Need ideas to for 11th/12th grades with an unusual situation

[skimomma]

My dd is in 10th grade and has always been homeschooled.  She is currently on the traditional high school path that closely follows the courses her public schooled peers are taking.  For high school, we have done 6 credits per year:

Pre-High School: Algebra I, Latin 1-3

9th: AP Latin (4 on the exam), Geometry, Biology, World History I*, Literature/Rhetoric I*, Music

10th: Algebra II, Honors Chemistry, World History II*, Literature/Rhetoric II*, PE, Intro to Computer Programming

*These courses are set up TWTM-style with a combination of the 4-year cycle of history, literature, and rhetoric. 

We had planned to follow this basic path through graduation.  Our state does require US History, US Government, and State Government for graduation, none of which dd has taken yet.  I had planned to split World History III and IV with US History and add Government (combo US and State) as a 1/2 credit in place of an elective in 11th or 12th grade.  And frankly, I live in a no-report state.  No one would know to what extent these were covered, how, or how in-depth, so I do have some flexibility there.

Now, we have a twist in the plan and I need ideas on how to adjust.  Dd is likely attending a semester boarding school for the fall of 11th grade.  She will be back home for the rest of 11th and all of 12th grade.  She will earn a full credit of lab science, 1/2 credit each of English, history, art (or another elective), and PE during her time at the semester school.  The English and history classes do not align with TWTM style we have done thus far, nor does the history cover any part of government or US history.  I would really call these "electives" even though they technically fulfill core credit requirements.  And note that math is not offered.

I already plan to dual-enroll dd at the local university for pre-calculus for the spring of 11th grade, which will take care of a full credit of math.  I also plan to do an abbreviated version of TWTM-style World history/English III at home for an additional full credit.  That leaves a minimum of one full credit we need to come up with during spring semester.  And since fall is elective-heavy, I would like that credit to really count as far as fulfilling graduation and/or admissions requirements.  

Dd is currently interested in STEM fields, but is NOT considering elite schools.  We do not have to worry about getting this perfect.  She also needs to be NCAA eligible.  We have easy access to dual enrollment options, which I lean towards for two reasons:  1.  Coming home after boarding school is going to be a difficult adjustment emotionally.  The "distraction" and independence of DE may make that transition easier.  As in, I think sitting back down at the dining room table for full days of mommy classes are likely to result in us killing each other.  2.  I am (unexpectedly and necessarily) now working full time and am finding that I am simply stretched too thin to dedicate the time necessary for full home-taught education.  However, online, or even home-taught classes are not out of the question with some advanced planning.

I am mulling over some options.  I see US history and government being a bottle neck in 12th grade, especially if World History IV (TWTM-style) is still on the table.  If I could knock part of that off in spring semester, that would help.    The university offers a US government class.  That would be a full credit right there.  I have concerns about a student going into a college government class with no high school US history or government background.  I'm not sure if those concerns are founded.  

Dd has interest in taking Spanish.  There are no DE options here for introductory Spanish, so we would have to seek an online option which would yield no more than 1.5 credits of Spanish total, should she continue through 12th grade.  I'm not sure that is a good use of her time since she will likely already fulfill any university language requirement with her AP Latin and therefore would be unlikely to continue Spanish in college.

Since we suspect 12th grade is going to be history-heavy, perhaps a DE English class would be a good choice, which could free up more time for history in 12th grade?

Other ideas?  Especially DE or outsourcing?  Am I missing anything obvious?  I am sure someone will suggest another science class, perhaps DE, but I would like to avoid that as the full credit she earns in the fall is an AP class and she will have to maintain her studies in that class throughout spring semester in order to be prepared for the AP exam.

 

[2_girls_mommy]

I would: 

DE for math, 1 full credit

Science w/lab at boarding school: 1 full credit, so nothing there. 

Eng. Just do what you want for one semester, give it 1 semester, using her 1/2 credit from the school as your other half, equals 1 full credit. I would not try to cram a whole year of WTM style lit in. Just a half year's worth. Have her read a few of the no misses, maybe a paper or two. I will say here, that I have always given just an English credit including writing, lit, and grammar. I have not tried to do an English grammar and a Literature credit as laid out in WTM. So a few books and lit study, a few papers, some daily journaling, grammar where needed, etc. That is what I would do. But I like English at home WTM style. I have debated about DE for Eng. 1, and I don't like what our schools here are doing with it. It is all essays on current issues and such, no grammar, no lit, etc. So I have decided to keep up English at home and look at other courses for DE. 

