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Hello, I am looking for a science curriculum for my rising 5th grader to follow next year. The catch is that I may be getting a new job, and I need to focus a lot of my teaching time with him on grammar, spelling, composition, and math. (Oh yea, and my other two high schoolers!). So I am trying to find something that I can sort of "assign and check". I was considering the Science Mom. Can anyone give me a review of this curriculum? Thanks!

About the closest thing I have found is Quark Chronicles. All of my kids really enjoyed these books, and I found they were much better than anything else I have personally read. The problem is they only cover topics in Biology. (They have been saying they will publish the other books for >7 years now.) Most of the other resources listed in this thread are FANTASTIC books IMHO---(especially the Hakim books!!!)---but they don't really cover science. They are more history books focused on science----or telling the story of science. I think they are excellent books to read, but they really aren't a science curriculum. Quark is not perfect though. Unlike SOTW, the chapters are really long. (Especially for a read aloud.). So you most likely will have to divide them. And to really make the curriculum shine, I suggest that you also add in a lot of living science books from the library. (Similar to how SOTW suggests for history.) I used the Quark chapter as my "springboard" to other topics. Then I would supplement with other library books on the topic. AND, in order to actually plan this out, I had to purchase the guides that go with them which I didn't even use as intended. I found it really difficult to plan out my curriculum based on the TOC of the Quark books alone. The vocabulary in the guides helped me to actually see what topic were being taught without having to pre-read all of the books.

My kids are taking a STEM heavy class load. Personally, I require *at least* 4 years (8 semesters) of English in high school. I have them take Comp I and Comp II at the college level and 1-2 literature classes at the college level. I do this so they can knock out some of the GE classes required by their future degree*** -AND- also meet my personal self-established homeschool English graduation requirement. Where did I get my personal self-established English graduation requirement? 🙂 First, being able to write and speak well is what can separate you from the pack when you are working in a STEM field. Gone are the days where you can just be knowledgeable and expect a job. People who can communicate and speak well have a lot more opportunities. The market is a lot more competitive. Secondly, most decent colleges require at least 4 years (8 semesters) of English. Not meeting this requirement can shut some doors unnecessarily. (Ex. Purdue's minimum requirements = 8 semesters of English in HS, CalTech requires 3 to 4 years of English....4 will obviously look better, most state schools require... 4 years of English) So yeah, all of my kids must take 4 years of English. I will also say this: I am a previous engineer, and the amount of work required for most engineering degrees is quite heavy. Taking some of the GE classes ahead of time won't necessarily allow you to graduate early (because of the prerequisites for STEM/engineering classes typically follow a straight path and you cannot double up or take them ahead of time), but it does make it so that you are able to get some sleep at night. Most STEM classes require AT LEAST college composition I to graduate---so the student is going to have to take it at some point anyways. And most require several GE classes in various themes which can be met with certain literature classes. And most require certain social science classes that require a lot of writing. (Ex. Psychology, or History). I like to "eat the frog" as the saying goes and knock these out early in high school.

