Several years ago, I got to know the head of the writing department of our local university. He said that a large percentage of freshmen were unable to pass the English 102 exit exam and move on with their college studies, which was hurting the university. He mentioned that not only did the students enter the university unprepared for college level writing, but most of them could not get to that level in one year. One of our children went to that university, and although he needed help with his English courses, which I expected because of his LD's, he did very well and passed the exit exam without any problems. Nothing that he learned at home was tossed out at the college level. In fact, his profs were thrilled with his prep, which consisted of IEW followed by Bravewriter courses. Over a decade later, we are still using her materials.

We've had grumps in our house, and we never compromised on quality when it comes to education, and we didn't outsource because we didn't have the funds, and we didn't put them in school because that didn't work the first go-round. I made a schedule (We did talk about subject options and tried to accommodate interests.); they did the work; I provided input if necessary; and I ignored the complaints as best I could. Using an inbox for mom and outbox for the student can help with the emotion that often crops up with discussion/talking. Fwiw, dc are now older, 2 grown and 1 to go. The grumpy dc are still grumpy, but youngest dc, who has struggled with school in various ways, is now moving forward at an admirable rate with a good attitude. Sometimes it just takes time for young people to mature and see the benefits of hard work and develop whatever it takes for them to do it - stamina, enjoyment... On the other hand, sour personalities often stay that way, especially if significant people in their lives indulge.

I've scanned the posts on this thread, and it seems that most of us agree that it does matter what we do in high school. With the benefit of having a student who has gone to college recently, I am very aware of what we did in our homeschool that was good and what needs improvement. I do wish we had done more writing; i.e. lots of short papers and a few long papers/projects, and I can see that we needed to focus more on problem solving in math. We 're definitely adding focus in those two areas. In addition, Regentrude's post about the importance of a solid foundation in algebra influenced me to do an Algebra I review with dd, which has been a smart move. It doesn't matter where she should be or what needs to go on the transcript. If the foundation is weak, it will limit her choices. Without these tweaks, I know that dd would have a more difficult time transitioning to college. It doesn't mean she wouldn't be successful, but we want the first year to go well.

Lisa, Just wanted you to know that I absolutely do not feel bad about anything on this thread. After many years of homeschooling and graduating two children, I am comfortable with what we do for our homeschool. I did want to post for the mothers who read these types of threads, begin yearning for something they are not doing, and then think about chucking a path that works for them and their children or even a path that just gets done, especially mid-year. For moms who have a lot on their plates, finishing the race has merit. Some mothers enjoy inventing the wheel; they have the time to spend; and they have the ability to design courses. Others don't. In the past, I tried to design courses because I wanted a particular emphasis for a subject, but soon realized that I couldn't do it because I didn't know enough about the subject to design a course. I couldn't develop meaningful assignments or appropriate tests or lead discussions because I just didn't have the knowledge base. Thank you so much for the post with more details about how you plan a course and what you do. It does give me a good idea of everything involved. As I mentioned on another thread, I love these posts because they inspire me. They often get started before school begins or about now, when most of us are in the winter doldrums, so it's fun to read and think about new ideas and even get inspiration for what I may do in the future.

8Fill - Thanks. That helps -- watch the tapes, read related materials, discussion and some writing. Do you lead the discussion using the guides or does your student discuss what he has read, etc.? Swimmermom - Thanks. Do the texts you use come with texts or do you make up your own tests/pop quizzes? I haven't used texts without tests because I haven't had time to read the texts and put together my own tests. I have considered using texts without tests but haven't gone that direction. I was recently reading on a thread about CLEP tests and a poster mentioned she didn't think much of giving credits for courses that could be studied for in a few weeks. I realize it isn't exactly the same, but reading through a text and just taking notes/discussing could mean short courses. Not that I am opposed to short courses, and it looks like we may need some of those to graduate. While my brain is on the short course track, I just realized that dh's online college courses are short; i.e. two months. They do a lot in two months.

