Good for you! :001_smile:

We keep it pretty interest-led. We've spent the last five months studying tomatoes. :glare: :001_smile:

:iagree: GSWL is good for all ages so you can use it with all of your kids.

Just wanted to throw in for the OP that there is some controversy surrounding Teaching Textbooks (over whether it is behind/light) so tread carefully if you decide to ask about it on these boards. :001_smile:

What's that I hear? :bigear: Dd(14) is studying. Dd(13) is reading. Dd(8A) is also reading. Dd(8B) is working on her BA stuff. Dd(5) is asleep. Dd(3) is also asleep. Dw is working. I've *finally* figured out what history cycle I want the youngest four on. And it's quiet. :thumbup1:

:iagree:

Is anyone using a package as-is, with no tweaking? I feel as if almost everyone is subbing out at least one program.

I love Breaking the Barrier for both Spanish and French. I would definitely recommend it for both languages. Foreign language reviews can be found on pretty much any homeschool curriculum review website... Cathy Duffy, HomeSchoolReviews, these forums, etc. Unfortunately there is no single website that brings it all together and guides through though all of your options. Evaluating curricula is easier than you might think; just figure out what your non-negotiables are and work from there. :001_smile:

Sorry, I don't think I'm expressing myself well... let me try to clarify. BtB is challenging but also doable at the same time. As for the visual piece, that has never been a big issue with students that I've tutored. I would say that that is something that would be bigger in implementation than in the actual curric.

My daughter just asked me this and I realized that I actually don't know. First she asked, "What comes after Algebra 2?" "Precalculus." "What comes after Precalculus?" "Calculus." "What comes after calculus?" "Well, you can do a lot of different things, like statistics and other things. And there are lots of different kinds of calculus too." "What comes after that?" "I think usually differential equations." "What about after that?" :confused: I really don't know. I don't mean about going "sideways", I mean in the standard linear progression. I know that it's pretty much impossible to run out of math, but I always sort of stopped at Differential Equations and didn't think beyond that. TIA.

YouTube (tons of great videos) Mango Languages (offered free through many libraries) This webpage outlines some of my favorite online Spanish resources. BBC Language - offers free online beginning Spanish courses (Mi Vida Loca is a favorite of one of my students), free online supplements, and links to Spanish news, TV and radio. FSI Language courses LangMaster is great OnlineFreeSpanish - haven't actually used this, but found it while Googling HTH!

There is a set amount of material that is generally considered "Spanish 1" (just as there is a fairly standard amount of material that you would expect to be covered in an Algebra 1 class). So, most products labeled "Spanish 1" are going to contain that set material. It's usually only if a product isn't labeled Spanish 1 that you would need to be concerned. If that happens then these boards are a great place to ask for help about any specific program. :001_smile: Here is a paraphrased section from a review I wrote of it earlier: BtB is a rigorous program offering Spanish 1, 2, and 3 and French 1, 2, and 3. It is extremely affordable and good for independent learners. Each level is equivalent to one year of high school study. However, the program is so full and rich that you could probably quite easily stretch the three levels out over four years by adding in some additional resources (and thus use the three levels to count for four high school credits). BtB is grammar-heavy and offers plenty of explicit grammar instruction. Resources on the BtB website and within the program offer suggestions on how best to use the program. The program moves quickly, so slower learners will need more support and would probably benefit from additional resources as listed below. Also, BtB can be used well independently but is even better if the student has someone to practice the conversation exercises with (that can be you... you don't need to speak Spanish to be able to help with that). It's best if there is a teacher or tutor who is fluent in Spanish and can work one-on-one with the student, but that's true of any program; you won't find any curriculum that wouldn't be better with a one-on-one tutor who knows the material. As it is, BtB is quite good for independent learners. Here are two products that go well with BtB (only if you want to use them... they aren't essential): Getting Started with Spanish - a gentle intro if you'd like your student to have some Spanish exposure before formally beginning BtB Practice Makes Perfect Complete Spanish Grammar - for students who need a lot of practice exercises to cement their knowledge And here is a review of lots of Spanish programs, if you are interested. Getting Started with Spanish (as listed above) YouTube (tons of great videos) Mango Languages (offered free through many libraries) This webpage outlines some of my favorite online Spanish resources. BBC Language - offers free online beginning Spanish courses (Mi Vida Loca is a favorite of one of my students), free online supplements, and links to Spanish news, TV and radio. FSI Language courses LangMaster is great OnlineFreeSpanish - haven't actually used this, but found it while Googling HTH!

