What kind of assignments did you give for this course? Did you do any labs, tests, etc., for grading purposes?

9th grade: Art 2-D & Art 3-D (thru local public school) Symphonic band (thru local public school) Informal Logic 10th grade: Acting I (thru local public school) Wind Ensemble (thru local public school) Formal Logic Graphic Novel (course we're designing to combine his love of manga & creative writing)

It totally depends on the student and the subject. 9th grade was a tough year for us because I really thought DS would be so much more independent. I tried to give him lots of flexibility & freedom and what he ended up needing was lots of micro-managing and hand-holding. Took me months to realize this, with lots of frustration along the way. He is just walking around in a fog these days. I'm hoping things will be easier in 10th grade, but am not holding out hope just yet. I give him and DS11 their weekly assignments, which they write down in their planner. However, they still struggle to remember to look at their planner throughout the day, even tho everything they need to do independently is there in black & white. I still work w/ my 9th grader on some things, such as watching & discussing TTC lectures together, reading about history topics, doing mapwork related to history, reading & discussing ancient lit together, & teaching & discussing informal logic. 9th grader also takes 2 electives at our local p.s. (band & art) and I'm totally hands-off w/ those courses. At times, he's forgotten a few assignments & tests because he did not write them down in his planner, so he got very bad grades. But he hasn't really learned from these mistakes yet. Sigh. It will happen. I hope.

Janet, thanks SO much for your insights. I did have DS take the AoPS pre-algebra post-test & he did struggle with some of their sample problems. It might be worth it to start here, as he can quickly move thru topics he already knows & spend more time on topics new to him. Thanks for the heads up about Alcumus as well. I had forgotten about this. Sailmom, it sounds like you've already been down the path I'm about to take. My hope is that DS11 can mostly self teach, w/ DS15 helping out as needed. Since we will be starting out w/ the prealgebra rather than algebra, it might be worth it for me to relearn some of the basics along w/ DS so I can at least help/oversee until he's ready to tackle Intro to Algebra (at which point I'll bail out of math & rely exclusively on DS15, Alcumus, Khan Academy, etc.). But I'm confident that DS11 will be able to hold his own most of the time. He's very determined when it comes to math.

Anyone?

I was wondering how self-teaching the AoPS curriculum was. Here's why: DS11 is really good at math & is 3/4 of the way thru completing 6th & 7th grade advanced math thru Florida Virtual School in one year. I'm thinking of switching him to AoPS for Intro to Algebra, since he loves math & is really good at it (earned an A in all 3 segments of FLVS class so far). The problem: I am not mathy & cannot help him (and do not want to relearn Algebra, which is why I outsourced the math to FLVS for 6th grade). My solution would be to have DS15 be his tutor, as needed. DS15 does not particularly like math, but has earned A's & B's in all his honors level FLVS classes, incl. Algebra I, Geometry & Algebra II. I was hoping that DS15 could teach/tutor DS11 as needed, which would also be a great review for DS15 as he prepares for SAT testing. However, I don't want this to be overly time-consuming. I know AoPS has videos online to correspond w/ their Alg. I textbook, so that would help as well. (And of course, there's always Khan Academy.) Any thoughts on if this seems doable? And, as a very low-on-the-list priority, could this tutoring be counted as an extracurricular activity on DS15's high school transcript?

DS15 just started volunteering on his own at the library. He loves to read and draw in his spare time, so we found a great opportunity for him. (He's also very much a home-body, so we had to push him a little to volunteer and get out of the house.) His first few projects were to paint scenery as a backdrop for the puppet shows the library puts on for younger kids. Other than meeting with the librarian to go over the project details, he worked on this projects at home by himself. He enjoyed the work and is a bit more confident now that he has a few projects under his belt.

OK, I should have read your blog post first before I responded. You answered my question in the first sentence. Yes, lots of fact memorization of names/dates. Good to know.

What was the AP test like? I'd heard that it requires lots of memorization of dates & facts. Is this true, that the AP Art History test is more "fact based" than theory/application?

Thanks for the input. The lack of self-regulation has always been a problem, but I thought by now he'd be better at it. It seems to be getting worse now that he's older, since there are more gadgets around -- cell phone, iPod, computer, etc. I will have to fight this battle until maturity kicks in and he grows out of it ... or until he goes off to college and has to figure it out himself. :glare: Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Not sure if the family has computer access, but how about using Khan Academy for learning/practice? The boy can start as basic as he needs to and work his way thru the topics as quickly as he's able to. Earning badges along the way might be a motivator, esp. if he likes video games. Plus, it's free. At the very least, it would make a nice supplement.

