Please critique my possible plan for 9th grade next year - updated, better?

[Trilliumlady]

Sigh.  This whole planning for HS is way more stressful than even I thought it would be!  Could some of you with experience either with these classes or planning HS in general critique what I have possibly in mind?  Specific questions would be: is the work load going to be too much for a solid or slightly above average 9th grader?  Does she need a separate “writing” course if she’s in a GC course with WHA? I never thought I’d be going all outsourced for EVERY subject in HS but the way life is going it might have to happen - how can we make that the most successful use of the funds as possible? 

1 credit - Math: Algebra 1 online with Jann in Texas 

1 credit - German: CLRC (?, open to suggestions) German 1

2.5 credits (History/Lit/Theology) - Great Conversation 1+4 with Vierra (leaning towards him?) at WHA

1 credit - Science: Unfortunately, undecided.  She’s not really STEM, WHA does Physics first which she could do but I’ve heard such wonderful things about Clover Creek Physics that I’d really like to have her try that one in 10th…. So Biology first?  I don’t know?  With who?  I was thinking maybe Berean Builders online, I suppose I could go back and check that out again…

I’m thinking another credit (at least?) is needed - what would that be, Logic? (If so, with who) Writing? Both? Yikes…

PLEASE, any thoughts or knowledge would be so appreciated!

 

 

ETA: 

Ok, second round, does this look any better?  

1 credit - Math: Algebra 1 with Jann in Texas (online)

1 credit - German: CLRC German 1 (online)

1 credit - Composition: Integritas Academy Lit and Comp for Underclassmen (online)

1 credit - Biology: FundaFunda Academy Biology 1 (asynchronous, but deadlines)

2 credits - History/Lit Roman Roads Greeks at home (streaming/asynchronous, no outside deadlines)

.5 credit - Elective: CLRC Beginning Drawing 

 

For those who know the workloads, does this look any more doable??  I’m thinking taking a Great Books class back to home will give us a bit more flexibility with those credits as far as stretching it out if needed.  She requested the art class as her elective.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Trilliumlady
Adding updates

[Miss Tick]

I've outsourced more as we have gotten in to high school. One difficulty can be juggling classes from multiple providers. Work load, sure dates, platforms, vacations - all different. In our case I tried to limit to three outside classes. One way I did that was by using Derek Owens for math. The work and grading can be outsourced, but the scheduling is ours. Another thing we do is history in house, and mainly input focused, so read, discuss, regular short writing assignments.

You might look at Conceptual Academy for science. I seem to remember they have a variety of non-stem science classes that I think are all done at your own pace. If you want a solid outsourced biology a fellow Boardie teaches the Fundafunda biology online class. My dc have enjoyed that. I guess funda is related to the south African word for learning, the class is not religious.

Do be cautious with the self-paced classes, they are so easy to get "behind" in. It has taken a few years in this house to catch on to the tricks of those classes.

For the last credit you might find something that she is excited to do as an elective. There are so many possibilities, that might be fun for you two to plan together.

If you haven't seen the pinned threads at the top of the high school board I highly suggest poking through them. There is a lot of collective knowledge there. I also seem to remember one dedicated specifically to outsourcing foreign languages.

I seem to remember that you need to outsource due to work conflicts? Otherwise I would suggest easing into that... In any case, once you start high school switching to brick and mortar is usually extremely difficult or impossible, so you want to be sure you are all committed. You might also want to arrange a meeting with your local community college to see what they offer. I don't think I would change anything, but it would have been nice to be more aware of the possibilities there as we have moved along.

[ShepCarlin]

One caveat about Physics in 9th grade...if her math skills are not strong, I would not attempt Physics. I made that mistake with my oldest. He was in in Algebra I for 9th grade. Enrolled him in the physics class at our co-op. The teacher swore up and down he'd be fine, the math level wouldn't be above this head. Spoiler alert...it totally was above his head. To his credit, he buckled down and worked really hard and made a B in the class but it was really stressful. I think biology is great for 9th grade. No suggestions for you though as my boys took biology at our co-op. Maybe Blue Tent? Oldest is currently in Marine Biology through Blue Tent and it's been a wonderful experience so I'd imagine their general biology would be good also.

[Farrar]

Long term goals? Is she probably college bound? A relatively easy to get into state school, Christian school? Somewhere more selective? Community college? Something else?

I agree with the above about science. I'd wait and do physics in 10th with Clover Creek and just biology first. Or do the traditional bio-chem-physics sequence for a kid who isn't great with math. All my bio suggestions would be secular, so I don't think you want those. 

I would let her choose an elective for her final credit. Anything she wants - art, music, technology, another academic class like psychology or logic or creative writing.

