I second the idea of using Life of Fred for review. It is funny and fast--perfect for review over the summer. My son loves the free Alcumus videos over at AoPS, too. You could also check out the Thinkwell Geometry online series--which you can get for free to sample for a couple of weeks. At the end, there is a very concise review of Algebra. Two weeks may not be enough... Let us know what works well for you!

I so agreed with you about Ethan Frome back when I was in high school!--but it is a much more interesting read for an adult. Because it is short and easy, it is often assigned to high school students--but emotionally it just doesn't work then. Faulkner's As I Lay Dying (the mother is a fish line) is so easy to mock that young students can't get past that to see how F's literary innovations changed world literature. _Absalom, Absalom_ is a much better choice thematically for high school students, as is _Light in August_.

:iagree: If you're thinking about a final transcript, you can definitely put Gov in with history classes to make a robust social studies program. Economics could also fit in here, as could anthropology, archaeology, sociology, etc.

We too are hoping to do AP US Gov next year with our 13yo son. Seems like a shame to miss an election year! After looking at the study guides, I thought this class would make son for a young student. It is often a one-semester high school class--and if we need to spend two semesters at this age, that fact seems useful. It also means the class has a lot less information to synthesize and memorize than some APs. For a child who likes to read and think about issues--as well as one who is fairly organized--the AP Gov class seems like a great first step. Does anyone have any experience to confirm, refine, or refute this thought? Right now we're going to set out as if DS will take the AP exam--but if the class seems like too much pressure or if he does not seem intellectually mature enough to do the material justice, we'll hold off on the testing this time. We're planning to the 2011 American Government: Roots and Reform textbook by Sabato--a book I know from another context and like very much. We'll supplement with source collection by Peter Woll. The two books are extraordinarily easy to match up. Incidentally, I submitted a syllabus to the College Board a couple of weeks ago and got approved within a couple of hours. They may be a bit busier now, but if you're thinking of seeking approval, it is an easy syllabus to write and (at least two weeks ago) a submission that gets a quick response. Would love to hear about the experiences of other students!

I'd love to hear if online sources such as Thinkwell are acceptable. We are so early in the process that I don't feel comfortable calling yet... Has anyone had any experience?

:iagree:

Thanks!

Thank you so much for the description of Mapping the World by Art. My son will be studying Human Geography next year and we wanted to review physical and political Geography in August before we get started with HG. I was hoping "...by Art" might do it--but it sounds like I need to pull out some political maps as well. Is there more emphasis on political geography in the "...by Heart" curriculum?

I heard a local PS school teacher talking about how her school actively encouraged students to take the AP exam even if they were completely unprepared--not because taking the AP class helped the students' chances of college admission but because schools get a ranking (by No Child Left Behind?) for how many kids take AP. On top of that, public schools start looking like prep schools and can compete better in districts that allow students to choose their schools. In order to get their exam-taker numbers up, many schools allow students taking APs to exempt their exams. Since the scores won't come in before graduation, seniors who know they aren't prepared often sleep through the exams. That way they don't have to study for a final. Schools don't care since the number of kids taking the exam is the magic number they are looking for. Poor scores DO hurt teachers in many districts. If students are mad at some hard teacher who requires them to do AP-level work, they can "get" the teacher by throwing the exam. The College Board does not allow schools to limit AP classes to honors students or gifted and talented students. Although I have not read the rules myself, my understanding is that many schools interpret the rules to mean they can't even have prerequisites or require teacher recommendations. The whole system is so complicated....

You might check your local library--or possibly interlibrary loan. I was thrilled to see a copy of one of the Tarbuck books I was considering in my local library. Although the edition was many years out of date and not what I wanted to use for actual teaching, it gave me a good idea of the level of the text. Good luck! I'd love to hear what you find and decide upon.

We too are doing Government this fall. We felt we just couldn't pass up an election year! My son is kind of a social studies nut. He's in 8th grade and doing high school level work in general. I have a copy of Larry Sabato's textbook which I find enjoyable and very approachable (although it is aimed at more advanced students). I recommend it highly.

My reading of the answer is that dual enrollment IS part of the "high school curriculum" and that students should take the classes deemed by their high schools as most challenging, which some schools might say is AP and others CC. Other ideas?

Thanks, Gwen!

Are the Chemadvantage classes the same as the Pa Homeschoolers version? Still trying to figure it out...

Just wanted to say that while Caesar's English is aimed at younger kids, I really like the emphasis on roots (rather than vocabulary words alone) and think it would be terrific for a high schooler to get to discuss the book with younger siblings. Great plan! (Makes me wish I had younger children...)

Here's the policy, which I was quite surprised by: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/Appropriate-Grade-Levels-for-AP-Courses.pdf

Just adding my vote to keep "Read-Alouds" around for a lifetime! Being a no-TV family, reading aloud is our major evening entertainment. Even when my husband and I were dating--many years before our son was born--we used to read to each other every evening. (We still read some books between just the two of us.) Now my son participates in the group reads most of the time. Often the listeners knit or draw or something while the designated reader shares the story. And sometimes we all listen to an audiobook together. While there are time that my son and I will choose to read a book aloud for educational reasons--because it is a play, because it deals with challenging issues we want to talk about, etc.--the main reason we "RA" is to connect with each other. Can't imagine life without our stories! I definitely recommend giving it a try.

Oooh, I love Strassler, too. Haven't used him with a student yet. Has it worked well?

One more question: I ran across a note on the CB site that schools cannot call a course AP on a pre high school student's transcript. If a course is designed for high schoolers, a younger child may take a formal AP class and then even get a 5 on the AP exam, but unless it is a world language, the school cannot list it as an AP class. Would you think this would apply to homeschoolers? (I don't see why it wouldn't really, but I'm sort of hoping some of you might...)

We love Fagles--but also love Stanley Lombardo's more muscular translations. And Stephen Mitchell's Iliad is on my summer reading list. (I love his Gilgamesh.)

Although I'd never thought about submitting a syllabus, this discussion has made me consider it. I've been putting one together anyway, just for my own sake. After the syllabus is submitted, is there any follow-up or anything?

My 13yo son just started the logic class and is enjoying it so far. I'm eager to see how it plays out--and what other people's experiences have been. There are poetry, music, and history classes coming up in the fall and these are of great interest to us.

One of the issues I really love in the Iliad is the conflict between responsibility and revenge--or honor and passion--or however one looks at it. Achilles comes to the war because it is his job to be a great soldier. He pulls out because he is not being respected. He reenters because his beloved friend Patroclus is killed. It is love and anger that pulls him in. Emotions trump duty here. And that plays with what we think of as traditional Greek ideas.

They have a group buy going on right now: HBC group buy https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1587&c=1

We're looking forward to using this program next year--and would especially like to know if people have issues with the curriculum itself before we purchase. Anybody?