For those of you who design courses using TC lectures, books, etc., what do you expect for output? Has anyone posted a planned course? I love all of these ideas, but need to see something concrete. I would appreciate resources on planning courses.

You are not alone. I posted on the other thread that we are in the box with last dc since we are using textbooks and prepared materials for every subject. We do this because I don't have the time or ability to prepare courses. Based on what oldest dc did in college, I know that dd will be prepared, and I expect the transition from homeschool to college to be smooth. She knows how to use a textbook; she knows how to study for tests; she knows how to prep for a class, which will be appreciated by her profs; she knows how to take notes on lectures and texts; and she knows how to annotate and discuss literature selections. She is on her way to becoming a strong writer, and she is working on math and other areas where she needs to improve. I love posts by moms who are creative and who have children who have done wonderful out of the box things because they inspire me, but our path is different, and we are fine with that. Adding this: During dd's last semester of high school next year, she will be working on a research project, which is as outside of the box as we will go. At that point, she will have the writing and research skills to do something worthwhile. I don't what direction this will take or the topic, but it will be her choice. That's another reason I read the posts about creative courses. All those ideas are simmering in my mind.

Because Woodland Mist mentioned it and because it's true and just because, I wanted to post that we do school inside the box if that means using prepared curriculum. I often wish I was creative like other mothers on this board, but I am not. In addition, when I see the materials and textbooks prepared by people who know their subject, I realize that it isn't worth my time or energy to design courses. I don't even think about getting outside the box. Since we have graduated two dc with one going on to college, I have been able to assess what we did previously and find curriculum that will help dd be even better prepared for college. I guess I am posting this for all the moms who might read this thread and begin to question their path and feel they need to come up with something new to engage their children or help them love learning or ... Fwiw, dd doesn't see her work as drudgery unless she is studying for comprehensive mid-terms or finals (Oh, well.). As with anything, she loves some of her courses, likes some of them, and doesn't like others at all. I haven't disappeared from her life because she uses prepared curriculum. I check her work; I teach at least one subject; I provide help for some subjects; I read aloud to her; and I am her support, which is very important during audition prep and for Lukeion Latin's infamous PSQ's (Nailed that one this morning after three tries!!!).

All Creatures Great and Small - Herriot How to Win Friends and Influence People - Carnegie How to Build a Time Machine - Brian Clegg The Avengers - Marvel Masterworks

We are doing this, and it is working well. Each week dd completes one lesson of Algebra I as a review and one lesson of Geometry as the new material. We don't try to do any more than one lesson per week because she needs to work all of the review sheets. MUS wasn't a curriculum we had used in the past, and it wasn't something we even considered, but it has been an excellent fit for last dc -- zero math stress, solid grades, and finally understanding and retention of concepts.

Dd also uses Clinique, but they didn't have any great gift packs. Since we're on a tight budget this year, that meant Clinique was out for my holiday shopping. I saw a Black Friday ad for an awesome makeup box at Ulta for $18.99 plus tax. It has three trays - eye, lip, blush, etc. The box comes in either black with red lining or cream with hot pink lining, and they still had lots left last week. Perfect for a teen. Oops! I didn't see TechWife's post about Ulta. Ulta is awesome.

I toyed with the idea of writing that I like ___________ curriculum, but the last time I did that, I was worried the naysayers were so worked up they would have heart attacks.

Teaching non-natural writers to write has been the high hurdle of my homeschooling years since none of our children are natural writers. However, I've taught writing classes to other homeschool students, so I've seen natural writers in action, and they seem to be able to make progress with some input or simple instructions or even on their own. My non-natural writers have needed explicit instruction. For years, my problem was finding a method or materials that didn't have gaps or make assumptions about skills and the thinking needed to produce a quality piece of writing. I know that some mothers on this list have developed their own method of instruction for their non-natural writers, but I couldn't do that. I began using the progym several years ago, and it has been a good fit for me and my student.