[Trilliumlady]

1 hour ago, SusanC said:

I've outsourced more as we have gotten in to high school. One difficulty can be juggling classes from multiple providers. Work load, sure dates, platforms, vacations - all different. In our case I tried to limit to three outside classes. One way I did that was by using Derek Owens for math. The work and grading can be outsourced, but the scheduling is ours. Another thing we do is history in house, and mainly input focused, so read, discuss, regular short writing assignments.

You might look at Conceptual Academy for science. I seem to remember they have a variety of non-stem science classes that I think are all done at your own pace. If you want a solid outsourced biology a fellow Boardie teaches the Fundafunda biology online class. My dc have enjoyed that. I guess funda is related to the south African word for learning, the class is not religious.

Do be cautious with the self-paced classes, they are so easy to get "behind" in. It has taken a few years in this house to catch on to the tricks of those classes.

For the last credit you might find something that she is excited to do as an elective. There are so many possibilities, that might be fun for you two to plan together.

If you haven't seen the pinned threads at the top of the high school board I highly suggest poking through them. There is a lot of collective knowledge there. I also seem to remember one dedicated specifically to outsourcing foreign languages.

I seem to remember that you need to outsource due to work conflicts? Otherwise I would suggest easing into that... In any case, once you start high school switching to brick and mortar is usually extremely difficult or impossible, so you want to be sure you are all committed. You might also want to arrange a meeting with your local community college to see what they offer. I don't think I would change anything, but it would have been nice to be more aware of the possibilities there as we have moved along.

Yes, the outsourcing from multiple providers is not ideal, I agree.  I would have liked that to have been more compact.  I’ll have to think if there is a way I could find more from perhaps WHA.  I did consider DO for math but she specifically requested live components, which I think for her is going to be better for learning anyway.

I have picked through the pinned threads here and there (too much to do at one time!!) and they are extremely helpful.  And yes, we are fully committed to no brick and mortar school, so that at least isn’t a concern for me.  

 

[Trilliumlady]

1 hour ago, ShepCarlin said:

One caveat about Physics in 9th grade...if her math skills are not strong, I would not attempt Physics. I made that mistake with my oldest. He was in in Algebra I for 9th grade. Enrolled him in the physics class at our co-op. The teacher swore up and down he'd be fine, the math level wouldn't be above this head. Spoiler alert...it totally was above his head. To his credit, he buckled down and worked really hard and made a B in the class but it was really stressful. I think biology is great for 9th grade. No suggestions for you though as my boys took biology at our co-op. Maybe Blue Tent? Oldest is currently in Marine Biology through Blue Tent and it's been a wonderful experience so I'd imagine their general biology would be good also.

Yes, she’ll be taking Algebra 1 and is an average but not stellar math student so I thought it would be best to hold off on physics for her.  

[Lori D.]

Agreeing with above posters about:

- first figuring out your overall goals for high school, and how you want high school to help prep the student for post-high school life, career, college/training...

- ease into all-online (if you haven't done any outsourced online classes before, then 2 is PLENTY for starting out; if you have done outsourced online previously, then 4 is a lot to juggle, unless some are self-paced and less rigorous -- that WHA 2.5 credit mega class is going to devour your time and energies, so maybe save German for another year, and just do 1 other online outsourced class of Math with Jann

- let your student choose an Elective or Fine Arts of interest for that last credit

Here are my suggestions with your list of credits:

1.0 credit = English (WHA Great Conversation)
1.0 credit = Math: Algebra 1 (Jann in TX)
1.0 credit = Science *
1.0 credit = Social Studies (WHA Great Conversation)
1.0 credit = Foreign Language
0.5 credit = Elective: Theology (WHA Great Conversation)
0.5 credit = Elective: PE
1 credit = Fine Arts or Elective **
6.0 credits = total

Drop Foreign Language for now.
Give DD a chance to adjust to high school level work, esp. if going with that mega 2.5 class that is going to require massive amounts of time and brain energy on reading, writing, and critical thinking/analysis. That is just not going to leave much gas in the tank for starting a foreign language. JMO.

Add 0.5 credit of PE
Since you'll have that Simply add up the time spent on weekly physical activities over the course of the year -- 75 hours (about 2 hours/week during the school year) is 0.5 credit. It's easy to track time, it's something she'll already (hopefully) be doing on weekends/afternoons/evenings, and it doesn't require any brain drain. In fact, it will be a welcome balance to the academics to get out and be active. JMO. 😉 

* = Science ideas
If at all possible, try and NOT outsource to online and overload with another heavy class. Maybe use a video-based program so she can do a lot of it solo and self-paced, and you do the labs with her once every 2 weeks? Some lighter, self-paced ideas:

Guest Hollow
Options of: Botany, Anatomy, Kitchen Chemistry, Biology (also Physics, but your plan is to do Clover Creek Physics in 10th). These are self-paced and lit-based programs, but with lab suggestions so they can still be lab science credits.

Rainbow Science: year 1 + year 2
Normally done as 2 years in middle school, but combined and done in 9th, this can work as Integrated Science credit. Christian. Expensive, but all-included and solo-working by the student.

Also, perhaps she would more enjoy a non-traditional science?
Astronomy, Botany/Horticulture, Ecology/Environmental Science, Equine (Horse) Science, Geology/Earth Science, Meteorology (Weather), Zoology (Animals)

See ideas in POST #5 of the big pinned thread, "High School Motherlode #2" for resource suggestions for those sciences. Also these 2 threads might spark thinking:

Options for high school science besides Bio/Chem/Phys
Alternative/creative science ideas for 9th graders?

* = Fine Arts/Elective ideas
What would SHE like to do? Look for something with local classes outside the home to attend in person, or that she can explore at home at a self-paced rate with various resources.

Fine Arts can go in lots of interesting directions:
- art making -- drawing, painting, print making, silk-screening, etc.
- performance arts -- music (voice or instrument), dance, theater, etc.
- studio arts -- pottery/ceramics, sculpture, fibers/weaving, woodworking, jewelry making, welding/metal-working, etc.
- visual arts -- filmmaking, photography, etc.
- digital arts -- animation, graphics, web design, etc.
- appreciation -- history and understanding of film, theater, art, music, etc.
- creation -- composing of music, choreography of dance, making theatre costumes/sets, book-making (physical process), etc.
- theory -- fundamentals of design, color, composition, etc.

Electives are wide open! What would she like to explore? What is she already interested in/doing that she would like more time to go deeper -- that can definitely be an Elective. Schedule regular time for her to dig into her interest.

 

BEST of luck as you plan for 9th grade! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited February 1, 2022 by Lori D.

[Trilliumlady]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

Long term goals? Is she probably college bound? A relatively easy to get into state school, Christian school? Somewhere more selective? Community college? Something else?

I agree with the above about science. I'd wait and do physics in 10th with Clover Creek and just biology first. Or do the traditional bio-chem-physics sequence for a kid who isn't great with math. All my bio suggestions would be secular, so I don't think you want those. 

I would let her choose an elective for her final credit. Anything she wants - art, music, technology, another academic class like psychology or logic or creative writing.

Long term goals are for her to be well prepared enough to get into a solid college (likely/possibly Christian) if she chooses that route.  If she finds something she loves that would be better taught at a tech/trade school I’m perfectly ok with that, but want her prepared to handle a good college if desired.  Ultimately I want her to learn how to learn good works, and to love learning.

[Lori D.]

2 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

Long term goals are for her to be well prepared enough to get into a solid college (likely/possibly Christian) if she chooses that route...but [I] want her prepared to handle a good college if desired...

Also -- what are HER long-term goals? And while she may not have something in mind right now in 8th grade, keep an eye on that and discuss it each year of high school with her. If she doesn't have anything at the moment, then sure, 9th grade can be a combo of meeting basic college-prep credits AND giving her a credit for her to do a bit of exploration. That's ultimately what will leave as many doors open for the future as possible.

The basic set of credits she'll need for college prep:
4 credits = English
4 credits = Math
3-4 credits = Science 
3-4 credits = Social Sciences
2-4 credits = Foreign Language
1 credit = Fine Arts
4-8 credits = Electives

That gives you some wiggle room -- depending on the particular college's admission policies, she's probably NOT going to need a credit in Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language EVERY year of the 4 years of high school. That means she does NOT have to take more than 6 credits each year of high school, AND she'll still have everything she needs for solid college prep.

2 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

...If she finds something she loves that would be better taught at a tech/trade school I’m perfectly ok with that...

You might start looking at what your local community college (CC) has to offer now. Our CC offers FREE vocational-tech classes, and programs that lead to certificates and Associate degrees, for students starting in 10th grade. Many of the homeschoolers in our local support group try out the various programs offered, which gives their students an opportunity to try out a wide variety of trades. Some of the programs are geared toward a 4-year degree, like the pre-nursing program...

The point is to find out now what is available to you, so you and DD can be talking about it, seeing what interests her, and that helps you plan for when to start inserting vo-tech classes (or regular dual enrollment classes), if that best helps you and DD get to BOTH of your goals for high school.
 