Hi Everyone! My daughter has been taking French with Mrs. Barstow from AIM academy for the past two years. (French I and French II). The classes have been great and my daughter is doing well despite having dyslexia and a few other language learning challenges. The problem is that my daughter would like to pursue some dual enrollment classes at our local community college next year----And these college classes are at the same time as the French III class next year. So I need to find another option for French III. Our goal with learning French is to fulfill a basic college preparatory education in high school. My daughter really just wants to "check the box" and move on to more math and science classes. She does not love French, but she tolerates it. (She likes it better than Latin, which is what she was learning in middle school.). After this third year, I don't think she will wish to continue studying French. She says she prefers to have more time on math and science. I have two questions: 1) Will it look "bad" if I have two years of outsourced French through AIM academy and then I suddenly switch to teaching the class at home myself? I can't really count on outside tests scores to validate my grades (ex. Le Grand Concours/National French Contest or French CLEP), because she doesn't test well in languages. 2) If I do teach French, can anyone recommend a text book or program that I might use for a French III credit? Her previous teacher would have used the second half of Bon Voyage French 2 for her French III class, but I don't think this book would work well for me teaching the class. Her teacher does a wonderful job because she is fluent in French, but looking at the book, I would need more support in order to teach the class than this book provides. The difficult thing about me switching classes is that there isn't really any type of "standard" about what a French III class would cover. It is all over the place. So I don't want to start at the beginning of a French program and have her become bored...but I can't skip to the third book because she might have some gaps. Ideas I have had: Option 1: Join our local French Alliance chapter. They provide in person classes once per week for two hours, and they have opportunities to meet for cultural events, movies, book clubs, and conversation practice. My daughter is not really into this and doesn't like the idea of meeting with strangers to speak French, but she would do it if I asked her to. 😉 (I would do it with her too.). Option 2: Ulat. I guess we would start at the beginning and just see how far we could get in a year. Option 3: Mommy-Made Hodge-Podge French class. I could find some easy-to-read French short stories (example) and have her read and listen to them and then try to narrate back to me what she understood. And eventually see what we could work towards. She could also do some French movie/tv watching or news or Easy French (YouTube), etc. She could do copywork or a French workbook for writing practice, etc. (Basically total up hours to justify credit) ------- Do I speak French? I speak some. I have four years of high school French and was French club president all through high school because I was SO into French growing up. (lol!) I have also tried to stay active with learning French as an adult by reading and listening to things---but I am NOT fluent and still make lots of mistakes. So I need some support.

Yes, even with all of his college credit, it will STILL probably take him 4 years to graduate from the engineering program he is interested in. That is just how it is setup based on course pre-requisites. However, instead of juggling 15-16 credits per semester, he will have a lighter load. (That is the goal, anyways!) So I am hoping this gives him time to work (hopefully get an internship!) without being too stressed. (I am a BIG proponent of young adults have plenty of free time so they can exercise, work, read, get outside, etc.).

I totally agree with you! I had a similar experience when I first studied Shakespeare in high school. At first, I could barely understand it, and I hated it. One day, something in brain clicked, and I started to understand what I was reading---and I decided that I LOVED Shakespeare. People who know my son in real life would know.....When it comes to literature, the kids horizons have been exposed...and then some! I guess his transcript doesn't currently reflect this though. We are a bookish family. This particular kid has problems sleeping----mostly because he stays up all night reading against his mother's wishes! 😉 When awake, he often has his nose buried in a book. Unlike me, he is one of those rare people who remembers EVERYTHING (in detail) that he has ever read too. (From any history book, literature book, etc. etc.) When high school first started, I had him compile a reading list of everything he reads. But it soon became laughable because he was reading over 100 HUGE novels per year on his own! Often finishing a 4" book in a single day. (And this was not counting any of his assigned literature for school.). And, also unlike me, he will read and re-read and re-read books that he likes. He mostly enjoys fantasy when he chooses his own books. However, he has studied MOST of the Shakespeare plays in depth. (I used to run a local Shakespeare appreciation club for homeschoolers when he was in middle school. See what I mean about high school experiences). He has also done the Memoria Press literature guides/reading lists since he was a wee pup---and those include some really great, high-quality books read slowly and deeply and poetry studies too. He did Cindy Lange's classes (Integritas Academy) in 8th, 9th, and 10th (he loves her!) which include a ton of great literature. Etc. etc. Basically what I am saying is that he is a book worm and has so much literature under his belt it isn't even funny. According to him, the literature classes at the community college are a piece of cake...so I can have him take another one if that will look better. I am trying to give him some say in his class choices, and when given the choice, he would much rather write and read about mythology. He studied Latin since he was a wee lad too, so I think that is one of the reasons he loves mythology and Roman culture in general. Some of my unschooling friends who know him in real life, often tell me to just compile a list of things he does in his free time into a credit. But I just don't feel comfortable doing that. Plus, I want to show that he has progressed each year of homeschooling too.

I know! It is so weird trying to categorize subjects and learning. 🙂

This is my oldest child, so I have never done this before. How exactly does one let extracurricular activities shine? Is this in the common app somewhere?

