Planning the hs years.... advice!

[SS in MD]

Hello all,

 

Our oldest dd will enter 9th grade in the fall (!!!)

 

I am getting confused, overwhelmed, and crazy over how to plan the next four years (more like a general outline)

 

I would really appreciate if some of you that have BTDT with your kids could give me a general outline of what courses your dc have taken each year of hs, when they took AP classes or other online classes or community college courses. It would be really helpful if you could also list where they took the AP or online courses and how your dc enjoyed the class and was it worth the $$$.

 

Thanks so much!

[~blessedmom~]

:lurk5: I am in the same boat with you!!

[Jane in NC]

Everyone's list will vary depending on the interests and talents of their students and resources available.

 

My first suggestion is look at TWTM for guidance. We did. My son followed the history/literature cycle in 9th and 10th. In 11th he chose to take Western Civ I & II at our CC, but continued reading Great Books on the 11th grade list. In 12th, he took American History at the CC with more Great Books at home.

 

A typical 9th grade year consists of math, science, history, English, a foreign language, and an elective (sometimes more than one). But there is a great deal of variation within the specific courses. For example, some students do Algebra I in 7th or 8th. Some not until 9th. There is not one clear path.

 

In our local public schools, students often study earth science or biology in 9th. We went the Conceptual Physics route, then did AP Biology in 10th, followed by Chem I, Chem II and Microbiology at the CC.

 

How much grammar you need to cover in 9th grade may depend upon how much your student has already had. Some parents feel it is necessary to continue grammar studies in high school; some feel further study is redundant. I would include vocabulary work as part of your 9th grader's English studies.

 

My son began Latin studies earlier than high school, completing Latin I in 8th grade. In 9th he completed Latin II and the first semester of a French I course. Most colleges want to see at least two years of the same foreign language in high school, but some want three years. Look at the admissions websites of colleges which your student may want to attend to plan.

 

High school course selections depend on goals. For some students, theater is a priority. Others study economics or psychology at either an introductory level or advanced placement level. Here is the beauty of homeschooling, adapting the program to your student's interests.

 

TWTM is the best place to begin. Bear in mind also that state regulations on dual enrollment vary from state to state. Some parents have their students at CCs at age fifteen--some states do not permit this. What works for one family may not work for yours!

 

Good luck.

 

Jane

[AngieW in Texas]

We haven't done any online classes, but have done dual credit.

 

My oldest is in 11th right now, so I can give you everything she's done along with what we have planned for next year.

 

9th

American History - SL Core 100 - 1 credit

English I - US History-based Writing Lessons, Core 100 literature, and extra literature - 1 credit

Geometry - Jacobs, 2nd edition - 1 credit

Biology - Prentice Hall by Miller&Levine - 1 credit

Health - self-designed course - 1/2 credit

P.E. - tae kwon do and workouts at the gym - 1 credit

 

10th grade

World history to 1900 - Prentice Hall Connections to Today - 1 credit

English II - Glencoe Reader's Choice, 10th grade - 1 credit

Algebra II - Kinetic books - 1 credit

Chemistry - Spectrum - 1 credit

P.E. - kickboxing and workouts at the gym - 1 credit

Personal Finance - Dave Ramsey high school course - 1/2 credit

Introduction to Psychology - cc course taken between 10th and 11th grade - 1/2 credit

 

11th grade

20th century world history - SL Core 300 - 1 credit

English III - Windows to the World, Core 300 literature - 1 credit

Precalculus - Larson - 1 credit

Conceptual Physics - Hewitt - 1 credit

Japanese I and II - cc courses - 2 credits

Drawing I and II - cc courses - 2 credits

 

12th grade

Digital Imaging I - cc course taken between 11th and 12th grade - 1 credit

Government - no idea what we're doing for this one, possibly Thinkwell or Oak Meadow

English Composition I and II - cc courses - 1 credit

Calculus and/or Statistics - cc courses - 1 credit

General College Physics I and II - cc courses - 2 credits

Japanese III, possibly also Japanese IV - cc courses - 1-2 credits (depends on scheduling options for Japanese IV)

Web Design I - cc course - 1/2 credit

 

For the cc courses, I am assigning the same amount of credit that my local ISD is giving.

 

My middle is just in 9th. I've changed up a lot of what I'm using for her. I don't know everything that I'm using for next year yet.

