re: Tarbuck Earth Science Also, on PAGE 5 of the big pinned thread "High School Motherlode #2" are some past threads on Geology/Earth Science -- I'm linking them here, as the last one might of help in finding resources for doing labs with your Earth Science, if you can't find the lab manual so kindly mentioned by the above poster: HIGH SCHOOL SUBJECTS/COURSES Science Geology / Earth ScienceSuggestions for Earth Science text and curriculum materials? Can you recommend an Earth Science curriculum (not rigorous, for not a huge science fan) Anyone know of an online rigorous Earth Science course Earth Science for 9th grader Earth Science? Mr Q's Advanced Earth Science or Oak Meadow - opinions? How do I add labs to Earth Science?

If wanting web resources: Wikipedia: "20th Century in Science" (Astronomy & Spaceflight, Biology & Medicine, Chemistry, Earth Science, Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Social Sciences) Timeline of Mathematics Timeline of Science and Technology in the 20th Century

The Timetables of History (Grun) is lists major people & events in 7 areas: - History/ Politics - Literature/Theater - Religion/Philosophy/Learning - Visual Arts - Music - Science/Technology/Growth - Daily Life For the ancients, it lists century-by-century. Starting with the year 500A.D., it lists year-by-year.

One thing to consider is that Twitter (and other Social Media platforms) is largely about instant, very short sound bites and "hot takes", and appeals to sensationalism and emotions to drive consumer "likes." Twitter tends to move rapidly from headline to headline and instant reactions (which in turn cause Twitter consumers to react rather than dig deeper, analyze, and investigate multiple angles of the story). Just something to be aware of. As a side note... charts like: All Media Bias, AdFontesMedia, may be helpful in figuring out how to balance the views and focus of news providers.

Neither had I. 😉 And I had not really grasped Geometry very well way back in high school, as I didn't have a super teacher. BUT... I felt like that 2nd ed. of Jacobs laid everything out clearly, and I just went over the teaching material for each lesson/each day, and it wasn't hard or time consuming at all to learn alongside my student. The biggest lightbulb clicking on for me about grading proofs is to realize that there can be more than one way to see how to set up the proof, so your student's proofs may not always exactly match the proof in the answer key. As long as there is no "gap" or big leap in logic, it is okay to come up with a different set of steps for the proof. The main thing is that each new step must build on the previous step -- no missing steps or making assumptions, each step must follow logically from the previous step. That's where reading along really helped me for grading.

Another Jacobs 2nd edition fan here. The layout and the progression of topics is much clearer than the dramatically reorganized 3rd edition. While there is no DVD for the 2nd ed. (and there is one for the 3rd ed.), the 2nd edition was easy enough for me to teach as needed, and to grade the proofs. 😉

Note: An AP test is "all or nothing" in that, if you feel poorly on the day of the test, or just aren't thinking well that day -- that's the entirety of your AP experience riding on that one day / one test. In comparison, a DE class accumulates over the course of a semester, and depending on what university you end up at, can also transfer directly as credit towards the degree program, if taking the transferable equivalent course. Just a thought. Of the AP tests you are interested in: Calculus and English Language are time-intensive Physics 1 may be time-intensive Psychology is unlikely to be time-intensive

"Self Studying AP Art History" -- 2017 WTM thread According to a Dec. 2022 question about how hard the test is at the Exam Study Expert website: "AP Art History is considered moderate difficulty, with class alumnae rating it 5.3/10 for overall difficulty (the 14th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed). The pass rate is about average vs other AP classes, with 61% graduating with a 3 or higher."

From seeing the experiences of others on these boards: Generally LESS time intensive: - AP Environmental Science - AP Human Geography - AP Psychology Generally MORE time intensive: - AP Literature & Composition, and, Language & Composition - AP Calculus AB and BC - AP Phsyics C Electricity & Magnetism, and, Mechanics Generally MIDDLE OF THE ROAD for time investment in AP: - AP Economics Micro, and, Macro - AP History, European, and, Modern World, and US - AP Language & Culture -- if the student is doing well in studying that language

Agreeing with Jean. This is NOT something I see personally in the homeschooling community in my area. I have been active in the homeschooling community in my area for almost 25 years. I can think of only one family in my homeschool group that might somewhat fall in that category. The homeschool support group provided what help it could off-and-on for years. Eventually the mother died from health issues. I don't know what the dad and 2 teens did after that -- I would assume the dad had to put them into high school. From my personal experience of one family, and only ever reading about a few cases, it seems like when this occasionally happens to a family who is homeschooling (and that is assuming legit attempts to educate -- not just cases of neglect and keeping kids at home and SAYING they are "homeschooling") it is more based out of poverty, mental health, or lack of education that a downward spiral happens. I volunteer each summer at a foster kids camp, and, honestly, what you are describing seems FAR more widespread in the general population of those using the public school system, with kids and families falling through the cracks in increasing numbers. JMO.