Yes, the ENGL 1100 will transfer. However, the Engineering degree he is currently interested in pursuing at the university only requires one composition class (ENGL 1100)--so any additional composition classes he takes the community college would transfer---but not count towards his degree. His future-intended-degree does require a 3 college credit hours of literature. (I have verified that this class will both transfer and count towards the degree at his first choice university.). He was planning on taking a DE Classical Mythology class to fulfill that since he likes that subject. Could I count that as an English credit? Community College Course Description: That would put his English credits at: Honors English 9 Honors English 10 ENGL 1100 Composition I CLASS 1222 Classical Mythology <--fulfills 3hr literature requirement for engineering degree -- The only reason *this* is giving me pause is that he took two "classical studies" courses using Memoria Press curriculum in 9th and 10th grade. I put these under the "social sciences" section of his transcript. I called them Ancient Greek History and Literature and Ancient Roman History and Literature. Does it look weird to have MORE mythology classes and suddenly list them under English? (The kid is also really, really interested in Ancient Greek and Rome...so that is why he chose this literature class.).

My daughter is taking Rhetoric with TWTM academy, and the class has been wonderful. She absolutely LOVES her teacher---and she has really blossomed with her writing. I don't feel that the class is overly rigorous. Just right IMHO.

Background: I have a son who is currently in 11th grade. He wants to major in Engineering and plans to apply to several very selective schools. Last semester he was enrolled full-time at our local community college in addition to a few classes taught at home with mom.** One of those included the standard "ENGL 1100 Composition I" class, which was worth 3 college credits. Our state, which paid for these classes, says: Based on this guidance, I have awarded him 1 high school credit for ENGL 1100 on his transcript. My son has also been heavily involved with a homeschool competitive speech and debate team. He does quite a bit of work outside of class on this subject, attends a live 3 hour class/coaching session each week (which uses a textbook), meets with his debate partner outside of class, spend copious amounts of time researching and writing speeches, and then travels around to regional tournaments around the midwest. (Honestly, he logs way more than the standard 150 hours each year doing this!) For this reason, I have decided to award him one credit hour in English for this. I am calling the class Principles of Effective Public Speaking and Debate I-IV. (Does this course name sound OK/accurate? And does my calculation of the 1 credit per year sound accurate?) This means that he will graduate from high school with 7 high school credits in English. My Questions are: 1) Should I have him take some additional composition classes either this second semester (spring of 11th grade year) or next year (12th)? I am a big stickler for taking English every year, but he already has a lot of credits in English. However, he also has a VERY heavy math and science load planned, so I am a bit worried about overloading him. (Debate and Speech are passion subjects that he would never drop!) 2) Should I move Public Speaking and Debate into the "Elective" section of his transcript grouped by subject? It is a lot of writing, reading, and research---and I noticed that most public schools around our area count as English credits. That is why I put it in there initially. 3) Does this look like a strong progression in this subject? (Considering he will be a STEM major?) ------ **Don't worry, he was not overloaded or stressed. He said that it was his easiest, most relaxed year yet. He also said that college was way easier than full time homeschooling with mom. Should that make me worried?

They are openly religious. How much so depends on the teacher. There may or may not be prayer, discussion of the Bible, etc. I am a Christian, so this never bothered me. However, OTHER things about MPOA bothered me: The quality is all over the place-- Some teachers are great, some have been terrible! Plus, you don't get a lot of teacher feedback for the price. Most everything is computer graded...so lots of multiple choice and T/F questions. (This is a problem for me because a classical education should include writing and discussion.). I love Memoria Press as a company. They are fantastic. Their online academy is not as great. You can search my profile for past posts about our experiences. I believe they were in the high school post. 🙂

I think the app is great and much better than the tiles. We use it on an iPad though. It would be terrible on an iPhone! (You need a lot of space.). FYI.... The All About Spelling app does let you hear the sound of each letter (and more importantly each multi-letter phonogram) when tapped. You hold down on the tile if I recall correctly. And you need to use an actual Orton Gillingham set of letter tiles with AAS or LOE or you risk confusion.

I am trying to get my son scheduled to take the PSAT. I thought I was confirmed at a school. Today, I emailed the coordinator just to confirm, and she let me know that my son can no longer take the PSAT at her school. Is this true? I have a few reasons for him not wanting to take the test at our assigned school. Also, is it too late to get him assigned? This is her email: