily have questions to match, but these are interesting enough that you may enjoy doing U.S. history with your son: Joy Hakim's History of US is rich in detail, incorporating primary source snippets and many lesser-known stories from U.S. history, but is presented in short student-friendly chunks. You can start with Vol 3 if desired and do several chapters each day if you are planning on completing the series in a year. If your son is looking for college-level material, Prof. Edward O'Donnell's "Turning Points in U.S. History," from the Great Courses, is excellent. I believe there are supplemental materials for both of these that may involve questions. However, instead of having him answer questions, both of these resources present a great opportunity to practice his note-taking skills. 🙂

Does he not like the chemistry? Or just doesn't care because he is not accountable to someone else? Is he interested in college post-high school or is he planning on the trades given his enjoyment of the construction class? For us, doing most of the high school science dual enrollment was perfect because my kids got real labs, classmates, and instructors with advanced degrees in their field (and often research/industry experience prior to teaching). But it's not a route I would necessarily recommend for a student who is not interested in science or not interested in college. If your son is interested in construction, there are applied engineering contests that you could build a hands-on science class around for next year, for example.

Much of the "right" answer will depend on your school. In some cases, private schools can be much more flexible than public schools. Given that you're both working, I would suggest you (1) look into a few (maybe three?) self-contained online classes and (2) try to follow his interests in other areas in order to make it easier for him to want to learn (and not waste time playing games, watching YouTube clips, etc.). Classes should either be in areas he definitely needs for school or in areas he won't do on his own. If he's an avid reader or able to use a textbook to teach himself the rest of geometry (or whatever), then there's less need to outsource English and math, but maybe he needs a class to finish out biology and Spanish, for example. Depending on what you're looking for, I'm sure this community can make some good recommendations. (I would resist the temptation to look for an all-in-one online high school program. The quantity of busywork varies with the program, but with a few exceptions that are unavailable midyear the intellectual content tends to be fairly low.) For the rest of his coursework, think about giving him the opportunity to follow his interests. My kids were often motivated to participate in some sort of contest: National History, a virtual science fair, Profile in Courage essay contest, math contests, hack-a-thons, poetry contests ... there's a ton out there if you/he start looking. If you home school for the next six months, this might be his last, best opportunity to explore his interests for quite a while 🙂. Good luck!

I teach a couple of semester-long high school literature classes that would be appropriate for senior English: "Who We Are & What We Dream: Comparative Science Fiction" and "'The Play's the Thing': A Study of Modern Drama." Both are heavy on the reading and thinking but relatively light on the writing. Because these are both accelerated, honors-level classes -- paced more like a college class than a high school class -- either one can be counted as a full English credit if so desired. You can find descriptions here: https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/comparative-science-fiction.html and https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/modern-drama.html

This may not satisfy your need for a book, but it does provide some of the historical context: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unraveling-mysteries-tituba-salem-witch-trials-180956960/ I often share it with my students when we discuss The Crucible. (FWIW, I also recommend the movie Good Night, and Good Luck to better understand McCarthyism.)

Early on we separated writing into two different but related tasks: writing mechanics and expressive writing. Writing mechanics were spelling, grammar/punctuation, penmanship/typing, and vocabulary. Expressive writing was the task of trying to express oneself in writing. I received relatively little pushback from my kids on writing mechanics because that material is pretty straightforward and they could see their progress for themselves. Expressive writing was harder because it is more open ended: not only does one have to decide what one wants to say and how one wants to say it, there is no right and wrong, just a quality gradient. One thing that helped was learning to type. It mitigated a lot of the perfectionism that went into writing, especially for my younger son. (Both of my kids learned to type before age 7.) Another thing that helped was requiring 15 minutes of expressive writing every single school day. Writing is not a spectator sport, and this eliminated arguments about if they were going to have to write today. That day's writing assignment might have been a summary of a field trip we'd just been on, an ongoing story they were writing, an email to Grandma, history research (as early readers their research was well ahead of their writing), a poem that tied into our literature study, a letter to a company whose product they liked, etc. When they were done with a writing project, we worked together to make age-appropriate improvements (e.g., correct spelling or punctuation, improve word choices or organization or sentence structure). Good luck!

I will be teaching two semester-long high school literature classes in the spring: "Who We Are & What We Dream: Comparative Science Fiction" https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/comparative-science-fiction.html "'The Play's the Thing: A Study of Modern Drama" https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/modern-drama.html Both are honors-level lit classes. Both involve a generous amount of reading and thinking with a substantially lighter quantity of writing. Best, Christine K. (long-time home schooling mom now teaching others)

I gave this to my niece (12) last year: https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Obscura-Explorers-Worlds-Adventurous/dp/1523503548

https://www.learningoutsidethebox.net/philosophically-speaking.html