ideas for sophomore year

[Only me]

It looks like I will probably be keeping my daughter home again next year for her sophomore year. I still think that she will need a pretty light schedule due to her insomnia and other related problems. I want to try to find one or two elective type classes to give her a few additional credits next year. So far I only have algebra 2, english, World History, foreign language and science (not sure which one yet).

 

I'm actually still trying to figure out what science to have her do next year. The local school around here has physical science freshman year but the private school that she started to attend last fall does physical science sophomore year. She did biology this year. Is there a fairly easy physical science curriculum that would still be considered enough for a high school credit?

 

I am actually considering having her not do science this year or for her to do some kind of science elective. She is very interested in meteorology but I don't know of any courses for that. I'm also not sure if she would need physical science and/or chemistry before that. I definitely want to wait for her to take chemistry until her junior year since she struggles the most with science right now. Unfortunately this is actually the field that she wants to get into (meteorology or working with animals) but right now she just isn't capable of any high level science. She can always catch up senior year or in community college.

 

If we don't do science then I'll definitely need to come up with another elective class. I would really like for her to take 6 classes next year. She already did 1/2 credit of physical geography this year but I'm wondering if there would be a world cultures type class that she could do this year for 1/2 credit. Any more ideas?

[JennW in SoCal]

Have you looked into the Teaching Company courses?

 

They have a 24 lecture meterology course. If you pair it up with some reading, text book and popular science books, you'd have at least a semester's elective. A quick search on Amazon and in your area library would give you more than enough titles to choose from.

 

The Teaching Company also has a course called the Joy of Science, some good introductory courses on Astronomy, and another course called Physics in Your Life. Just keep watching for sales, and scour your area library systems to see if they own any sets.

 

You can also fashion an elective around an interest or activity that she'd be doing regardless of health and school. Photography, theater, drawing or animal behavior, for instance, can become an elective. Combine reading and projects, make a portfolio of it all.

 

Hope that helps.