still trying to decide on oldest's senior year

[choirfarm]

Ok, this is what my oldest has done/is doing so far:

9th grade

English I

Chalkdust Geometry

SOS Spanish i

TOG Year 3 rhetoric ( called it 19th Century World History)

Apologia Chemistry

Logic (Introductory and Intermediate Logic for 1 credit)

10th grade

English II

Chalkdust combined Alg I and II ( He did TT Alg I and II in 8th)

SOS Spanish 2( actually finished 1 and did about half of 2)

TOG Year 4 rhetoric ( 20th Century World History)

CS Lewis ½ credit course

AP Statistics through PA Homeschoolers

Apologia Physics

Driver’s Ed- ½ credit

Testing: AP Stats 5 and SAT 2 American History 730

11th grade

English III

Chalkdust Precalculus

Spanish I and II at cc

Racquetball at cc- ½ pe credit

AP Chemistry through PA Homeschoolers

AP Government through PA Homeschoolers

Health ½ credit

Computer Programming ½ credit AOPS course (March-June)

Intro to Theater- ½ credit done mainly in the summer

Testing: AP Chemistry and Government as well as PSAT, SAT and ACT

 

 

Now for his senior year:

AP Calculus ( still trying to decide between AB and BC)

AP Physics

Spanish 3 and 4 at cc

 

Those are non-negotiable. He is seriously considering Eng. at the cc so he doesn't have to take it at his "real" school. He and I both like AP Economics. It looks like a fun class that he would really enjoy. He needs speech at the cc. I will be doing TOG year 1 rhetoric the middle, upper grammar/dialectic mix with younger. My oldest hasn't read the Odyssey, Illiad, Chaucer or any of those yet... He could do a world history survey couse with me and then take his SAT 2 or a world history course at cc.

 

AP Calc

AP Physics

AP Economics

Spanish III and IV at cc

English at cc both semesters

Speech at cc one semester, World History the other

 

Looks pretty tough. The only thing is that he hasn't done is the early classics. He might actually read those with me for fun.

 

Or

AP Calc

AP Physics

AP Economics

Spanish III and IV

Eng at cc one semester,speech other semester

World history with me at home using TOG as well as the literature part. (The cc class would be a writing class.)

 

What do you think?

 

[choirfarm]

Another option is about computer programming, which is what he wants to major in. But the profs at Baylor and LeTourneau both told him that he didn't need any computer programming classes. He just needed a really good math background. But to me, shouldn't you at least try it before you get there??? We could NOT do the AOPS class and do 2 semesters of computer programming at the cc. He has been resistant to that idea.

[memphispeg]

Something fun? Like environmental science or art history or a non-book based class like workshop, electronics, metal shop, cooking, gardening, music, art technique, underwater basket weaving? AP econ is pretty dry, maybe there could be a way to make it interesting like environmental-economics or a "business" sort of class. If you do computer stuff, maybe a modeling class?

[snowbeltmom]

Another option is about computer programming, which is what he wants to major in. But the profs at Baylor and LeTourneau both told him that he didn't need any computer programming classes. He just needed a really good math background.

If he wants to major in computer programming, I would add some discrete math to his senior year courses. AoPS has some really great discrete math courses.

[choirfarm]

SAP econ is pretty dry, maybe there could be a way to make it interesting like environmental-economics or a "business" sort of class. If you do computer stuff, maybe a modeling class?

 

The PA Homeschooler AP Economics class looks fun, not dry:

 

Are you the sort of person who likes to talk about the effects of government policies and what the government should or should not do? My oldest definitely is. He is really enjoying AP Government this year. You may be a born economist. Macroeconomics is the part of economics that studies government actions and looks mostly at problems of the economy as a whole such as inflation, unemployment, recession, international trade, and long-term growth. We will specifically learn about economics theories of important economists from Adam Smith, to Keynes, to Milton Friedman.

In this class, you will learn how to predict the effects of government actions. For example, "What happens to unemployment rates when the government raises the minimum wage or cuts taxes?"

You will learn the skills necessary for analyzing economics problems: how to use the vocabulary of economists, how to draw “supply†and “demand†curves, how to read economics graphs, and how to pull the economy out of recessions or inflationary spirals.

The most fun part of the class is the economics simulation games. Each game will be played twice (each run lasting two weeks), and there will be four games during the year.

1. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal sb_id="ms__id747">The Business Game: You will either be a burger retailer or a wholesaler. Wholesalers arrange sales to retailers and decide whether or not to build new factories and/or invest in improved technology. Retailers sell to a fictional public and the amount they sell depends upon their market share, price, and advertising. This game teaches the microeconomics of supply and demand through a business simulation. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal sb_id="ms__id749">Guns or Butter Game: You are the absolute dictator of a country and you need to decide how to spend your money. You can also trade with your allies to take advantage of each country’s comparative advantages. But watch out, if you don’t build enough weapons you could be attacked. This game teaches about the importance of investment, maintaining defensive strength, and comparative advantage in international trade. <LI style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in" class=MsoNormal sb_id="ms__id751">International Growth Game: You are both a government and an investor. As a government you use fiscal and monetary policies to try to attract investment. As an investor you try to pick the best countries (from among the other countries) for your new factories. This game teaches some of the relationships between money supply, government spending, taxation, interest rates, and private investment.
   
