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wagingpeace

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  1. Hi! We're a North American family who lived overseas during my children's education, which included a period of time at a small British-curriculum school. I also taught at the school--year 9 science, IGCSE combined science, IGCSE sociology, A-level sociology and A-level English literature. I also mentored my daughter and her classmate in their self-study of an A-level science. Since I had to teach myself a whole new system, I can definitely sympathize with your anxieties and concerns over switching systems part way through. As others said, though, the IGCSE system is quite good and by homeschooling you will be able to take the time to have fun with the curriculum rather than just teach to the test. I will also say that while the test is the ultimate goal, I feel it is a fair test and requires higher level thinking and problem-solving skills than some other systems do.

    I will also say that if you are happy with the program for your younger kids, just keep doing what you are doing until year 10. The IGCSE program stands alone and I have seen my own children and other students transition from a variety of systems to IGCSEs. Math would probably be the exception, and it might be good to switch over at year 7 or so. Here are some of the tips I learned as I helped my family and coworkers/students plan and prepare for IGCSEs:

    1. Find out how many IGCSEs will be required. Look at the websites of universities. UK universities are transparent about this right on the program page. You may have to dig deeper for European and Asian requirements, or you might just want to write to the admissions office at a sample of universities. As an example, in researching Canadian universities, most required 3-5 IGCSEs and 2-3 A-levels. Likely, you will find that the universities you are looking at will require 5-7 IGCSEs.

    2. Decide what subjects to take. For Cambridge (CIE), here is a link to the syllabi: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-upper-secondary/cambridge-igcse/subjects/

    • English language: this is 100% required at all universities. As added piece of mind, getting a B in English language will satisfy the English proficiency requirement that you might run into (many universities require 4 years in an English-medium school or 4 years in an English-speaking country--so if you're homeschooling in a non-English speaking country, this can be hard to satisfy/prove, so getting that B in English Language is important)
    • Math: a C in math seems to be a minimum requirement (obviously, some programs/schools require a higher grade) at most UK universities, and I would guess Asian ones too.
    • Decide on a science pathway. If your child is definitely headed towards a humanities pathway, then combined or coordinated science would be fine. If he is headed towards any of the sciences, or you want to keep options open, choose two or three of the individual sciences (biology, chemistry, physics). Choose the sciences that they will likely study at A-level. When it comes time for the exam, you will likely need to choose the "alternative to practical" paper, so make sure to practice that one, and not the practical.
    • Choose other courses. English literature is optional but nice to pair with English language. Some European university systems seem to require an IGCSE social science. I think it would be impossible to self-study the history syllabus as it has a very specific exam style that really needs a teacher to guide you through. But geography, psychology, sociology would all be do-able. It is important to read the syllabus and look for the phrase "this syllabus is available to private candidates" because that means the British Council can offer it. Unfortunately, that closes the door to any of the arts and technical subjects.
    • Find out from your local British Council what foreign language exams they are willing to offer. They need to bring in an examiner for the oral component of second language exams, and they often won't do it for just one student, but if there is a group of students, they will, but they need to arrange it ahead of time, so talk to them about it. If your children are heritage speakers of a language, consider having them study that language's first language syllabus. The advantage is that they do not need to do an oral exam for first language and so the British Council would not need to call in an examiner. If your child is already proficient in the heritage language, then consider having them take the exam in year 9 to free up time for other subjects in years 10 and 11. (And just because it is called "first language" doesn't mean that people will think they are not first language English speakers; in the IGCSE system--as in life--you can have more than one first language. I only mention that because it was a concern of some of our parents at the school)

    3. Pay attention to the level you are teaching. Some subjects (maybe only math and science--English now only has one level) include a program for "core" and "extended" (for Cambridge) or "lower" and "higher". Be aware that if you register your child for "core" they can only get a grade as high as a C. So if they have a chance of doing better than that, you need to choose "extended". And when there is course material in the syllabus that is listed as only for extended, make sure you teach it! It might look like it is optional, but it should be the default.

    4. If teaching (or having your child self-teach) these subjects seems daunting to you, you can consider one of the online providers for one or two subjects. Wolsey Hall Oxford is one that several families I know used, but there are lots of others. You could consider using it for science, for example. There are no live classes, but there is a tutor available to answer questions. The Cambridge website also has many resources for teachers that might help you. For English language, you might want to consider taking the "how to teach" online course from Cambridge, as this particular syllabus is as much about understanding the exam format and what is required as actual content knowledge.

