Need advice on 9th grade schedule, and it's an odd situation all around.

[cheryl h]

Ok, I hope I am able to explain this clearly without totally confusing everyone. Dd14 will be a 9th grader next year and we have chosen to put her in Classical Conversations Challenge B. She has not done CC before at all or Latin for that matter, so we chose to put her in B rather than Challenge 1.

 

For those not familiar with CC, in the B program she will have Henle Latin, Literature/Short Stories, Current Events/Mock Trial, History of Science/Origins, Formal Logic, and Math which will be Saxon Alg 1. So based on her skill level I do feel like I need to do our own schedule with History, Eng/Comp and Science. She will likely do Apologia Biology and we are still undecided on History because I am not sure if I should have her continue chronologically with what we have been doing at home, or start at a typical high school sequence. If she continued with our sequence it would be US History (likely Notgrass), or start with what most start with for 9th being Ancients (not sure what we would use for that).

 

So, here comes the weird part that I am having trouble deciding what is best. In our district there is a very nice dual enrollment program which allows her to get up to 12 credits a term free, books also free. Well, she is eligible to start when she is 16, so fall of her junior year, however the district nor the dual cc will recognize any homeschooling credits prior to her entering the program. She will basically be getting her high school diploma and AA simultaniously, in 2 years time. It totally sucks to not have the next 2 years count on paper for anything, but that's how their program works. I have no intention of slacking at all the next two years, in fact I want to optimize our time(course selection) so that it gets her into better classes during the dual enrollment period, hence more bang for our buck credit wise as a transfer student to a 4 yr university.

 

What History, English/Comp would you suggest to best prepare a student for dual enrollment? Maybe it doesn't even matter, and I am worrying over nothing. I just don't want her to get there and go "Wow, wished I had taken more......before I took it at the community college. Thanks a heap, mom."

[Jennifer in FL]

I would consider IEW's "The Elegant Essay" and "Windows to the World" (Intro. to Literary Analysis). They are each a semester long for HS, written by a former homeschool mom turned professional educator (with degrees)after her kids graduated. It is a little teacher intensive, but both are easy to use and her teacher's manuals are very conversational, interesting, and helpful. I was strong in lit and writing, but find I am learning tons, esp about analyzing literature in relation to worldview. Actually I know they do use IEW in CC, so maybe you are already using them.

We are doing them with a small group of other students (meeting once per week) to discuss books and the papers. $50 each for the student and teacher books at CBD and Rainbow.

James Stobaugh's materials ("For Such a Time As This") are very intensive as he writes for the SAT boards. Both my boys and I have enjoyed his stuff and learned a ton!

[Halftime Hope]

I haven't gotten a close look at the CC materials to see what you will be doing in lit/comp there, but I do know that the focus is on short stories and that she will write a short story. (I may be tutoring Challenge B next year, and several of this year's student sent me their stories to read. : ) )

 

That said, in your situation, I would probably do what the PP said and get Windows to the World, then work it concurrently with CC strand, and combine what she is learning. It seems to me that it would be a very good fit, as she would be able to apply the concepts in WttW to what she is studying, and the concepts in WttW would also be helpful to her when she writes her short story. : ) There are several schedules in WttW, so you can pick the pace that is comfortable, given the workload for CC.

 

If you want her to continue in Challenge I, she will get American Lit, Gov't and Econ, so doing Notgrass US Hist this year would be a good precursor, however, she may never get Ancient History if you don't do it with her, depending on what is on the docket in the dual credit program. (I'd check their scope and sequence--most undergrad required histories are general--either World Civ, or US through 1876, and US after 1876.)

 

That's my two cents' worth.

[cheryl h]

Bumping for more exposure. For some reason I tend to post too late at night.

[Halftime Hope]

Bumping this for Cheryl:lurk5:

[singing mom]

Wow…I think it’s not a coincidence I’m seeing your post today! I don’t get on the forum very often, not because I don’t enjoy what I see when I’m here but quite frankly I kinda forget about it! (Duh! J) Anyway, I have son who is 14 and entering in the 9TH grade. I’m seriously contemplating the same course of action you are with regards to CC and the track you are taking by beginning in Challenge B and then progressing to Challenge 1 next year. I don’t have any advice but I do have a thought, such as it is. J I absolutely do not think you’ll be wasting time the first two years in her courses…it will be an absolute benefit to her now and the adult she will be. Also, with regards to possibly lacking in the literary arts; from what I’ve seen with CC, you have nothing to worry about! From what I understand and have seen, she will have a fantastic base for writing as a result of reading all the wonderful books she’ll read as well as the IEW courses she’ll take. I’m trying to say I think she will be absolutely more than ready for those college classes!

Thanks for posting…I know it sounds weird but despite the fact I obviously have never meet another person on this forum or have even communicated on a one on one level, I have a respect for those who post here. (Told you it was weird! J) Anyway, it makes me feel like my train of thinking is on track.