My ds took the honors chem version of this as a freshman but the honors level isn't offered anymore. The instructor is excellent but in my opinion the content and amount of material was waaaay too much for a first chemistry course. The AP class is even more intense. I would strongly recommend a year long introductory chem class before tackling AP Chem - or even just taking a whole year to complete say the first 8-10 chapters of Chen (text that was used) and perhaps do a few labs along with that.

Thanks Lori- I agree with you that policies differ & that the best thing to do is to call each institution after careful research. We were just lucky that my dd's plans worked out so well.

My dd was an extreme example- she graduated in 3 years from our home school high school with about 60 community college credits. It was important to clarify on all college applications that she earned these credits while enrolled in the community college as a "non-matriculated, non-degree seeking" high school student who was enrolled as a full-time high school student in our home school - she never sought enrollment at the community college as a degree student. Subsequently, she enrolled in the four-year state university as a freshman which was our goal. In addition, there were no questions about her status as a freshman applicant at other private colleges she applied to out of state.

Someone suggested the IB geography resources once Geography for the IB Diploma Patterns and Change [Paperback] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521147336/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER My 10th grade ds is working through BJU Cultural Geo but we may do some topics in the IB Geography book - very different approaches.

My 10th grade son is using Lial's Precalc. We also use Thinkwell's Precalc lectures but the Thinkwell Precalc course is not as rigorous as the text. It would be hard to do this course yourself without some help from someone who knows math. If you don't use Derek Owens maybe you could find a math major at a local community college or high school teacher to help you out once in a while. Some local community colleges have math labs staffed by students who will help you for free. I don't think you even have to be a student at the college. Found some cheap Lial's books here: Lial's Precalculus 3rd edition ISBN 0-321-22762 ($4- $7!) http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=0-321-22762&mtype=B&hs.x=0&hs.y=0# & Student's Solutions Manual, ISBN 0321227700 ($1.20!) http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=0-321-22770-0&mtype=B&hs.x=0&hs.y=0

Kathy in Richmond recommended this on-line biology lab: http://www.biologylab.awlonline.com/

We started out using TOG and dropped it- picked up BJU World History in December when BJU had a sale on their on-line lectures - my ds 16 loves it and says he likes history again (hated TOG). He reads and outlines the textbook, listens to the on-line lectures given by Mr. Swingle, does the activity sheets, and completes the unit tests. He is also doing Cultural Geography with Mr. Swingle which he finds interesting as well. I thought the non-textbook approach to history would be more enjoyable but not so for my ds. We do WTM style literature now and a combination of things for writing.

Thank you Christine- my ds is using the list of cultural vocabulary you posted earlier as well!

Thanks- I hadn't seen the tests on the Wheelock's site. I used the self-tutorial exercises a couple of times but they didn't seem to be much of a challenge as an exam. Thanks for your reply!

The TC lectures were great also and we used them! What I meant is that there is no audio recording of the book for Lombardo's translation of the Aeneid.

Do you give tests or evaluations? What resources do you use for this? I'm not happy with the Kolbe quarterly exams.

My ds really enjoyed Lombardo's translation of the Iliad- the audiobook was riveting also! We also liked his translation of the Aeneid- very straightforward and powerful. There is no audio for the Aeneid though.

Sparks Notes on-line has a good study guide. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/aeneid/ I create my own study guide by cutting and pasting from the on-line text.

Thanks! Very concise!

http://www.forumromanum.org/history/morey01.html http://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston.html

I think with BJU Lit you have to worry about "drill and kill" destroying the enjoyment of literature. Could you just make sure your dc learns the definitions of the literary elements and is able to identify them in the story? Maybe only make him listen to the lecture parts about the literary elements in the beginning of each unit, and the discussions of About the Story for each story. Then check his worksheet using the teacher's answer sheet. And maybe have him mark his book with at least one example of the literary element under study? If he has a separate writing curriculum, make the unit test essay question part of an assignment for writing.

I am using BJU 9th grade lit as a spine for introducing literary elements to my 10th grade son. I also supplement with lectures from "Teaching the Classics" by the Center for Literary Education, but these aren't really necessary as much as they are entertaining and illustrative (ie. I already owned them). I don't use BJU DVDs for the course, but I rely heavily on the Teacher's Edition which is excellent. 1. First my son takes brief notes on the essay that introduces the literary elements for the unit, making sure he defines the terms discussed. He also does this for the "Thinking Zone" sections. 2. Then we read the paragraph at the end of each story about the author, focusing on any aspect of the historical context which might have influenced the author. 3. While reading, I require my son to highlight, underline, and write in the margins about passages which are relevant to the literary element focused on in the unit. I always read the selections myself- they are easy before-bed reading for me. 4. After reading, we discuss the "About the Story" questions (5 minutes- TE is great for this), he writes answers to them. We do the same thing for the worksheet (on the CD in the TE) for the story- discuss it together (5 minutes) and then he fills it in. 5. For the unit exam, I require only one of the paragraph essay questions. I treat this as a writing assignment- we first discuss to develop a thesis statement and outline. I focus on quality, not quantity, with the essay- it has to be well-written and backed up with examples from the stories. I know this sounds like a lot but I focus on teaching the meaning of each literary element using examples from the stories. I move along quickly and rely heavily on the TE. We are also reading WTM literature supplemented with Teaching Company DVDs. I am an ex-TOG user!

After my 15 yo ds and I SLOWLY struggled through Lattimore's translation of the Iliad last year, I found Stanley Lombardo's translations of the Aeneid and Odyssey. We listened to his recitation of the Iliad which was riveting. He didn't record the Aeneid but reading his translation is easy. Next, we will listen to his recording of the Odyssey. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lombardo%2C+stanley

Would this link help in evaluating? http://mathematicallycorrect.com/algebra.htm

I think K12 offers summer world history- since they are based in Virginia, they might offer exactly the class you need - the program is on-line but a teacher grades all the work. Here is a link to last year's summer schedule: http://www.k12.com/courses/summer-school-courses/

I found this book in the library yesterday: "How to Think About the Great Ideas" by Mortimer Adler- http://www.amazon.com/How-Think-About-Great-Ideas/dp/0812694120 I was thinking of having ds read and outline a chapter a week to go along with the Great Books reading assignments. Has anyone used this book or something similar?

Same story here. My ds struggled to get three words on paper until SWIC successfully jump-started the process. My dd who is a natural writer (currently the opinion editor of a college newspaper) completed some of the Writing Strands books before high school and then loved working with Cindy Marsch on the progymnasmata and Writing Workshop early in high school http://writingassessment.com/. We considered it a good investment because she loves to write!

Thanks Kathy- I found an old post of yours about this! Thanks!

Should a student complete Wheelock's (completely cover Latin grammar) before taking this exam?

I bought a package from Kolbe academy that includes quarterly tests, a lesson plan, on-line access to sections worksheets and solutions for the end of chapter tests http://www.kolbe.org/ HOWEVER someone posted recently about ck12.org which provides free on-line biology texts, worksheets, & teacher guides as well as lab suggestions. There are also you-tube videos as part of the on-line text. If you send them email they will email a link to the solutions to the worksheets. I think this is an excellent resource! I'm using the worksheets to supplement and I use the teacher's guide for teaching hints and a basic outline for the chapter (we outline each chapter). The labs look very homeschool friendly as well. Check it out! If you like videos there is khan academy of course also.