You are welcome. We are in a similar boat, and I have been researching options because dd is supposed to graduate next year as well, and she definitely doesn't want to do a gap year because of math and science. We are making sure she has a solid foundation in Algebra and Geometry and doing what we can for science credits.

So, it sounds like she will only need the science credit -- Int. Physics/Chem or Chem or Physics. I would do the science at home. Take a look at Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum. PAC has in Integrated Physics/Chem that might fit the bill for a non-science major. We have used PAC when we needed a git-er-done credit. Even though the courses are not difficult, they are thorough and interesting.

Since your dd is at cc, she can earn enough math credits by plugging away through the school year and the summer. She could do the same with science. There are science courses that do not require math; i.e. astronomy, zoology, environmental, botany. Does your cc offer them? She could also do another non-math science at home to get in another science credit - Adv. Biology, Marine Biology (both from Apologia) or Astronomy (Google Homeschool Astronomy).

Yes, seconding the suggestion to take a look at Bravewriter, specifically the following printed materials: Help for High School - exploratory and expository essays with insight and creative pre-essay exercises, written to the student, clear instructions Boomerang - literature with dictation/copywork and Think/Write pieces Bravewriter...goes to the movies Freewriting Frenzy (if still available) Daily Writing Tips (new pdf) We've been using Julie's materials for eight years, and they have worked well with all of our children - both the creative and the just-give-me-the-facts writers. If you can afford Bravewriter classes, so much the better. The instructor input is excellent.

I don't have time to read all the posts, but I see that someone mentioned we use Biblioplan. We do, and it is a perfect fit for us. Our schedule looks like this: Monday - Companion & Cool History Tuesday - Cool History Wednesday - Cool History Thursday - Maps & Study Friday - Timeline & Study For Year 1, the workload was lighter, so dd could do the Cool History in two days, and history/geo was a four day schedule. For Year 11, it is five days. As regards literature, the Family Guide provides suggestions for reading and literature for all ages. You choose the books and what you want to do with them; i.e. just read, use a study guide, write papers, etc. We used Smarr lit guides for Year 1, and Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings for Year 2 ( currently finishing this). We floundered around with classical history approaches before using BP, so we are only going to get through three years - Year 1, 2, and 4. We've already done a lot with Early American history, so we are skipping Year 3. I wish we could have done all four years. As regards credits, I am giving the following: World History - 1 credit for Years 1 & 2 World Geography - 1 credit for Years 1 & 2 Modern History - 1 credit for Year 4 Bible - 1 credit each year because dd does more than read the scheduled Bible; i.e. various study materials. Literature, which is part of English - 1 credit each year because dd does more than read the books; i.e. Smarr guides, etc. For these credits, the daily schedule has a time slot for history/geo (about 1 hour), Bible (about 1 hour) and literature (1 hour plus). We do other work as part of English (specific writing instruction, grammar review, timed writing prep), so English, like math, science, and Latin, takes an hour plus. I really like the flexible structure we have with BP. BP provides the spine, maps, tests and assignments for history/geo, and then we choose what we want for Bible and literature. Hth, 1togo Adding this about organization using Year 1 as an example: Since I am working with only one high school student, who works independently, organization is a snap. I print the family guide for my teacher binder and check off things as we go. Dd has a large binder for World History I with labeled dividers for each of the BP chapters; i.e. Creation, Egypt/Noah, Sumer/Babel, etc. All related work for that chapter; i.e. Cool History, maps, literature, and Bible are put in this binder after the Unit tests are finished. Unit tests are put in the front of the big binder. This binder gets full and is difficult to manage for daily work, so dd also has a smaller binder for her in-progress history/geography. I print the Cool History and maps for one full unit and put them in the smaller binder. When she completes a unit and takes the tests, she puts all of her work in the big binder in the appropriate sections. I buy the blended bundles with a printed Companion (too big to print) and pdf files for everything else. Using this system, you will have four binders at the end of high school that contain history/geo, Bible, and literature. Dd likes to save everything, but needs help with organization, so this works for us.