2 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

...Ultimately I want her to learn how to learn good works, and to love learning.

I get that, and it's a great goal. I just caution that heavy-rigor online classes are not what develops that love of learning for everyone. For some people, rigorous courses like the WHA Great Conversations may actually overwhelm and kill any interest in "book learning". Some people need one of the more informal approaches -- reading/discussing, exploring, hands-on self-discovery, apprenticing, etc. -- to have a love of learning.

Also, a love of *academic* learning (which is what a lot of the required high school credits are) is NOT necessarily something that everyone has, or that will be developed in everyone.

(I share that out of my own experience with 2 bright DSs -- neither of whom cared for or clicked with formal, academic, school-like classes or studies. Our lit. and history was more informal through reading/discussing, and drawing in a wide variety of resources.)

Again, BEST of luck in your planning, and again when you and DD start 9th grade! 😄 Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Lori D.]

PS 

I see from other recent posts that your DD has already started some German on her own. So, I guess I would amend my suggested credits from above to:

1.0 credit = English (WHA Great Conversation)
1.0 credit = Math: Algebra 1 (Jann in TX)
0.5 - 1.0 credit = Science *
1.0 credit = Social Studies (WHA Great Conversation)
0.5 - 1.0 credit =  German **
0.5 credit = Elective: Theology (WHA Great Conversation)
0.5 - 1.0 = Fine Arts or Elective ***
6.0 credits = total

* = Science 
Perhaps a suggestion from my above post, and don't stress about getting 1.0 credit done -- if she's not STEM-based, most colleges (unless going into a STEM field), only require 3 credits of Science for admission, so you can spread out your 3 credits of Science over the 4 years of high school. Or, do 3 to 3.5 credits total. You have options and wiggle room in this subject area. 😁

** = German 
Perhaps for 9th grade continue with the self-study, and just accrue however much of a credit it works out it, and do a full 1.0 credit of Science. OR, go for a 3rd online class and outsource the German for 1.0 full credit, but then plan on Science being a lighter, partial credit of Science done at home as self-paced. Or, only do a light partial Fine Arts/Elective credit to balance the 3 outsourced classes of heavy WHA class + Math + German.

** = Fine Arts/Elective 
If doing the German, then definitely flex and bend here. Again, PE is just a matter of counting hours done in normal life, so not a credit that has to be actively figured out -- just mentally schedule about 2 hours/week in some way -- that can be 4x/week of 30 min of running or biking or dancing or...; it can be 2 hours on the weekend. So if doing a full credit EACH of German and Science, then I would just plan on 0.5 credit of easy PE to round out your 6 credits for the semester. OR... If spreading out or doing partial credit of German and/or Science, then you can do 1.0 credit of an Elective or Fine Arts of interest to DD.
 

The point is figure out a schedule and a balance in the heavy/light rigor of the credits so as to NOT burn out DD with too many online courses (which tend to be very time-heavy), and not too heavy on the rigor end of how you accomplish the credits.

Good luck! 😄 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Lori D.

[Trilliumlady]

@Lori D. I ALWAYS greatly appreciate any posts where you weigh in, thank you!!!

I wish she had some long term goals in mind!  We talk about this but she’s just soft, gentle, sort of go-with-the-flow and hasn’t found anything that she REALLY claims she enjoys more than anything else.  Other than reading.  She just likes to read!  And German, she is firmly set on wanting to learn German.  I have a mind for languages myself, and she’s taking CLRC High School Latin 1 now quite easily which makes me think she might have the same wiring for picking up languages.  For these reasons, I kind of don’t want to steer her away from German this year.  She is currently working through Getting Started with German on her own so I’m hoping that with that as a decent intro to the language she won’t flounder terribly in German 1 for HS.  With that extra background, what recommendations would you have regarding the schedule above?  Just not add in an elective since that would kind of be what she is wanting “extra”?

[Lilaclady]

I love how Lori broke it down for you. I just want to add if possible, can you get her to double up and work on German during the summer and get it done so she doesn’t overload herself in the fall. You can take advantage of the summer since it counts and just record it for 9th. 

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Trilliumlady said:

...I wish she had some long term goals in mind!  We talk about this but she’s just soft, gentle, sort of go-with-the-flow and hasn’t found anything that she REALLY claims she enjoys more than anything else...

Totally okay. Neither of my DSs had ANY strong leanings or directions or goals all the way through high school, and even after. And more than HALF of college students switch majors (RADICALLY switch to completely different fields) once they start college. So there is NO reason why young teens "must" know what they want to do when they "grow up", or for the rest of their lives. 😉 

Try and add a little gentle career exploration to each year of high school. Try lots of activities, and let her have lots of experiences. Maybe something will spark somewhere along the time. But it's also okay if not.

