Hi all! This is my last year to homeschool! Wow! So thankful to WTM and all the resources through the years! The past seven years I have taught English comp/lit at a co-op..classes grew from 24 students to over 100 the past two years. The last four years I compiled lessons for 30-32 week schedules. All are free on my website www.wordlyways.com This year, I was asked to do online classes since my husband's company moved us to Houston 3 weeks ago. I am holding Skype classes for 7th-10th and 10th-12th starting Monday in World Literature. You can review this year's course at my website. I charge $100 per semester and grade assignments..anyone can try it out first before committing. It is heavier on reading the first semester (Les Miserables unabridged but we will skip sections in the senior class) but less in the second semester. You can contact me via website :) Kind regards

We are starting a new co-op just for high school students, the response has been great and we need to get organized...I have always used Engrade for my own classes...but now am thinking of creating a school site, where I enter all the instructors/students in for ease (20 teachers, 120+ students)...rather than have each teacher manually enter duplicate students...can I just create the 'school' then the teachers would have a master database from which to add students to their classes? Will parents of 3-4 students then just have one access code per student? I'm worried if we all do it singly, the parents could have upwards of 12-15 emails of codes to wander through...just trying to streamline this for ease. Any help you can offer would be great! Thanks! Tara www.wordlyways.com

I can make some recommendations. I had a niece who excelled in public school, took every AP class had a ridiculous GPA and scored a 35 on the ACT...she was accepted at every University she applied to except the one she really wanted, Duke University. Her key drawback was she was sooo strong in academics, she had little else to offer to compete for coveted spots at certain universities. She went on to complete her undergrad at Boston University in 2 years and her Master's in two, so she didn't 'suffer' but if your heart is set on a specific school you need to stand out. Speech & Debate (compete and place...great for so many skills) Community Involvement (Beta Club, Volunteering etc.) Athletic commitment (offers opportunities to show commitment/skill/leadership) Start an event for local charities (get involved..be proactive in being a leader) Musical commitments (the arts provide many wonderful opportunities) Scouts (Eagle and others show commitment) In other words, academics will get you considered, but it's the 'extra' that gets you noticed and ultimately a spot. My son had dual enrollment his last two years, did fairly well on GPA (unweighted 3.8) and average on ACT..mid 20s...but he was in competitve sports where he was elected Captain his senior year, he competed in Speech & Debate for four years, he could write well/speak well and that's what put him over the edge for his liberal arts college he's attending now...I would say focus on 60% academics and 40% extracurricular/leadership opportunities.

Just added the senior and intro materials...last year's is up there...will upload the 9th/10th when I get back from vacation :) Hope they can be of use to families! I have a blast teaching them to our students...the last assignment of the year for the Intro is kind of cryptic...I didn't want to reveal to much and do not have time to lay out ideas for each lesson, I'm a kind of go with the flow teacher. I plan on doing an Amazing Race wrap up by pairing students up and going through all the 'locales' we visited during the year (sentence structure/vocabulary/literary devices) and having them compete for the Amazing team award :) Can't let it out or my students will be cramming for it for the competitive edge :)

FYI, I just received my son's Columbia Rain jacket from Sierra Trading Post (XLT) he's 6'3 and it will rain where he's going...I used a special 40% additional off and it only cost me about $20! :) Always check there but always use a code, they will mail it to you if you join their site or check their FB site...also bought waterproof running shoes for those wet days :)

Okay...only putting this out there because I've honestly forgotten what I still need to get...uh, my first born son would go with a napsack...he has no clue what all his sisters and I have pulled together :) We drop him off in 2 weeks and plan to set up his room for him...whirr whirr whirr helicopter mom complex :) Pillow, comforter, personalized throw that has pics of the family (Groupon deal), two sets of sheets, mattress pad, mattress cover, bedside organizer (to store his phone/etc.) Power strip protector, pen holder for desk, file holder for drawer, over the chair organizer, rain jacket (sale at Sierra Trading Post), rain hat, waterproof running shoes (he's an athlete and apparently it rains a lot there) grooming tote (has a hanger to use in community bathrooms) shampoo, body wash, razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, floss, mouthwash, toenail clippers, unibrow shavers (he will use these! :)) hand salve for blisters towels (three), washcloths (he will NEVER use these, just wait!), shoe organizer clip on lamp for his bed, notebook paper, folders, pens, pencils, calculator (financial one since he's taking Economics courses) mini-stapler, no remover he'll just have to rip those pages apart. power cords. stamped addressed self envelopes so he has to write us once a month :) Air conditioner (medical excuse), laundry hamper, waste basket, laundry detergent pods, 4 under the bed storage bins (one for winter clothing, one for towels/miscellanous, one for extra school supplies (if they don't fit in desk), one for extra sheets/bedding) Push pin board, that special cloth tape to make frames for pictures on his wall, Command strips/hooks to hang damp towels to dry. I think I'm just done...he can wing whatever we have forgotten :) OH and some arrow thing that I got at Pottery Barn Outlet, has about 10 hooks on it, figured he could always hang a hat or medals or something on them...done done and done!

