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HockeyMom

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    At a hockey arena in southwestern B.C.
  1. I’m coming to the hive with a request for their students’ all-time favourites for subject-related reads/DVDs which aren’t curricular spines, aren’t necessarily on the required reading list for history, or aren’t used for formal literature studies. I’m in pretty good shape regarding all my “core†resources. I’m banging my head against the wall, however, when I’m trying to choose that one excellent book or that one must-see DVD, which supplements a topic beautifully without being arduous for the high-school student (or family), yet is delightfully written/presented and has substance. Our homeschool budget is tight and our small, regional library system is woefully short of quality trade books/documentaries/movies. To boot, the inter-library loan system is unreliable and SLOW. As such, I’m stuck to mostly purchasing, new or used, these “too good to miss†supplements. I’ve got a slew of resources tagged in my on-line wish lists and shopping carts , but my choices – too many – will give my piggy bank the heebie-jeebies as we march through high school. I'm library building on a budget :D. The recommendations I’m after would serve as free-reading material, family read alouds, or a stimulating (yet “lightâ€) break or diversion from, say, a core lit list, science textbook, or elective course. I’m throwing the door wide open here regarding genre, subject matter, and medium . I hope I’m not asking a lot:tongue_smilie:. One or two (maybe three?) of your highschooler’s all-time favourite reads/views would be much appreciated! Thanks, everyone!
  2. I'm having a little trouble getting a handle on what the teacher's edition for Hewitt's high school textbook might contain. I know there are various editions and re-printings of the program (I've got a 2002 student text), however do the teacher editions generally contain the core student text with sidebars, teaching tips, etc.? Are materials for labs, demo's, etc. summarized, or is the information found in the teacher editions of lab manuals? Are solutions/answers for all student text questions provided? Any and all wisdom with respect to the content/usefulness of the teacher edition is greatly appreciated .... Thank-you!
  3. CPO could probably provide some direction on what, exactly, the Teacher's Edition looks like for Foundations of Physical Sc. (3rd ed.) and what ISBN is applicable. I've tried some on-line book seller searches using the official title of the teacher's guide you're after, and I get some inconsistent ISBNs and it's unclear whether the text might be a single volume, or a set :confused:. I think some of us on these boards have had some success securing CPO resources direct, however others -- including me -- encountered some resistance regarding teacher materials. CPO might insist you verify your homeschool status. Apparently, over zealous students and parents love getting their hands of teacher guides to boost grades. Even when I explained I homeschooled in Canada and that they would be shipping to a British Columbia address, they were skeptical I was being, er, truthfull :blink:
  4. Yup, it’s difficult to get the correct texts for some of CPO’s science programs. What Physical Science student text have you got? There are CPO middle school volumes: Physical Science; Focus on Physical Science (California’s text). Then there are three CPO early high school physical science texts: Foundations of Physical Science; Foundations of Physical Science with Earth and Space; Physical, Earth, and Space Science. I have found that on line book sellers don’t necessarily correlate their CPO titles (for both student texts and teacher’s editions) with correct ISBNs. Also, I’ve got CPO’s Foundations of Physical Science with Earth and Space and it was a bit tricky getting the teacher’s edition. CPO’s print catalogue and website led me to believe the teacher’s edition was one volume with a single ISBN. I ordered through Abe Books and received a teacher’s edition BUT it was only a soft cover text with material for one unit. I then realized that the teacher’s edition was a set of six books. When scouring book sellers for the package of manuals that seem to have a single ISBN, I was careful to confirm that all books were included. Very few sellers were selling the teacher edition as a bundle. It seems some of CPO’s science programs have single bound teacher editions yet others may have editions which comprise several books.
  5. You betcha -- your information was very helpful. Thank-you! Hopefully I'll receive a little more feedback on BJU Chemistry labs.
  6. For those of you who have used either one of these programs and whose students completed most (or all) of the prescribed labs at home, how difficult was this? Did the teacher support material clearly lay out equipment/supply requirements? Were you able to get your hands on most of the needed supplies? Were the labs engaging? Did the experiments yield favorable results in the home lab setting? Any other BTDT comments or advice regarding the labwork? Thanks so much!