History: again, a half year. If you are in Renaissance leading up to Am. History next year in the WTM cycle (where we are, so I know,) then hit the high lights. Do a timeline of major events. Read the chapters of some of the bigger events and go deeper. Have her write a couple of essays and lit context papers and call it good. Then move on into Am. History with no guilt. Call your semester World History 1 semester Renaissance, which it was. and she has 1 full credit. There is no way to ever cover it all. Don't worry that theirs won't line up with yours. Let her get what she gets there, then pick up what you want. 

PE- half credit, so you need an elective here: photography? dance classes? more art like a pottery class? Driver's Ed? Home Ec? lots of options 

Art- half credit, so another elective. 

1 more credit. You could do the rhetoric here, WTM style continued. Or a semester of a modern language at the school like Spanish for a full credit possibly. 

Just my thoughts. 

I am in the same place in the cycle as you. We will be doing our 4th year Am. History and required government next year. I know it is typical to see a semester of Am. History and a semester of Government on transcripts. I am not sure how I will do that next year- a full year of Am. History with World intertwined, then government intertwined and called a separate class more than likely. I also have a History of Fashion unit study planned more especially for my upcoming sophomore who is in the same WTM cycle, but that the senior will do too that will give them their art credit for next year around the history and include a lot too. So we will have a history heavy senior year. 

I am looking at this for Senior year here (mine is not as heavy with honors classes as you, and she is in what I am calling Latin IV this year.

Math:

English IV- lit from WTM Great Books, occasional R&S grammar/lit studies, writing across the curriculum (journaling, narrations, outlining, essays, papers, etc)

American History 1/2 credit

Government 1/2 credit 

art1/2 credit pe 1/2 credit- if she continues dance classes she does currently she could end up with another full credit

Physics

Spanish I 

In a perfect world, I would like one elective for a big year long project ala WTM. For my sophomore that is the Fashion in History class. She will do work related to a lot of that, where I see this one only participating a little, enough for some art. I would like to find something of real interest for her to focus on too. Still looking. 

 

 

[BusyMom5]

What history is covered at the boarding school?  

I would probably DE the US history next spring.  You could do the half credit Gov in the summer, this summer or next summer, or let her DE it in 12th grade.

 

[skimomma]

22 hours ago, 2_girls_mommy said:

 

I am in the same place in the cycle as you. We will be doing our 4th year Am. History and required government next year. I know it is typical to see a semester of Am. History and a semester of Government on transcripts. I am not sure how I will do that next year- a full year of Am. History with World intertwined, then government intertwined and called a separate class more than likely. I also have a History of Fashion unit study planned more especially for my upcoming sophomore who is in the same WTM cycle, but that the senior will do too that will give them their art credit for next year around the history and include a lot too. So we will have a history heavy senior year. 

 

 

I plan to do something similar, I think.  Part depends on how far we get with a half-year of world history next spring.  We may cover more than we think, depending on what else she studies.  I just cannot figure out what to fill that last credit with.

[skimomma]

21 hours ago, BusyMom5 said:

What history is covered at the boarding school?  

I would probably DE the US history next spring.  You could do the half credit Gov in the summer, this summer or next summer, or let her DE it in 12th grade.

 

The 1/2 history credit is called Environmental Citizenship.  I think most universities are going to view this as an elective rather than a history class.  The English class falls into a similar category (looks like an elective, IMO) and is called American Literature and the Land.  But dd will have more than 4 credits of history and English so I am not worried about it.  But it certainly does NOT help knock off any of the history goals I have for dd such as world history, US history, or government.  

The perfect solution would be to DE US history during that spring semester.  That is not entirely off the table if I can find an online DE option for that class.  But the local university, where dd will be taking pre-calc on site, only offers US history as a two semester sequence, so dd could not jump into he spring class as the fall class is a prerequisite.  Do you (or anyone) think taking DE government would be a mistake without having first had high school level US history?  This is the most appealing of the options in front of me at the moment.

Anyone know of any online outsourced ONE-semester (or at your own pace) high school level options for US Government and/or US History?

Summers are off the table, unfortunately.  Dd is heavily involved in a activity that has her on the road and very busy for most of the summers.  Every attempt we have made thus far to do anything in the summer has failed miserably.