Also consider if your student is involved in a more academic-based extracurricular, where the advisor would know them well. I wrote several letters of recommendation for students in our local YMCA's Youth & Gov't delegation. The program has a gov't and public speaking-based academic element to it, as well as the terrific skills of responsibility, leadership, networking, teamwork, etc. Deadlines must be met, bills must be written in a specific format. Speeches are written and given orally...

Just me, so take it with a grain of salt, BUT, I would prioritize getting a letter of recommendation from someone who knows your student well. Since that doesn't sound like that is someone in the academic area, then yes, I'd go with the youth leader or work manager. And, I would probably submit more than 1 letter of recommendation -- so one from EACH of the youth leader and work manager, and then possibly their grandfather as an academic teacher who knows the work ethic and ability. And, in the counselor letter I would very BRIEFLY explain that the outside coursework did not include personal interactions so that a letter of recommendation from an outside instructor was not possible, but then go on to stress high grades, high GPA, high test scores, and special projects/work etc. that shows academic skill and ability. Just how I would tackle it. 😄 Good luck!

Just a last thought here, which I'm sure you already know, so sorry if this is a repeat... Writing is not just about writing essays or research papers with citations -- it is about clear communication in many arenas of life, and also about thinking and logic and reasoned argument. 😉 I know it's hard to be patient, but because writing comes out of thinking, it takes time for student brains to develop the logic, analytical thinking, and abstract thinking portions of the brain in order to be successful with writing. What about getting involved with a Speech & Debate club, or YMCA's Youth & Government program? That would help them develop those thinking skills that also are applied to writing. I know several moms who have had struggling writers who went this route, and not only did their students have fun doing the arguing that goes into debate, it really helped them hone their thinking skills to make writing easier. Ug. So sorry it's been so rough. Hopefully outsourcing will provide a positive break for all of you.

Ideas in red above inserted into quotation of your post. 😄

Just to encourage you -- I teach Lit. & Writing at my homeschool co-op class, and I see high schoolers with a WIDE range of ability in writing, because they each develop the abstract thinking and analysis parts of the brain needed for essay-writing at different times. I'd second the idea of outsourcing. Many people on these boards recommend Lantern English's series of classes in the Essay Basic series. Each course in the series is 8 weeks long/$65. I find that MANY parents tell me "she/he will write for you (as the co-op teacher), but not for me." Some students take it too personally when mom critiques/comments on their writing, but are okay with an outside person's feedback. And others just work harder for outside accountability. And outsourcing would relieve you of the burden of trying to figure out how to score or provide feedback. If outsourcing is not an option, Sharon Watson's Power in Your Hands (gr. 9-12), or, Jump In (gr. 6-9) (from a Christian perspective) teaches in very incremental, concrete steps. Her programs are gentle, informal tone, written to the student. Jump In guides a student in what to say and how to organize their thoughts, and goes from a single solid paragraph into multi-paragraph (3-5 paragraph) essays in Descriptive, Narrative, Expository, and Persuasive writing. Power in Your Hands covers a number of types of high school writing assignments, such as process ("how to") paper, news article, essays (persuasive, narrative, descriptive), comparison essay, literary analysis essay, and the research paper. For understanding how to write a literary analysis essay, the chapter on that concept in Leisha Myers' Windows to the World is the clearest, most concrete steps explanation I've seen. I've developed my own material for my classes; it is sort of along the lines of @Garga's post, just using different terminology. Also similarly, I found that what worked with my own DSs was to nail the structure of a single solid paragraph, by practicing it a lot, and doing both expository (factual) and persuasive (opinion/argumentative/analysis) essays that are short (i.e., 1 paragraph), but have ALL the parts. So it is not intimidating, and they learned what they need for having both a complete thesis... A complete thesis statement has 3 parts: 1. thesis topic = the overall subject area of the piece of writing 2. thesis claim = your opinion, contention, "big idea" ABOUT that topic 3. thesis direction = broad overview of the points of the argument of support for the thesis claim that you will flesh out in the body of the piece of writing ...and what the body of an essay needs to flesh out that argument of support: - points (to develop the argument of support for the thesis claim) - examples to show/flesh out/support each point - commentary sentence for each example, explaining how/why the example shows/proves/supports that point - concluding commentary at end of each body paragraph for the point covered in that paragraph, that explains how/why the point shows/proves/supports the thesis claim If it is of help, for more ideas about teaching writing, and what I found helpful with my own DSs (and in teaching writing to other students at my homeschool co-op), check out my post in this past thread: "Can we discuss apathetic writers and college prep?"

So... Once you have settled on your lit. list, we'd all love to see what you're doing for the year! 😄

It is MANY years since we used it. No shapes that I recall, but each part of speech has a different colored "clue" cards that has several bullet point "clues" to assist in identifying words. See example of the "clue" cards here.

No, I've never found any guides for short stories. Sometimes I find that I can come up with something if I do an online search for "guide for (name of short story)". I also look for background information on the author/times, plus articles at Wikipedia, Sparknote, etc. about reoccurring themes and ideas in that author's works that could be discussed in context of the short story. I also include info on how short stories differ from novels -- things like: - so short that every sentence, every word counts - so short that there is no room for deep character development, and usually only 1-2 characters get much of any "fleshing out" - so short that it can usually only develop one major theme or "big idea" - title, first sentence/first paragraph, and last sentence/last paragraph are often extra important in pointing you toward what the author wants to share as the most important idea Short stories can also be a way to focus closely on just 1-2 literary elements.