  7. The Adult Dogwood is not the same as the GED. Here is a link that explains the Adult Dogwood: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/graduation/adult_graduation.htm A couple of interesting things to note about BC’s Adult Dogwood: Of the 5 courses required, each worth 4 credits, 2 can be completed prior to turning 19 years of age and enrolling in the program. If an independently homeschooled student were to take a couple of eligible courses during his grade 11 or 12 year, he’d be on his way to earning the Adult Dogwood. Courses must be undertaken after the student turns nineteen but if the student has been out of school for more than a year, these courses can begin during the student’s 18th year with permission. I’ve been told that homeschooled high school students (without public or independent DL oversight during these years) meet the “out of school for one continuous year†provision. As such, all 5 courses (or perhaps the final three if two courses were completed 12 months prior to turning 18) could begin while the homeschooler is 18 and wrap-up when he turns 19. For home learners who have their sights set on a BC Dogwood, the Adult Dogwood might be a workable alternative. These students will, however, “graduate†a little later than usual. Students who are considering an Adult Dogwood and planning for further studies at a college or university should, of course, check the Adult Dogwood against admission policies. Also, additional prerequisite courses might be required. Courses to fulfill Adult Dogwood requirements can be taken at many of BC’s community colleges. It would be interesting to know if any colleges offer these classes for dual credit. That would be kinda cool!
  8. Rose, Here is a link to the BC Ministry of Ed’s listing of Independent DL’s: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/independentschools/bc_guide/dl_schlist.htm Weblinks for the various schools are indicated. Mucking around the internet sites of the Independent DL’s might give you a preliminary sense of how flexible the various schools might be on their high school level courses and programs of study. We’re currently with Traditional Learning Academy. We are not, however, enrolled in their DL program. Rather, we’re registered with them as independent homeschoolers. I have, however, made inquiries as to what high school could look like if we were to flip into their DL program. Another Independent DL that is on my radar is Regent. Like you, I struggle with whether or not the K-12 Dogwood is the be all and end all. My son is currently in grade 8, so I’ve got a little time. I won’t be able to remain on this fence for very much longer, however! To a large degree, I’ll be looking more and more to my son for help in the decision making process. He’s a little young, but at the moment I'm not getting a single clue about what might float his boat in the future. Nothing!:blink: My gut tells me I’ll have to keep an eye on university admission requirements. That’s pushing me in the direction of a K-12 Dogwood. I don’t think the K-12 Dogwood is the only ticket to university/college, but it makes the admission process so-o-o much easier in our neck of the woods, doesn’t it? My gut is also telling me that my son may have difficulty nailing down his career interests. He’s a fellow with lots of passions and interests and he likes to pursue them all. That’s pushing me to give him a ton of flexibility during the high school years so that he can have time to finetune his calling. 80 credits for the K-12 Dogwood could be very stifling. Independent homeschooling, on the other hand, gives him all the flexibility he might need. This may sound a little trite, but the Adult Dogwood could save our bacon if the “do our own thing” high school experience turns out just fine, but he decides very late that a university degree is his next step. The Adult Dogwood could dovetail in with a gap year of sorts, followed by first year university courses at local college. Decisions, decisions!! :willy_nilly:
  9. :grouphug: Working full time and homeschooling independently, or under the umbrella of a DL program, is certainly a challenge any way you cut it. Is your husband able to assume some of the home learning responsibilities you are currently struggling with? From your son’s perspective, what is causing this? Uninspiring content? Too much busy work? Too difficult? Struggles with the on-line delivery model? Do his independent study/time management skills need support? If a BC, K-12 Dogwood is important, and the brick and mortar public school is not a viable option, it might be worthwhile to put BC’s various DL schools under the microscope. My sense is that they’re not all cut from the same cloth. You’ve got public vs. independent. Some rely heavily on e-learning modalities and some offer paper-based alternatives. Some offer courses that are semester based and others have continuous entry, year long course completions. Some (mostly the Independent DL’s, I think) offer higher degrees of flexibility with respect to the learning resources you can use for accreditation. For example, my DL (it’s Independent) will approve Saxon’s highschool math courses provided my son completes a couple of small supplemental modules. Same goes for some of Apologia’s high school-level science courses provided they are tweaked a little. English programs are highly customizable too. All this to say, maybe you can secure a DL school that is more in sync with what you want and need for your son. What are your son’s feelings regarding the pursuit of a K-12 Dogwood? If attendance at local/regional colleges are real possibilities down the road, what are their admission policies for homeschool students? Can you work backwards from there to decide if ditching the K-12 Dogwood is something you can get comfortable with? Is BC’s Adult Dogwood a viable alternative?
  10. Our library system does not have the greatest selection of DVD documentaries. When I am able to locate a decent title and make a request via inter-library loan, we wait ... and wait ... and wait some more! I'm still awaiting Russia, Land of the Tsars and I requested this title back in January ... I think I'm now 3rd in the queue :blink:. I'd love to use Netflix, but we're in Canada and Netflix, or a decent alternative, isn't available to us. I have a bit of money left in my budget for the upcoming school year, so I'm thinking I might add to our DVD collection. What DVD titles (documentaries) are your top picks to accompany a year of Ancient History in grade 9. Thanks, everyone!