    5. Choose texts and materials. On each subject page for Cambridge, there is a tab for the syllabus, a tab for past papers, and a tab for published resources. Choose the recommended text and as many of the optional materials as you think will be useful/can afford.

    6. Start doing past papers early but not too early. You want students to have enough content knowledge before they do an actual practice paper. I found around March of year 10 to be a good time to do a full timed practice exam. For some subjects, like science, you might have to cross some questions off if they are taught the second year. You can google past papers to get more than the ones listed on the Cambridge page. Eventually, you as the parent will want to look at the Examiner's report for each syllabus.

    7. For exam and revision skills, there are many YouTube starlets who love to share their tips for getting all A*. One of my favourites is Jack Edwards.

    Let me know if you have any other questions!

    Enjoy your journey!

     

    • Like 1
  2. I think it is definitely culture dependent. I didn't get my oldest daughter's ears pierced (and she still doesn't have them pierced as a teenager). But when we were living in the country where my second daughter was born, we were visiting some friends who were surprised she didn't have her ears pierced and they wanted to get it done for her as a kind of baby gift. They were very close to us and it was a special gesture. We went with them to the pharmacy to do it. In an interesting twist of fate, they ended up immigrating to our home country and we see them quite often. It is a special bond between them and my teen that they were the ones who took her to get her ears pierced.

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  3. I got mine pierced when I was 11 and if I go without earrings for about six months, they partially close enough that it is painful to re-insert them.

    My youngest got hers pierced as a baby. A few days later, she lost one in the night and the hole had closed by morning to the point where we couldn't even see it! We intended to get it re-pierced a few days later, but then she lost her other earring in the night. I just assumed baby skin was so soft and cells just regenerated so quickly that they closed over faster than with older kids or adults. We decided to wait until she asked for them herself and she got them re-pierced when she was 8. For the first few years, she had to keep earrings in them all the time or her ears would partially grow over. But now she is 15, she can go several days (not weeks) without wearing earrings. She has a second piercing she got a few years ago, and she can go a few days without wearing earrings. She is cautious, so she doesn't go longer than that.

    • Like 1
  4. My daughter had issues with a few sounds while we were living in a non-English speaking country in kind of an isolated area. A visiting American speech pathologist worked with her to help her say her /k/ and /g/ sounds by having her put a spoon on the tip of her tongue, and then she pointed me to some online resources for /sh/, /ch/ and /dj/. At this point I think my daughter was 6 1/2. I helped her see that if she started saying the /s/ sound and then slowly moved her tongue back, she could get a /sh/. So we worked a bit each day on some picture cards with the /sh/ sound and of course at first it was really exaggerated. But when she got used to the tongue placement, she moved into the more accurate sound. After that, we worked on putting a slight /t/ before the /sh/ to make the /ch/, again working with picture cards (it sounds like you could skip to that stage with your son). Finally, we added voice and made the /dj/ sound. Talking about her tongue being involved in the sounds made sense to her because of her previous experience with the spoon on her tongue for the /k/ sound. This was totally diy because of our situation, so obviously help from a professional would be a lot better! Her /r/ took another year to master, but that was within the range of developmentally normal and we didn't do any intervention. Fortunately, she was able to pronounce a French /r/ so she could make herself understood!

    Best wishes as you seek the best solution for your son!

    • Like 1
  5. I was researching this for someone else, so have this link handy on qualifying for German universities. It is the link that most universities will point you to. Enter your country and situation. AP courses tend to be required in the prospective field of study (either science or humanities). But some universities also offer a foundation year for those who do not meet the academic qualifications (i.e. those with a basic American high school diploma).

    https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/nach-deutschland/voraussetzungen/en/57293-database-on-admission-requirements/?id=418&ebene=5

    My youngest dd has been researching studying in Belgium, so I know a bit about that too. She will have her British A-levels, so that is mostly what we have been inquiring about, but here is a sample university page mentioning US high school diploma and minimum 4 APs. So if she wants to study in Dutch or French, Belgium could be an option.

    https://www.ugent.be/prospect/en/administration/application/requirement/bachelor.htm

    I will also mention that if she is decides to stay closer to home for her undergrad and go overseas for graduate school, then Germany has free Masters degrees taught in English. I know of two American students from two different families who did their Masters in Germany and loved it.

    Good luck!

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  6. I recommend this book: The Bilingual Edge.

    It is not a scholarly book, but the authors are both scholars and parents and they refer to their own research and the research of others. Their motto is "It's never too early (or too late) to learn another language."

    My experience with my kids is that we lived in a country where the best way to get kids exposed to the national language was by putting them in school. Our youngest thrived at local school and did well with the language. Our oldest was very sensitive and did not do well with the strict environment and was struggling with handwriting and reading in English as well. So we pulled her out of school and homeschooled her, but we had a young woman come three days a week to play with her and read stories, etc. She hated those sessions, even though the young woman was very kind and patient. We were out of the country for three years, when we focused on French instead, and now we are back in this country. She is taking language lessons four hours a week, with a communicative approach, and working with her dad an hour a week on the written language. She is speeding through it and enjoying it. In her situation, learning the language as a young teen has been way more effective and a more positive experience than learning it as a preschooler and young child. But my youngest, on the other hand, did really well as a young child, and is doing really well as a teen.

    Good luck, with whatever you choose!

  7. My daughter did French immersion in Canada before we moved overseas for her grade 8 year. She is now studying at an international school in English, and the French class for her year is using Coquelicot CM2 Fraincais by Hachette (ISBN 978-2-7531-0871-4), which is the equivalent of about grade 5 for a native speaker. It has a nice layout, and includes texts, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, conjugation. It is the right amount of challenge for her, and is not babyish, as it might be if she went down another level. There is also a workbook to go with the student book. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get ahold of the teacher materials, or if your own French is at a level where you could do without the answers.

    Before we left Canada, we had explored with a few Francophone families having my daughter babysit their kids (speaking French), while I helped the mom with English. They were from Francophone Africa, so the adults were interested in learning English. That's how I met them, because I was volunteering at the library's English conversation group. We never got around to it before we left, but something like that could be a neat possibility for your daughter.

    I'm also interested in hearing if anyone else has ideas, both for this daughter, and for my other daughter whom I'm homeschooling, but who was not in Immersion. She needs more of the second language type materials.

    Good luck!

  8. When I think of Brave writer, I think of the Brave writer lifestyle: poetry teatime, freewriting, copywork, movie discussions, nature journaling, read alouds, word games, Shakespeare... Some of these are done weekly (Friday Freewrites, Tuesday Teatime), and others are worked into the rhythm of the month or year.

    So for math, you could think of what makes a "math lifestyle" and work those elements into your weekly, monthly, or yearly rhythms. Some math lifestyle ideas that might be engaging for a 10 year old are cooking/baking, construction, cartography, navigation (make your own sextant, or buy a cheap sextant), board games, coding, money management or start a small business, counting systems around the world and/or throughout history, geometric art (tessellation, animation, string art)...

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  9. For an ancient history setting, I'm looking into this for next year, but haven't read it. I'm not sure how well the narration by multiple authors works. A Day of Fire This one is about Pompeii, but there are also other books by the same authors about Boudica, Troy, Alexander the Great etc.

    This website has a list of YA books from 2017. I haven't read any of them, though some look like I myself would like them, and some that my dd would like. But I don't know your son's taste, so it might be good just to browse through it. You can also search for any year.

     

  10. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert is an engaging read that goes into some of the history of previous extinction and includes interviews and field experiences with current scientists.

    Lab Girl by Hope Jahren is the autobiography of a scientist with a focus on botany.

    If your dc hasn't already read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, then this might be a good time. Environmental tie-in is alternative energy sources and impact of environmental phenomena such as drought. I personally read the young reader's edition because it skipped some of the detail, but you may want the detail!

    Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman is a really good integration of science and social science. But it is ten years old by now, and a lot has happened since then.

    The Botany of Desire is a fascinating movie about how plants "use" humans to get the best conditions to propagate. It's based on a book by the same name by Michael Pollan. I haven't read the book.

    Speaking of Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma is another look at how humans are integrated with their environment and how that makes choices complicated.

    Are you also looking for fiction?