Not quite the same, as I only have 2 DSs close in age, so I never had to juggle a wide age range. BUT... we sort of experienced this in context of our small homeschool support group (about 6-7 families), with about 15 kids with a range of ages, from late elementary down through pre-school. The group activities were great while DSs were in the early elementary grades, but once my boys hit 5th/6th grade (11-12yo) and they were the oldest in the group, they really were bored and needed to move on. Since your DS is the oldest, he will be your guinea pig in figuring out what this looks like for YOUR family. 😉 Maybe still all start the day together with a short family devotions time, but then he peels off for his own work for the rest of the day? Maybe shoot for covering the same history period, each child at their own level, and come together once a week for hands-on, or family read-aloud around that history time period? Or, find a group of similar-age peers for DS, such as a middle-school aged homeschool group (either social or co-op class) for your DS, so he can still have group interactions and discussions at his higher level of thinking/working? Or could you host (or rotate hosting with several other homeschool families) of a half-dozen middle school homeschoolers once a week for a book club, or do science hands-on together, or other group activity?

I was going to suggest Suchocki, but I see you've already thought about that one... No personal familiarity with either of these, so you'll have to skim through and decide if any of these works: Libre Texts: CHEM100: Fundamentals of Chemistry -- free online text CK12: Chemistry for High School -- free online text Crash Course Chemistry -- free online videos

I personally would consider several of Edward Eager's magic books to be 20th century classic children's literature (most were published in the 1950s -- so now 60-70+ years old and we can see they have stood the test of time). Well-written, great vocabulary, allusions to other works of literature, and light/effortless humor -- which is a hallmark sign of a GOOD writer, IMO. Humor that is natural, light, and effortless is some of the most difficult type of writing to do, IMO. So, you might start with Half Magic as a great stepping stone that then eases you into E. Nesbit's Five Children and It (which I also linked in my above 1st post). As a side note -- there are a NUMBER of high quality American children's book authors who were writing in the 1950s-1960s. All were college-educated in the 1920s-1930s, when classic literature was a rich part of the college curriculum in both England and the US. Which in turn, shows up in the quality of their writing. Edward Eager attended Harvard in the early 1930s, so he had a tremendous classics-influenced education, and it definitely shows up in very positive ways in several of his children's books.

Our DSs loved these too. I linked online versions of these in my post above. And if your DS enjoys those, Half Magic references Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (another big favorite here) -- which was written in the late 1800s, so older Victorian language/sentence structure. That specific book of Nesbit's was Edward Eager's inspiration for writing his own magic book series. (Apparently to entertain his son who was recovering from a long illness.)

The only advantage I can think of is how you can title the course on the transcript. If you get your syllabi approved, you can list the class on the transcript as: AP United States History AP Art History AP Chemistry ... etc. You may NOT use "AP" in the course title if you do NOT have College Board's approval of your syllabus. So the closest you can come is something like: U.S. History (with AP test) Art History (with AP test) Chemistry (with AP test) Further facts to consider: - if NOT taking the AP test, but wanting to show the AP rigor on the transcript, then it might be worth the hoop-jumping to get the syllabus approved so you can list your course with the approved AP course title - If NOT caring about having "AP" as part of your course title, you can include AP test scores on the transcript, in the notes/explanation section, so "AP" can still appear on the transcript -- just not in the course title (but in the form of a list of tests & scores)

@Brittany1116 -- I'll throw in the idea of using the Discovering Literature Challenger Level guide to go with it. They don't put out many guides, but their challenger level guides are meaty!

I should have prefaced that comment about "who cares what they say" -- I really did mean that kindly, and not dismissively. I can't discern if you are Christian or not -- if not, then please disregard, but please know that I mean this with great kindness and with a desire to encourage: The Lord knows your needs, and he knows his plans for you, and for each of your children. Is it good for you to look ahead/plan ahead? Yes. But not good to fret, which is often what happens when we are trying to plan too far ahead, and not focusing on what the Lord may have for us to do or learn today. Many of your posts (in more than just this thread) have had an almost anxious edge to them. I am so sorry that things are tight for your family financially. That is a hard place to be. And, as you mentioned in your initial post of this thread, you have had a lot of negative college examples around you. That is too bad. Perhaps this would be a good point to take a deep breath, and step away from the post-high school research for a bit, and focus on planning a wonderful, engaging, challenging, exciting 9th grade. And model for your children, especially your tender-hearted / takes things to heart DS, how to let go of *worry* about the future (which takes so much energy), and instead, expend that energy positively on an amazing 9th grade year. Make memories together. Take the lesser-traveled paths. Look for fun extracurriculars. Read aloud together. Talk about everything. Build a solid foundation of relationship that will not break when it comes time in a few years to THEN discuss post-high school options.