Would it be possible to find an online or Skype tutor?

I signed up through the HSBC deal and accessed my account but am confused by the navigation. Is there a placement test or pre-test that my dd should take? Or should she just jump straight in to the course that she wants to take (the SAT math prep course, if it matters)? Does she need to take the pre-test for every single lesson until she finds something that she doesn't know? Or can she just skip around to the lessons that she wants? Help!

I see a few separate questions being asked, so I'll try to address each one. What constitutes a Spanish credit? Work in the four key elements of foreign language (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), as well as some cultural instruction. The easiest way to make sure that you are doing a full "credit" is to just finish whatever book you are using. Counting hours can work too. Which Spanish curric. is best? Depends on what you want. Are you able to provide instruction or does the program need to be independent? Is there a Spanish-speaking adult who can offer assistance? Are you aiming for fluency or just exposure? What's your price point? Without having the answers to any of these types of questions, it's difficult to recommend a program (I review foreign language curricula for a living, so I know firsthand that different programs work for different people). I generally steer people away from Rosetta Stone - far, far away. It does work for some people, but overall it is a very weak and ineffective program for most users. It's also very pricey, especially when you consider that you'll need to purchase multiple levels of the program to equal one credit, and that even if it is effective for you, you'll still probably need to supplement. My standard Spanish recommendation is Breaking the Barrier (again, though, this is without any specifics about your situation). I'd be happy to offer more info about that program if you are interested. I can also recommend TONS of inexpensive and even free resources for Spanish if you are interested in those. HTH!

Breaking the Barrier is my standard Spanish recommendation (I review and recommend foreign language currics. for a living). I really, really love it. I can also point you to some free online resources if you want.

The core elements of a high school English class are composition (including grammar, research, and actual writing) and literature (including vocabulary, poetry, comprehension, analysis, and various forms of literature). Prep for the critical reading and writing portions of standardized assessments (such as the SAT) is sometimes included. Research papers and literary analysis essays are typically included in the upperclassman years.

:iagree: This holds mostly true for me.

With that plan he'll be accomplishing eight credits next year. That sounds very ambitious to me. And the college will probably be concerned about how many academic credits were done in the senior year, as opposed to being spread out evenly throughought the four years of high school. Also, based on what you described, this child struggles with completing even one math credit in under a year (I'm not trying to be mean here at all, just stating what my perception of the truth is). How will he suddenly successfully power through two whole math credits in just one year in addition to the rest of his schedule? And when he hasn't even settled on a math program that works for him? Here are some of my other concerns with the plan listed... Logic isn't usually counted as an English class. Some of your sciences might not be counted by the university; additionally, I am very concerned by the fact that a child interested in architecture has only completed two standard sciences (I would typically recommend four). Two years of Spanish are "sufficient" but not "competitive". I would extend that to the rest of his transcript as well - "sufficient" but not "competitive", with not very much meat. As before, I truly do apologize if this comes across harshly (and I fear it may). I just want to emphasize some of my concerns to you and some reasons why an extra year of high school may be extremely beneficial. If you continue with only one more year of high school, it will be a very intense year and will likely involve a lot of work over the summer.

We too have more of a routine than a schedule. I have tried over and over to implement schedules, but they just don't work around here. It's impossible for me to get six kids plus myself all on the same page at the same time. KEY: "little ones" are dd(3) and dd(5); "twins" are dd(8) and dd(8); "olders" or "older ones" are dd(13) and dd(14). Also note that throughout our homeschool day the oldest four tutor/play with their younger siblings to make my job easier. With that said, here is basically how it goes most days. Dw and I wake up quite early to exercise, pray, string words together into sentences, etc. The youngest four then wake up and spend a bit of time with their mom before she goes to work (or down to our home office). Once dw is out, I get the kids ready for the day and pop in to make sure the older two are awake. I then take the youngest four for a quick walk outside to get their energy out (if it's rainy or cold, they just play for a little while). Then we'll do a readaloud. By this time, the oldest two are up and ready and we do our family Circle Time (faith, recitation, family readalouds, etc. etc.). Circle Time takes about an hour. After Circle Time, I'll set the youngest two to play and then I'll work directly with the twins. Once the twins are good to go, I'll do PreK/K with the little ones but still be nearby in case the twins need help. At this point, it's usually around 11:00 (but that time varies) and I'll fix a snack for everyone (we're not big breakfast people, so our "three meals of the day" are midmorning snack, late lunch, and dinner). After the snack is over (kids often eat while working), I'll check in with the twins again and then do any lessons with the olders that I need to. While everyone finishes their work independently (or in pairs), I'll get lunch going (our lunch is our main meal, with dinner being smaller). Once lunch is going, I'll bring the family together again to finish up anything else that needs to get done together. Then we'll eat lunch while listening to a readaloud or doing a "lunchtime lesson". After lunch, it is quiet/rest time with all kids in bedrooms. Kids are free to read or do as they wish but MUST do so silently and in their bedrooms. Oftentimes the oldest two will be finishing up their lessons during this time. I assist them as needed or else take care of anything else that needs to get done and generally regroup for the rest of the day. Once quiet/nap time is over, kids may do as they please. This is also instrument practice time. At some point in the afternoon we usually (not always) have tea time. I take kids to any activities outside of the house. Right before dinner, we have a universal chore time when everyone is doing chores whether they like it or not. After dinner as a family, the little ones go down and everyone else has family time. After the rest of the kids go to be, dw and I hang out and such until bedtime.That is roughly how things usually turn out.

I just looked up the review I wrote up of Rosetta Stone a few years ago (yes, I've updated it since then). Some phrases I used to describe RS were "ineffective", "confusing", and "a costly mistake". At the very best, it could be a decent supplement - but a pricey one at that. I'm sorry to be blunt, but I feel very strongly about RS, and not in a good way. Try Mango instead, or one of the many other foreign language language options out there that are both reasonably priced and actually effective.

:iagree: If I were looking for extra practice, IXL would NOT be my choice for a high-ability kid. The problem sets are somewhat varied, but it is overwhelmingly a drill-and-kill program. IIRC, students are required to correctly answer 20 problems in a row before they have "mastered" a concept. And for every question they get wrong, they have to get an extra five or so right. This was very frustrating for both me and my kids. Oftentimes, they would be just one or two problems away from mastery, but then their finger would slip and they'd accidentally mistype something and BOOM they had to do five more problems. It was a computer grader so if they typed an answer like 80` it would be counted wrong because of the `.It was just disheartening all around. Of course, this is all JMHO; YMMV. :001_smile:

:iagree: I'll go subject-by-subject, in order of this list. English: I would highly recommend doing at least one if not two more English credits: English 2 and English 3. I agree with Sherry that you might want to see if any of his Speech work could be counted as English. Math: Many colleges won't accept General Math as a high school credit course. For an artsy kid, Geometry is essential. Also aim for Algebra 2 if you can. Social Studies: Looks good. If you tack on an extra year of high school, you could do . 5 government and .5 economics, but if not, this isn't a priority area. Science: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are the "big three". If you stick with just one more year of high school, do an Integrated Physics and Chemistry course (or a "lite" physics course and "lite" chem course). If you go with two more years of high school, do a full Physics credit and a full Chemistry credit. Foreign Language: 2 years is typically the minimum, so just get in as much as you can. Fine Arts: Looks great. Other electives: Look great as well. So, in summary, here are my thoughts. You already have great electives and sufficient Social Studies, so those aren't a priority. Focus on English, Math, Science, and Foreign Language. I would try to get through multiple credits in these areas. His line-up for the coming year would thus look something like this: English II, aim for English III Geometry, aim for Algebra II .5 Physics and .5 Chemistry, flesh out as much as you can to try to reach full credits 1.5 additional credits of Spanish And please do consider adding an extra year of high school. I am sorry if this comes across harshly at all. I think that the fine arts that you have completed are GREAT considering his career aspirations. I would just work a bit more on the core subjects. HTH... good luck!

With two definite APs and two additional possible APs, six credits will be more than enough with this schedule.

Oboe Organ Bassoon Harp Basically, the more unusual, the better.