Bravewriter's Expository Essay class or Help for High School followed by the Timed Essay class IEW Advanced Communications dvd Although these resources teach timed writing for the ACT/SAT tests, they are good prep for any timed writing. In addition, lit and history curriculum often have questions that can be used to practice this type of writing after the student has learned to deal with the timed component. Charlotte Mason-type written narrations are a beginning point as well.

I don't have time to write a lengthy post, but this should be enough to answer your question. We used Classical Composition for Fable and Narrative, then used CW for Homer and Maxim, and went back to CC for a quick review of Maxim before moving on to Chreia, etc. Each level of the progym, whether using CC or CW, teaches one writing form and a set of skills to master that form. For example, Fable/Narrative/Homer taught outlining, rewriting narratives, précis writing, summarizing, sentence writing, etc. Maxim taught various types of paragraphs. Take a look at the Scope and Sequence of CW and the description of the CC levels for a more detailed list of skills/concepts. We have used and applied everything we have learned in other writing -- narratives as intros for essays, example/analogy paragraphs, sentence skills, etc. Since each level of the progym focuses on one writing form, especially with CW, the student masters/internalizes that form and the skills taught within that form. In fact, the mastery aspect is part of what drew me to the progym. Learn a form and learn it well. I like that with LToW as well.

Adding this. I do teach our children to outline, but we don't use it with textbooks because it takes too much time. Cornell notes are like outlining but much faster - paper folded in half, main idea on the left, and supporting ideas on the right, main idea on the left, supporting ideas on the right... Cornell works well with textbooks and with oral lectures, which move quickly in the college classroom. Also, Cornel notes can be used as Nan suggested, and we have done this. Questions on the left and answers on the right. The student studies Cornell notes like flashcards; i.e. learn the term/idea/question on the left and then review/teach/lecture the information on the right. If the outlining doesn't go well or becomes tedious, give Cornell notes a go. Over the years, we tried outlining, mind mapping and other methods of taking notes. Learning to take Cornell notes and study from them falls into the set of my top college prep skills along with strong math skills, insightful essay writing (w/documentation), lit analysis/annotation, and critical reading. Also, decision making and life skills.

The following is a study method we use for textbook subjects except for the hard sciences. 1. 1st day of new chapter - make vocabulary flash cards for the entire chapter. Read set # of pages & take Cornell notes. 2. Next day & every day until the chapter is finished - read a set # of pages, take Cornell notes, study flashcards, teach/lecture your notes to an imaginary class. Note: Some students need to lecture every day; others don't need this. 3. If the chapter has review questions and or a study guide, these are added to the study mix. The amount of study/lecturing varies with each student and the difficulty of the material. Our oldest child used this method in college and made excellent grades. When he settled into a class, he could determine the exact number of times he needed to lecture his notes for an "A." Regular study meant he was always prepared for pop quizzes and class discussions. Btw, lecturing works best when student is standing and using varied tones. Ds also took notes for lit classes; i.e. more like annotation on paper. Again, the at-home work meant he was always prepared for class discussions and had done much of the leg work for analysis papers.

Bravewriter's "Help for High School" and IEW's "Windows to the World" in the fall, and then something for timed essays -- Bravewriter class or IEW's Advanced Essays in the spring.

http://clepprep.tripod.com/cleplessonplans/index.html Lesson plans, etc.

Here are a few ideas that you might consider: Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum - independent w/input needed on the writing assignments World History, World Geography English Biblioplan - independent Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern w/American History, Modern w/American History The Cool History worksheets do include short writing assignments, but you will need a separate writing curriculum. Bravewriter "Help for High School" - independent w/input needed on the writing assignments H4HS is written to the student, and it teaches expository essays with documentation. It has unique exercises for generating insight into topics. H4HS can be completed in one semester or less and then practiced for the rest of the year with other topics. The Classical Historian - needs more teaching History and composition are combined.