Plans for 9th and 10th graders--feedback appreciated

[LanaTron]

Hi, I will have a 9th and a 10th grader next year. Can you give me some feedback on what we're planning? We like a lot of extra-curriculars, so I've tried to focus what we're doing for academics to the things where we will get the most bang for our buck in training the brain--English, Math, French, Music. I've limited us to 6 1-hour class "periods" each day for academics, and included music practice/homework as one of those.

 

5 days/week

Math--10th continue LoF Advanced Algebra, then do LoF Geometry; 9th finish Lial's BCM, then Lial's Introductory Algebra

 

English--R&S 7; Vocabulary at co-op, possibly Vocabulary from Classical Roots?

 

Music practice and/or homework--we participate in a music co-op, and they both do choir, band, and music theory; I'm hoping to have them try out for all-region band, and perform at the Federation Festival.

 

4 days/week

French--this will be outsourced with a local class; I'm imagining 1 day of class, 3 days of homework

 

3 days/week

Logic--Traditional Logic followed by

Rhetoric--following WTM recommendations

 

2 days/week (alternating)

Biology--Miller/Levine (leaving off the Anatomy/Physiology chapters); labs possibly at co-op

History--History of the Ancient World

 

Both dd and ds are in Scouts and youth group. We are considering adding for next year: Venture Scouts for both of them (bi-monthly meetings at same time as BS troop; 6 potential outings/year), homeschool canoe class, a passion-directed co-op (fun but educational-type stuff, but may do vocabulary and/or science lab or may end up being some other for-credit class--we're just getting this co-op started).

 

This all makes for some very long days (like 10-11 hours) by the time you add chores and including drive times. And I don't have any literature scheduled--I think we might just listen to books on CD as we are doing all our driving about, and discuss or not, as we need to. :auto:

 

Thanks for looking.

[Teachin'Mine]

I can't imagine being able to cover a full biology course in only two days a week. I'm sure it can be done, but we'd definitely find it difficult. I'm not familiar with the history, so this may not apply but I feel the same way about that as biology. Although I think it's much more doable with history. By alternating do you mean one is done on Mon and Wed and the other on Tues and Thurs, or something else?

[ma23peas]

I have a 7th, 8th, and 10th grader this fall..here are my insights..

 

For me, the strong courses are MATH, SCIENCE, and WRITING for this age group. I do not see a lot of writing in your list...to me grammar is a portion of the language arts...for that we use Analytical Grammar and it only takes them about 2 hours a week to cover that....but as a 9th/10th grader they should have some writing program that gives them weekly writing experiences....

 

I have found that we do better doing 'block' scheduling..we do not do math the same months we do science....that way we can spend 2 hours a day on science or math and they seem to learn/retain more quickly by doing fewer subjects more intensely. So, we do writing year round, science in the fall and math in the spring/summer (yes, we keep that going for 8 months) history and other subjects are covered with our work in speech and debate and side studies we do in the summer.

 

HTH!

[Wendi]

Typically high school English involves analyzing literature and writing papers. Grammar and vocabulary are still done, but the main focus is on analyzing literature and learning to write essays.

 

Also, do the colleges/universities they're interested in require labs? The state university system here requires that all high school sciences include labs; parents and the student even need to fill out a form describing where/how labs were done. You might want to see what the schools your kids are interested in require, since you are not sure if they'll be doing the labs.

 

I also agree that I don't think you can do history and science in two days a week each. Normally for a credit, you're expected to do 4-5 hours a week of work.

 

What are the graduation requirements in your state? Do they need to do both history and science each year (4 credits each)?

 

Wendi

[LanaTron]

Thank you for your thoughts. I don't think I fully explained myself, however--sorry about that. Dh always fusses at me for doing that. ;)

 

I was trying to follow WTM recommendations for English. I have always understood WTM to recommend Rod & Staff as a stand alone English program, with writing across the curriculum. I have the 2nd ed. WTM, and I have the outline from the workshop SWB did recently here in Houston.

 

And I misspoke when I said R&S would be 5 days/week...and that rhetoric would be three days/week.

 

I was trying to say that 5 days/week would be English, including:

 

3-4 days R&S 7 (this is where WTM says to start if just starting R&S)

3 days rhetoric

1 day vocabulary, with 10 min. drill 3-4 other days

 

There will be writing in history (following what SWB said in the workshop, a 1-2 page response paper weekly or bi-weekly). And my original plan included similar assignments in literature, but we may take a more relaxed approach. And doesn't rhetoric cover writing instruction? Or at least how to make a clear, organized, consise argument in writing?

 

I will certainly consider your idea of block scheduling. I had forgotten about that, and it may simplify some things for us.

[elfgivas]

:grouphug:

 

its just hard.

 

for grade 9, dd #3 is doing

 

seven days a week: violin

six days a week: dance

five days a week: singapore math NEM, language arts, french, latin, ancient history

four days a week: science, composition (writeathome.com)

one day a week: grammar, logic

 

fwiw,

ann

[LanaTron]

Biology--yeah, I thought the way I had it was probably too simple. I just looked at the Miller/Levine book online and figured on covering a chapter a week. That's 29 chapters, with 7 extra weeks in case some chapters take longer. No?

 

And there will be a lab component, too, whether we do it at home, or at our new co-op. So the two hours is only the book work.

 

And yes, I meant biology on M/W, history on Tu/Th.

