Starting 9th grade next year...help

[Hazens]

Hello,

 

I'm new to the forums. Posted once before but have since lost and forgotten my password only to be able to get in again now :P

 

I have gone through the thread on this forum and they have been so helpful in helping me plan my daughter's high school plans. Thank you!

 

My daughter will be starting 9th grade next year and I have kind of put some things together in terms of what we will be using, except for English. I need ample help in that.

 

This is what she's going to be doing (it's still under progress though). Any comments, suggestions, recommendations, feedback are welcome. I'm a complete newbie at this, so I'll need all the help I can get! :P

 

We're not going too rigorous with this one because I don't want her to be too put off by high school work, so we're kind of going lightly.

 

 

 

• Chemistry - Principles of Alchemy (btw, has anyone used this? initially we wanted to do Biology, but then I was reading how now they have quite come biochem in Biology so that it helps to take Chemistry first, but that the problem with that is that Chem requires some algebraic math (which my daughter doesn't have yet). This particular course leaves out those high level math and so I thought it'd be a great introductory course in Chemistry for my daughter. It doesn't come with a lab component though. Any suggestions for a chem lab component? I was reading through the threads and managed to glean someone mentioning Joy of Chemistry as having some lab activities. Is that enough for a high school chem lab component?
  
• Algebra 1 - MUS
  
• US History - with Hippocampus, and maybe some supplemental books if she needs them
  
• Sketching - have yet to plan the course in detail (maybe 1/2 credit)
  
• Sewing - have yet to plan the course in detail (maybe 1/2 credit)
  
• American Government - I'm still looking into this one. Any suggestions? and how many credits should this be?
  
• English I/9 - I need help with this one. Basically, how much writing should she do, how many novels, non fiction, poetry, short stories? I'm so lost with this one.
  

 

 

Thank you!

Edited May 22, 2010 by Hazens

[Susan C.]

Hi,

Welcome to high school! For 9th grade English, I had dd read 8 books of our choice, and complete BJU Writing/Grammar 9 workbook. It has writing assignments in it.

 

I wish I had seen Windows to the World back then, I may have used that as well.

[Hazens]

Hi,

Welcome to high school! For 9th grade English, I had dd read 8 books of our choice, and complete BJU Writing/Grammar 9 workbook. It has writing assignments in it.

 

I wish I had seen Windows to the World back then, I may have used that as well.

 

 

Thank you Susan! Does it matter what books we choose? (contemporary or classic)

[Storm Bay]

For sketching, I highly recommend The Phonics of Drawing from http://www.teachartathome.com It has 3 tiers, and the third one is for high school students.

 

For English my dd has been doing the Rod & Staff 8 book for grammar and part of her writing (can't think of the title offhand), WordSmith (grades 7-9 creative writing) and some literature. Dd is doing about 6-8 books, but she's doing 2 of them in depth with some Teaching Company lectures, so we did the other ones more lightly.

 

I've never used the Chem book you've suggested, but we used Conceptual Chemistry. This is a non-mathy Chem. My dd is going to do a mathy, advanced one later since she wants to major in science, but, despite some controversy on this on this forum (polite disagreement) chose to do this way first.

 

We're not doing American Government until a later high school year, so I can't help you with that one. I think it's a 1/2 credit, which is what we're planning to do later. Dd is going to do American History next year, but since the ps here does it over 2 years, that's what we're going to do (semesters, but they squish 1 year into it by making the classes longer). This is just in case she chooses to go to ps one year.

[Hunter's Moon]

In regards to how many credits for American Government, usually a 1/2 credit because usually Economics is the other half of that full year course.

 

You can do them separately though.

[homeschoolmom99]

We're planning on using Wordsmith Craftsman for 9th grade next year. It is a writing course. http://www.commonsensepress.com

 

We're planning to focus on the 3rd section of the book--essay writing (descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive essays). dd loved both Wordsmith Apprentice and Wordsmith.

 

For literature, we're combining that with history.

[Hazens]

Thank you everyone for your responses! I really appreciate it.

 

That's what I've seen too for the Government it seems to always be paired with Economics. I guess we can go for half credit then. Thanks tigersgrowl1093!

 

 

Karin,

 

So did your ds go through the Conceptual Chem book herself? How do you do the lab component? I looked at the websiite and it really looks interesting. It comes with a DVD?

 

Controversy? If you don't mind, can you elaborate on that? Does this course need a prereq of Biology?

 

Thanks for the art link! i don't know if we can spend that $99 for that right now though.

 

 

I've been reading up some old threads on how to make up your own literature course and that has helped a lot.

