Fifer Dad Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I am new to this site. I posted this question in the accelerated learning board and it was suggested that I repost the question on the high school board. We are seriously considering moving our daughter to homeschooling next year. She will be in the ninth grade and does very well academically. In addition, she is a talented tennis player and VA may be about to pass rules which would allow homeschoolers to be involved in public school sports. She is currently in a private school. Her schedule for next year would include Honors English and Honors Alg2/Trig. Any advice as to the best curriculum or online school would be greatly appreciated. The other classes that I would see her taking next year would include French 2, World History, Old Testament Survey, Music Theory and a science (she is scheduled for biology at her private school). Happy to receive any counsel from the pros in this forum. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 For online options, I would look into the Potters School for rigorous english/lit classes. for math I like Derekowen.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 What texts did she use for algebra 1 and geometry? You may want to continue with the same publisher if they worked well for her. What type of a program are you looking for - secular or religious? Are you looking for a complete program with lesson plans or are you looking to piece together your own curricula from various sources? How does she learn best - from reading texts, from watching videos, from online work, etc.? Will she be concerned with meeting NCAA requirements? Some of these answers will help people to give you more specific recommendations. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifer Dad Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 What texts did she use for algebra 1 and geometry? You may want to continue with the same publisher if they worked well for her. What type of a program are you looking for - secular or religious? Are you looking for a complete program with lesson plans or are you looking to piece together your own curricula from various sources? How does she learn best - from reading texts' date=' from watching videos, from online work, etc.? Will she be concerned with meeting NCAA requirements? Some of these answers will help people to give you more specific recommendations. :)[/quote'] For Algebra she had McDougal Littell and for Geometry she is using Lawson. I am looking at putting together the best curricula from various sources. The program can be secular or religious. I am an ordained minister so I will be looking at teaching her Old and New Testament Survey courses. She might decide to enter a music conservatory but would like to keep the door open to playing tennis at the college level. She is a quick learner regardless of the type of learning. The key for her is being challenged. Happy to answer any other questions. Thanks for taking the time to reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Kolbe offers an Honors Algebra 2/Trig course, using Foerster's "Algebra and Trigonometry: Functions and Applications" text. It's what my oldest daughter used, and we were quite happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 It sounds like you'll do fine. I would also recommend that you bring your daughter into the process of curriculum choice--seeing what works for her learning style, esp. if she is going to be self-teaching. There is a disadvantage to using conventional classroom curriculum, esp. for Math. Saxon (& other homeschool publishers, like Apologia Science) teach to the student directly in the textbook, no lecture or teacher support is expected. Some parents choose video school, so that there is a teacher to provide the lectures, and every base is covered . . . but IMO it is more time-consuming and your dd may already know some of the material already. Also, be prepared to make curriculum "mistakes"--trying to use a textbook or course that clearly doesn't work for you two. You may also consider dual enrollment at your local community college, as a Jr or Sr. Homeschooling is perfectly suited for students wanting to specialize in a specific area (like music or tennis). Enjoy the information gathering, and we wish you and your dd the best in your new endeavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 It sounds like you'll do fine. I would also recommend that you bring your daughter into the process of curriculum choice--seeing what works for her learning style, esp. if she is going to be self-teaching. There is a disadvantage to using conventional classroom curriculum, esp. for Math. Saxon (& other homeschool publishers, like Apologia Science) teach to the student directly in the textbook, no lecture or teacher support is expected. Some parents choose video school, so that there is a teacher to provide the lectures, and every base is covered . . . but IMO it is more time-consuming and your dd may already know some of the material already. Also, be prepared to make curriculum "mistakes"--trying to use a textbook or course that clearly doesn't work for you two. You may also consider dual enrollment at your local community college, as a Jr or Sr. Homeschooling is perfectly suited for students wanting to specialize in a specific area (like music or tennis). Enjoy the information gathering, and we wish you and your dd the best in your new endeavor. Ditto to all of what Beth has said! :) As she might want to play tennis in college, I'd suggest following the requirements for NCAA to keep her options open. I'm not familiar with the requirements, but there are many here who are. We've used Saxon for math and Apologia for science and have been thrilled with both of these. As was said, these texts teach directly to the student and really don't need much parent involvement for the learning of the material. Saxon works best when the parent goes over the problem lessons each day - for us dd reads her answers and re-works any which are wrong. We do the same for the chapter reviews in Apologia's science texts. If you can find a homeschool convention or curricula fair near you, it would be great to go with your daughter to see all the choices for yourselves. There are also schools which provide lesson plans, texts, grading, diplomas, etc. which might be of interest. We've been very pleased with Seton. I also think that dual enrollment at a cc is a great way to provide the challenge that some students need to thrive. There's also AP courses available through several different providers - some are online classes and some offer virtual classrooms. It sounds like you daughter has had a good algebra 1 and geometry course and since she learns easily, will probably do well with whatever program you decide to use. It's easy to spend hours here just reading through the high school forum section ... but you can get an amazing amount of information and opinions on various options. Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifer Dad Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks very much for the information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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