 

9th - this year

American History - Oak Meadow - 1 credit

English I - US History-based Writing Lessons, assorted literature, Windows to the World - 1 credit

Geometry - Jacobs, 3rd edition - 1 credit

Biology - Oak Meadow, Holt - 1 credit

Health - Oak Meadow - 1/2 credit

Philosophy of Mind - Teaching Company - 1/2 credit

P.E. - tumbling and workouts at home - 1 credit

 

10th grade - plans for next year

World history - Oak Meadow - 1 credit

American Literature - I know it doesn't go with world history, but it's the easiest to start to with - 1 credit

Algebra II - Kinetic Books - 1 credit

Physics or Chemistry - not sure which science or which program to use - 1 credit

P.E. - tumbling and workouts at home - 1 credit

Personal Finance - Dave Ramsey high school course - 1/2 credit

Introduction to Psychology or Intro to Philosophy - cc course taken between 10th and 11th grade - 1/2 credit

[Lori D.]

Welcome to high school! This board is a wealth of wisdom and experience; I glean from it daily -- thanks ladies! :)

 

- I started planning high school by hanging out on this board and asking lots of specific questions.

- I also did research by reading some homeschooling high school books.

- Then I printed off the list of our state's high school class requirements, and also the list of required classes for entrance into several of our state universities. That gave me a list of 18-20 "required classes" I knew we would need to cover somehow. That also left 4-6 classes for electives for our DC to explore interests.

- Then I started to plug in classes for each grade to get a feel for a very general "big picture" of the 4 high school grades.

- Be sure to leave room for unexpected interests and extracurricular activities.

- Don't overwhelm you student in 9th grade with 7 full-credit classes; 5-6 credits in the first year of high school is plenty! Remember, a 1-credit course roughly translates to about 1 hour of work per day, 5 days a week.

- Make a list of non-academic goals and priorities for your student, too, and make sure you leave time to include these -- high school is your last little window of opportunity to pour into your student; do you *really* want to make it only about academics? What about learning life skills (learning to budget; cook; change the oil in the car), or spiritual growth (Bible study, family devotionals, youth group), or learning how to have a balanced life (you want academics and study time; but also time for physical exercise or activities; social time; community service or volunteering; etc.), and especially time to talk together, or allow your student time to just think, dream, fiddle around with a hobby...

- Be aware that your time gets even tighter in the junior and senior years -- students are learning to drive, have more social commitments, may be working part time...

 

 

In this thread, I listed a huge amount of past threads on planning for high school; there is a lot of helpful information in those threads about book resources; how to plan; required classes; counting credits; transcripts; where to find information about high school/college requirements for your state; etc.:

 

Scared/nervous about high school -- don't want to mess it up

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90363&highlight=plan+high+school

 

 

And below are some past threads on AP classes that may be of help. BEST of luck as you begin charting your high school journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

 

Forgive my ignorance, but please explain exactly what is an AP class

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129235&highlight=AP+classes

 

How do you explain what AP is

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99847&highlight=AP+classes

 

AP classes

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139111&highlight=AP+classes

 

Advanced Placement (AP) gripes and questions

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135795&highlight=AP+classes

 

AP, CLEP, dual credit, oh my!

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144850&highlight=AP+classes

 

Why do AP?

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88888&highlight=AP+classes

 

AP vs. dual enrollment -- help me think it through

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99433&highlight=AP+classes

 

AP Tests

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143544&highlight=AP+classes

 

Suggestions for AP review books to prepare for exams

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91140&highlight=AP+classes

 

IB, AP and thoughts

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139879&highlight=AP+classes

 

How many credits does an AP class receive?

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135339&highlight=AP+classes

 

How many AP classes during high school

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127501&highlight=AP+classes

 

spin/off of: how many AP courses in high school?

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127648&highlight=AP+classes

 

Please tell me why my kids should do AP tests rather than college courses

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107925&highlight=AP+classes

 

Which is better... AP or community college classes?

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92208&highlight=AP+classes

 

Do your students take AP classes online, at public school, or you design

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149218&highlight=AP+classes

 

Question about making a high school course an AP/Honor class

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121433&highlight=AP+classes

 

When do high school kids take AP courses?

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119882&highlight=AP+classes

 

Anyone else NOT doing AP, Honors or community college classes

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114945&highlight=AP+classes

Edited January 29, 2010 by Lori D.
added info

[Nan in Mass]

Go Lori! I will just add, "Welcome!", and say that I went through this process last year for my youngest. I did it for the older one four years before that. You can look for Nan in Mass/high school threads if you want to know how I made my decisions. I chose (and probably will again choose) to go the CC route, not the AP route. You might also look for "schedule". Lots of people post lists like the one you are interested in under the heading of schedule. "Transcript" is another good word. So are "course description" and "credit".

-Nan

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

I've planned our high school years based upon the state graduation requirements. I "name" our courses what the state "names" the course. I also glance through the education-ese for the guidelines for each course. I look at state approved textbooks, too.