Just curious if anyone besides me still limits the amount of screen time their teens have each day. By screen time, I mean any electronic gadgets your teens spend time on for fun -- PS3, computers, TV, phones, handheld video games, etc. If left to his own devices (no pun intended), DS15 would spend 90% of his free time playing video games. I allow him about 1 to 1.5 hours a day of purely fun screen time, with a bit more on the weekends. He seems to lack the ability/desire/need to self-moderate, which really bothers me. By imposing my limits, I force him to find more productive ways to spend his time. He doesn't like it, but he complies. Anyone else still deal with this?

Congrats...to both of you! :) I speak for myself here, but perhaps it applies to you and others, too. I have NO problem complaining to others about my kids faults but feel somewhat guilty when I want to share their successes. I always feel like I'm bragging, which seems to have such a negative connotation. I guess it's all in the delivery, right? Anyway, well done!

That happened w/ DS -- he went to ps for 6th & 7th grade and back to homeschooling in 8th. So, I just picked up where I thought he should begin and moved on from there. I don't think you should skip anything based on where a student "should" be at a certain age. I'd start from the beginning, but move at a quicker pace as the student is capable of (maybe condense the subject studied or the time frame during which you study it, as needed). In 8th grade, we did lots of Critical Thinking Co. books (which we loved, esp. their MindBender series) & Fallacy Detective (which we did not like very much). For 9th grade, we did A Workbook for for Arguments (love this -- it's the expanded form of Rulebook for Arguments), Critical Thinking Book One (so-so -- we're not going to do Book Two) and The Art of Argument (by Classical Academic Press -- love this). Basically we focused on informal logic and fallacies. We're actually not done w/ everything yet, and will continue to work on whatever is left throughout the summer. For 10th grade, we're sticking w/ Classical Academic Press materials because they're user-friendly, effective and enjoyable. So, we'll do their next book called "Argument Builder," which the publisher states should be 1/2 credit course blending a gentle intro to logic/rhetoric. We will begin their formal logic book, "Discovery of Deduction," probably in the 2nd semester of 10th grade. However, I don't think it's supposed to be a 1/2 credit course, so we might have to complete it over the summer. For 11th grade, we will officially study rhetoric, starting w/ the 1st/easiest text that SWB recommends and, if we have time, move on to a harder rhetoric text for 12th grade. FWIW, my 15yo DS may officially be in rhetoric stage because of his age, but maturity wise, he is not there yet.

YES! Academically, we're doing OK, but the lack of organization skills are sometimes bringing us to a grinding halt & creating lots of tension. Maybe these skills will kick in next year? :confused: We'll have to continue a few things in the summer, but not much. We're never quite as far along in history as I hoped to be, but we're enjoying our studies. Looking forward to planning for next year & buying new curriculum. That always jumpstarts my motivation. :D

I cannot speak from experience because I'm in the same boat you are, to a degree. (My boys are in 6th & 9th grades, so we're doing logic together.) We, too, used Critical Thinking Book 1. We just didn't seem to "get" chapter 2, but made it thru most of the book. Didn't love it. We did the Fallacy Detective, but we all thought the examples were pretty lame. The boys' ability to remember & identify fallacies was not stellar. So...I bought Art of Argument (from Classical Academic Press), which seems to cover quite a bit of what was in both of the above books, but it does it MUCH better in my opinion. It's clear, easy to understand, offers great/relevant examples, and includes reviews, quizzes, etc., to help cement the concepts. We're going thru this quite quickly because we've already covered some of it w/ the other 2 books, so it's a good review. We all agree it's much better. I REALLY hated trying something new mid-school year, but the other programs just weren't working. Now, because I like the publisher's approach so much better, I purchased the logic book they recommended next, which is The Argument Builder. After that, we will probably use their final product in the logic series -- Discovery of Deduction. You can see full descriptions of their products here and even download a sample of each book.

Thanks for all the great insights. I will check out the Conceptual Physics textbook. I'm not ruling it out at all. Thank you from a non-science person!

