AngelBee Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I am helping a 17 year old finish his high school career. Due to many factors he is behind his grade level (which would be a senior). I am trying to make plans for him to graduate June 2011. He will be coming to MN for 15 months and doing homeschool with me. He is a sweet young man. Very loving. He is very hard on himself and he has little confidence about his skills. School where he is from took much away, plus his life circumstances. :( He is like an adopted son to me and I really want to design a program that: 1) Give him necessary life skills 2) Build his confidence so that he knows what he puts his mind to he can achieve So where would YOU start with him? :) I am thinking of doing AO for some readings. I have MOH 1 and 2 plus SOTW. I also have Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. It seems his skills are more in the logic stage, but I do not know how to push him through that fast without overwhelming him. Would graduating at the 8th grade logic stage be horrible for a child under these circumstances? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 World Magazine.... Do you happen to have it? It's so inspirational, that whether you are a Christian or not, read it. It's a whole article on Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy and the son they adopted when he was really old. (Michael Oher) He ended up at the 2009 NFL Draft in NY) First for yourself and then maybe give it to him. It's the November 21, 2009 issue. There's a movie coming out called "The Blind Side" coming out, too. Anyway, they did some serious education in a short amount of time. School and more school.... (with after school training) to bring up his GPA so he could do the sport he wanted. If I had 15 months, and a students who would really work.... (and it will be hard either way).... I would do the following, I think. (How much money do you have??) There is a schedule for SOTW to do all four books in one year..... I'd have him listen to the cds. My daughter listens over and over and over. I'd get Classical Conversations Foundations book... used is fine... you can get it cheap. Make the few corrections you need. Introduce the material one week at a time. Leave off the latin. (Get the cds.... and just rip your own cds with this.) I think that the CC memory work gives a good foundation for the learning you'll be doing. I went through it with my public schooled step-daughters. (bright kiddos) and they know most of it.... It seems like a good amount of "pegs". If he'll do the chants~songs.. it'll be easy... but the songs are a bit childish... but you can't get them out of your head once they're in. Math... I'd go back to the beginning, if he's not strong.... and work through the books with him to see where he is... (after you kinda get a look at where he is through placements) Maybe have him do the lessons in halfs or thirds with you checking to make sure you know right away when there is a problem. For Algebra, I have friends who love Video Text, and we've started a bit in that. It's something that I actually want to go through with my daughter. And then.... of course... he'll need some life skills courses. Is everyone set on him leaving in a year? Maybe he can hang out with you a little longer, if he needs some confidence. I think that at this age, it's just important to... not make them feel like they're on their own the day they turn 18. (that's scary) and to give them.... here's where you are... here are some different spots you can get to... Where do YOU want to end up.... and then break it up... and show them how to get there. That way it's really "team work". If you both budget his time and school work, perhaps he can pick...say Sundays... to totally have off from school. Also, just listening a few times to different MP3s of subjects can really help some people:-) :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 How about this: http://www.pacworks.com/ this: http://www.timberdoodle.com/Complete_Homeschool_Curriculum_Ninth_Grade_p/999-0900.htm or: http://www.timberdoodle.com/Complete_Homeschool_Curriculum_Tenth_Grade_p/999-1000.htm or Switched on Schoolhouse? Best Wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 5, 2010 Author Share Posted March 5, 2010 My goal for fall 2011 would be that he could do some online community college, even if it were remedial math and english. Just to get him in there. Otherwise, we can continue with school at home as well. My dh is also willing to train him in plumbing and construction so he will have a marketable set of skills as well. Thank you for your input. Anyone have a link to SOTW in one year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 I apologize in advance for not having the author of this schedule for SOTW in a year. I also think that just going through some of the questions, although they are "easy" would be a good springboard for hearing if the cds or books are being understood. Also, they could be kept in a file for "proof" of some sort, although you will want to go deeper than... just the SOTW for highschool :-) As an bit of a "base" I really like the "Men of" series... Rome, Greece, Middle and Modern. You can get them free, or for a nicer version... MP. Then you choose between the Study Guides of Greenleaf or MPs. There are many threads for the views of each. You can get free downloads of these. I would also have him read or listen to....many books... but for a start.... Carry on Mr Bowditch is a pretty easy read but worthwhile. George Washington Carver and also some others like this... Burning cds off of the free downloads will be your friend:-) ANCIENT WORLD Weeks 1-7 Week 1: Meeting First Peoples Week 2: Build Pyramids in Egypt Week 3: Travel to Early Cultures Week 4: Feuds & Fights in Mesopotamia Week 5: Glorious Greece Week 6: Gladiators & Caesars in Rome Week 7: Christians & Barbarians in Rome MIDDLE AGES Weeks 8-16 Week 8: Exploring Britain Week 9: Islam Grows in the Middle East Week 10: France & the Fierce Vikings Week 11: Britain Becomes England Week 12: Difficult Times in Europe Week 13: The Mysterious East Week 14: Asian & African Places Week 15: Exploration of the Americas Week 16: Renaissance & Reformation CHANGING TIMES Weeks 17-25 Week 17: Spain & England Collide Week 18: Back to Asia Week 19: World of Empires & Colonies Week 20: New Powers on the Scene Week 21: The New Country of America Week 22: Turmoil in France Week 23: China: The Land of the Dragon Week 24: New Ideas & Industry Week 25: Freedom Fights in America MODERN AGE Weeks 26-36 Week 26: The British Empire Around the World Week 27: More Freedom Fights in America Week 28: Problems in Empires & Colonies Week 29: All Around Asia Week 30: The Expanding United States Week 31: China's Modern Age Week 32: World War I Week 33: World War II Week 34: After the Wars Week 35: Communism and Civil Rights Week 36: A New Day for Freedom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 5, 2010 Author Share Posted March 5, 2010 Carrie...thank you for much for that. It will help a ton! I have 32 history maker bios too that may help. And the history series by Durrant (I think) They are THICK but seem to read easy. I am reading the first one right now. If I used SOTW as a spine maybe and added from MOH and other resources as wanted/needed. What science? Any ideas to make it not kill me? :lol: I am not worried about lit or math. I have resources for both of those. Mostly concerned about history, science, and LA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 5, 2010 Author Share Posted March 5, 2010 Hmmm....maybe some DK books to at least introduce different science topics. And some experiment books. Then see what gels and where he wants to go deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veronica in VA Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Do you know where he is in various subjects? For math I might start him in Lial's Basic College Math. It is remedial math for community college. It starts at the very beginning - addition, etc and progresses through pre-algebra. You can give him post-tests in each chapter if you're not sure where he belongs. Then once he struggles with an area, you know where to start him. The book is set up for the older learner, and the word problems reflect that. You should be able to find it used on Amazon or one of those sites very inexpensively. You don't need a teacher's guide - odd answers are in the back. Once he goes through that you could have him do Math Relief for Algebra I or http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-Survival-Kit-Conversational-Thoroughly/dp/0965911357/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267818019&sr=8-2. If you think he is at the logic stage for most things, I would use the history recommendations in the Well Trained Mind for that stage. You could read aloud some of the great books - such as The Iliad or others that would engage boys. See some of Nan in Mass' to get some ideas. Pacworks, as someone else suggested, would be good for language arts and science. The series is made for children who have struggled or are behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freerange Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 There are some great (free!) courses on http://openlearn.open.ac.uk The courses where the number starts with a 1 assume no prior scientific knowledge, but then build up rapidly. Audio books will help him to study in situations when reading would be impractical, and if you use an mp3 player he can listen at 1.5x or double speed if the content is not too dense. Unless he's a fast reader it could be a time saver too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 5, 2010 Author Share Posted March 5, 2010 He has trouble with fractions, decimals, and percentages. His reading skills seem at high school level. His attention span is an issue. He reads some adult level books if it interests him but can struggle with middle school reading on new subjects. His retention of material is his main issue though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in TX Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Classical Writing was recommended to me for a teen who is behind in reading comprehension and grammar. I'm liking it a lot for her--there is an optional workbook for older beginners that we are using. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 (edited) He has trouble with fractions, decimals, and percentages. His reading skills seem at high school level. His attention span is an issue. He reads some adult level books if it interests him but can struggle with middle school reading on new subjects. His retention of material is his main issue though. Instead of SOTW, you might want to take a look at K12's The Human Odyssey. It is a three book series targeted to middle schoolers about world history. It is a fabulous series. A History of US would also be a good middle school level US history series. Also for science, how about Prentice Hall's Science Explorer? Or K12's middle school science courses? You could do all three of the K12 courses (earth, life, and physical) in 15 months easily. The downside is that K12 is expensive. A solid 8th grade level education will serve him well (IMO). (Has he been evaluated for ADHD? Or for anything else? If he has ADHD, medication could really help.) Edited March 5, 2010 by EKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 K12's The Human Odyssey is within our price range. Checking science programs now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 K12's The Human Odyssey is within our price range. Checking science programs now. I second the suggestions of K12's Human Odyssey texts; they're very readable and engaging and I think you could get through all three in 15 months. For science, you might look at the CyberEd/PLATO online middle school courses, available through Homeschool Buyers Coop. You could definitely get through all three courses (Earth, Life, & Physical Science) in a year (my son did it last year) and it would provide a good basic overview of science in a pretty painless format. It's all online, very engaging & interactive, with a quiz at the end of every section and a printable grade. It would cost $100 for a 12-month