The Potter's School French 1 class uses the BJU text. There is also an extra five points on each test for being able to type the Bible verse for the chapter from memory. At the beginning of class, the teacher prays in French. Maybe this information could be of some help; I'm not sure how the upper-level courses work. Aim Academy is secular but it doesn't have an AP French offering though you might contact the teacher. It looks like they are preparing students for the AP test without the course being labeled as such.

-One option you might consider is the new WHA 20th century course if you want to stick with this point in the history cycle. You could contact Julie Etter, the teacher. Lori D gave you some good insight into the Omni III books. Generally speaking the rigor level should be similar from I-III but the themes are definitely something to consider as a parent. -I can't comment on the writing required through VPSA, but at WHA Omni I required weekly discussion board posts that are one to two paragraphs and interactions on the board along with an essay each semester of about 1000 words. -The primary books are the "great books" whereas the secondary books flesh out topics brought up in the great books with modern selections. The secondary books also help to round out the course in terms of distributing the credits between theology, literature and history. -I have a child taking WHA classes but don't have personal experience with VPSA. The main difference as far as I can tell between VP Omnibus classes and WHA Great Conversation is that WHA integrates the primary and secondary courses into one so that the topics are discussed as interrelated. I appreciated the reduced screen time (3 hrs online/week vs 6/wk). The overall reading list is also reduced slightly. My child has enjoyed rotating the great books with easier secondary readings this year.

My older two have used IEW's Phonetic Zoo with success. It is easy for them to get it done each day without me. While neither of them have ever loved spelling, neither have complained about this curriculum.

Wilson Hill has middle school science. We haven't taken any online science classes. It sounds like they are respectful of different opinions. They use secular textbooks. I have a friend whose child took Landry middle school science and they loved it. There are extensive sample classes on their website.

My dd took Lukeion Latin 1. We switched to Wilson Hill this year which spends 3 years covering the grammar. Latin Alive 3 introduces poetry if you want to review grammar another year and let things sink in. Or the Latin 4 readings might be a good option as well. And no macrons! The switch was easy from Lukeion/Wheelock.

Anything with Mr. Etter will be engaging! The 1+4 class is new, but I'm sure it will be wonderful given the teacher.

She is taking the class in 7th grade and that has worked well for her. She loves language arts. I will wait until 8th for my next child. It sounds like for your child either option would work well.

WHA integrates writing instruction into the Great Conversation classes which are primary and secondary Omnibus books integrated into one class. (They do not read all of the books though as a few are skipped.) They do use the Omnibus text. Most of the writing assignments are short 200 word discussion board posts in which they have a skill they are taught and graded on each time such as MLA citations or topic sentences ). There are papers assigned as well (1-2 1000 word papers per semester).

I'm not exactly sure how to address the question of two classes per week. I think each family will have to make a decision about how best to use the time in the week. My dd did say that she thinks Mrs. Lange does a great job of using the time wisely. She definitely keeps the kids on track. So while I can understand wanting an option with less of a structured time commitment, I don't at all regret the class or the time we have chosen to dedicate to this. So many choices in homeschooling!

My dd has Cindy Lange for Fundamentals of Expository Writing. She loves her class. Sorry I can't comment specifically on the HS Literary Analysis class.

Latin Alive 1 does not assume any prior knowledge of Latin. It starts at the beginning. i think you could sell your current book if you are confident about using LA.

The FOEW class requires three essays of 2.5-3 pages each per semester, plus timed essays given during the midterm and final exam. The instruction leading up to the essays is very clear in terms of expectations. The students turn in pre-writing assignments that are given feedback. Those assignments have all of their quotes and analysis of those quotes. The feedback on those pre-writing exercises provide the input needed to have a good experience with writing the paper. The papers themselves do not ordinarily undergo rewrites, though students who struggle with the paper have been given that opportunity. There is wonderful feedback on each essays she writes, even though they aren't going through multiple drafts. My daughter has learned a lot through the careful comments on the essays. Even the small weekly assignments that are turned in receive careful comments. The essays my daughter has currently been assigned have the option to turn in drafts early for comment. The grading is based directly upon the instructions she provides in class. In FOEW, Mrs. Lange is looking for students to be able to provide analysis and not just an "and then" style book report. Many of the students in the class come from IEW and have written essays before, but haven't moved into thinking analytically which is the main thrust of this class. The literature discussions are also moving the students toward thinking analytically about the text. My dd worked about 5 hours per week during the start of the year as she adjusted to online classes and now it is more like 3 hours most weeks outside of class, though the week an essay is due she works much longer. I don't know how this course compares to WWS 1. I'm sorry I can't comment on that. Cindy Lange would happily answer questions about placement. She wants kids to succeed and find the right course for them. WHA teachers can be reached at the first letter of their first name and then their last name @wilsonhillacademy.com. I don't know anything about pre-reqs for the Honors Comp 1 which is being reworked for the coming year and called Writing Across the Curriculum (according to the parent meeting this past week).

We don't have experience with TPS English courses, though they get good reviews here. I also looked into both before settling on WHA where my daughter takes their middle school composition class, FOEW (Fundamentals of Expository Writing). Here is a link to the teacher's blog post on the writing method that she teaches in the class. http://www.wilsonhillacademy.com/2015/01/16/use-schaffer-writing-method/ My daughter has one class at TPS and we both have a strong preference for the technology that WHA uses. TPS course is once a week for 1.5 hours and WHA classes meet twice a week for 1.5 hours each time. Part of the reason that I settled on WHA was because of the reading list. (You can look at TPS website for the specific class you are interested in to compare.) FOEW students read a few short stories at the beginning of the year, The Odyssey, some poems, portions of The Canterbury Tales, To Kill a Mockingbird and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Those readings are used to write structured essays through the lens of rhetorical device and literary themes. Let me know if you have any specific questions. Mrs. Lange is an outstanding teacher and clearly cares about seeing her students do well. She is very responsive to questions as well. (I asked a lot about this time last year.)

