I think if you post this on the high school board, you'll get a lot of answers. We haven't really tried anything AP, and are probably going to go the CC route since the colleges our son is most interested in will take those credits without extra testing.

I've always been Sharon in MD and live in the Metro DC/Baltimore area. I've been coming to the boards for a pretty long time; I don't think I really want to figure out how long! I'm a pretty frequent poster here....usually just on the high school board and occasionally on the accelerated board. We only have one kiddo, an almost 17 year old son, who heaven help us will get his driver's license soon. I started searching these boards when we were getting serious about what to do for high school and found a community of like minded serious homeschoolers who were striving for excellence. I have been so thankful for the many kind women on the boards who have helped me with thinking through so many curricular and other questions. I try to limit myself to a few peeks a day, because I can really lose too much time over here. (like today:o) I feel like it is important to share our knowledge with each other....love the hive mind analogy. Our son is hoping to go into engineering, so we are starting to look at colleges and I'm trying not to panic! He's also an Irish Dancer and classical pianist and loves drama..... That's probably enough for now.

Yep, we aren't following the WTM model for high school...:o I really tried to go TWTM route, but ds was not in the least bit interested and we decided that we'd fought that battle long enough. That said, we probably would have better reading/critical reading skills if we had. Ds is a science and math guy and doesn't mind spending loads of time in those areas, but the same is just not true for him and history or classical lit. So we decided to go the more traditional, or perhaps common, route for his high school social studies. We did BJUP's World Geography for 9th grade and liked it just fine. It covers the topic very well IMO. Occasionally the missions emphasis would get too heavy and I'd just say skip that part. For 10th grade, frankly we skipped social studies all together and added a computer science course. For 11th he is doing the require American History using Notgrass and the Teaching Co. The History of the United States videos. For 12th we don't know yet if we will do Ancient here at home or World or take a CC class. HTH Sharon

We also use Notgrass for AM history, that is this year, BTW. We like it a lot and goodness knows I've tried just about everything to try to make history palettable for my ds. We are usign it just as a history course because ds is taking an American Lit class through our homeschool oversight academy. We don't use the bible study part either because we need a real 1/2 credit for bible every year and I wanted to do world view with him. We also added in the Teaching Co The HIstory of the United States video lectures. We watch two or three a week during lunch break. They dovetail wornderfully with Notgrass. HTH Sharon

We really liked both of these texts. I think the BJUP would be a good classroom Geography course and Jacobs is great in any setting as far as I'm concerned. :)

9th Grade: Bible 1/2 credit: two New Inductive Study Series Bible studies, one each old and new testament English I 1 Credit: A combination of Jensen's Grammar, Writing Stands 6, Fundamentals of Literature (BJUP) and Vocabularly from the Classical Roots. World Geography1 credit: BJUP Geometry 1 Credit: Harold Jacobs Geometry Seeing Doing Understanding, 3rd Ed. (we did Al I in 8th grade) Biology 1 Credit: Apologia, with labs, through our oversight academy Improvisational Acting 1/2 Credit Through our oversight Intermediate Piano1 Credit with private instructor with competitions and performances, includes theory. Basic Drawing 1/2 Credit through our oversight Basketball1/2 Credit throuh our oversight (included games with other Christian schools on occassion. 10th Grade: Bible 1/2 credit: two New Inductive Study Series Bible studies, one each old and new testament English II 1 Credit: A combination of Jensen's Punctuation, Jensens Format Writing, Elements of Literature (BJUP) Spanish I 1 credit: Rosetta Stone Algebra II 1 Credit: Foerster's Al II and Trigonometry, just the AL II part Chemistry 1 Credit: Apologia, with labs, through our oversight academy Improvisational Acting 1/2 Credit Through our oversight Advanced Piano1 Credit with private instructor with competitions and performances, includes theory. we also do the Nation Guild Auditions yearly. Main Stage Play 1 Credit through our oversight. A major production which locally sells out Basketball1/2 Credit throuh our oversight (included games with other Christian schools on occassion. Computer Science 1/2 credit through JHU CTY an introduction to programing. 11th Grade Bible 1/2 credit: 1st half of Summit's Understanding the Times, it will take us two years for this. English III 1 Credit: American Lit through our oversight American HIstory 1 Credit: A combination of Notgrass and the Teaching Co's The History ofthe United States. We are only doing the history portion of Notgrass since ds takes lit at the oversight. Spanish II1 credit: Rosetta Stone Precalculus and Trigonometry II 1 Credit: Foerster's Precalc Physics 1 Credit: Apologia, with labs, at home with labs coop with three other families. Improvisational Acting 1/2 Credit Through our oversight Advanced Piano1 Credit with private instructor with competitions and performances, includes theory. we also do the Nation Guild Auditions yearly. Main Stage Play 1 Credit through our oversight. A major production which locally sells out Senior High Speech1 Credit throuh our oversight Computer Science 1/2 credit through JHU CTY a more advanced course with algorithms. Watercolor Printmaking 1/2 credit through the oversight. Hope this helps....if you have any questions, please drop a line. Sharon in MD

I also use rubrics for grading writing of any type and provide the rubric to my student(s). For example, I am also working with 3 other boys for a physics lab. I gave them copies of the type of lab write-up I wanted, a detailed complete example of a lab report and a grading rubric that told how any points I would give for various things. I also gave them the opportunity, for the 1st semester only, that I'd give them a pre-grading critique if they were willing to turn in a draft 5 days in advance of the final due date (especially important for two of the boys who had never had to write a lab report before). Now that the 1st semester is over, they will have to do it on their own, but they have ample examples of exactly what I expect from them. It's pretty demanding, but very fair.

Thanks Karen....I finally figured it out about the same time as you posted. I may try to find something better....but this will do for now. I appreciate your helpful reply!

He's not a really great reader and would much rather do just about anything else, but, he does like Twain. For pleasure he was reading the Golden Compass series, but got bogged down with too much other work and hasn't picked it back up lately. Me....who has time to read? I barely keep up with the darned texts books. But when there is time and I don't fall asleep the second I get in bed.....Francis Schaefer's How should we then live?

I do belong to an oversight academy, so grades have always been required for us, but I would do them anyway, even if they were not required. I think it helps my ds to have a sense of pride in his accomplishments and helps him to feel more "normal" as far as school goes. He is motivated by grades and it really helps him to know where he stands too. He gets very upset with himself if he doesn't do well on a test or assignment and then he jumps in and does better. I also think that because I've always graded him, it helped him to be prepared for outside courses that are graded by someone other than me. As for when I do it, I try to keep up with daily stuff, but often fail at it. I catch up on the weekends if I need to. I used to have to file quarterly grade reports, up through the end of 8th grade, but now that he's in high school they only require semester grades. However, we do have to provide a monthly summary of what we've done for accountability with our oversight. All of the deadlines help me tremendously....I'd probably procrastinate way to much with out them. As a matter of fact, I'm avoiding grading labs for four kids right now...;) Well, I'd better get to work. By the way, I don't think you need to grade everything they do, either....just enough to have a good sense of where they stand.

I mostly post on the high school board, but usually check over here daily too. We just have one ds, a junior....can't believe we've only got one year to go. Sometimes that is a relief and sometimes it makes me sad. Our son is slightly accelerated....very bright in math and science, but we are only going about one to two levels above grade. It is hard for me to judge because I only have my experience with him to go by, KWIM? He's done a couple CTY classes through JHU and he is really hoping to win a spot at Drexel's summer high school mentorship for this summer. Oh and he's into classical piano and Irish Step Dancing, check out the promo for the show if you have a chance, it is really cool...make sure you have the sound on. You have to click the button that says click here for promo. http://www.teelin.com/POI.htm Hope the link works, never tried it before...:o

Figured it out! yeah me!

I didn't realize that you could choose what to use....that could really help save scholarship money I think for some folks.

I think it is really helpful to take a dry run at these tests, in a real testing situation if you can. Out ds took it in 10th grade for practice and then this year "for real" He isn't going to get any National Merits out of it, but I think that taking it is helpful prep for the SAT or ACT either way. I think working through a real practice book helps dispel some of the test anxiety and helps to behead monster that may be looming in the kids minds. It also gives you a feel for what you need to do if you are going to take the SAT or ACT....lets you know what you are up against and can give, hopefully, some reassurances too.

I still find that even with knowing we need to work on this area that it is tough to get to. So, listen to yourself and then DO it, what ever IT is. Trust your feminine intuition....that is what it is there for...ya know..

I hope you have " Many Happy Returns!" :D

It is going to take us all, or well most of us anyway, a while to learn how to use the new forums to the best advantage. Gosh darn it....now I have to figure out avatars and signatures.....and who knows what else. Welll.....we are supposed to be life time learners, no? :)

I have always felt our ds wasn't as strong in reading and particularly critical reading as he should be. I should have intervened sooner and started working with him when I became suspicious. But I allowed myself to put it on a back burner because he excelled in other areas. Now we are in catch up mode to be ready to do his best on the college entrance tests. I'd definitely listen to myself a bit more if i could do it again. HTH SHaron