I have some limited experience with OM high school courses. The teacher's manual I saw several years ago had the answers to the short answer, short essay questions as well as some info for evaluating the projects that are assigned each week. The questions OM used in the course I was looking at were not those at the end of the chapter but often questions that were in the margins of the teacher's manual. I had the wraparound teacher's book but only because I found the student and teacher books as a very cheap package at a used bookstore. If I were to use a course now, I would get the OM teacher's manual and not the teacher's edition of the text. Good luck, Ruth in NC

Thanks for that info. Ruth

Thanks, Lanny. I will check it out. Ruth ADDED later - I was looking at some notes I had made about this a few months ago and, in fact, had noted that Texas Tech seemed to have a lot of faculty oversight. Time to re-examine. Thanks.

I'm looking for any info on UT Austin's high school classes, specifically English. My last kid does much better work for someone else so I am outsourcing as much as possible next year. Add to that my having to be away for 4-5 days every other week to help my elderly mom. I haven't found anything for English that satisfied me until I saw their syllabus. I like the reading choices and it appears the work is graded by an instructor. In researching this, I have been surprised at how often even work in English courses is computer graded. So anyone have any info on these classes? Thanks. Ruth in NC

I have purchased Ampad project organizer notebooks from Walmart. They are college ruled. There is a blank margin running down the left. We have drawn a line across the bottom for the summation section. I have also seen these at Staples. As they are, without the summation at the bottom, they make great chapbooks. I keep several going with quotations, etc. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ampad-Writing-Pad/20369714 Ruth in NC

My youngest did OM civics a couple of years ago. On Monday, he skimmed the assignments for the week, choosing which ones he would do, because there are always choices. Then he planned the week for himself. Not being particularly organized and prone to being overly optimistic about the time assignments would take meant that he was often overloaded on Friday, at least at first. He got better over the year. Ruth in NC

Thanks everyone. I guess my first decision is whether the course is to be a kitchen chemistry course or a cooking course. He will be doing Chemistry this year and it would be easy to add an additional lab component that is food/cooking based. But that doesn't lend itself to adding in Alton Brown, or at least not easily. A fun course, watch Alton, cook, rinse and repeat is an option as well, but I can't seem to organize it. Maybe I need to let the organization go and let it be more free-flowing. Again, thanks. Ruth

I have searched the board and found several references to using cooking lessons from Alton Brown for an elective. I wondered if anyone could tell me how she organized lessons from Good Eats or one of Alton's other books or shows. I am trying to do this and just can't seem to get started. Thanks for any help. Ruth in NC

There is a woman on the yahoo group, Secular HS, who does 6 novels a year. I know she has had students from the UK so she must do it at some reasonable time for them. If you are interested in a secular program, you could join that list or pm me and I will try to get her email address for you or send her yours. Ruth in NC

I think you will enjoy Derek Owens. My son, not a sciency type, did Alg 1 and Phys Sci with him this year. He was very helpful, timely in his response to questions and just nice to deal with. Good luck. Ruth in NC

I suspect I received the same email you did about the FCDS no longer offering classes. And had a similar reaction and signed my son up for geometry from Jann in Tx. I don't know where you live in NC but these classes sound good and are secular. A few years ago, before they offered full courses, my daughter took a one day seminar in biology there and really learned a lot. http://ccee.unc.edu/youth/classes/ Our homeschool group has a weekly science lesson in Kernersville. The teacher might be interested in organizing something more specifically for high school biology. I am pretty sure she posts on this board and may see your question. If you would like her contact info, pm me. My dream is to set up a local secular co-op someday. But I haven't done it yet. Ruth in NC

This is the syllabus and perhaps can answer some of your questions http://www.derekowens.com/1011/SyllabusGeometryDL.pdf In my son's algebra there are often several short videos per lesson. That way he can easily review the parts he needs to watch again. Ruth in NC

I have used it this year with my 9th grader and have been quite happy with it. I would be more critical than his instructor is but perhaps that is why we needed to try something different for this year. He has responded very well to her instruction and does his writing without complaint and without my direct involvement. I can detect improvement in other things he writes for me so I rate it a success for us. And the "without complaint" has made a MAJOR change for the good in our overall school attitude. We are also doing Windows to the World for literature. When it was time to do the first literary essay I heard no complaints. He just did it and he did it well. I think the previous 4 months of Write-at-Home had more than a little to do with that. It gave him some confidence. Ruth in NC

I second Sue in St. Pete. She describes almost exactly what I have planned for my 9th grader. He takes the test on April 14th. NC law requires him to be tested yearly so he is familiar with the Iowa but this will be different than taking the Iowa at the kitchen table. We are doing no prep this year but we will do next year. And add writing. Ruth in NC

I have had similar issues with my son over the last 2 years, after his 2 sibs had graduated and we were the only ones at home. I outsourced the classes I could, math and writing, especially. He does not enjoy history or literature but loves movies. So that is the main way we do those. Once a week another mom and her daughter come over and we eat lunch together and watch a movie for history. Over the 2 years he has begun to enjoy those subjects more and will read short books on a history topic or well chosen literature. I have gently introduced more literature discussion by taking a very low key tone. "Why do you think about how Scout ....?" And he has matured. That has made a big difference in his attitude and his willingness to do work. Good luck, Ruth in NC