 

So would it be safe to say that for English, we have a leeway of focusing more on literature or composition, and that the composition can be heavily based off literature or not?

[Storm Bay]

 

Karin,

 

So did your ds go through the Conceptual Chem book herself? How do you do the lab component? I looked at the websiite and it really looks interesting. It comes with a DVD?

 

Controversy? If you don't mind, can you elaborate on that? Does this course need a prereq of Biology?

 

Thanks for the art link! i don't know if we can spend that $99 for that right now though.

 

 

I've been reading up some old threads on how to make up your own literature course and that has helped a lot.

 

So would it be safe to say that for English, we have a leeway of focusing more on literature or composition, and that the composition can be heavily based off literature or not?

 

You don't need Biology to do Conceptual Chemistry. The only controversy is whether or not you have to have math to make it a high school course. People disagree. I think you don't if either a. you're going into the arts (the text is designed for liberal arts majors in college) or if you're going to do another Chem with math later if you're going to head into the sciences. The third edition came with the Chemistry Alive! CD-Rom, but I think at the moment you have to listen to it online (You needed that anyway with the CD-Rom & a password). The older editions didn't, and you bought the lectures separately with a number of CDs (different software or technology of some kind.)

 

There is a lab manual you can get with it, but you need expensive equipment most of us don't have & can't afford. So I bought MicroChem because it's safe enough to use in our kitchen. It was a lot of work trying to line the experiments up with the chapters, but worth it. Dd did it with three other teens, so got some of that group effect, but you don't have to.

 

I don't remember what we paid for Phonics of Drawing because it was about 5 years ago, but back then we could buy it all by itself, and I think that may have changed. I undestand about budgets, though.

 

I'm not the English expert here. Dd hates writing essays, so we have done more grammar than she really needed to fill in the credit. She still has to write, of course. She hates doing literary analysis, but it's an integral part of high school English, so she has to do some. Next year I'm hoping to outsource essay writing. She's signed up, but the class has to fill up in order for it to run.

[Hazens]

Thanks again Karin! I've been working on designing my daughter's English Syllabus and it's driving me crazy. I'm going to create a new thread about just this. :P

[Melissa B]

I just bought The Phonics of Drawing earlier this year from Rainbow Resource - $19.95.

[romeacademy]

For 9th grade English we used IEW SICC-B. We combined that with a book discussion group using Teaching the Classics as a guide. The kids in the group read and discussed 6 books (fiction). We'll also be finishing one additional book and doing a more in-depth study of that on our own.

 

My dd also did several sewing projects this year. I hadn't planned it, but she did enough work that I'm going to give her 1/2 credit for it. She made a lined wool skirt and a dress she wore to a homeschool formal. She learned how to use a serger, and for the formal dress had to do quite a bit of tailoring to get it to fit. I'm still not sure what I'll call it on the transcript though. When I was in school it was "Home Ec", but I'm sure they don't call it that anymore. LOL Maybe Clothing and Textiles?

[Storm Bay]

I just bought The Phonics of Drawing earlier this year from Rainbow Resource - $19.95.

 

 

By the same woman from http://www.teachartathome.com? Cool! Is it now in a book form or still on a CD-Rom?

[edithcrawley]

I'm still not sure what I'll call it on the transcript though. When I was in school it was "Home Ec", but I'm sure they don't call it that anymore. LOL Maybe Clothing and Textiles?

 

At my school, it was called it Family and Consumer Science-though it also involved a good deal of cooking.

[J-rap]

***

Edited February 18, 2023 by J-rap

[Lori D.]

English I/9... Basically, how much writing should she do... how many novels, non fiction, poetry, short stories?

 

 

My VERY general guideline for high school literature for the English credit:

- 4 novels (1 per quarter -- average of 5-6 weeks each)

- 8 short stories (2 per quarter -- average of 1 week per 2 stories)

- 2-4 novellas or plays (1-2 per semester -- average of 1-2 weeks each)

- 2 weeks of poetry (1 per semester)

 

 

Mitigating Factors

- This year, we just WATCHED our plays, so each took only 2 days -- one to read background info and watch it; a second day to discuss it.

- If your novels are shorter, you can do cover more works.

- If you don't want to cover plays/novellas, then you can probably do about 8-9 novels (on average, one per month).

- And of course, it also depends on how fast you read, how much you discuss, and how much time you want to spend writing about the literature.

- We don't write about EVERY work, so that frees up more time to read and discuss more works.

- Also, the older your student gets, the more work he/she can handle.

