No one has used it beginning to end, as the books are still being written. That said, we have loved this program.

Human Odyssey Volume 1 is intended for 6th graders, so yes, your 5th grader could probably do fine with it. Though you will have some gaps between the two. In 5th grade, we only used SOTW 1 for those topics not covered in HO.

Some folks on the board lament "teaching to the test," while others (or maybe the same people) say, "Just give my kids the book to learn the material... no creative assignments, etc." Having taught eight different AP classes, I can say that if you are teaching your child individually, you know their learning style and can avoid "busywork." If you are teaching a group, you do need to approach assignments through a variety of methods and there is no way that any given student won't have some assignments that feel like wasted time. Yes, some teachers go overboard, but homeschoolers should appreciate some efforts to make the history or whatever come alive. I still have kids coming up to me several years after their course, remembering certain simulations or dramatic re-enactments or the parody song they wrote.

Agreeing with poster above who recommended the Council on Economic Ed AP Micro/Macro Student workbooks. I also like the Krugman AP textbooks.

Have taught these to co-op classes several times. We do APUSH, AP GoPo and American Lit during the same year. This is very helpful for the kids, as the courses dovetail (remember to factor this in when planning the syllabi). For example, I don't have to spend time on the Salem Witch Trials in APUSH because the kids are reading "The Crucible" in American Lit. Spending a lot of time on the ratification debate of the Constitution or the evolution of political parties in AP GoPo frees up time in APUSH for other things. Very doable for any student who can get over the APUSH bar in terms of reading volume, and writing DBQs.

Hi SS in MD, My daughter really enjoyed Human Geography because of the relevance to current events, etc. I spent quite a bit of time last summer reading the textbook, researching, etc. but I don't think it is absolutely necessary. There are four sample syllabi on the College Board site, as well as more available on-line. REA is "Research & Education Association," but I believe that they market as "REA." I had her writing papers and paragraphs throughout the year, but having been through it once, now I would focus even more of the writing on teaching the AP format. There are 10 years or so of sample FRQs on the College Board site, in addition to several practice exams in the review book. This year I kind of "saved" the practice exams until we had gone through the material, but in my classes next year, sample FRQs and multiple choice sections will be integrated more fully throughout the year. If Hum Geo is a bit daunting because it is unknown, my daughter liked Comparative Government even more. AND, after planning the syllabus for U.S. Government, I can't wait for that class.

Hi Joan, We took sort of a pro/con approach to the U.N., and read two books... An Insider's Guide to the UN by NPR's Linda Fasulo and The U.N. Exposed by Eric Shawn. The dichotomy was a source of very interesting conversations! Given the topics in this AP class, there are so many issues and books that you could explore.

"We're considering AP Human Geography... So, I'm looking for insight if anyone has attempted doing it as self-study? (I know it can't be written as AP on hs transcript). I'd consider AP Govt, but dd wants to take that in 10th..." Hi SS in MD, I did both AP Hum Geo and AP Comp Gov this year with my 9th grader. MomsintheGarden gave you great advice. Just a couple of additions: the College Board List Serv for Human Geography is not very active. You can post questions yourself, and maybe you would generate more responses. We used the Pearson text, Cultural Landscape by Rubenstein (last year's edition) and the REA review book. Pearson's website (mygeoscience) was pretty good also. You'll want to add in some fun nonfiction books also. We read City of Joy, Three Cups of Tea, a couple of books on the UN, Mexifornia by Victor Davis Hansen, Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, William Easterly's The White Man's Burden (a book debating the success of development aid.) There are many very important and interesting topics in this class. And, by the way, after you design your syllabus, it is easy to submit it for approval by the College Board, even as an individual, and then you can put it on transcripts. Where are you in MD? We are in Rockville. We'll be doing both AP U.S. Government and APUSH this fall in a small co-op at my home.

You may need to call the AP Course Audit Help line to get the "Homeschool Code" for your state. You sign up on-line using this code, and then submit your syllabus via upload (they prefer a pdf). They evaluate each course based on very specific criteria, which are listed on the website. Don't know if you've looked over the criteria, but AP Chemistry is intended as a 2nd year Chemistry course, not just an advanced Intro course. Be sure to look over the criteria...

