I know we are all about rigor and such...BUT....

[Mommyfaithe]

Which subjects do YOU just " Git it done???"

 

I am thinking my next dd is going to be that way with math and science. Not the most rigorous work, but covering enough to call it high school....and nothing more. She balks enough as it is.

 

History, literature and art will be her strong subjects.

 

Languages...farmed out....

 

How about you?? As I plan her 4 years of high school courses, I am keeping in mind my dd and her goals. Trying hard NOT to compare her to anyone else...even her siblings.

 

She is definitely a lot like her oldest sister...and her oldest brother. Artsy and a word nerd. This is her bent. We will get the other subjects done...but not harp on them. Oh please.......help me not harp on them!!!

 

Oh, and PS: please share your GET IT DONE resources for science and math. My other kids used Saxon and Apologia.....SHE will not. No way, no how.

 

 

~~Faithe......who needs to order her high school stuff this week in order to begin lesson planning this summer.

Edited April 21, 2012 by Mommyfaithe

[mom2twoWTM]

I'm so there with you on this one. My twins will be starting high school in the fall and are definitely more history / language nerds, not math / science geeks.

 

We recently switched from Saxon to Teaching Textbooks. I was reluctant at first but now think it was a great move. They are basically redoing Algebra and finally getting it. At this point, we will stick with TT through Pre-Calc unless something else comes up.

 

I'm still a bit stumped for science. We'll do Earth/Environmental for 9th. I'm leaning towards Oak Meadow or maybe doing some open courseware.

[MomatHWTK]

I used Plato Learning online science classes this year with DS. Next year I'm looking to AHA! or Adaptive Learning. I may grab Plato again for the 2nd semester if it goes on sale. He's 5th grade so we are doing middle school level, but they offer high school level courses as well.

 

Check out the "Marketplace" at Learning.com. You may find some free resources that fit what you need or can supplement. To register as a homeschooler, I was able to select "e-[mystate]" as my district.

[Jenny in Florida]

Spanish looks to be the one subject that we will trudge through just enough to fill out my son's transcript. We've been pounding away on foreign languages (trying Latin, Greek and Spanish), using a variety of materials, for the last several years. He just hates it and doesn't retain much.

 

It's so odd to me, because both my daughter and I enjoyed Spanish and found it quite easy. But, man oh man, not this kid.

 

Math isn't at the top of our priorities list, either. And we tend to come at science from a more conceptual, "isn't that cool!" perspective.

 

I don't have any BTDT advice for you on math or science, unfortunately. We're planning to give Life of Fred a try next year, and my son is almost enthusiastic about that. I'm already dreading chemistry, though.

Edited April 21, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[Nan in Mass]

History is ours. We sacrificed it to French by combining the two using a French history text at a lower level. I'm not sure how much of a sacrifice it has actually turned out to be, since the French textbook has a ton of primary sources, many visually oriented, and that fits in very well with our general goals for high school. History is something that most adult males I know read for fun, so I don't mind leaving lots of it to be learned later, provided that some very basic skills (like noticing the source of the information) are covered.

 

We didn't do a lot of logic, either. I relied on math and computer programming to cover that. My family doesn't have a huge need for verbal logic.

 

Grammar was another one. We relied on the bit of Latin that we did.

 

So far, I haven't at all regretted any of those.

 

Nan

[regentrude]

Our approach is to work on fewer subjects and do it well, not have lots and lots of different subjects.

We focus on the five core subjects and do rigorous work there every year: math, science, English, history and foreign language. These are what we actually grade.

 

We do not apply the same standards to electives: music history and art history for instance just get done. Utterly stupid requirements like Health and Personal Finance (which I consider part of life, not of an academic curriculum) are check-the-box. These get a Pass grade.

 

We do not do Latin, Greek or formal logic (this can be learned just fine in math and programming).

[Mom22ns]

Hmmm...

 

Ds did health this year. It was a just get it done thing. We have always kept up constant conversation on the topic and he knew most of what was there already. I just wanted him to read it instead of me saying it. It makes a more lasting impact for him.

 

History would have to be the other one here. We have used a lot of SL and do a lot of reading for history, but we do it casually without any tests or anything. I can't call it rigorous.

 

I am very rigorous in Language Arts and Science. We work hard on math and although we use MUS as our primary math program which I suppose that isn't rigorous, we don't consider it a "just get it done" subject. It is the only subject we do year round (LoF in the summer).

[Jane in NC]

Well my now Archaeology major was a history/science kid in high school. Given my nature, I made math a priority. This included AP Calc, not always pretty, but he was glad to start college with his Math requirement checked. In retrospect, perhaps AP Statistics would have been better but I could not give up hope that my son would find greater enthusiasm for Math. (And this Math geek has minimal enthusiasm for Statistics.)

