happyhome
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Posts posted by happyhome
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We have used:
all lectures by Prof. Elizabeth Vandiver - our favorite lecturer. (We are covering history and literature as an integrated course).
The Iliad (12 lectures), The Odyssey (12 lectures), The Aeneid (12 lectures)
Greek Tragedy (24 lectures), Classical Mythology (24 lectures), Herodotus (12 lectures)
Famous Romans (24 Lectures) taught by Prof. Rufus Fears
Great Battles of the Ancient World (24 lectures) taught by Prof. John W. Lee
The Persian Empire (24 lectures) taught by Prof. Garrett Fagan
One other question Regentrude, would you recommend the DVD's on Vandiver's lectures or are the CDs ok?
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Has anyone tried any of these?
The Joy of Ancient History - it's a collection of the "greatest" lectures from their Ancient History collections.
From Yao to Mao by Kenneth Hammond
Origins of Great Ancient Civilizations (selected lectures from this one)
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Thanks to Lisa's guidance :D we are have a whole-world focus for ancient history this year. The course is structured around the Great Courses "History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective".
We are using these books over multiple lectures (plus other books used for just one lecture each):
The Human Record: Sources of Global History, Andrea Overfield
The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient World, Beginnings-100 CE
The Great Empires of the Ancient World, Thomas Harrison (ed.)
Ancient Egypt: Everyday Life in the Land of the Nile, Bob Brier
The Ancient Greek World: People and Places, Nigel Rodgers
Cambridge Illustrated History of China, Patricia Buckley Ebrey
Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, Patricia Buckley Ebrey (ed.)
The Ancient Roman World: People and Places, Nigel Rodgers
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome, Nigel Rodgers
I bought the first two books; all others are from our library system. The Chinese books are used in several undergraduate Chinese history classes (I read lots of syllabi in planning) and are excellent in combination.
Thanks Luckymama. My Dd's schedule will look similar to yours except we'll be finishing AOPS Intro to Alg and doing Geometry. Hmmmm.....maybe I can convince dd to add Arabic along with French??
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Our experience here is that ninth graders can be kind of tricky creatures in that they are dealing with hormones and yet growing in intellectual maturity and academic skills.
THIS! Sometimes it feels like she's changing by the minute. I'd love to see if I can plan an easier start and ramp up as the year progresses.
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We have used:
all lectures by Prof. Elizabeth Vandiver - our favorite lecturer. (We are covering history and literature as an integrated course).
The Iliad (12 lectures), The Odyssey (12 lectures), The Aeneid (12 lectures)
Greek Tragedy (24 lectures), Classical Mythology (24 lectures), Herodotus (12 lectures)
Famous Romans (24 Lectures) taught by Prof. Rufus Fears
Great Battles of the Ancient World (24 lectures) taught by Prof. John W. Lee
The Persian Empire (24 lectures) taught by Prof. Garrett Fagan
Yes, history/lit integrated....that's what we want. Maybe this list with lectures/books on Greece and China? I'm thinking if she's reading this amount/level of lit, maybe leave the history to lectures and documentaries?? Or are there also assigned readings in these lecture series? Did you assign any writing or outside reading along with this?
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Whew! Loooong Sunday and I'm just catching up now. Thank you for everyone's input. There are a lot of great ideas here. Thank you Lisa for helping so many of us!! So, my dd is bright and a very diligent student. However, she is asking for something specific. We've run the gamut on the early primitive civilizations. She wants to do the 2nd half of ancients but more in depth with literature to match. I was thinking of building an empire study of Egypt, Persia, Greece, China and Rome. She can handle heavy reading and will enjoy the literature for sure. I just don't want to bog her down with too much technical detail. This is her first year of high school and I'm still trying to convince her that we can have fun with it.😉😉I think if I were going to do this again with a 9th grader, I would have a basic set of tools on hand, maybe a good text and a TC series that is broad in scope (after I figured out what my scope is) and if I were doing my literature to match (which I would), I would have that list of possible texts as well.
Our experience here is that ninth graders can be kind of tricky creatures in that they are dealing with hormones and yet growing in intellectual maturity and academic skills. Develop a flexible plan. To stay flexible, it's easier to purchase a few materials early on so you are familiar with them and you can start with them at the beginning of the school year. By the end of the first month, you'll have a better idea of what your student wants to focus on and just how challenging their materials need to be.
We can better help you if you can give us a focus, what your goals are, and what level your student is at.
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Is your focus strictly western or is it a world focus?
Definitely World.
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I am putting together an Ancient History year for DD's 9th grade year. What were your favorite courses for this time period? Favorite lecturers?
Any creative approaches you used? I'm thinking of creating a "Major Empires" type thing. This will be our third time through ancients and she is thoroughly sick of Mesopotamia...lol. So, I'm trying to think of a new spin.