[LanaTron]

Thanks for the empathy. And thanks for sharing your dd's schedule...that helps, and will help my dc see that they're not the only ones with difficult schedules.

[LanaTron]

Typically high school English involves analyzing literature and writing papers. Grammar and vocabulary are still done, but the main focus is on analyzing literature and learning to write essays.

 

So, if I add literature 4x/week, does that help? I want to do Ancient lit the WTM way, but probably only covering 6 or so works. We will be doing Ancient history.

 

Also, do the colleges/universities they're interested in require labs? The state university system here requires that all high school sciences include labs; parents and the student even need to fill out a form describing where/how labs were done. You might want to see what the schools your kids are interested in require, since you are not sure if they'll be doing the labs.

 

Sorry, I wasn't clear. They will do a biology lab, hopefully at the co-op I'm starting, but if not, they will do it at home. Or there is someone who teaches just bio lab intensively for a few weeks in the summer...perhaps that, if need be.

 

I also agree that I don't think you can do history and science in two days a week each. Normally for a credit, you're expected to do 4-5 hours a week of work.

 

Yes, you're right. I'll have to go back to the drawing board for that, I suppose.

 

What are the graduation requirements in your state? Do they need to do both history and science each year (4 credits each)?

 

I haven't really paid much attention to the state ed requirements, but I believe that's true.

[Teachin'Mine]

Biology--yeah, I thought the way I had it was probably too simple. I just looked at the Miller/Levine book online and figured on covering a chapter a week. That's 29 chapters, with 7 extra weeks in case some chapters take longer. No?

 

And there will be a lab component, too, whether we do it at home, or at our new co-op. So the two hours is only the book work.

 

And yes, I meant biology on M/W, history on Tu/Th.

 

I don't see how a chapter of science could possibly be covered with only two hours of reading. Biology texts are very dense with information which has to be understood, memorized and assimilated. It should take approximately 5 hours per week/chapter plus lab time. But then again, I'm not familiar with ML specifically.

[LanaTron]

Okay, thanks. I didn't realize that. I don't know that we'll have 5 hours/week plus lab time to give to biology. I'll have to chew on that a bit.

Edited June 21, 2011 by LanaTron

[Teachin'Mine]

Just a thought, a lot of schools don't do history in 9th. If you dropped that for a year, that would give you the time you'll need for biology. :)

[LanaTron]

That is something to consider. On the way back from taking youngest dd to twilight camp tonight, I also realized that my 10th grader and 9th grader have different interests, but I'm trying to give them the same stuff. 10th grader wants to be a writer, so perhaps a very basic "check off the box" science for him, but more Lit and writing, while dd is very interested in science, so maybe more science for her, and lit can be "check the box." Thanks again for your thoughts.

[MommyThrice]

3 days/week

Logic--Traditional Logic followed by

Rhetoric--following WTM recommendations

 

 

We used Traditional Logic by Martin Cothran and it took a significant amount of time. My son worked on it 5 days/week, and that is without any videos. This year we are going to try the James Nance books with videos. I think my second son will benefit from the videos, but it will require more time to watch them. Both series take two semesters to get through both books.

 

I wouldn't add true rhetoric to the schedule until after the logic is completed. But if, by rhetoric, you mean speech or debate, that will be a great compliment to logic.

[jibaker103]

Okay, thanks. I didn't realize that. I don't know that we'll have 5 hours/week plus lab time to give to biology. I'll have to chew on that a bit.

My ds just completed biology and took about 30 to 45 minutes per day reading the text and answering 4 pages of worksheets (multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, and short answer). We also spent about 15 minutes discussing what he learned and completing some type of activity. This was done 3-4 days per week with 1-2 days for the lesson quiz or chapter test, watching Netflix documentaries, and completing a lab assignment. I did not include any writing assignments or lab reports but he did have to complete the Experience in Biology Student Lab Activity Guide that required short answer, drawings, and labeling for each lab. From setup to cleanup labs took about two hours.

[jibaker103]

We used Traditional Logic by Martin Cothran and it took a significant amount of time. My son worked on it 5 days/week, and that is without any videos. This year we are going to try the James Nance books with videos. I think my second son will benefit from the videos, but it will require more time to watch them. Both series take two semesters to get through both books.

 

I wouldn't add true rhetoric to the schedule until after the logic is completed. But if, by rhetoric, you mean speech or debate, that will be a great compliment to logic.

How many minutes per day?

[MommyThrice]

How many minutes per day?

 

It started off pretty easy. By the middle of the first book, about 30-45 minutes per day. In the second book, about 45 minutes to an hour per day. There is quite a bit of writing out syllogisms in various forms, so there is alot of thinking and alot of writing.

[LanaTron]

Thanks for the heads-up on the time requirement for Trad. Logic!

[jibaker103]

It started off pretty easy. By the middle of the first book, about 30-45 minutes per day. In the second book, about 45 minutes to an hour per day. There is quite a bit of writing out syllogisms in various forms, so there is alot of thinking and alot of writing.

Thank you so much. I'm going to have to really think this through. I think block scheduling is definitely going to have to happen instead of playing it by ear this time around.

[LanaTron]

Will you share what text/resources you used? Or is it the CK12 that's in your signature?

[jibaker103]

Will you share what text/resources you used? Or is it the CK12 that's in your signature?

Yes, it is the CK12 which we both love. It provides lots of links for activities, labs, and videos. You can also add, delete, and arrange the material as you see fit.