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  11. Sorry, I don't know too much about the homeschooling policies for universities in BC or Alberta. I do know of many homeschooled students who have gone to Trinity Western University in BC and also that Quest University is very welcoming to homeschoolers. The University of Victoria also has a fairly well-laid-out policy on their website and I have heard of one family whose kids went there. If your students know that they are for sure going to study in Alberta, not BC, then they should follow a path that meets the requirements for Alberta universities, not BC ones. In BC, as well as Ontario, it is your grade 12 grades and courses that are important, not all the high school courses. So you will likely see programs that specify requirements like  "grade 12 math, grade 12 chemistry, grade 12 English." In Ontario, at least, you can either do the official grade 12 courses at a school or online or you can do SAT subject tests or AP courses for those requirements. You can check with specific universities in Alberta and see whether it is the same there. Good luck!

  12. 1 hour ago, dmmetler said:

    One thing I’ve noticed on the various Canadian schools (York, U Toronto, McGill, and now Guleph)is the numerical averages. Does anyone know if they are able to convert from the more common US scale from 0-4?? I know for York, there is a difference in support for international students with an average over 95 vs one with an average of 90. DD currently has a 4.0 college average-but I don’t think there is any way to get that she had 107 in psychology and 93 in Spanish last term short of going through her binder and averaging her grades manually (DD knows only because the psych final was optional if you had an average above 90, and the Spanish teacher did the final early (since it was half a state-wide competency exam and half an oral exam) and gave them their final grade at the final exam, which ended up being eating and spending the hour practicing conversational skills).  

    My understanding is that for American students, they will be evaluated on a U.S. system grading scale, namely the 4.0 system. You just report whatever system is used including the grading scale (the college transcript probably has the grading scale in a sort of legend somewhere on it). This is from the Guelph site: "Senior level courses should include specific subjects that are required for admission to your degree program of choice. Particular attention is paid to performance in program prerequisites. Your school profile with grading scale should be included with documents, and all sent through Parchment/Naviance whenever possible." And further down on the page:  "Out-of-Country Canadians in U.S. schools are evaluated for admission and scholarships using both the U.S. GPA and the SAT or ACT, not grade percentages alone."

    This is what the York U page says for high school graduates from the United States: Grade 12 graduation with a minimum overall average of "B" on Grade 11 and Grade 12 academic courses. "High School Diploma; SAT score of 1170 (SAT submission code: 0894) or ACT score of 24 (ACT submission code: 5250). SATs/ACTs are considered in combination with academic record and are only required of students studying in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam. Transfer credit granted for final scores of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) exams, depending on the program (maximum 30 credits)." Each program has specific courses that you would have to have. Presumably the "B" would be the cut-off. And they would interpret "B" however the school you are coming from interprets "B."

    For a transfer student, requirements depend on the program. For example, this is what it says for cognitive science for a community college transfer: "Completion of a diploma program or at least two full semesters or one year of full-time academic study at an accredited college. Overall average of 3.0 or better on a 4-point scale (or equivalent)."

     

  13. 16 hours ago, Dicentra said:

     

    I thought about suggesting @dmmetler look at Guelph for her dd but they seem to be quite anti-homeschool.  Although...  Dm's dd won't be technically homeschooled, as she will be a transfer student, so that might make a difference.

    I've never talked to them in person, so I don't know what vibes they give off in terms of homeschooling, but the info on their website looks pretty similar in terms of requirements as the other universities in Ontario. Basically homeschool up to grade 11 and then either complete 6 4U credits, including the prerequisites for the specific program, or do SAT/ACT including SAT subject tests for the subjects that are prerequisites for the specific program. This link also includes requirements for homeschooled students from the United States, which does seem more stringent since they say the diploma has to be "accredited" whatever that means. Anyway, you're right, Dm's dd would not necessarily fall into that category. She would more likely fit into the "international transfer student" category. This link has info for American students who have done some community college, as well as those who have a diploma from a community collage. Sounds like a much easier process!

    Guelph also has open online courses that are a guaranteed pathway to admission that are another option for homeschool students (they can do them while in high school, I don't think there is a minimum age). They are pricey though, and my own dd has balked at the idea of her first university experience being online, so I've not looked deeply into them.

    Good luck to your dd, dmmetler! I love hearing about her exploits!

