Ah hah! Now I can find it on Amazon. Release date of September 18th. So do I understand this correctly that this takes up where FLL leaves off? Grammar for the Well-trained Mind would be like level 5? Does anyone know?

Pardon if this has been discussed. I did a search but didn't find a discussion newer than Jan 2017. Has anyone heard when Advanced Language Lessons will be available for purchase? I checked Amazon and Peace Hill Press but nothing is there. Thanks! Jill

Fantastic! Thanks for the suggestions. (Just watched It's Okay to be Smart video about CRISPR) The link to the dear science doesn't work.

So my 10 year old and I just sat and watched 2 episodes back to back. Thanks for the recommendation!

What are your favorite science podcasts?

Isn't so interesting! A Wall Street Journal article is where I first read about Crispr. Podcasts are a great idea, too! Thank you!

Okay, now I have to look that up!

This is a class with 12 students. And I too love genetics and brain research topics...I'm trying to branch out from my own personal leanings. Thanks!

Ahh good idea. I'll keep an eye out in those publications.

So pleased. Finally have a course to follow with my LAST child...all four children before was trial and error for grammar... :)

I'm teaching a high school level Biology class this year, and there's so many areas that are fascinating and have real world, high tec applications right now (using Crispr to genetically modify organisms after a short training class is one I came upon in the Wall Street Journal.) I'm just trying to think outside the box (and the BORING textbook) to make biology really come alive for these kids. Thanks! Jill

Farrar-Yes. I would love to approach it from this angle and I have in past years. Unfortunately the timing of this change hit at a hard time (I coach varsity volleyball and our season is about to begin. And I'm starting from scratch since I had planned on enrolling him in the online school again.)

I have a 7th grader who is different than all my other kids have been. He thrives on peer interaction and outside accountability. He detests "traditional" school where he's required to read something and take a quiz or write a summary. He needs projects, discussion, something LIVING for his assignemnts. We have been fortunate to be part of some awesome part-time private schools that complement our homeschool and amazing online schools, but now the funding has run out and we are back to traditional homeschooling. He's not excited. I have been out of the curriculum hunt for several years now since our school has been so different, so I'm sure there's some great stuff out there I don't even know about. He enjoyed SOTW with it's interesting reading and then lots of project options. So please share what has been working for your hands on kids! Thank you! -Jill History Science Literature/Writing/Grammar/Spelling Music Foreign Language? Art

Thanks so much. I had no idea about generic Chalkdust!

Hi there, I'm trying to purchase a used copy of Chalkdust Basic Math (6th grade) and the seller has posted pictures of the DVD's. They don't have the typical Chalkdust cover on them, but instead have a cover that is exactly like the cover of the textbook. I asked the seller if these DVD's were put out by the textbook publisher and not Chalkdust (with Dana Mosley teaching) and the seller replied it is Dana Mosley but it is just an older edition (8th edition and not the current 9th edition on the website.) So my question is if anyone has experience with the older version of Chalkdust and if they did indeed sell their videos like that. Not a word of Chalkdust anywhere on them. The weird thing is that Chalkdust mentions the 7th edition on their website, but no mention of an 8th edition. Thank you! Jill

I taught life science and physical science. I agree that there are very natural breaking points in each book...physics and chemistry are separated nicely in the physical science book (in fact, I taught the chemistry portion first even though it was the last half of the book. It didn't create a gap in knowledge that I noticed. Sometimes the book says "You learned in chapter X that...." and that was sufficient enough to help the student understand some background if needed." I completely rearranged the order of the life science book to follow Apologia biology and the flow was fine. A bit of astronomy is also covered in the physical science book--which I skipped for lack of time. So, my short input is that yes, it's doable. The book is nicely packaged in units and chapters which make it easy to learn a chunk of knowledge, then skip around if desired. Jill

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I will revisit TWTM... And thanks for sharing your other posts. Nan, would you be willing to share some of the specific things your son did? My son has such wide interests I'm having trouble getting him to decide what he is passionate about...

