Ancients for high-school credit in 8th grade

[TC5]

This week, we tried out some high-school level courses with my 8th-grader. We are studying Ancients this year, so I figured we might as well see whether he can handle an hour per day of history and an hour per day of Great Books and count it for high school. I'm still not sure whether that means it will count for high school, though. I told him he'd be expected to read a chapter in SWB's History of the Ancient World and then write down the things mentioned in the 3rd edition of the WTM for The History Foundation section of the notebook.

 

The first couple of days, this has taken him 20-30 minutes per day. I don't see anything else mentioned in the WTM that is needed to count this for history. I am planning to have him write periodically, but all I remember seeing mentioned is a research paper in the spring. I figured he could finish HoAW in a year by reading 3 chapters each week, but maybe he needs to just fill the 5 hours/week with supplementary reading, lectures, videos, and writing?

 

We'll have no problem filling an hour each day with the Great Books side of things, but I'm not sure about history. Is anyone using the new Study Guide? That would stretch the book out some, but I am wondering how the 5 week sample can last a month or so as the moderator says in post #12. Just one chapter each week? 5 hours on a single chapter?

 

I know I must be missing something. 

 

On another note, I don't want to push my son into high-school courses too soon. He'll be 13 at the end of October, so is young by public-school standards, especially, to be doing high-school level work. It just seems like the natural next step. As I mentioned, we are studying Ancients this year anyway, so he would be reading at least some of the Great Books this year, but we could do some middle-grade books, too and do a simpler history book. He is also taking Algebra I, which goes on the transcript, and an online Latin I class meant for high-school.

 

My son is academically capable of these things, but he is a middle-grade student and suddenly doesn't want to do much of anything except math and creative writing. We did get HoAW from the library a few months ago, and he agreed he'd like to use it in 8th grade. Then this week he had a hard time remembering that.  :huh:

 

Teonei

 

 

[TC5]

So we basically just add in any supplements to get the hours and depth/understanding. A weekly discussion and paper will easily add to this, and we didn't do that this week. We were just easing into our first week of school.

 

I just realized a project he suggested, which will take him a few months, would tie into history, as well. I'm sure we can think of others, too.

 

Thanks for your ideas.