Our school is an IB World school, and I am very impressed with the IB Diploma Program (this is the two-year grade 11 and 12 program). The students choose six subjects, 3 high level and 3 standard level. They must have a second language within these 6 classes, which are each two years long. The students find that the IB work is great preparation for college level study, and many of them are accepted into top universities. They do a lot of international stuff, like Model United Nations, Habitat for Humanity in a neighboring country.

http://thewelltrainedkitchen.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/quivers-legendary-cinnamon-rolls-courtesy-of-jean-quiverof10/

One more garlic story-- we live in Turkey, and last weekend went to the "Garlic Capital of the World," where they grow tons of garlic. The streets were lined with sellers, stringing the garlic bulbs like pearls all over the strands. They have an annual Garlic Festival that people from all over the country visit. Amazing! We bought a big string, and have it outside, drying in the sun. It's used pretty liberally in most vegetable dishes here. BTW I changed my user name; now I'm Anne/Ankara...

Have you seen the Georgia Public TV series? I believe it is free Japanese video lessons, with two levels... http://www.gpb.org/irasshai

I remember your son's interest in archeology, Jane. Our university here has a number of fine faculty members and we've gotten to know them quite well. Last month we went with some of them on an archeological tour of eastern Anatolia, visiting ancient Roman sites on the Tigris river near the border with Syria. It was fantastic! My ds found several new pottery shards to add to his collection, including Roman pottery handles from third century AD. Amazing! And there are lots of opportunities for young people to join in the digs that are going on here. Food for thought! All my best! Anne

Thank you, Jane! We are all well here-- keeping busy with school activities and learning quite a bit. My ds is taking the AP biology test soon, so we are all routing for him. I'm enjoying teaching my ninth grade English class much more now that we have settled down into some better behaviors in class. We're doing Richard III, so that is fun-- monologue contests, reader's theatre, lots of discussion about ambition, conscience, power... Anne/Ankara (how can I change my name-- I don't see an edit feature for that)

Just a heads-up for those of us with children who like to write-- the Critical Thinking company is now offering an annual essay contest. Fun! My dd just learned she won first prize this year-- $500 plus a $200 coupon, so that's not bad! I believe the competition opens in January, with essays due in March. Something to put on next year's calendar! http://www.criticalthinking.com/company/50th_anniversary_essay_winners.jsp

Here are more e-books by the same company... http://www.learnatest.com/LearningExpressEbooks/home.cfm?CFID=11811638&CFTOKEN=769c7bd3529ee33c-55C12DE5-BCDF-04A2-B06EDD132A45CFCB

Thanks! I think that was the one. I appreciate your help!

A few years back, Ria mentioned a wonderful Canadian wilderness camp... does anyone remember the name? Thanks!

Also, check out the National Strategic Languages Initiative (NSLI) which has Mandarin Chinese. Looks like a legitimate program... http://02c71fd.netsolhost.com/languages.html

There are also the Hippocampus video mini-lessons on US History. They are very well done, and free.. http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?page=about

Well, I can chime in from an international school in Ankara, Turkey. I'm teaching freshmen English (the first year of a two year program in IGCSE English Literature and Language). The ninth grade has to read three novels: To Kill a Mockingbird, Ethan Frome, and Richard III. They have to cover about 12 poems (Keats, Matthew Arnold, Browning, etc). We do a vocabulary program (Vocabulary for the College Bound) and I put them through a Grammar Essentials review program last semester. There is a separate English Language component, which is basically a reading and composition program, responding to articles and showing comprehension and some sort of personal response. In my particular class, we do weekly in-class essays (passage analysis, empathic response, or discursive essays), and then we have monthly two-page papers (poetry analysis, book reviews, literature response, etc). We have some fun too-- made powerpoint presentations of To Kill a Mockingbird, did vocabulary bees, poetry memorization challenges, writing for publication, etc. So far, so good... Anne

I am teaching To Kill a Mockingbird right now to ninth graders. Here are some of the websites I like: SAT vocabulary linked to novel: https://secure.layingthefoundation.org/english/vocab/novels.asp The movie on line for free: http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=958&format=movie&theme=guide Novel Guide: http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/gcse/mockingbird.htm Powerpoint Presentations-- look them up on Google, particularly on one Scottsboro Trial, Jim Crow laws, Great Depression, etc. jh118.k12.sd.us/mockingbirdhistorical%20background.ppt Vocabulary study linked to chapters: http://www.lausd.net/Belmont_HS/tkm/ Anne/Ankara

Here is a treasure trove of PDF books from Learning Express for some of the types of learning your DH might want to tackle... they have lots of English books listed... the link is a bit unreliable, but here it is: http://www.learnatest.com/LearningExpressEbooks/home.cfm?CFID=11811638&CFTOKEN=769c7bd3529ee33c-55C12DE5-BCDF-04A2-B06EDD132A45CFCB

Sharon, that is wonderful news! I'm so glad to hear about that. Once you get bitten by the writing bug, there is no stopping some kids. That is terrific news! My 12 year old dd just learned she is in the "maybe" category (again!) by Stone Soup Magazine, for a story that she did recently. I hope it does go through for her this time, since that is a very prestigious children's literature magazine. And Imagine Magazine said they accepted her precis for an article on "Life in an International School," which will be a feature article for their magazine. Great! Here is the link to that one: http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine. They run fiction contests quite regularly, (which we have won) so it is definitely do-able. Also, don't forget Creative Kids, at http://www.prufrock.com/client/client_pages/prufrock_jm_createkids.cfm. They also publish kid's work fairly readily-- we've had several recent pieces there. Anne now in Ankara...

