since she loves animals, i wonder if having a part-time job or volunteering at an animal clinic or shelter might help her to feel more useful?

Jenn, I had considered the TTC course, because we've used many other ones with great success; however, I was concerned about several of the reviews on TTC's website for this course - namely, one of the reviewers said he/she had a degree in chemistry but thought the first 45 lectures re biochemistry were too difficult to understand. Can you tell me a bit more about your opinion of the course and the teacher? Does it cover pretty much what a "standard" biology course should cover? I would love to do the lectures along with other books that I pick out (the living books idea is great, btw!)

I purchased the 2010 Miller & Levine Biology book, but it's just not for us. Since my ds has attention problems anyways, I find that messy textbooks with stuff all over the pages is way too distracting. I need something clean, neat, organized, and perhaps with a higher level of vocabulary (but not TOO difficult to read). Maybe Campbell's? Are there others? Any suggestions?

thank you, madrekts, for that detailed review - it was immensely helpful, and I just finished placing my order based on the information in this thread. i don't think i'm going to be able to afford or have access to a good microscope, so i do hope that the visual labs along with other labs that don't require a microscope will be adequate.

There are many good threads on this board re the different translations, but I will just note that my ds and I loved the Robert Fagles version, and we borrowed the audio tape (read by Ian McKellen!) from the library. It was excellent.

Handmaiden - thank you so much for taking the time to post that detailed information. This has helped me so much. I'm still close to hyperventilating every time I think about actually teaching biology to a high schooler, but just knowing which books I'll be using helps quite a bit!

great info - thank you! I was considering the 2010 Miller & Levine as well, but I'm having trouble tracking down the teacher's edition. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

bump :bigear:

*deleted double post*

does anyone know if the cd-rom will run on a Mac? i tried to find the info on their website, but i failed...

My ds started with RS French this year, and we've progressed through almost two levels, but I added a LOT of additional work with French grammar books and verb workbooks. He's really enjoyed RS, and it's a great, fun introduction to a foreign language, but I don't think it can be used as a stand-alone program. He's picked up quite a bit of vocabulary, but I'm afraid he would be light-years behind a "typical" French I or II student if I hadn't added the workbooks. So, if it will be used in your class as a supplemental aid, then I think it'll be fine!

Aaaah, I see. Thank you for taking the time to clear that up - I guess I had "scholarships in excess of expenses" on the brain since I just finished working on my dd's tax return. It still feels "wrong" to me that tax should have to be paid on scholarship $$ - but, hey, who said our tax system makes sense?

I am also looking into geometry for next year. Has anyone used TTC course by James Noggle? If so, what did you think, and what text did you use to supplement the lectures?

Valerie - I'm wondering how an education credit is available if the student has received funds in excess of eligible expenses? Am i missing something? I had always assumed that no credits would be available since neither the parent nor the student paid the expenses personally. I hope I'm wrong!

I agree with Lisa - my daughter's 1098-T was in her name, so the taxable portion was included on her 1040.

Thanks Brenda - that sounds like a good plan!

My 9th grader is also doing the high school version of Conceptual Physics, and we both love it! It is fascinating, and the book is very well written and covers many, many topics. So - I have a question for those of you who have done this course... We are using it along with The Teaching Company videos "Physics In Your Life," and I want my son to go through the entire textbook and all of the dvds this year; however, that's a lot to get through. We started out working through many of the problems at the end of each chapter, but I soon realized that there would be no way to get through the whole course if we took that much time with each chapter. So, we have decided to only do the concept checks at the end of each chapter before moving on to the next. That way I know he read and understand the main concepts - but, of course, it doesn't give any practice in working through problems. How have others handled this? Did you cover everything, including problems and labs, or did you skip some chapters, or what did you do?

we started on a part-time basis a few weeks ago and will begin full-time school next week. ds 14 is doing the following: French - Rosetta Stone French I Physics - Conceptual Physics - Hewitt, along with TTC Physics in Your Life dvd lectures Ancient History - Dorling Kindersley History: The Definitive Guide, along with TTC World History and TTC Foundations of Western Civ (only the lectures relating to Ancient History for now) Literature - Great Books to go along with Ancient History, along with TTC History of World Literature (only the portion relating to Ancient History for now) and TTC Classical Mythology Vocabulary - Vocabulary from Classical Roots Books A & B Grammar - Analytical Grammar Art & Art History - The Annotated Mona Lisa Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain TTC Museum Masterpieces (MMA and Louvre) Speech - Critical Thinking book one

I have been previewing the art history courses for my upcoming 9th grader to go along with Ancient History, and then I plan to use the remaining lectures as we work our way up to that part of history during the next few years (if I'm fortunate enough to get to homeschool him for all of highschool.) I first ordered TTC Art Across the Ages, but I found it to be too advanced. I thought the vocabulary and some of the concepts were above his level of understanding, and it really got into much more detail than I thought he would enjoy. So.... I traded that in for the course you mentioned above: The Louvre and the MMA set by Professor Brettell. I sat through the first 6 lectures of the MMA course on the first night I received the dvds, and I LOVED it. In fact, I wish I could go to NY right now to visit it! He does a very good job of placing the objects into their historical context and then explaining why it's considered a work of art. There are very nice photos of the objects he's talking about, and the professor has excellent presentation skills (and clearly loves his subject). Now I'm trying to come up with a few art projects to go along with it.....