WOW!!! Thanks so much, ladies! I'll show this list to my ds and maybe we'll find something he'll like! If you have more ideas, please keep them coming!

I need suggestions for book series for a 6th grade boy. He has read The Books of Ember and just finished the Hunger Games trilogy. These just happen to both be dystopian, yet he is mainly interested in action. I know that is vague.... He enjoys a good story with action. (As a contrast, he would not enjoy the Little House series....) We want to keep the action clean, of course. I hope you all can offer some suggestions. He is walking around the house saying, "I need something to READ!" Since he's just finished his last book, we have not made it to the library yet. If I could get some fun suggestions here, maybe we could look some titles up there. In addition to these two dystopian novels, he would also consider science fiction and maybe mystery-suspense. He needs a character to get behind- a cause to believe in. Ok- suggest away!

I've never used TOG.... loved it from a distance, though. I just thought I would mention what I've read through the years: Biblioplan is TOG-like but more doable. You might look at that. We've used My Father's World for high school. The lesson plans are written to the student. Discussion between parent and student is written into the plans, but it has a more casual feel compared to TOG. In our school, it is as relaxed as, "Tell me what you've learned this week...." And it goes on from there. This may be too relaxed for some, but it works out for us especially when the work load from all the other subjects piles up leaving no time for a detailed (time-consuming) history review. ETA: I've also read plenty of threads about Sonlight being light for high school. I used Sonlight's Cores 3-4 years ago. They were great for elementary/middle school. Just search for Sonlight in high school, and you should find reviews to read.

I'm going to do Spanish at home this time around. (My oldest outsourced Spanish and used Alpha Omega.) I have Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish. I will also probably use Visual Link Spanish. You can purchase this on DVD from Amazon, or you can download the program from Visual Link Spanish. (You can also do Visual Link online, yet you mentioned that you don't want online.) Also, for Spanish II, I think we'll use Practice Makes Perfect Verbs and PMP Pronouns and Prepositions. We may finish Spanish II with Easy Spanish Reader. Lastly, we'll probably enjoy some Spanish TV programs or some of our favorite movies with Spanish switched on just to practice hearing/comprehending the language. Children's library books are also a possibility. The plan I've outlined came from a poster here. I wish I could remember where the link is. I'd like to give credit where it is due. My reasoning for using these resources is that using a text book curriculum would require a Spanish-speaking teacher. (I am not.) We will use these resources because they are largely self-teaching and self-checking. http://www.amazon.com/Madrigals-Magic-Key-Spanish-Creative/dp/0385410956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404152079&sr=8-1&keywords=madrigals+spanish http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Perfect-Spanish-Tenses-Edition/dp/0071639306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404152332&sr=8-1&keywords=practice+makes+perfect+spanish http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Perfect-Pronouns-Prepositions-McGraw-Hill/dp/0071739173/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404152332&sr=8-3&keywords=practice+makes+perfect+spanish http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Spanish-Reader-William-Tardy/dp/0071428062/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404152533&sr=8-1&keywords=easy+spanish+reader http://www.spanishprograms.com/visual-link-spanish-products/

Trying again....

My upcoming 11th grader will use TTC's History of the United States for American History. I am trying to give her something for a US geography credit (1/4 credit) to go with this. She completed MFW WHL geography this year and earned 1/4 hr. of a credit; the US geography will be paired with this to give her a total of a half-credit of geography. Both of these look like they will get the job done, but I'm not sure if one is truly "better" than another one. (For example, which one might fit TTC's DVD series better or be more high school credit worthy). If you have an opinion, please share it. Thanks so much!!!

Thanks, everyone! We're hoping that it works out that we can use Anne Stublen with WHA. I emailed Karen Nelson as well, and she sent me a very nice reply. I have not spoken with her yet. Based simply on the descriptions, it sounds like TPS class will run at a faster pace and be a more intense class than the WHA class. When I spoke with Anne, she felt like with my dd having used Lial's for Algebra I and II that she would be fine for WHA's precalculus class. It sounds like Lial's is an appropriate pre-req lineup for the Brown textbook. Hoping to hear more...

Trying again....

Trying again... These seem to be the top three possibilities. The internet thing.... streaming data eats up our internet. Video and music are the main things (I think) that we can't do. Straight lectures and drawing on a "white board" are fine.