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Planning is the fun part as long as you're flexible. I still have the master planning sheet I made for the kids back when they were younger. It's fun to look at it & see how it evolved over the years...full of cross-outs & additions! Good luck and enjoy the process!
I like the idea of the "last hurrah." I'd like every year to be a "hurrah" but I guess that might be too idealistic. I'm going to pull out those old threads on skills needed for high school and beyond. I think we've checked those boxes but I want to make sure. Thanks for all your help Kathy. This is a lot of work but you're right, it's so much fun.
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Could I also add searching in the WTM forums for people who have done a certain subject themselves...they will sometimes tell things that a regular teacher might not think of mentioning....or that might not catch your attention on the CB website...Eg Calculator use for the Calculus exam or which FRQ's are calculator active...
It does take time to get used to the CB website...but each year that you revisit it, things will get easier...They have tons of useful stuff on there once you're used to it....
I went about the textbook thing in a different order for Calculus...starting first on the WTM...then looking for syllabi using that book but I agree that reading other reviews would be good too...for AP French since it was a new exam, there were almost no books available so we used the only ones that existed...
Thanks for this Joan. I've started searching specific courses here. I also like the idea of finding the book first and then matching a syllabus.
Question....Is there anything proprietary about syllabi? In other words, is it "bad form" to ask to see the syllabus somebody created for a specific text? I'm planning to customize my DD's program but I'm the kind that takes 3-10000 resources and pulls from them to create the plan. I just don't know the AP world/process just yet and I don't want to offend anyone.
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In addition to everything snowbeltmom outlined above, I also had good luck googling for AP websites. There are some fantastic teachers out there who post their syllabi, texts, & assignments for all to browse. As homeschoolers, we can pick & choose what works for us & skip the busywork.
Before the exams in May, we spent a 2-3 weeks working through a review book (lots of choices at B&N) and sometimes also a released exam (obtained from the College Board).
My kids self-studied lots of APs (10 each) over the years, and in all subject areas. The main benefits for them was that it allowed them to use their time super efficiently & gave them lots of flexibility in scheduling when their extracurricular activities got busy.
We still outsourced a few courses (1 or 2 APs each with PA Homeschoolers & AoPS & Write@Home). DE was not an option for us; too costly in terms of money, time spent commuting, and the local colleges really didn't offer anything we couldn't do better at home. I would caution against doing everything at home, though. You want to find some outside teachers (especially in areas where they excel and want to pursue in college) who can write wonderful letters of recommendation for them when college application time rolls around.
Your daughter is still young, and I'd encourage you to take it year by year to see what works best for you.
Thanks Kathy. Scheduling is one of the reasons why we're looking at this option. She's still exploring so many areas of study and different activities so I want to afford her as much time as possible to try things out. Her volunteer work is also need based and therefore hard to schedule. We also travel quite a bit and I would hate to stop those rich, cultural experiences just to sit in a class of busywork. (One of the reasons we homeschooled was to end that.)
We have narrowed things down just a little bit though. I think we've figured out that DD is probably not headed in the STEM direction. She does, however, thoroughly enjoy math and science so I think a couple of related AP classes might be of interest down the road. I think that would also get the 101 math and science classes out of the way for a humanities student, no? (We probably won't be able to afford the uber elite schools where AP credit wouldn't transfer.)
She fancies herself a writer so, based on what you recommended, maybe we could do AP classes based on interest and areas where we just need the college credit. Then, to your point, outsource english and writing (AP or DE) to hopefully secure recs from teachers in her strength areas. Does that sound about right? We have a pretty decent community college and a 3rd tier 4-year university about 40 minutes away, so that might be an option later on. We just moved here so I need to do some more research.
You're right she's young and believe me, I don't want to rush her. She's my first high schooler and just the thought of it makes me nostalgic for Cinderella costumes and tea parties. I'm just trying to get a general, loose framework in mind as we begin to choose curricula and classes for next year. For example, in planning her freshman year, I was thinking of trying to self study a lighter AP to test the waters and see what she thinks. Maybe Human Geography? Or is it just too early to think about AP and maybe I should just focus on a fun transition year?
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I have put together AP classes for math and science. Here were the steps I followed:
1. Go to the College Board website. The CB lists the topics that are covered in each AP exam. I use this information to help create my syllabus.
2. The College Board website also lists some recommended textbooks. You don't have to use any of the books listed, though. I took the College Board textbook list and looked up the reviews on Amazon for each of the textbooks. I then selected the book that had the best reviews.
3. The College Board has old Free Response Questions listed on its website. It is very worthwhile to work through these questions and have your child compare his answers to the model answers provided by the College Board. This will give your child a good idea of the rubric that is used in the grading.
Good luck!