 

The one course that ended up being a "get er done" for us was US Government. I really wanted a larger than life political philosophy course leading up to American Government, but college applications and visits, senior project, etc. got in the way of my best laid plan.

[SkateLeft]

The one course that ended up being a "get er done" for us was US Government.

 

I think that's going to be us next year. If she can fit US Government into her on-campus schedule at the CC next year, she might take it there, but there are other things that she needs and wants. So I'm debating just picking up a text and having her read through it.

 

Our other "get it done" courses in high school was foreign language. I outsourced German to OSU, and once she finished German 2, she was done. Not continuing in German this year made room for more math and science, which is important to her.

 

I think we went lighter on the social sciences than some people do also, mainly by just finding the resources and having her work through them. I didn't require as much writing in history as I did in science and English.

[EKS]

I took the "git it done" attitude with Latin. My dyslexic son needs two years of a language and it is beyond hard for him. So I found the easiest course I could at an accredited school and signed him up. He has one quarter to go, knows very little Latin, and I can't wait for it to be over! Next year he will replace Latin in his schedule with AP physics, which is something he really wants to do.

[elegantlion]

This is informed speculation at this point, but we have a few subjects that will be box checkers.

 

Biology - he adores physics, but abhors anything to do with biology. We lived in the woods for five years, had wonderful nature study, but he was never interested in studying any of it.

 

Government - not interested in politics

 

Health - big box check

[Cathy in TX]

For my oldest, it was physics--I let her take Conceptual Physics rather than a more math-based course. She did so with the understanding that she would take her last high school science class at our local community college. She opted to take geology and loved it. My youngest will probably follow the same path since she is so much like my oldest. The middle one loves science, though. :)

 

Health is the one subject all three kids do just to get done.

[BakersDozen]

So thankful for this thread!!! :)

 

Grammar: This is our last year and how glad we will all be!! I don't think I will have my other dc do grammar in high school if at all possible or at least not past the freshman year.

 

Spanish: I used to grade this quite harshly but have since backed off a lot. As long as they learn enough to do well in a CC class, I'm happy.

 

Logic: I handed them the book and told them to have fun reading it rather than making it a scheduled production in our day.

 

Latin: Haven't even touched it, not sure we will.

[Barbara H]

Our big check it off the list subject was English or more specifically literature. It was important to me there strong college level writing skills were achieved, but at the end of the day my STEM loving, history loving, student doesn't love literature. We did the minimum amount to get through and it has been FINE. American government was also the minimum amount necessary to feel like we'd done it.

 

Good subject for a thread. Some of us high achieving type homeschooling parents can use a reminder that the goal isn't perfection. Not every course in every subject needs to be a home run.

[TheApprentice]

For my creative/science guy, history and grammar(this will be his last year formally) fall into the "git it done" category. And we switched from Derek Owens math (which he enjoyed) to Saxons. So I hope this too won't fall into the git it done.

[Nan in Mass]

Are there any disadvantages to not putting health and personal finance on the transcript? It didn't occur to me that they were required school subjects. Obviously we cover how to take care of oneself and how not to be stupid about money, but do they have to be courses on the transcript?

Nan

[Mommyfaithe]

I am really enjoying this thread. It really shows that we can't do ALL of EVERYTHING well and come out relatively sane :D

 

My oldest did a very CM type of science for High School. :DShe read books, nature studied, drew, labeled, and learned scientific terminology. She loved what she did, but it certainly did not look like a typical high school course. I am not even sure if we covered everything....but she loved these classes and saved her notebooks as cherished possessions.

 

My next 2 kids did lots of math and science, but I had to limit literature to a text book (AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!) and Latin/Logic to a "Just get it done."

 

I am just trying to personalize dd's high school course work to fit her...

 

We will probably use Lyrical Life Science with Usborne Biology and Kingfisher science encyclopedia with lots of notebooking and extra reading...and call it a day. That is more her speed...and she may actually learn something instead of study and dump.

 

Faithe

[elegantlion]

Are there any disadvantages to not putting health and personal finance on the transcript? It didn't occur to me that they were required school subjects. Obviously we cover how to take care of oneself and how not to be stupid about money, but do they have to be courses on the transcript?

Nan

 

Our state requires personal finance instead of economics for public school students. In turn the few colleges I've looked at like to have it listed. Health is also a public school requirement, but I haven't looked at the college requirements for listing it yet.

[Susan C.]