Thanks! That's the one I had in mind! I just knew you folks would have the answer. Thanks so much to everyone! (As an aside-- I am now teaching ninth grade English in a IB school in Ankara, Turkey, and enjoying it more and more. I was thinking of some of these titles for some of my students who need a bit more help with reading literature at this level).

I am trying to remember the name of that new series (within a few years ago) that publishes literature in annotated, illustrated versions? I think they carried Huckleberry Finn, The Call of the Wild, etc... it was on nice shiny paper, beautifully done. Can anyone recall the name of this series? Thanks!

I don't see where you can view the "free" movies-- is there a part of the website I am missing? Thanks!

Laura, which IGCSE exam Calvin take? Is he doing these independently, or through his new school? I am trying to find out if we can take these tests early at our school in Ankara. Just wondering about your experience... Anne/PA

Well, I can give you an anecodotal reply... we recently moved to Ankara, Turkey, into a prestigious university preparatory IB high school, and my kids are doing fine-- in some areas they are well ahead of their classmates (English of course, and math) but in some areas they are behind (Turkish of course!) and some courses are right at their level: science, sports. This is a school that sends a few kids to places like Oxford and MIT, and many kids to good universities in this country and abroad. So, in a nutshell, I would say that homeschooled kids do not necessarily outshine their international peers in every area, but certainly bring unique talents that schooled kids in any country don't have.

Hi, Laura! Actually they got chosen as editors only because that was one of their monthly contests-- "Who wants to be an editor?" type contest. So they described their interests, and sent it in. No magic to it at all! And I think it just emphasizes that many of these magazines are really looking for kids with the time and interest to write articles. Unfortunately most students are too busy with schoolwork, sports, and activities to write. At least that is my impression. So if you have an aspiring writer, just give them time to write, and then send in the material to various publishers. That's what we did, and it worked fine. Anne in Ankara (should that be my new name?)

Hi, FloridaLisa and all! Isn't that funny-- I just popped in and saw this message. We are now living in Ankara, Turkey, and I am teaching ninth grade English at an International School. It is an interesting challenge! I just yesterday received one of my magazines, Creative Kids, which does publish students' articles (you might see my two kids's articles on elections in it in this issue). Here is the list I posted some time ago. I believe it is still up-to-date... also, don't forget the Scholastic Art and Writing contests, which are now underway. That has also been a wonderful experience for my kids. Anne/PA now in Ankara _________ Writing for Publication Here are some children’s literary magazines that currently publish stories, poems, book reviews, and artwork by young writers. Stone Soup Magazine—hard to get accepted here, but it is possible! Perhaps the nation’s top-rated literary magazine for kids. http://www.stonesoup.com/ Bookworm Magazine—edited by a young homeschooled girl, Sophie McKibben. Very nicely done, and certainly open to short stories, poems, book reviews, and artwork. It is easy to email her submissions, and she certainly seems open to publishing things. http://www.bookworm-mag.com/ Creative Kids Magazine—very nicely done children’s literary magazine. My kids are on the editorial board. They do a fine job printing up the stories with nice designs and such. Highly recommended! In fact, my dd did the cover art for the issue on the website! http://www.prufrock.com/client/client_pages/prufrock_jm_createkids.cfm Skipping Stones Magazine—I think this is my favorite magazine. They publish all kinds of essays, short stories, folktales, and other student writings, and offer contests (one coming up due June ’08). I like their emphasis on traditions, environment, peace, family and society. We have published here quite a bit, and highly recommend this magazine. http://www.skippingstones.org/ Calliope World History—this magazine is perfect for WTM kids, because it covers world history in an engaging way. They often run writing contests (epic poems, etc) and publish articles written by kids. My ds just published one on SPQR Ancient Rome in the last issue. http://www.cobblestonepub.com/magazine/CAL/ Imagine Magazine—this is a very professional magazine aimed at young teens, run by the Johns Hopkins group. They do publish creative short stories (a contest just ended) and artwork (my kids won earlier this year!) as well as book reviews and such. Very nicely produced. http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine Cogito Forum—this is a website that publishes student’s review, if you have kids who like to write book reviews. My dd just published something on Joy Hakim’s Story of Science there, so they do publish what you send in. Just an idea. http://www.cogito.org/Articles/ArticlesList.aspx?BookReviews

Janice! I am here, just checking in! So glad to hear about the Calliope success story. Literally all the magazines that I recommended have been very eager to get student's writings, so I am so glad that it also worked out for you!!! Try those other ones too (Creative Kids, Skipping Stones, Bookworm, Cogito, etc etc etc). We are all doing well here-- transitioning to our new life in Ankara, Turkey. The kids are in an International school, doing great, and learning a lot. I am teaching ninth grade English (yikes!) to two classes of 14 year olds. But it is lots of fun, with lots of learning going on for all of us. Anyway, I will have to keep checking in here. My kids are just so well prepared by doing 8 years of WTM, so it really is the best foundation you can get. Everyone is amazed at their comprehensive foundation of both skills and knowledge. Kudoos to The Well Trained Mind!