I've never heard of Conceptual Physics. Can you recommend a self-study curriculum for this? I am not a science person any more than my son is, so the plan was for him to take all his science courses through Florida Virtual School. The FLVS current course offerings do not include conceptual physics, so if I couldn't find a self-study course for DS, then I'd still rely on FLVS for science. Maybe if DS took physical science in 10th grade (after biology in 9th but before Chemistry in 11th), that would be a better sequence? Here is the FLVS description of their physical science course: "This course is designed as an interactive, 21st century course focusing on basic physics and chemistry. Topics include forces and motion, energy through waves, electricity and magnetism, the matter around us, chemical bonding and reactions. This course is designed to serve as a foundation for the study of the physical sciences. The utilization of scientific inquiry, web 2.0 tools, interactive experiences, higher order thinking, collaborative projects, real world application through labs and a variety of assessments all aid the student in ultimately demonstrating a vast understanding of the importance of the physical and chemical properties of the world around them; enabling them to apply these properties to their everyday lives." Based on this description, would it look weird to take physical science after biology? This would still leave 12th grade open for some other science that interests DS, such as marine, earth-space, forensic, or environmental. Sorry -- lots of questions from a non-sciency mom trying to make the right choice.

My college-bound 9th grade DS does not really like science, although does well (A's & B's). I know the typical sequence for high school science is biology, chemistry & then physics. Would this look bad on his transcript if he took a different science, whether it's physical science, astronomy or something else? DS plans to take 4 years of science (2 with a lab), but doesn't see the point of taking math-intensive physics. Do colleges expect to see this on a transcript, even if the student will not be pursuing any type of science/math career? (He's very artistic & creative.)

Yes, it appears that the teacher's edition contains the entire student text plus all the extra teacher tips, answers, etc. I compared online samples and I think I even contacted the publisher to verify this. So, if you don't want to bother with lots student worksheets, you can use the teacher's guide for discussion and teaching tips and, if you want, just make up your own worksheets based on what you've read. Most of it is really discussion, other than definitions and an end-of-chapter review. I only have 2 kids, so I didn't think it was necessary to get both the teacher's edition and the student workbook.

I actually ONLY bought the teacher's manual. Most of the info in the student book was reading & discussion. The times when my kid's needed to write something (like a definition), they'd write it out on a sheet of notebook paper. Or, I'd just type up a few questions in a Word document (based on a fallacy we just read) and print out a worksheet for them to do. Most of the time, tho, we just read and discussed. I love the insights given in the teacher's manual, so I thought it was a worthwhile purchase.

I'm not mathy, and neither is my oldest. DS is in 9th grade & is currently finishing up Algebra II, so he still has 3 more years of math. I'm curious about Jacob's book mentioned above. What KIND of math does it cover (i.e., is it considered pre-calculus, trigonometry, etc.)? I'm not familiar with this text, so I'm wondering what kind of high school math course it would be.

Welcome to high school (almost)! It DOES feel like you're starting all over. My oldest is just wrapping up 9th grade this year, so I don't have tons of advice yet. However, I'd suggest reading a few homeschooling high school books to get yourself up to speed. Here are a few of my favorites: * College Prep Homeschooling, David & Chandra Byers * The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling Teens, Debra Bell * Homeschooling High School, Jeanne Gowen Dennis * And, of course, TWTM The College Prep book is my favorite as far as giving lots of details about figuring our credits, planning a tentative four-year plan, choosing core & elective courses, writing course descriptions, creating assignments, grading, etc. TWTM is my favorite for specific curriculum suggestions, esp. if you plan to read the Great Books. Also, check out the HSLDA website, which has a section devoted just to homeschooling high schoolers here: http://www.hslda.org/highschool/default.asp. Also, if you search this forum, you'll find lots of previous threads with some excellent, detailed advice from moms with more experience than me. Good luck!

Thank you both for you insights & suggestions. Will look into the flashcards, as I'm sure they'll help. I forgot that we own a few of Gonick's books. They would make a fun review! Nancy -- the Javanese? :confused: Never heard of them. Yikes! We are only just starting to study the Middle Ages, so hopefully we have not missed them (or any other "important" cultures) yet.

I forgot to add that my 9th grader is also working through Analytical Grammar, but at a faster pace. He'll complete the program in 2 years and my 6th grader will go through it over 3 years. Very effective with both kids.