Thanks for the info!

My son (finishing 7th) took it for the Duke TIP. Just got his results and I'm very pleased considering his age and courses covered so far. He's only had Algebra I. I need to find out what a good essay score is. They didn't have the writing section when my older kids took it.

Rainbow science is good for a 2 year program (7th and 8th), but could be completed in one year. I also highly recommend Bob Jones Earth and Space science for 8th grade.

Thanks Ann-Marie! Great info :)

Thanks for all the replies so far! It is helpful to see your grammar opinions in one place.

I knew I'd forget some options. Forgot Jensen's and the obligatory other :)

After looking at samples, AG & Magic Lense are the two that really stand out to me so far.

I used R & S 'back in the day' with my older two, and it was written in old english - similar to King James. Is that still the case?

All decisions are made for my son's 9th grade year except for grammar. I would like to cover one solid year of grammar for high school, and then move on. I've read through many threads about different options, but there doesn't seem to be one outstanding favorite. So if you can recommend a relatively user-friendly curriculum and your student has retained the information, please place a vote for me so I can see if there is a stand-out among all the options. If you have time, I would also like to know why it works for you. If I don't include yours, please feel free to leave it in the comments. Thanks in advance.

We have created wall sized timelines for years, and I love the mental picture they create. However, this year for high school U.S. history, I'd like for ds to compile one on the computer. Specifically, events that happened during each president's term. Can anyone recommend a program or method that has worked for this application? I see Knowledge Quest has one, if anyone has experience there.

Hi Tina, We are pretty much rookies to NCFCA, as this past school year was our first experience. My son prepared for and competed in only one event type (platform speech) so there are probably others here with more information. The time commitment really depends on how many events you prepare for, and how many tournaments you compete in. For us, it was pretty time consuming because ds had to come up with a topic, research it, revise it and memorize it. Then he had to learn basic speaking skills in order to present (which is taught in our club). I do believe this year will be easier for speech because he has a little experience in that area. This year he also wants to participate in debate and apologetics, which both require huge amounts of time. That being said, it is the most valuable thing we have participated in - ever. I noticed most of the guys lagged behind in research and preparation. It just seems to be common for this age, especially with the males. However, the competitions really push them to get with it and accomplish what they are supposed to. It's like they thrive on the deadlines - hahah. We will start working on this year's events as soon as he returns from summer camp, and are looking forward to a great year with NCFCA!

Good to know! I'm going to look at those for future years.

Sure here ya go - links to demos: http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/saxonteacher_demo.htm

I know this isn't one of the options you gave, but we used the Saxon produced videos and were very pleased.

Yep, by Sam Burchers http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-Cartoons-SAT-Word-Power/dp/0965242234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307489036&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-Cartoons-II-Word-Power/dp/0965242242/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

Thanks for the Barrons source too - good to know~

Saturday my 13 yo ds took his SAT for the Duke TIP program. Afterward, when asking him about the test, vocabulary came up. I was curious which curriculum (if any) he felt was the most helpful. In the past, we've used Vocabulary from Classical Roots but recently started Vocabulary Cartoons for a change. He had only completed about 1/2 of the book when he sat for the test. He recognized about 20-30 of the words on the test from that book. Just want to share in case anyone wants to check it out - I think we'll definitely continue with that series.

I can empathize with your son's dilemma. My older son was very much like that. Keep praying - God will provide every need. Although our son had other friends, he finally found a friend (also home schooled) who he could banter intellectually with. Then he started dual credit classes which led to the discussion and advanced learning he so craved. Little by little, he found his niche in every area of his life - even at church :) He went from a different, awkward, nerd to a shining star who was (and is) truly a leader. You may try the two major affiliations for christian speech and debate http://www.ncfca.org/ and http://www.stoausa.org/tournaments We are affiliated with both. If you can't find a local club to practice with, you can either take an online class (the Potter's School offers some), or start your own. Last year was our first with speech, and we loved it! This year, I'm enrolled in some parent training to be able to help with debate. You can also enter tournaments as an individual if you don't belong to a club. I'd love to pick your brain on what logic curriculum he enjoys. I've read through many threads here and there is so much to choose from. Another thread perhaps?

Just following up on this thread. After thinking through which books I wanted to be sure my son read during high school, I noticed many of them are in other Sonlight cores that we cover in future years. This definitely reassured me about using core 100. I will still probably sub some of the "girl books" for a few biographies, but for the most part I decided to use it as written. Thanks for everyone's input:) It feels really good to have this decision behind me!

Hi there :) I'm pretty new here and will be joining you all in August with a high schooler. My ds would be an older 8th grader, but we decided to bump him to 9th since he had already taken some high school level classes. We'll be using Sonlight Core 100 (with a little beefing up), Algebra II, earth & space science, high school spanish II, and competing in speech & debate competitions. Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Another GREAT resource - thanks!

Truthquest is really more of a timeline of sorts. It does have explanations (or an overview) about a certain time period, sometimes lengthy sometimes brief. For me, it has been more of a resource of books, movies, and a worldview guide for history. I love how it includes information about all aspects of a given time period; well known historical figures, art, music, philosophy etc. It does not have weekly or even monthly schedules. You can either create your own from the list, or follow a set curriculum or "history spine" using Truthquest as a wealth of information to supplement. I hope that helps some. Feel free to ask more specific questions.

My son just completed a co-op type class for Shakespeare. The boys were middle school aged as well. They really enjoyed the class. They would read at home then meet once a week to discuss, read scenes out loud, and were assigned various projects throughout the year. At the end of each book, they watched the movie. They did 3 plays in a year.

Melissa - thanks for that reassurance! I have read through so old many threads the past few days that my eyes are spinning :blink:

Have you already started planning the weeks, or just in the overview stages? I was wondering if that would work too. So many good curriculums . . so little time! :)