I know there's a better way to say this than "in-depth projects." So I'm looking at next year for my advanced 9th grade (this year) son. He'll most likely graduate a year early and I'm hoping to have him do something next year to really charge his self-motivated, challenge himself batteries. He does all of his assignments well and thoroughly, but at the end of a class says "I kept waiting for it to get challenging." I'm thinking something like a unit study that he thinks of, plans, and carries out. Something he's passionate about. I remember reading a homeschooling high school book where the son was passionate about flying so he spent a year delving into it and joining the junior air force or something like that. Now I know it needs to be more than a little unit study to be able to award a credit for it...Can anyone point me to some resources to help him put together something he's passionate about and he can challenge himself with? Websites, books, personal experiences? And please give me a better name for it! :) When I mentioned the idea to him he was quite excited and mentioned a few things: electronics (loved doing the electronics merit badge), anything outdoors, engines... Thanks! Jill

Thanks for all of your replies. We just got back and the meeting went quite well. She is not seeking a diploma because we know from the beginning the school would not honor our homeschool credits. So when it comes time to apply to colleges, she'll have our homeschool transcript that will list her high school credits as well. We knew this going into high school deciding to homeschool. What I wasn't prepared for was the possibililty that they wouldn't let her enroll in classes at her level if she should decide to go to public school. So the counselor asked us what she had been doing the last two years and all I did was pull out our very unofficial transcript (written in pencil) and she said "What classes do you want to take" That was it. She will still be a freshman "in the computer" but she can take whatever she wants. The counselor didn't seem to have a problem with the fact that my daughter is non-diploma seeking either. Sigh of relief. I was prepared with sections of the school policy printed out and multiple colleges' requirements for homeschoolers. But I didn't need it because we had a binder full of stuff and a transcript that looked like we knew what we were doing. Good lesson for keeping good records! Jill

Hi there, My daughter has decided to go to public school for the first time as a junior next year. We have an appointment with the school counselor tomorow. Our phone conversation to set up the appt. was very discouraging. Our district has a reputation of treating homeschoolers well for activities (she has played volleyball for 4 years in the district) and for dual enrollment (we haven't done it personally but many others have.) The counselor informed me that she would have to enroll as a freshman because she doesn't have any credits. I anticipated this, but figured if she wasn't diploma seeking the whole credit thing wouldn't matter. "But she'll be able to take junior level classes, right?" Long pause. "Uh...it depends on the class." So my attorney husband and I looked up the Idaho Code and school district policy to find anything that would support her statement that she must enroll as a freshman but couldn't find anything. Nothing. There doesn't seem to be any law or policy about non-diploma seeking students. She has test scores from the school standardized testing (it was required for volleyball) to show learning level. So, I know state laws and district policies are all different, but has anyone been in a similar situation? I'm afraid this might end having to testify in front of the school board asking them to adopt a new policy. (Which I really don't have the time and energy for right now.) Thanks, Jill

So would you recommend chalkdust's precalc INSTEAD of chalkdust's trig?

My freshman son is set to finish Algebra 2 next week (Chalkdust.) He worked at his own pace and now we have to decide whether or not to start Trig with summer interruptions sure to take their toll on the continuity. What would you do? I thought about purchasing Life of Fred Advanced Algebra and letting him work through it, enjoying the story, while cementing and reviewing the material he learned this year. (and LOF is reasonablly priced enough to do this with), then he would start Trig in the fall. Comments? Experiences? Thanks, Jill

Thanks so much! Jill

I thought I had bookmarked the website someone here mentioned awhile ago that drills any subject in the style of flashcards. It's similar to quizlet, but it's smarter because it tracks which ones you're getting incorrect and reintroduces those terms. It has some funny name...sort of foreign sounding....You can download the software for free or run it online. Help? Thanks, Jill

Hello, I'm hoping for some seasoned advice on lab reports. I'm teaching a high school biology class for a group of 9th graders (Apologia as the spine, but with lots of other things added in) and I'm struggling with the format for lab reports. Everything I've found online gives wonderful suggestions when you're doing an experiment and testing a hypothesis, but most of the labs done in biology are more observing type labs (microscope work observing plant and animal cells, dissections, etc.) I see the students twice a week so I don't have time to teach each part of the report and so I plan on typing out instructions for them to take home and "teach" themselves. The Methods & Procedure section is easy, but what do I tell them to do for the other sections (like the Introduction where you're supposed to state the hypothesis or the data and results where there aren't really any results?) Thanks so much! Jill