1- Wilson Hill Academy with Anne Stublen using text Advanced Math: Precalculus with Discrete Mathematics and Data Analysis, 2003, by Richard Brown 2- Potter's School with Lori Martin or Karen Nelson using text PreCalculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic, 8th edition, by Demana, Waits, Foley, Kennedy. 3- Phil4.com with Dr. Christian Seberino using PDFs of Lippman's Precalculus Our primary limitation is satellite internet with limited monthly data. We cannot use a class that consumes internet data. I would like to know pros/cons or any helpful comments about the above classes.

Trying again. Thanks for your patience!

High school level pre-calculus live classes......anyone?

Thanks, jbrig! I hope we both find something online that uses little to no data that is live. :001_smile: Just remembered Landry Academy and checked. They have a couple of pre-calculus classes- fast and slow. The slower class uses Saxon. (I didn't check to see what the faster class uses.) I've read enough about Saxon to think that it wouldn't be a good idea to jump into that curriculum without prior experience with it. Does anyone have experience with Anne Stublen at Wilson Hill Academy? This seems to be my strongest lead at the moment. Well, maybe also Phil4.com.

Thank you, ladies! CTYonline and Phil4.com are new to me. I know about Derek Owens. We almost took physics from him a couple of years ago (when we had unlimited data...those were the days!)...opted for Conceptual Physics instead. He was so kind and helpful as we were trying to decide what to do that year. Dd VERY much prefers a live teacher. I can think of several programs that use DVD... BJU, TT, Chalkdust... but videos just don't do it for her. We hate that our internet data is limited. This severely limits the way we like to use computers here. Is DO's class live? I would think his videos would consume the data. If not, he would be a consideration. I remembered a recent thread about Wilson Hill Academy. Anne Stublen teaches pre-calculus. I know nothing about WHA or her.Several posters raved about teachers from WHA that had previously been at a different online school. The class is a bit pricey..., but that seems to be normal for an online class unfortunately. Keep the ideas coming! Thanks for the help!

Dd has taken Algebra I, geometry, and Algebra II. We are looking for a live on-line class for her to take pre-calculus. (I think pre-calc algebra would be the first class, right? Because there is also pre-calc trig.) We have satellite internet, so we can't sign up for any kind of class that would consume internet data. (Please don't let this stop you from recommending any class.... I can always inquire about specific classes to see if they would work for us or not.) Thank you!

I only have a minute. My kids have to have 2 years of a foreign language....we're doing Spanish. With my oldest we used our home school cover with a native Spanish speaking teacher. She used Alpha Omega. This was ok, but I want to do something different with my other two. The biggest problem, as the above poster mentioned, is teaching and grading assignments as a non-Spanish speaker. To overcome this problem, I began looking for something that would self-teach. I wish I could give proper credit, but I can't recall the poster who had this plan.... It is what we are most likely going to end up doing: Spanish I: Madrigal's Key to Spanish Success (found on Amazon) Visual Link Spanish Spanish TV programs/movies in Spanish.... anything he is familiar with that will give him an opportunity to hear the language. Spanish II: Visual Link Spanish Practice Makes Perfect: 2 books: Verbs and Prepositions/Pronouns Spanish TV programs/movies in Spanish I hope that before we finish Spanish I and II that we can find someone to converse with my student to give him one-on-one practice with the language. Although we don't have to have a Spanish III, Visual Link Spanish does have more than two years' worth of material. Other popular programs include Destinos and several on-line options. You can do a search. Maybe even start a new thread asking specifically for Spanish 3 curriculum. I wanted to use the same kinds of books for Spanish I and II so that the courses would flow together. Using materials that are more self-taught takes the need for a Spanish teacher out of the way. I hope this gets us through Spanish I and II.

Thank you!!!!! :party:

... a copy of the test the teacher uses? I want dd to watch these science prep videos. Can anyone tell me/link me to the form of the test the teacher uses? Won't she need a copy of that exact test? We have limited internet data, and I cannot afford to watch the videos to find this answer for myself. I've done a search on the high school board, but I came up empty.

Ladies, I need to call the school. I really appreciate that all of you have brought up these questions. I'll try to find out what the answers are first.