With dd18, senior, this was a get 'er done year. We picked one subject to dig deep (English), the rest were get 'er done. She was going through vision therapy over 3 hours away, so lots of driving, and sore eyes from exercises. She is artsy as well, and math/science have always taken up a large portion of her day. That needed to change because her areas of interest have always been short changed. She only needed four credits to graduate, so I made them her core classes, and added photography (she is quite good at it). This is what we did, with approval from the local four-year university she will be attending:

 

Math: Did Lial's Intermediate Algebra for Algebra 3. I know college algebra is Algebra 3, but it was approved. This was the best decision EVER. Creatives need more repeat for math!!! I have two, I know!! She completed BJU Algebra 2 in her junior year, so it really stretched her to just use the text without the hand holding in the dvds. Some was repeat, but she forgot some, so it was good for reinforcement. I sped it up, doing 7-8 chapters first semester to get her used to college's speed. She will be very ready to take college algebra at college.

 

Science: Did Human Biology (anatomy and some environmental type subjects), used ds's college text, and drum roll...... I picked 12 chapters, spent three weeks each (at the end, dd sped it up when her eyes were better), and called it. (She started w/Apologia, but with sore eyes and chatty text, we changed to the college text, which is for non-science majors). There were tests online to go with the text.

 

English 4: no more grammar (have done BJU since 7th grade), The Lively Art of Writing (dd read and did a few of the writing exercises), Scott Foresman's England in Literature, and a quick pass of Windows to the World. We went for deeper thinking, so she read most of the SF text, and has done papers to learn literary analysis at a deeper level (she is going to be an English major). I am letting her take as long as she needs to get up to speed writing papers where she really has to dig into literary elements, time periods, etc., again, to get her ready for college.

 

Government/Economics: We used Nextext for government, a small text that covers the basics, and used the online tests. We used Penny Candy with the Bluestocking Press guide for economics, and watched some clips on hippocampus. My economics course in high school was more practical, and I picked middle ground between that and a more traditional course. There were also a few economics chapters in the government text.

 

ETA: Faithe, study and dump, LOVE IT!!! (the phrase, not the cram and throw it up on the test and not retain any of it....)

Edited April 21, 2012 by Susan C.
had to add!!

[Kareni]

Are there any disadvantages to not putting health and personal finance on the transcript? It didn't occur to me that they were required school subjects. Obviously we cover how to take care of oneself and how not to be stupid about money, but do they have to be courses on the transcript?

 

 

In all the colleges that my daughter considered, we did not see one that actually required a Health credit.

 

On the homeschool profile that I sent with my daughter's college applications, I had the following statement:

 

"DD has no formal Health credit on her transcript; however, we have covered this subject on an informal basis throughout her high school years."

 

So, I did not issue any credit for Health. Just another approach for you to consider.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[grace4me]

Ladies,

Thanks for this thread! They are all different aren't they? And so are we! I am constantly reminded how deeply ingrained PS standards of education are ingrained in me, the "grading" a child against the "average" (is my child a "A" student?), the sequence,the time allowed to learn a "subject", blah blah. I want my dc to learn, not regurgitate! And yet, if I was honest with myself, it would take another 10 years to investigate all of these subjects we cram into high school and do them with excellence! It may take that long for dd1 to grasp AlgII !! ; )

 

That said, I am just now beginning to embrace the "get 'er done" concept in some areas....others, I am not willing to compromise. This thread helps me to remember to quit trying to fit square pegs into round holes. To breathe, to enjoy my kids and trust that my best efforts will be enough!! I am with you, Faith, on the garden piece! I'm also going to saddle up my mare and go riding all by myself! Mary

[SuperDad]

I think I am more of a "combiner" than a "git r done"-er. For example, if dd takes Computer Programming, then I won't make her take a logic course. Make sense? And I am probably the only person on this board who *insists* on a serious 1/2 credit for "Health". I think the way Health is usually taught is a joke. I don't think Health itself is a joke.

[regentrude]

And I am probably the only person on this board who *insists* on a serious 1/2 credit for "Health". I think the way Health is usually taught is a joke. I don't think Health itself is a joke.

 

I agree: Health is important. I question, however, the wisdom of making it an academic subject that can be covered in one semester. To me, teaching my children about healthy lifestyle, body care, physical activity, good nutrition, preventive care, home and OTC remedies and first aid is an integral part of parenting over many years. And I believe an approach where healthy living is modeled to the students over years is much more effective than doing even the most rigorous textbook study for a semester.

I see that as one of the requirements schools are burdened with because parents do not do their job. Health and personal finance and home ec should be covered in the family as a natural part of raising children.

 

So when I say "health is a check-the-box-subject" I do not mean that I do not find it important to teach my kids about health. I rather mean that I find it impossible to squeeze this into the half-credit-in-high-school-list-textbook box. Which is why I refuse to search for a health curriculum and just give credit for the education that happens in our home anyway.