Our teens applied to colleges while they were seniors in high school. They each went into a structured program that was out of the country for 9 months and they were advised that they would find it difficult to find the time and opportunity to fill out applications during their time overseas. My son had a few friends who waited and did have difficulty but were successful. My son had to apply to his future college for permission to take a gap year, explaining the educational benefit of his program. My daughter only had to notify her college of when she would be starting. So, I think it depends. If he/she has a college preference, then certainly ask the college. And consider whether your child will have the time and opportunity to apply during the gap year. Ruth in NC

We simply labeled them History of the Ancient and Medieval World and History of the Modern World. I labeled the corresponding literature courses similarly. Then I described the breadth of each course in the Course Descriptions. Good luck. Ruth in NC

I make a noodle kugel that is a hit whenever I take it to the synagogue for luncheons. There are NEVER leftovers. This recipe is only an outline; fell free to modify. 8 oz sour cream 8 oz small curd cottage cheese stick of butter or margarine 1 cup sugar but I usually add a up to a 1/4 cup more (and then complain to myself because it's too sweet but everyone else loves it) 2 or 3 eggs 16 oz wide egg noodles 1 teaspoon vanilla, really just a good squirt 1 teaspoon cinnamon, never actually measured handful of raisins, optional, and I prefer the yellow but it's a preference only wheat germ Cook the noodles al dente and drain. While the noodles are cooking, put the butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish and melt it in an oven that is preheating to 350 degrees. Also mix everything else, except the raisins, together in another bowl. Sometimes I use a hand blender on the cottage cheese to get rid of the curds (some people here don't like cottage cheese and don't want to be reminded that they are eating it) but you only need to mix it all together; beating is not required. After draining the noodles, put them back in the pan and pour the butter over them and stir gently, buttering the noodles. Stir in the sugar/dairy mix and throw in some raisins, if you want them. Pour it all in your 9 x 13 dish. Lightly sprinkle wheat germ over the top. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. I consider it done when I pull a noodle out of the middle and there is a little tug required because all the liquid has congealed. I also jiggle the pan a little to make sure everything has solidified. If you use the recipe, let me know how it turns out. I have never written it out before and I think I'll save this to share when people ask me for the recipe. Enjoy. Ruth in NC

The Guardian reported that a third season will be produced in 2012. Ruth in NC

This is from our American History list. Not as much David McCullough as I thought. Have fun. Ruth in NC Readings • The Declaration of Independence • Constitution of the United States • The Federalist Papers • The Meaning of the Constitution by Angel R. Holder • Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis • American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis • Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People by Albert Marrin • Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin • The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by David McCullough • The Land Where the Blues Began by Alan Lomax • The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two by Studs Terkel • Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H. W. Brands • The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, Alex Haley and Paul Gilroy • America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger by Albert Marrin

Literature was one of my son's favorite subjects and he made a near perfect score on the Lit SAT subject test. He reviewed with the book Cracking the SAT Literature Subject Test. Good luck. Ruth in NC

Our oldest, now a junior at UNC, did history that way. I am cutting and pasting from a blog post of mine from 3 years ago that list some of the things he read for world history. Somewhere there is a list of books he read for American, heavy on biographies and David McCullough. I think it is a lovely way to go for someone who enjoys reading history. He also listened to some Teaching Company courses and read literature to match the appropriate time periods. History Readings Selections from Herodotus, Livy and Tacitus Byzantium: The Early Centuries by John Julius Norwich Life in a Medieval Village by Frances and Joseph Gies A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age by William Manchester Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Age King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild A History of Russia by Nicholas V. Riasanovsky Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel by Albert Marrin Mao Tse-Tung and his China by Albert Marrin Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler The Last Valley: Dien Bien Phu and the French Defeat in Vietnam by Martin Windrow The Battle for the Falklands by Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond Good luck. Ruth in NC

Thanks for the info. We are big Sherlock fans here. And Benedict Cumberbatch fans, too. Do you know if a second series of Sherlock is coming? Thanks. Ruth in NC

My last son sounds similar to yours and this is what I plan to do. He wants to study Modern World and American History. So I am using Level 2 History Odyssey Modern as an outline. Basically he will be researching some of the topics from each HO lesson and producing some small bit of writing. Each week we will watch an appropriate movie and he will do some of the reading in the texts and encyclopedia that HO uses. He will do some of the writing but not nearly all. He is doing another lit course so he will read only a few of the novels in the HO schedule. I would have considered Trisms but their Modern History is 2 volumes and I didn't think we could easily condense it. HE has little interest in history but he loves movies and there are many from which to choose for this time period. Good luck, Ruth in NC

My then 8th grader and I did a few of the movies last spring. We watched the movie together. Then over the next few days he looked over the questions and prepared answers for us to discuss. Often he needed to review portions of the movie to do this. After our discussion, he usually completed one of the essay assignments. Ruth in NC