Thanks, ladies. Let me ask a question.... as far as the right order- does it make sense to get Pre-Calc Algebra out of the way first or tackle General Chemistry and lab first? I cannot see the CC schedule past fall semester, but after digging a bit further, it looks like this chemistry class is only offered in fall semester. Chem II is offered in the spring, so it looks like we either would have to choose math or chemistry. Since dd just finished Apologia Chemistry, at least the information would be fresh on her mind. Of course, she's finishing Algebra II now, and it would be a huge benefit to continue math for the same reason.

Great questions, and thank you for responding! 1. I can't find the syllabus for this class online. I will call today and find out what book they will use. 2. It was the Pre-Calculus Algebra class that got us started on the path to consider DE for next year. This class is taught fall semester 2014. With this completed, dd could move onto the science courses. We only have 4 semesters to "play" with. If Pre-calc and chemistry are taken as a high school junior, then bio and bio lab would be taken as a high school senior. There simply isn't room for chem lab. I KNOW this looks funny. I'm really not sure what to do. I REALLY need to call and talk to someone at the school (but I also wanted to discuss it here.) 3. Good point. This is why I might need a more basic biology. Or maybe trying to get biology done in one semester is an unreasonable idea. 4. The reason to do science at CC.... The undergraduate university dd is considering suggested she get the college freshman sciences out of the way at our local CC. He suggested they would be easier there than at the university. Dd is leaning towards a landscape architect degree. The required freshman science courses at the undergrad school are Principles of Biology (with lab) and Organismal Biology (with lab). There is also Fundamentals of Chemistry (with lab).

As an 11th grader, we will probably sign up for dual enrollment at our local community college for next fall. We would only take one DE class at a time since this is how we would get a price break. (A second class would run regular rate.) This is what I am tentatively planning: Fall 2014, Pre-Calculus Algebra Spring 2015, General Chemistry. Fall 2015, biology Spring 2016, biology lab. Dd took Apologia Chemistry this year. The class finished 3/4 of the book, and she made an A. The DE class is General Chemistry. Is there any reason to believe she will have trouble with this class? Is it a bad idea to enroll her in this? Dd has not taken a high school biology class yet. (She had Conceptual Physics in 9th grade and Apologia Chemistry in 10th grade.) I have always planned on getting biology done in 11th grade, but I never really considered that she might be taking DE sciences in high school. This is a new development that we are trying to process. This is my problem: I don't want this dc to be taking two science classes at a time (biology and chemistry in spring 2015.) This would be too much for this student. If I could squeeze a year's worth of high school biology into one semester (fall 2014) then she could be finished with that before DE chemistry in spring of 2015. What would you all recommend for this? I've always planned to use Science Shepherd Biology, but I'm not sure if it is a good fit for this scenario. I don't want to put her in DE biology without her having a decent hs biology class. With SS, I would cover the evolution/creation chapters in a future Christian Worldview class (required by my school covering). I would also reserve the anatomy/physiology chapters for a future health class... also a hs graduation requirement. That still leaves a LOT to cover in one semester! Please tell me 1) if DE General Chemistry is a logical class after completing Apologia Chemistry and 2) what high school biology would be a good choice to complete in one semester. Any other thoughts about this situation would be greatly appreciated!

Lori, I just got in and saw your list. THANK YOU!!! I need to read it a few times and let it sink in..........tomorrow!

Keep talking to me, Lisa! :) Honestly, I really haven't gotten the TL figures out to do anything with them....color code, etc... Just going with your idea, Our TL book has horizontal lines for Church, Asia, Europe, Middle East/Islam/Africa, America, Art/Music/Science. Each has a color associated with it. It would not really make sense to color code TL figures with those colors because the TL figures are actually placed on the respective line where each belongs. Can you suggest how to color code the way you are speaking of? I'm also trying to keep in the back of my head the way Pandia Press analyzes. Oh, and I found this link here. I kind of like Flow of History. Whatever we do, it has to be simple. Simple as in doable- otherwise, I just know it won't get done. I hope simple includes getting my kids to see cause and effect. There really might be something to using the TL my oldest completed instead of starting from scratch. If we did that, maybe we could build on what she already did and find the c/e relationships???? Still thinking...

Found this at CBD- had no idea anything like this existed.... http://www.christianbook.com/history-through-ages-suggested-placement-guide/amy-pak/9780972026567/pd/026567?event=CF It is a placement guide for the Homeschool in the Woods TL figures. I'm not sure how I would use it exactly, but it is a resource available for consideration.