Does that make sense?

[Sallie Mae]

May I ask what you recommend for Health?

[Sallie Mae]

May I ask what you suggest for Health?

[SuperDad]

I agree: Health is important. I question, however, the wisdom of making it an academic subject that can be covered in one semester. To me, teaching my children about healthy lifestyle, body care, physical activity, good nutrition, preventive care, home and OTC remedies and first aid is an integral part of parenting over many years. And I believe an approach where healthy living is modeled to the students over years is much more effective than doing even the most rigorous textbook study for a semester.

I see that as one of the requirements schools are burdened with because parents do not do their job. Health and personal finance and home ec should be covered in the family as a natural part of raising children.

 

So when I say "health is a check-the-box-subject" I do not mean that I do not find it important to teach my kids about health. I rather mean that I find it impossible to squeeze this into the half-credit-in-high-school-list-textbook box. Which is why I refuse to search for a health curriculum and just give credit for the education that happens in our home anyway.

Does that make sense?

 

I agree that many health practices can and should be learned in real life, and that the entire subject of health encompasses far too much content to squeeze into one semester. However, I think that it is important for my kids to understand to basics of A&P, medicine/pharmacology, mental health and sleep, and human biology. Those are topics that don't always get directly addressed in real life. Similarly, personal finance and home ec *should* be covered through parenting, but I have six kids and no way to guarantee that one or more of them have slipped through the cracks. That's why I require a formal study of the basics (obviously they can just breeze on through what they already know).

[ThisIsTheDay]

Which subjects do YOU just " Git it done???"

 

"Sometimes easy is okay."

 

Economics.

Eschatology (Biblical end times).

And to a point, history.

 

 

 

:D

[BakersDozen]

"Sometimes easy is okay."

 

 

:iagree: I need to post both this statement and "Study and Dump" somewhere in my house! Like another poster, I am so ingrained in the public school mentality of how learning must occur I forget what learning should be. My 13 and 14yo are doing MOH and loving it! It's not a typical high school text yet they are learning so much more than I ever did using a massive text that was dry as bones in high school. I wish I had learned Biology the way they are as well! Again, no massive text yet the learning that is happening is awesome thanks to the suggestions and encouragement of those here who shared things such as Biology 101. :)

[LunaLee]

Sounds like my dd... basically, heavy sigh, most of high school was just check the box. For me it was hard because I wanted to slide on rainbows too, but she is service driven and she has spent a lot of the last 4 years doing community service, volunteer work, and teaching classes to other homeschooled kids, so it was always kind of hard for me to "harp" about the school work. Don't get me wrong, I did harp, but I have faith it will all work out in the end.

 

Some curriculum we've used that was "git 'er dunnn":

 

Science:

OM Biology

Conceptual Chemistry

OM Psychology

 

Math:

Life of Fred

Abeka Consumer Math

LifePac Accounting

 

Economics/Social Science:

Uncle Eric series

 

Now, something I've considered for ds is to use the AP/SAT subject test preps as a spine and then adding in living books and essays, but I still have a year to think about all that.

Edited April 22, 2012 by LunaLee

[Keep the Faith]

Our big check it off the list subject was English or more specifically literature. It was important to me there strong college level writing skills were achieved, but at the end of the day my STEM loving, history loving, student doesn't love literature. We did the minimum amount to get through and it has been FINE.

 

In a similar situation with literature here. Could you share how you did it? I'd be interested to know what you did for the reading AND writing part. :bigear:

[Mama Lynx]

For my oldest, whose passion is history, math is our "Get it done!" subject. This is closely followed by science (with the exception of biology, which he loves).

 

For my rising 9th grader, history will take a back seat. He plans to go to college for engineering, so math and science will be his priorities. OTOH, he's planning to do three languages next year. It will be interesting.

[AngieW in Texas]

For my oldest, history and English were the subjects she slogged through. She had no interest at all. She didn't like math, but she was really good at it, so she did well with that. She didn't like science either, but as long as she did a science that was heavy on math, she did fine. She is working on a degree in animation.

 

For my middle, history is the only slog. She doesn't dislike it, but she doesn't care for it either. Her strongest subject is actually literary analysis, but I think that's because psychology is her passion. She is also very strong in math and science. She plans to major in cognitive science or neuroscience.

 

My youngest dd lives for music, especially country music. Her other passion is photography. She is not an academic kid like my other two, but I want to make sure to leave doors open for her in high school. I doubt that she will go to 4-year university, but I would like for her to at least get an AS in something. The only academic subject she really cares for is history.