  11. Math: Finish Saxon Alg. ½; start Saxon Alg. 1 Grammar & Composition: Finish Analytical Grammar; Wordsmith with a few SL Core 6 LA writing assignments. Literature: My own program with some SL Core 6 and TOG Year One book titles. Social Studies: Ancient History (homegrown) with Spielvogel’s World History: The Human Odyssey as our spine; World Geography supplement using Trail Guide to World Geography and the Geography Coloring Book. Science: CPO Physical Science Foreign Language: Tell Me More German Art: Artistic Pursuits Jr. High and some projects of our own PE: Competitive ice hockey and some daily personal fitness training at home Music: Electric Guitar Lessons Electives/Project Time: Not sure yet – maybe Lego Mindstorms and/or Drafting
  12. :iagree:... with everything Matroyshka said. I have the TM for Earth Science. It's not essential, but for me it's been helpful.
  13. I'll be looking over your shoulder to read the feedback you receive ... :bigear: ... :bigear: Cheers,
  14. Since I'm north of the 49th parallel, this text is hard to preview. Is there a difference between the McGraw Hill/Glencoe 1997 text (ISBN 978-0314205612) and National Textbook's 1999 publication (ISBN 978-0538423298)? I can get my mitts on the McGraw Hill book to sneak a peek, but not the other. So ... which textbook is the *right* one ?? :001_unsure: Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
  15. Michelle, I've got CPO's California resources. With respect to scheduling, I’m probably not the best person to give you advice on this. You know what they say about best laid plans. Well, my science schedule, after being reworked a number of times, has been burned in the woodstove and we’re now winging it! :blink: I'm going to suggest that you take some time to review your teacher’s manual, the student text, CPO’s website, and the investigations workbook in detail. There’s a ton of stuff you can do with this course and I wish I had scrutinized all the materials more closely before setting down a schedule. There are 32 lab investigations. Do you want to do them all? We are. Will you require formal lab write-ups for each and every investigation? I do, however occasionally my son can complete just the investigation record sheets. There are teaching demonstrations and additional hands-on activities in the teacher’s manual. Do you want to do those too? I do many of these, but we set up the teacher demos as student labs with and without proper lab write-ups. In the student text there are chapter activities and projects – more hands on, if you want it! We do some of these assignments, but I avoid any that seem like busy work. There are supplementary worksheet activities to reinforce lab skills, graphing, SI units, math applications, etc. Will you incorporate these in your plans? Initially I wasn’t going to, but some of the worksheets have been useful and can be done orally. These supporting worksheets might be helpful if your grade 5 son needs a little extra practice. Literature selections are indicated in the teacher’s manual. Are you planning to fill out your study of earth science with these recommendations or other books of your own choosing or internet links? This will take up some time. Reading from the student text shouldn’t be onerous, but how will you handle the unit/chapter questions? Do you want to use them for written work, quizzes, or tests? I do most of these questions orally, but sometimes I’ll pick out a few for quiz questions which require written responses. Will your kids take notes after reading? Will you have your students keep vocabulary cards or complete diagrams in their science notebooks? Once you get a feel for what you want out of this program, you’ll have an easier time coming up with a workable schedule. My California Earth Science teacher’s manual sets out a total of 190, 45 minute class periods to tackle the course. We do science every second school day and it’s been a challenge to do all that we want to do from CPO and include some extras as well. I’ve decided to extend out Earth Science into next year. There’s a fair amount of physical science in the CPO text, so I’m O.K. with taking longer. Good luck with your planning, Michelle. I hope you're more successful than I with respect to scheduling ;). I don't think CPO's specialized equipment is necessary. We've rigged up our own stream table and labs using the geobox are doable so long as you can find a suitable, clear plastic box with a lid. For topographical mapping, clay can be used for a landform and graduations can be marked on the outside of the box with a grease pen. You might have to get a little more creative when you're looking at the "Convection in the Atmosphere" lab. Holes in the plastic box shouldn't be too difficult and clear plastic cups could be fastened and then sealed for chimneys. If you're not crazy about constructing your own lab equipment and CPO is cost prohibitive, you can check out the offerings from other science suppliers. I think I've seen less expensive student grade stream tables, convection chambers, topographical mapping kits, etc., etc., in catalogues from Home Science Tools, Delta Education, or Nasco. All these vendors have webisites.
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