Guest Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) So today I am working out a little bit of my oldest son's high school. Not having ventured these waters before, I am a bit clueless about what we need to do. He is not on grade level in this area except for his reading ability. Being the way he and I are, we need nice laid out (secular if possible) programs. He likes open and do independently with a very clear schedule. He plans on a science/medical or computer related field. Vocabulary: What is a good choice for vocabulary study outside of reading books? This child will not stop reading if he comes to a word to look up its meaning. He has to have a list. I am considering Sadlier-Oxford, Wordly Wise 3000 2nd edition, or a Latin based study like Crit. Thinking books or Vocab from Classical Roots. They all look boring and busyworkish to me, though. Lit. Study: I know for sure we are doing Lit Lessons from The Lord of the Rings this year. He loves the books. Beyond that, I know only Lightning Lit (which I was not impressed with after using 7th) or Excellence in Lit which seems like far too much. The LL7 was the only time we have tried a lit. program in the past. He reads above level, comprehends at level, maybe a bit below. Book List: There are too many to choose from. I need a simple pared down list. He will be continuing with History Odyssey but we need more books. Grammar: Since it seems to me grammar/punctuation/usage, etc. is the same no matter the level, he is working through the Hake series. We have yet to complete any grammar program. We have started a whole bunch and watched lots of School House Rock over the years. I am tempted to drop it in favor of Writing Skills by EPS Books which has just enough to help with writing without diagramming. I would rather find something that isn't so slow written for high schoolers. Spelling: This is still a challenging area for him. I have him working through MegaWords as my last ditch effort to maybe have it improve. Writing: Ahh, writing. The bane of our existence. He is using the writing portion of Hake. He has very little experience with writing essays. He is getting rather good at outlining through his History Odyssey Level 2 program. Writing Skills by EPS Books or The 5-Finger Paragraph/Essay methods maybe? I know next to nothing about the latter program. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you. Edited May 15, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Still need some help here, please? I will bake you a nice chocolate cake.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakerks Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Ds, 9th grade, used Vocabulary from Classical Roots this year. It wasn't particularly glamorous, but it got the job done; I'll continue with it. We're using Excellence in Literature, too. It has ended up taking us longer than I expected (you mentioned in your post that it seemed like a lot), but it is geared for someone to work independently. For each unit (book), she lays out a list of what to do for each of four weeks (read the book, read context materials - websites, etc, write a paper based on a given prompt, etc.) I tend to be the kind of person who modifies the curriculum to suit my needs and tastes anyway, so I liked it as something to provide us with some basic structure, but I also feel free to tweak it here and there to suit me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat in MI Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I haven't used the last level of the EPS books, but if it is like the younger levels it moves slow, but is step by step. If your ds can write a decent paragraph then maybe something like the program by Analytical Grammar would be a better choice. http://www.analyticalgrammar.com/teaching-the-essay For grammar I am thinking of using this program with my son if he comes home this next year. http://rainbowresource.com/product/sku/001838/1305544279-464173 (Grammar Made Easy) Vocabulary would be either Vocabulary for the High School Student or Vocabulary from Classical Roots. Spelling would be through studied dictation probably using Spelling Wisdom http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/spelling-wisdom/ Literature - I have no idea I hope others respond on this I would be interested too! Well I don't know if this will help at all, but I thought I would throw out there some ideas. Good Luck on your planning. Blessings, Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organicmom3 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 For book recommendations ask people....or find his favorite book on Amazon and see what they list for other books people bought that bought that book.... My personal recommendations: All quiet on the Western Front, A Seperate Peace, Any or all books from the James Herriot Series (All Creatures Great and Small), Mark Twain classics he hasn't read yet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organicmom3 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Oh, and we are doing Analytical Grammar this year...not a glamourous program but appears to be what we need to truly get the job done and using their stuff for research papers too. And we are also using Vocabulary from Classical Roots. I'm also having my daughter do the Lost Tools of Writing Class through Circe Institute...expensive but a wonderful learn how to think and write at the same time class, but analytical Grammar offers an essay packet as well and it does look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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