 

Taking all that into consideration, I then plan the year however I want to!:lol:

I'll re-read the appropriate parts of WTM. I'll read tons of posts here. I'll go to the book fair and talk to vendors.

 

Decide on a general guideline and the plan each year as needed. I "planned" high school years not knowing that we would move and than my oldest dd would be VERY sick during her senior year. She is ending her home school years MUCH different than we had planned. Her transcript will still show the state approved NAMES of each course, though.

[Kareni]

Welcome to the high school years!

 

There has been lots of helpful advice already proffered. I'd suggest that as time permits you read through the last few months of posts here. That will give you a broader picture of concerns of parents of high schoolers and possible solutions.

 

As Jane and others have mentioned, it's definitely not a one size fits all plan here as your child's interests and strengths and what resources are available to you will make your child's high school years unique.

 

Best wishes as you plan!

Regards,

Kareni

[SS in MD]

Thank you all for your help and great links! I'll be reading for a while :001_smile:

 

I know I need to just take a deep breath and slow down....

 

Thank you all again,

 

Sangita

dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

[SS in MD]

:lurk5:

[MommyThrice]

That's alot of info. I've been reading it off & on all day.

 

Now, I have a question... I have heard that if you take CLEPs you can submit them - or not - it is up to you. Is the same true for AP exams? If my son takes one and doesn't do well, is he stuck with it?

 

Thanks!

[SS in MD]

I'm wondering the same thing (about AP scoring).

 

I know this sounds silly but I can't remember what CLEP stands for (at one point I did!) LOL!

 

Thanks

[Guest HighschoolDad_in_WI]

Hey SS,

Getting ready to have your teen go to high school is a very nerve-racking experience! And for me, the worst part was not knowing what how to approach and handle high school issues on a number of important fronts: academically, socially, and psychologically. And with college looming in the near future, goodness knows that high school is definitely an important year for your kid to succeed.

Last fall, I ran into the same situation when my son entered his freshman year at our local high school. My wife and I were so stressed out about AP courses, college planning, financial planning, careers, SATs and ACTs. Phew - it like we were going to high school, too, because we had to know and understand all of that!

But I got some advice from a friend whose twin daughters were also entering high school. He got this book Are you really ready for college? for his daughters and for him and his wife. The book talks about 12 key strategies on how students become independent learners in high school so that they can succeed, on their own, in college. And let me tell you, this book breaks it down in a clear, easy-to-read format. As a parent, confused and clueless on how to guide my son through high school, I really got some good pointers on how teens should be studying, what skills they need to really learn the material and how parents can help them through the independent learning process.

Here’s the website for the book in case you are interested: www.areyoureallyreadyforcollege.com

And did I mention that this book is written by a former Dean of Wisconsin’s largest private university? So he’s got the inside scoop on what high schoolers are lacking in and what they can do to fix it. And some of the statistics in the book are scary – at least 1 in 4 college kids don’t return after their freshman year! And over 40% take longer than 4 years to graduate – talk about the price-tag on that education!

So my advice is for you to get a book like this – that helps our teen become an independent thinker – because that’s what they’ll be doing on their own in college! I’ve used the book strategies this year with my son, and I’ve seen improvements on how he schedules his time for studying and other extracurriculars – like swimming, violin and math club. In middle school, he used to study in the kitchen with the TV baring in the background; but now he’s tried one if the book’s strategies to study in a quiet, private area, and he admits that’s it really helped him concentrate and save time.

When I read the book I was like, “That’s just stuff that I know already.†But my kid didn’t know it. And the book was written in a way that a teen (however rebellious) would understand and have a practical application. So I highly recommend it or books like it. Because, who are we kidding – their education is basically our education, right?

[Guest HighschoolDad_in_WI]

If you're interested in AP courses - just keep in mind that they take up a lot of time (I mean a lot of time) and a lot of commitment. Our good friend's daughter is currently taking 3 AP courses but had to drop swimming because she didn't have enough time to study AP, do regular school work, be with her family.

 

Just FYI ~

Edited February 3, 2010 by HighschoolDad_in_WI

[SS in MD]

Thank so much for the book title. I'll look for it on Amazon. I really feel overwhelmed and need some direction! LOL! Sound like a good read.

 

Thanks also for your insight on APs. Yes, you're right they do take a LOT of time and I need to weigh the pros and cons. I just know college admissions are very competitive and we can use all the assistance through scholarships we can get! AP courses are one way to stand out, verify dc ability to handle higher level courses, and still get college credit (though this can be done thru' dual enrollment as well). But like you said, they are time consuming! Lots to think about...

 

Thanks for your help,

Sangita

 

dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)