subscription with access to all three courses. You sign up for a specific 3-4 hr time slot, and you can use the program every day during your time slot. Scroll down until you see the 3-course bundle: https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_hsbc_epp_order&Itemid=1024 Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 Anyone have any experience with SOS for high school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 He has trouble with fractions, decimals, and percentages. His reading skills seem at high school level. I'd highly recommend using Key to Fractions, Key to Decimals, Key to Percents. The publisher has a very handy online program called the Key to Tracker, which will give a pretest in each area, then direct him to the appropriate pages in the workbooks. He then would take a spot check quiz and it would further direct him where to go next. As the teacher, you will have access to progress reports and grades. The workbooks are cheap, and the online tracker program is only $6 for a full year and will cover the above series of books as well as the whole Key to Algebra program. You can find out about it here: http://www.keypress.com/x22311.xml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 I'd highly recommend using Key to Fractions, Key to Decimals, Key to Percents. The publisher has a very handy online program called the Key to Tracker, which will give a pretest in each area, then direct him to the appropriate pages in the workbooks. He then would take a spot check quiz and it would further direct him where to go next. As the teacher, you will have access to progress reports and grades. The workbooks are cheap, and the online tracker program is only $6 for a full year and will cover the above series of books as well as the whole Key to Algebra program. You can find out about it here: http://www.keypress.com/x22311.xml Oh....thanks for that. I am getting Life of Fred too. Thought he might like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Classical Writing was recommended to me for a teen who is behind in reading comprehension and grammar. I'm liking it a lot for her--there is an optional workbook for older beginners that we are using. Amy Are you using Harvey's Elem. Grammar with it as well? Wondering how integral Harvey's is to this program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsacco Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I was going to suggest LOF for Math - he can go through them pretty quickly once he gets into them! I know some people who did SOS all the way through without a problem and liked it. Also look at http://www.simple-schooling.com - she has some great history and science programs you can do quickly and some are online as well.... I think it's around $70/year to access it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 Thank you for all of the links and advice. Putting it all together. I know he is concerned about his writing skills, so we will have to really address that. I think I may take him quickly through Elizabeth's phonics to ensure that is not an issue contributing to his comprehension. He may have ADHD. I do. :) I am unmedicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 I'd highly recommend using Key to Fractions, Key to Decimals, Key to Percents. If he gets through these, then go ahead and move him to Keys to Algebra as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RobinAnn Carnecchia Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I have been in this situation. May I suggest that you either purchase a GED or SAT test and give it to him untimed;therefore, you'll know what he has learned and what he needs. The speed of completion is not an issue and that is why I suggest an untimed test. These tests come in book and computer form. You may also use an online placement test. There are several. If you prefer a particular publisher, they might have one online. I hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 He has trouble with fractions, decimals, and percentages. His reading skills seem at high school level. Are there some really, really serious reasons for why he would have to graduate in 2011? Life circumstances, something preventing him doing an additional year (or even two) of school? Please don't get me wrong. I see what kind of favor you're doing to him and I think it's wonderful from your side. But it also seems that we're talking about a child who has trouble with average 5th grade Math. I don't think you can make up enough within a single year to have him graduate with a remotely "normal" Math level for somebody with a high school diploma; and given that you mention that his overall education hasn't been that good, i.e. that there are many gaps to fill, not just Math, AND that there are attention span issues... I just don't think it will work. I'm sorry, I'm just being honest - I don't see how can you possibly squeeze average middle and high school content in a little over a year. If you had two or three years at your disposal then sure, something can be done, but in a single year, I honestly doubt you can bring him to that level. As you said, provided enough effort and ambition, he might attain a solid 8th grade level in that period, but... but you can't graduate somebody on 8th grade level. I personally couldn't, I would have huge issues with intellectual honesty in such a case - I couldn't "confirm" a high school diploma for something which was NOT high school content, it would feel wrong. You do as you wish, I'm just stating my opinion - if there's any way you can take him for two years, I think that would be the optimal solution. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 (edited) Oh....thanks for that. I am getting Life of Fred too. Thought he might like them.Oh....that's what I was going to suggest when I saw he was having troubles with those very things. I bet that can pretty much keep his attention! For writing, what about Write Shop? He could do the 1 year program, possibly. Edited March 31, 2010 by Brindee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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