I know your pain :) I have taught English Comp/Lit for 5 years, the first two years I used solely IEW products (recommend them but it just wasn't something I could continue after 2 years) so I started creating my own yearly lessons for my co-op classes. This year I am creating specific ones for 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12..the last can be for 10-12 if a student is a strong writer. I include a number of assignments to keep it 'fresh' and fluid. Precis writings, rhetorical analyses, short stories, literature (usually 6 novels a year), essay construction, research paper helps, MLA helps, note taking helps, poetry, etc. This can be used at home but is easy for me to use in the co-op setting, it has just enough direction/instruction for the student (lesson assignments etc.) but also is geared to let the teacher add in their own touches...it's a free resource and I should have the remaining lessons for this year loaded up in the next two weeks...hopefully, one day when I have time I can list them by assignments so people can just pick ones they might like, but my time is highly limited :) Hope this helps! www.wordlyways.com

I think you are right. I have used 5 of the IEW products...for a weak writer, I believe they would be beneficial for a 10th grader...for a strong writer, I think he just needs tweaking and direction. For a 10th grader I focus on developing a strong thesis statement, make it arguable/defensible and SPECIFIC...strengthening topic sentences and support...don't rely on quotes to build your argument, use them as lead ins to your assertions. Three things that make a great essay super are incorporating a strong HOOK/opener, sentence variation (openers, length, type), and a solid conclusion. I have had great writers in my classes, but they have three common problems: 1. They write too much! Cut out unnecessary words...I have them do a free write on any topic (one paragraph). then I have them count the number of sentences,, and number of words per sentence...several students did not have a sentence under 24 words. They had so much to say but the reader gets fatigued and disinterested when you can't get to the point. 2. Their conclusions are weak. They spend so much time developing the intro and supporting their paragraphs, that they just fizzle out on the conclusion. One thing I like about IEW is that it emphasizes the SO WHAT aspect...use your conclusion to confirm the SO WHAT of your paper...pick one of the top points and single it out with a good explanation then summarize/restate your thesis in different words. 3. Redundant phrasing. Many times students will harp on a point, but they are simply restating it in a different way. Let each statement build to the next point that encompasses the topic sentence, do not keep repeating the same point in different ways. Hope this helps!

We have used it with all three kids...we usually run through it in about 4 months, it's not that hard and we enjoy the Algebra Review sections...

These are wonderful! Thank you all so much! I not only have some great suggestions for the remaining book but also a list for additional reads. I was amazed how rare it is to find female protagonists in sci/fi and fantasy...too many of the contemporary novels include adult material I try to avoid in my classes...I will also do a study on short stories so I can have more options, really want to include Asimov in there :) Thanks again! Tara

Here are the books I've put on my English comp/lit course for 9th and 10th, Farmer Giles (Tolkien), Ender's Game (Card), Eragon (Paolini), The Last Unicorn (Beagle), and Out of the Silent Planet (Lewis)..I REALLY need a fantasy/sci fi book with a femal protagonist... Ella Enchanted/Princess Academy style...but I feel those are too young for this age group. Can any of you recommend a good book with a female protagonist? Have already covered Divergent/Hunger Games in previous years...anything folks? Thanks! Tara

The Martian Chronicles C.S. Lewis's A Space Trilogy Lilith by George MacDonald Hatchet Ender's Game To Kill a Mockingbird The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian (required reading for son's first college semester) Cry, The Beloved Country The Vicar of Wakefield (many are books on my writing course list, I have my teens pre-read them to give me thumbs up or down :) )

Let's keep something in perspective... 100-150 cases of bacterial meningitis occur each year on college campuses...five to fifteen die each year.... In 1990-1991 (prior to the vaccine push) 43 cases of meningitis were found in over 4.9 million college students...largest study focused on meningitis.. We are talking a risk lower than being hit by a car, death by drowning, death by fire, accident while at work resulting in death, choking, poisoning...just trying to make a point. My son has a history with severe and debilitating reactions to vaccines...my example was offered because it was asked for...opinions whose prime motivation is to attack as a method for communicating their ideas are useless chatter and inflammatory. Offer something useful, it's the only way we increase our understanding.

I have sent my children (last two going in a few weeks) to the seminars funded by www.fee.org the seminars are free, you just have to apply with a short essay/questionnaire....they give you reading material ahead of time, read a few books on our own for general principles/philosophies (Bastiat, etc.)...they get to meet with some of the top economists and discuss great ideas...hope this helps! It's been a great help for our kids in their economic education.

Someone had asked when the next curricula batch would be posted, I hopefully will have 10th-12th completed in 2 weeks, and the 7th-8th and 9th-10th completed by the first of August. I thought I would get 36 weeks of lessons in, but this year our co-op's schedule works out to be 32 weeks, so each will cover 32 lessons. I do know the book list for the most part for the senior class this year Plato's The Republic Beowulf Augustine's the City of God Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice Paton's Cry the Beloved Country and will include an additional list of 10 literary works for those wanting Honor's Credit...These titles will be explored the first semester, with short stories/poetry/plays the second with timed essays precis writings etc. mixed in.