2. Economic Warfare Game: You will be either the business or the government segment of a country. Businesses are trying to make more money than other businesses and governments are trying to advance their economy while using currency manipulations, spies, and counterspies to gain competitive advantages over other countries. This game requires an understanding of international capital movements and foreign trade, the main factors that affect the relative prices of currencies.
   

Throughout the year, class participation, good quality work, and extra-credit work will be encouraged and the harder that students work the more points they will earn. Your final grade will be determined by a combination of the number of points accumulated and your score on an actual AP Macroeconomics exam that I send to your home as a final exam.

We will finish up all of the macro-economics class work by March 1. You would just need to review in order to prepare for the AP Macroeconomics exam in May. If you also want to prepare for the AP Microeconomics exam, the textbooks and tapes for the macro-economics class cover both macro and micro, so you wouldn’t have to buy any additional materials.

[choirfarm]

If he wants to major in computer programming, I would add some discrete math to his senior year courses. AoPS has some really great discrete math courses.

 

That is funny because that is what the TCU prof was talking to him about. He came out of his meeting with him saying they got into the coolest discussion about discrete math which he had never heard of before. Do you think he would do ok, if he hasn't had any AOPs classes before?

[snowbeltmom]

That is funny because that is what the TCU prof was talking to him about. He came out of his meeting with him saying they got into the coolest discussion about discrete math which he had never heard of before. Do you think he would do ok, if he hasn't had any AOPs classes before?

The only pre-req. for both the intro number theory and probability class is Alg I. The pace of the AoPS classes is extremely fast, so more than likely, your son may have to devote more time per day to math than what he has in prior years - just something to keep in mind from a scheduling standpoint.

[choirfarm]

A question for those of you using AOPS. To be honest, I hadn't really noticed this before this year. If I had to do it over again, these look great for my oldest. I might have had him do math competitions as well. Too late now. That said, he isn't just a math geek. He loved his CS Lewis course that I designed. He thinks theology is interesting. He is loving all of the political science information he is learning this year. He has hit a wall at precalc ( ch 6 in Chalkdust) He can't figure out the word problems. I asked him about my getting a tutor, and he doesn't like that idea. But he needs interaction to get it, I think. How do you decide which AOPS classes to take?? What order? It looks like they offer classes at interesting times.

 

AP Calc isn't a necessity, but exposure is. He hit a wall with AP Stats, but Blue Hen is a GREAT teacher and her interaction helped him understand it. How is the interaction with AOPS precalc or calc or any of the classes for that matter? I want him to understand Calculus before he goes and takes it at college. With AP Calc, I wasn't going to have him take the exam necessarily, definitely not use it for credit. I want him to know the material, which is why I was looking at PA Homeschoolers.

Edited December 4, 2011 by choirfarm

[memphispeg]

We are doing macro-and micro- econ this year. I think the econ. modeling stuff could prove to be the most interesting in that course that is described. Looks like the world needs to start from scratch about lots of the econ. assumptions, etc. It would be interesting to see what the modeling would be like. It would tap into your ds' math side but, maybe also be creative?

[nancy in nj]

My dd is taking AP Economics through PA Homeschoolers as a junior, and it is absolutely fantastic. Definitely not dry or boring! The class is extremely interactive, and Dr. Richman is always available to answer questions. But the games are what really separates this class from any other online course that she's taken---they are so much fun! So far this year she has sold burgers to her classmates; purchased burgers from her classmates; traded food, consumer goods & weapons with her classmates, waged war on her classmates and invested in her classmates. She's also written a lot of essays and done the "normal" classwork.

 

This class will definitely be the highlight of my daughter's highschool experience, and I'm a bit worried that any classes she takes next year will not measure up.

 

Nancy

[choirfarm]

That is nice to know. I know that Calc and Physics will take up a lot of time. I was hoping that this one would be fun; although I know it will still take work. But right now he is putting more time into AP Chem than AP Gov.

My dd is taking AP Economics through PA Homeschoolers as a junior, and it is absolutely fantastic. Definitely not dry or boring! The class is extremely interactive, and Dr. Richman is always available to answer questions. But the games are what really separates this class from any other online course that she's taken---they are so much fun! So far this year she has sold burgers to her classmates; purchased burgers from her classmates; traded food, consumer goods & weapons with her classmates, waged war on her classmates and invested in her classmates. She's also written a lot of essays and done the "normal" classwork.

 

This class will definitely be the highlight of my daughter's highschool experience, and I'm a bit worried that any classes she takes next year will not measure up.

 

Nancy