My 12 yo dd is taking FOEW this year at Wilson Hill. She and I are both very happy with the class. The comments on the previous thread describe the class and our experiences well. Mrs. Lange really cares about her students and spends a great deal of time grading and commenting on their essays. Expectations for the writing assignments are very clear which as a parent I appreciate. The discussions in class are very thoughtful and my daughter has enjoyed that aspect enormously. She looks forward to the class. Mrs. Lange was very helpful to me last year in deciding whether or not this would be a good fit for my daughter. I'm sure she would be happy to answer questions.

According to my dd, the teacher prays at the beginning and sometimes talks about the prayer (sometimes she shares a Celtic prayer). My dd says she can tell she is a Christian, but the content of the course is really about learning to write an essay without just summarizing but digging in and analyzing the text. Mrs. Lange is generous with her time if you want to ask her directly. I think the school will also send you a link to watch a sample class if you contact them which might give you a feel for whether or not that would work for your family.

GC1 also has a writing teacher come and guide the writing assignments. It is a lot to take both classes, but I do love them both for different reasons. You could certainly take either class independent of the other, but it is a huge benefit for the student's workload that they tie into each other. I do not know how GC3 handles writing. We aren't there yet. I know there is an Honors Composition 1 class but I don't know anything about it either. I'm sure though they would answer questions if you contact them. The teachers have all been wonderfully open in answering my questions before enrolling my dd.

I'm sorry that I can't answer this question about VPSA, but I can say that writing at Wilson Hill integrates into their Omnibus classes (known as Great Conversation there). That is part of why I chose writing instruction at Wilson Hill. For instance, my dd read The Odyssey this fall in Great Conversation and also had it an assignment in the writing class. She will write two essays in the writing class analyzing the themes of The Odyssey and in Great Conversation their essays tend to focus on analyzing worldview and bringing Scripture to bear on the subject at hand. Next semester they will use some material from Great Conversation 2 and some from Great Conversation 1 since there are students in both courses signed up for the Fundamentals of Expository Writing. I wanted my daughter to have an extra writing class, but didn't want to burden her with too many online class hours or doubled reading assignments if she took writing from a different provider that would be analyzing completely different texts. This has worked out well and I love that she gets the perspective of two different teachers on the books.

The sword studies are wonderful! They are available for different age levels. When my kids use them I study the same material with the High School level. There is also a logic stage and mid elem. level. They are not however an overview of the Bible. They are an in depth study of a book with Greek and Hebrew word studies and lots of cross references.

You could look into this: https://story.biblemesh.com A reformed church I went to used it for the teenage young men's group.

My dd is loving WHA too. I asked her about religious content. Her writing class (Fundamentals of Expository Writing) has an opening prayer but beyond that I do not think you would be bothered. Latin is the same way. However, Great Conversation has a lot of theological content. If in doubt, I suggest e-mailing them. The teachers I contacted were very responsive to my questions.

I didn't mean to say that dd didn't like Lukeion. It is a solid choice and dd most certainly learned a lot last year (including study skills that were a must for success). Latin Alive is paced to take three years to cover the grammar instead of two. My dd isn't in a hurry to finish her Latin sequence because she started in 6th grade and is also taking French with the Potter's School so the WHA pacing fits my dd's needs better. The classes are also structured differently. Neither one is better in my opinion, they are just different. At WHA, the first class period of the week is similar to Lukeion and focused mainly on the new grammar. WHA has longer classes and more time to discuss derivatives and go over vocabulary. The second WHA class each week goes over homework in class. My dd did this on her own each week last year with Lukeion. She is learning both ways, but she enjoys the second WHA class each week. She also likes that she can see the chat from other students at WHA. Good luck with the decision! Both Lukeion and WHA teachers seem willing to answer questions. I asked plenty before making these decisions. :)

They use Latin Alive. DD took Latin 1 with Lukeion using Wheelock's last year. Joanna Hensley's encouraging style and the interactive class have been perfect for dd.

DD12 isn't taking math with WHA but she is taking Great Conversation 1 with Bruce Etter, Latin 2 with Joanna Hensley and Fundamentals of Expository Writing with Cindy Lange. All three are going extremely well. My dd talks about her classes with enthusiasm. The teachers are engaging, give clear expectations and helpful, quick feedback on assignments. I am so thankful for these classes and teachers.

My dd hasn't started the course yet, but I did call DIVE and ask about the time required per day. They estimated 30 min per day. We are planning to start next week. Hopefully, it goes well!

Here is what I have planned: Literature/History: Great Conversation 1 at Wilson Hill Academy Latin: Latin 2 using Latin Alive 2 at WHA Grammar and Writing: Fundamentals of Expository Writing at WHA Science: Dive Earth Science Math: Jousting Armadillos with some Derek Owens to fill in any holes in JA Logic: Introductory Logic by Nance French: My dd really wants to add this to the lineup so I am debating between a tutor or Potter's School or maybe both Other: Irish dance, Piano lessons, AWANA student leader