I had looked at the College Board website but found it so confusing, laborious and hard to use. I just assumed you all were getting information elsewhere, hence this post. I then did a specific Google search for what I was looking for followed by the tag College Board and voila!, there it was. So, thank you. This step by step is exactly what I was looking for. Of course, in my search, I now see that most of the AP exams will be changed over the next couple of years. So much for advanced planning :cursing: :cursing:
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At the risk of sounding completely unqualified to guide my daughter through high school :scared: :scared: .....
I have many, many questions....
If dd wants to self study for select AP classes, where would I go to figure out what books to use? I know many of you have written your own syllabi but what resources did you use to create them? What does it mean to "audit" an AP class? I probably wouldn't submit for CB approval, instead opting to list the class as "Advanced _______ with AP exam" as I've seen some do here. Is it too ambitious to begin self study freshman year with a bright, self directed, driven student?
DD loathes busywork so I think if we go the AP route, self study is the way to go. I just want to feel confident that I can create a meaningful course that results in the AP score she'd be happy with.
Then again, DE may be a better fit down the road. She's a young 14 so it's hard to imagine that now, but she changes and matures every day, so who knows?
We are starting to plan our very first year of high school and in between complete panic attacks, I'm trying to get more information so that maybe, just maybe, I'll believe we can do this. For now, that means reading all of Lori D's stickies during every waking moment......
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The problem with the don't push college idea (and educators do recognize the importance of all postsecondary ed., college is just shorthand) is that decades of evidence shows certain kids will be disproportionately pushed into tracks with less prestige and earning potential. Can they have great lives, sure? Make a living? Absolutely. My cousin, the master welder, supports his SAH spouse with no trouble. College was not for him. He tried. But even he is happy to have been able to try, to have had the level of academic prep that gave him that option. I'm of the shoot for the moon, reach the stars mindset.
What does "prestige" mean? Is college the "moon" for every kid? Isn't decent "earning potential" totally subjective depending on lifestyle choices you make? Is college necessary for every kid to reach their goals? Can't learning still happen outside of the conformed world of the 4 year school? We are currently wrestling with all these questions as we plan our very first high school year. Interesting thread.
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Just to toss out a couple thoughts.
Good vivid, understandable writing is very powerful, whether it is fictional literary writing or non fiction analytical or persuasive writing. I would encourage young writers to spend time on both fiction and non fiction writing.
I do think a student should be able to write a long paper defending an argument on a topic they have read widely on. This can be a history paper or something in science or English.
The two AP courses have some big differences. The English Language and Composition course is mostly non fiction essays. The English Literature and Composition course is more fiction literature. I've seen some schools that seem to really specialize the courses to dig into American, British or world writers. One school even used writings on science and nature. But it's worth looking into the courses some.
Also some colleges will give six total credits (two courses worth) for scores in both exams. Some schools apply either test to the same college course, but only one semester worth. This is one of the many check the college policy topics where there's no uniform answer.
Sebastian, I don't know how I missed your post. I try to respond to everyone who helps me out. Sorry about that. Thanks for outlining the difference between the two APs. She will probably wait until junior year (I think) so we'll have time to decide which one. It's also interesting to know that some colleges will award six credits. I'll look into that. Thanks.
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FYI- I don't have a H.S. student yet but I thought I'd give my 2 cents worth anyway.
So with the understanding that a H.S. English credit should include Literature, Composition, and Grammar, I think you still have a lot of flexibility. Shakespeare Lit and a Screenwriting course with a couple weeks of grammar review thrown in would IMO be a full English credit as long as the student spends about 130+ hours in actual instruction/class time. Doing 1 semester on say a specific genre (Science fiction, the 18th century, A-American writers, Brit Lit) followed by a creative writing class at CC would be perfectly fine too. She does need to learn research writing as well as all the other types of writing. I can't count how many research papers I wrote in college for history, or the expository type papers/short response I had to do for Science classes. Just gear her non-fiction reading (biographies of famous writers) and writing toward her interests.
I love the idea of gearing non-fiction to her interests. She has many non-fiction interests and writing about any of them could get the "research paper" job done. Thanks for this.
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Yes please! DS just started the series!
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Somehow, I missed this. PMing now to help out. What a wonderful idea!
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Thank you Kareni. Stories like this are very encouraging. I am so very grateful for the wisdom on this board. Thanks again!My daughter has already graduated from college. She majored in Latin and minored in Geology at a somewhat selective liberal arts college. She applied to ten colleges was accepted at eight, wait-listed by the ninth, and denied by the tenth (an Ivy League school); I don't believe that her English path in high school weighed against her.
Best wishes to your daughter (and to you) as you naviagate the high school years!
Regards,
Kareni
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DD did her first NaNo this year and won! We are so proud of her. For all you veterans out there, what would you suggest as the next step for a 14 yr old aspiring writer? She definitely wants to move forward with this story but I don't have any idea where to start.
Congratulations to all who participated and also those that won. This was our first tour and we had no idea how intense and fun it would be. Quite an experience!
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I just use dd's login for Blue Tent Online :) Easy peasy
Some of the writing assignments are more creative than others, but they all focus on exploring literary techniques. Dd is not a natural writer (unlike her older sister). She has stopped crying over the writing assignments so I call it a success ;)
Oh, that's a good idea. Question Luckymama, did your natural writer daughter take this class? Did she or would she have liked it? If not, what did her English track look like? This Dd is a natural writer, and I'm getting inspired by the paths others have outlined on this thread. Thanks.
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I believe that your child needs to cover literature and writing in high school but not necessarily in each class/year. Here is what my daughter did throughout her high school years:
9th:
World Literature from 1700 to 2000 (0.5 credits)
Literature: Fantasy (0.5 credits)
Literature: Greek Plays (0.25 credits)
10th:
College Preparatory Essay Writing (0.5 credits)
Literature: Middle English (0.25 credits)
11th:
WR 121: Comp. - Intro. to Argument (0.5 credits)
WR 122: Comp. - Style and Argument (0.5 credits)
ENG 109: Survey of World Literature (0.5 credits)
12th:
ENG 215: Latino/a Literature (0.5 credits)
ENG 250: Intro. to Folklore & Mythology (0.5 credits)
WR 123: Composition - Research (0.5 credits)
Some of these were done at home, others at a homeschooling resource center and still others at the local community college. As you can see, some of my daughter's years were heavier in Literature, others were heavier in writing (and one year only had 0.75 credits while another year had 1.25 credits). Had my daughter taken one whole year of literature or of writing, it would not have bothered me.
Regards,
Kareni
Thanks for this Kareni. This really helps me see the big picture. This is exactly what I was asking. My daughter would love entire lit semesters with comp/research added on a semester only basis throughout. Would you mind if I ask what your DD is looking to study in college?
DD's possible prospective colleges state "4 English credits" as a minimum requirement and I'm trying to shed my "box checker" mentality and see how we can fill the requirement in a way that suits her interests. As I stated up thread, I just want to make sure I'm not getting "too creative." Your DD's path gives me hope that I may be on the right track.
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Blue Tent is my youngest, science kids. She spends a lot of time on the class. As a parent, I really have no view for what she is doing or how she is doing as there is no parent login provided. I don't think of it is a lot of fiction writing. They did do some poems, then an epic after Beowulf though. I'm not in love with it like I am the PA Homeschoolers AP English class my oldest is taking. However she just took the Compass test at the CC and got a 97/100 on the writing section and said it was because of the Blue Tent class.
I love, love, love Maya Inspektor's AP English through PA Homeschoolers. The class is non-fiction reading and writing based, but it has really expanded ds's thinking and writing. She is terrific and I really like the PA homeschooler interface where the parents get a login so you can see exactly what the assignments are and how your kids are doing. Great experience from all sides.
We are looking at Blue Tent 1 and 2 followed by PA Homeschoolers APs as one track to consider. Is Blue Tent enough prep? I've never seen the Compass test so I'm most sure how that compares to an AP.
Another concern about Blue Tent is the asynchronous format. I'd love to see what natural writers think about it as opposed to science leaning kids. Does the format even matter if the content is engaging and challenging, which I understand BT is?
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I would suggest that you email some potential college admission's officers. (is that the right way to say it and punctuate it?)
I have found them very helpful for out of the box ideas. Not nearly as out of the box as your example, but
Ds's first 3 credits of HS English were:
9th grade - typical English class at home
10th grade - online HS Composition class
11th grade - Composition 1 at CC
The CC does not offer many IRL Lit classes, but they offer many IRL Comp classes. I wasn't sure how favorably colleges would look upon a transcript with 1 year of typical English and 3 years of Composition. I contacted several (private, public, large, small) and asked. Not one of them cared. I had a hard time with it anyway, which is why ds took American Lit online. FWIW, my ds really needed the extra writing instruction.
Good luck!
That's a great idea Sue. We are starting to compile a (long for now) list of colleges that might work for her. It encompasses everything from small LACs to film schools to performing arts schools. I can certainly contact one from each group and start to understand what English content they're looking for. This will be particularly important for dd because she is a self described "storyteller," but she has not decided "how" she will tell her stories: film, screenplays, magazines, novels, blog??? So, depending on how she narrows/changes things over time, uniquely packaging her coursework will become an interesting task. Knowing what each type of school expects will provide a basic template.
Also, I live in envy of the new dancing sun in your sig. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can......
Lost Tools of Writing experiences
in High School and Self-Education Board
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Melissa, our daughters may be together? Mine is in LTOW 1 with Renee Mathis. Wonderful class!!