 

 

As far as writing about the literature -- I try to have us write something about a number of, but not all, the longer works (novel, novella or play) -- sometimes just a few paragraphs, usually a page or so, sometimes a longer paper (maybe 2 of those per year). For short stories or poetry, we don't write about everything (at most, half of the works), and the writing is shorter -- often just 1-2 paragraph response from a prompt in a lit. guide.

 

A lot of our writing is based out of assignments from a writing program, several longer history research papers, and weekly timed essays from past SAT test prompts, so I don't feel we have to write about every piece of literature we read. Just what works for us! Enjoy your high school literature journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[krstbrwn]

For 9th grade English 1, I used Smarr Intro to literature. It had us read about 8 books, with essays on each one. We had trouble, however, because we had not had a lot of experience writing literature analysis type essays. If your comfortable writing essays, then I would say an essay on each book your child reads is adequate.

I'm not comfortable with my ability to teach writing. I have signed up my newest 9th grader for an online writing/literature class. She has done Windows to the World, but I still think "I" need help in writing about literature:). She will also do grammar and vocabulary to round out the English 1 course.

Kristi

[Lori D.]

Thank you Susan! Does it matter what books we choose? (contemporary or classic)

 

 

Not Susan, but I would certainly consider including a mix of works in your literature over the 4 years of high school, but it's certainly fine to specialize from year to year if you wish. :)

 

 

I have one suggestion for getting started with literature for your English credit -- perhaps consider going with a lit. program that has everything spelled out for you so you don't have to create it all yourself. It looks like your are doing U.S. History and American Government this year, so you might like an American Literature to tie in. Here are some good American Lit. programs to consider -- or instead, perhaps even do an online lit. course:

 

Excellence in Literature: American Literature

about the program

table of contents and sample pages

 

Lightning Literature & Composition: Early to Mid 19th Century American

about the program

sample lesson

 

Lightning Literature & Composition: Mid to Late 19th Century American

about the program

sample lesson

 

Learning Language Arts Through Literature: Gold: American Literature

about the program

table of contents and sample pages

 

 

On the other hand, if you want to choose all your own books, you can use individual lit. guides for each book. So then you first need to decide on your book list, and one of the first things to help do that is to figure out a way to narrow your scope:

- do books from a particular time period (ex: ancients; medieval; 20th century; etc.)

- do books from a broad time frame but from a single country or area of the world (ex: American; British; Asia; etc.)

- do books from a broad time frame but from a specific genre (ex: sci-fi; fantasy; gothic; etc.)

- from the top 25 works most frequently done in high school

- from the top 100 works most helpful for the college-bound student

- do a specific lit. program to encourage a love of literature (Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings)

- do works of special interest to you and/or DC

 

One other thing to keep in mind, if you decide to make your own lit. list, is to include a variety of types of works: novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, essays, biographies/autobiographies, etc. And a variety of novel genres is a good idea, too (ex: epic, adventure, realistic, coming of age, romantic period, gothic, sci-fi, fantasy, western, etc.)

 

Windows to the World (mentioned in a post above) is an excellent program to get you started in learning how to read literature, annote as you read to help you think about and analyze the literature, and then has an excellent chapter on how to write a literary analysis essay. There are also some specific publishers with very helpful, detailed lit. guides, such as Garlic Press Publishers (secular), Progeny Press (Christian), The Great Books (Christian; worldview), Portals to Literature (secular), Sparknotes (free online), Cliff's Notes (free online), Glencoe Lit. Library (free online) etc.

 

If you decide to make your own literature, you might find one of these recent past threads helpful:

If you create your own homeschool lit.

How to choose selections from the Great Books?

How to I choose Great Books when I haven't read most of them?

What have you used for high school literature study?

9th grade literature -- can you recommend any guides?

Literature guide questions for high schoolers?

What is out there for live online literature classes?

 

 

BEST of luck, and enjoy your literature adventures! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited June 4, 2010 by Lori D.
added info

[krstbrwn]

Thanks for the Phonics of Drawing link.:)

Kristi

[Storm Bay]

Thanks for the Phonics of Drawing link.:)

Kristi

 

You're welcome. She has some other great programs, doesn't she?

[HollyDay]

I can tell you what I plan to do for 9th (and really hoping to works!) It sounds like english is your only question mark.

 

I plan to continue Spelling Power (spelling is a weakness for my dc). We will also do Word Roots, Sandi Queen's Language Lessons for High School vol 1 (focus on Creative Writing), Analytical Grammar high school reinforcement, Alpha Omega Press Survey of American Lit. I will either expand this AOP course by adding full novels or I will do Survey of Brit Lit 2nd semester.

[krstbrwn]

You're welcome. She has some other great programs, doesn't she?

Yes, I'm excited to try this out! For myself, too:D.

Kristi