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  14. I read an article a while back about how different frogs respond differently to changes in the environment and the authors were from Guelph University. Not sure exactly what departments though. Guelph has a well-known zoology program, and also majors like biodiversity and wildlife conservation. Guelph is near Toronto, so it might be fun to check out. In terms of cognitive science, U of Toronto has a program. I applied and got accepted to it way back when, but I ended up choosing a different field and different school. I remember really being attracted to the interdisciplinary nature of the program, but I also felt there was a strong emphasis on AI, which wasn't that interesting to me at that time.

    And I agree with Dicentra that the great thing about Canadian universities is that you get to jump into your major right away, without having to take lots of general courses.

    Good luck!

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  15. Congratulations!!! And thanks for the really detailed info! My youngest has Waterloo on the radar, but she is not my homeschooled one. My oldest, who will homeschool high school, plans to go to the local high school for her 6 grade 12 courses. One thing I've noticed is that the universities seem to be more understanding of homeschooled applicants than the colleges, which is strange.

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  16. These are some suggestions from my 14-year old daughter who likes the same types of books as your son. About a year ago, she was going through books so fast that we both realized she needed some more advanced writing, but not necessarily mature themes.

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

    The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

    Redwall series by Brian Jacques (this might be a bit young, but the good thing is that there are lots in the series!)

    The Ascendance and Mark of the Thief Trilogies by Jennifer A. Nielsen

    Watership Down by Richard Adams

     A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin

    Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

    Best wishes!

     

  17. 15 hours ago, Lilaclady said:

    For a strong student I will recommend the regular but with a caveat to look at some chapters that deals with sex etc. even my dd’s AP Lit teacher who assigned the text did tell the parents to pretend those to make sure it was appropriate. The children’s version isn’t really good and does not do as good a job for a high school student. It will be good for a middle school student. 

     

    Thank you for your input! Did your daughter's teacher just have the kids read it, and then keep an eye out for when they saw the various techniques in literature that they read, or did they do any assignments or class discussion about it? Thanks!

  18. Hello,

    If you are familiar with both the regular and the kids' version of "How to Read Literature Like a Professor," which one would you use for a student in grade 9?  I am not so much worried about the mature content, but the kids' version is a lot shorter, which is kind of appealing to me.

    Any insights as to the difference between the two?

    Also, how did you use this book? Just read and discuss? Or something more formal?

    Thanks!

  19. My two girls registered last year when they were in grades 6 and 7. They set their own word limit and worked whenever they felt like it, but I tried to schedule "family writing time" as well so that we all wrote together. My younger is a more logical thinker, and she really enjoyed the planning work, like the plot roller coaster, etc. My oldest is more of a creative free spirit and prefers just to write. Since I wanted to keep it fun, I didn't force them to do the planning activities. My oldest continued writing her story throughout the year, but my youngest and I gave up after the month ended!

     

    This year, they are planning to write again. My oldest (the free spirit) is actually making use of the planning space on the website already (she can't actually write in the writing space until Nov. 1), and she absolutely loves the "dare machine." She did two dares yesterday and it is an amazing way to warm up, even if the content from the dares doesn't actually make it into the story. It helps her get to know her characters better!

     

    I challenged my oldest to increase her wordcount slightly over last year. I also helped her to think more realistically about doing a short story, not a whole novel, because I think it would be quite encouraging to her if she actually finished a first draft by the end of the month, rather than have a novel drag on all year.

     

    Happy writing!

  20. Have you thought about Canadian universities? The US dollar is currently strong against the Canadian dollar, so even though you would have to pay international tuition, it is cheaper than many out of state tuition options (though more expensive than in-state tuition).

     

    For example, Emily Carr University in Vancouver, and OCAD University in Toronto are two highly regarded design schools with industrial design programs (I've been looking too, since I have a child who may be headed in that direction).

     

    Emily Carr: http://www.ecuad.ca/academics/undergraduate-degrees/bachelor-of-design/industrial-design-major

    tuition: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1CTABrOLl2uN2JxRVluM1NJMkE/view

     $18 799 CAD is about $14 100 USD. Of course that doesn't include housing, and both Vancouver and Toronto are rather expensive cities, so some creativity may be required to find affordable housing options.

     

    Good luck!

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