I would not want to use both Campbell & Reese books in high school. It is better to have another author's viewpoint, etc. just for variety, differing areas of emphasis, etc. Campbell & Reese is pretty much THE AP Biology text, so go for something else for 1st year. And frankly, I just think the high school C&R is too dry.

I forgot to add that you can purchase 6 year on-line access for the textbook, so that you can use it in a couple of years with a younger sib!

Just spent about 45 minutes crafting an eloquent reply about our experience this year, and then was told that I wasn't logged in, so everything disappeared. :glare: Will try to remember everything (AND type faster!) I did extensive research last year on Biology textbooks and ordered M&L before it was released. It is an excellent (and very beautiful) book. I ordered directly from Pearson, and while I had to verify my homeschool status once by phone, I have had access to any and all teacher materials since then. A few specific thoughts on the book 1) Don't purchase the Untamed Science videos, as they are available free on the website. Most chapters are really fun to watch, and especially good for convincing a self professed "non-science" type that science can be interesting. 2) Use the supplemental website extensively. It is very well done. You won't have to use every component, because they are going for the different learning styles, but the animations are especially useful. 3) The virtual labs were not available yet when I purchased the course, so I bought the regular lab manual. I think that we were able to accomplish about half of the labs using materials from Carolina and Home Science Tools. It wasn't too much of an outlay (except for the microscope). I supplemented with some of the "Quick Labs" from the text. My goal is at least one lab per chapter. Next time through with 2nd child, I will probably buy another lab manual to add to my repetoire (and continue using this one). 4) I spent quite a bit of time last summer going through each chapter (text and on-line) to identify which activities to complete. Do NOT attempt to have your child answer every question, do every Unit Project, etc. We do almost all of the "Analyzing Data" sections and answer the Standardized Test Prep questions. I do not have my daughter try to answer the Chapter Mystery questions, but she watches the Intro video and then reads the sections. If you have time to do some of these, they are interesting research "prompts." 5) I found that the Study Guide was useful for my extremely busy daughter. She has assembled detailed notes by completing it, but did not have to handwrite every word, or draw every detailed diagram (could just fill in pertinent notes). 6) You can use "Grade Tracker" on the website to monitor which concepts are difficult for your child. You will first have to set up a "class" at the beginning of the year and have him or her log in as a student. 7) We used the "Biology & Society" sections for my humanities focused 9th grader to do some writing and thinking. We went out to find journal articles, books like "Politically Incorrect Guide to Science," etc. to get opposing viewpoints on stem cells, genetically modified food, the status of endangered animals, etc. 8) If you cannot do the entire book... You absolutely need to cover The Nature of Life, Cells, Genetics and Evolution units. My next priority would be "From Microorganisms to Plants." If your child will be progressing to any college level life science, you need to make your best effort to get through as much of the Animals unit as you can. Although high school biology classes are moving away from the "taxonomy and classification" model that we had in high school, your child should be familiar with the evolutionary model, the new "cladograms" and vocabulary, such as "chordates." If you do not wholeheartedly agree with all aspects of the evolutionary model, then it is especially important to study these chapters while your child is in your home, and you can discuss the assumptions that are part of the model, weaknesses, etc. Next, if you have time, turn to the Human Body chapters. I did not find too much here that was new, if your child has studied the Human Body and Health before. The main concept to take home is homeostasis. If your child will not be taking any more biology, have them at least read through the chapters. If they will progress to AP Bio, they will cover this stuff extensively then. I would say that the lowest priority should be the Ecology chapters, simply because most of our kids know about biomes, producers & consumers, etc. If not, this would be a fun unit to do with Nature Study during the summer, either before or after the "official" course. 8) Sorry for the length of the post. I am an undergraduate Human Biology major, and feel this is an excellent 1st year Biology text. My favorite bit from the website was in Chapter 10 Cell Division: Chromosome Vocabulary (with shoelaces)... Have fun with science!