(All of our career exploration + activities + experiences throughout high school did not spark a goal or passion or interest. BUT, through all of those activities and experiences, DSs gained a lot of wonderful skills and maturity, made friends, and got broad exposure to a lot of things that they wouldn't have had if we instead had to spend all our time on a heavy academic schedule. Just our experience, and your DD is different than my DSs. 😉 )
 

ur ago, Trilliumlady said:

...She just likes to read!  And German, she is firmly set on wanting to learn German.  I have a mind for languages myself, and she’s taking CLRC High School Latin 1 now quite easily which makes me think she might have the same wiring for picking up languages...

That helps to know that about her! Likely the WHA class will NOT be too rigorous for her since she loves to read.

Agreeing about sticking with the German. And since she's already doing German this year (and online), that will make doing 1.0 credit of German online next year much more do-able. I initially thought that you were talking about an online class next year with it being her first exposure to a foreign language.

Is she the type who wants to study several languages at one time? Would she want to keep going with Latin? That could be her Elective -- a language she is really enjoying learning.
 

ur ago, Trilliumlady said:

...With that extra background, what recommendations would you have regarding the schedule above?  Just not add in an elective since that would kind of be what she is wanting “extra”?

Yes that extra background help. Still, this is just an "off-the-top-of-my-head" suggestion, without knowing your DD or your family situation well at all...

That gives you 4.5 credits with WHA + Math + German, so I'd suggest dividing up 1.5 additional credits in some way:
- 0.5 credit Science at home spread out through the year + 1.0 credit of Fine Arts or Elective
- OR, 1.0 credit of lighter Science at home + 0.5 credit of Fine Arts or Elective

Why I keep stopping at a total of 6.0 credits is to:
- allow transition into all high school level work
- figuring out how to juggle 3 different online courses from 3 very different vendors
- allow time for other activities and extracurriculars outside the home
- allow for some "down time" and to have time to do things she loves (such as pleasure reading)

Again, this is all JMO, without really knowing you and your family. 😉 But, you did ask for opinions, so there you go. 🤣

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Lilaclady said:

... I just want to add if possible, can you get her to double up and work on German during the summer and get it done so she doesn’t overload herself in the fall. You can take advantage of the summer since it counts and just record it for 9th. 

While I agree that's a great plan for many classes, I would be very reluctant to do that with the German in this particular case, as it would mean she would stop foreign language learning during the school year (which would make her very rusty for future German classes). And also, because she self-selected the course and is enjoying learning German -- I would want to keep an enjoyable class going over the school year, and instead, if knocking something out in advance like this, I'd choose something like the Science (done as a light course, or even a partial credit), or a "just get 'er done" subject... 😉 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Lori D.

[cintinative]

I remember asking if writing is included in the GC courses in high school. They do have some writing assignments but it is not a composition course at all--there is not writing instruction. So I was told if you want writing instruction to also take another writing class.   

One alternative you have is to take the Great Books classes at CLRC which do include writing instruction. What they don't include is theology, and they also are not a "Christian" provider.  However you will note that their book lists are not as long.  And, the course is only worth 2 credits. 

Our experience with GC1 was that it was a LOT of reading. That was 7th grade.  He is a fast reader, but it was a lot of work for him. It is going to be every  bit of a 2.5 credit hour course for your dc.  So keep that in mind. If she is a slow reader you could be surprised at how much time she will spend. 

Has she ever taken an online class? My fear, if she hasn't, is that you are looking at a very large load of all online classes.  I have a similar policy with my kids as one of the prior posters--we take at most two to three online classes.  The rest are based at home.  FWIW, my kids are generally going to work harder for an outsourced provider.  It helps to have an "easy" home-based class to balance out the hard ones.  

I want to echo the warnings about self-paced. In my case, I have one kid who is can handle it and another one who it really is not a good fit for. My child it is not a good fit for is the one with ADHD-inattentive and a processing issue.

Not everything needs an online class. Your child could do logic using a textbook and videos as long as you are checking in and helping her on occasion. 

 

 

[BusyMom5]

I would suggest lightening up a bit,  especially if this is the first time she's in online classes.  High school is 4 years long, no need to make it stressful the first year.  I look at my kids and decide which classes are going to be harder- for some that's math,  for others its English.   I build the rest around the time I think those harder classes will take.  For example Algebra 1 may not take a long time if shes good at math... or it could be up to 2 hours a day (or longer, depending in the program and your kid- I'd never let it go past 2 hours).  There is also interest to factor in.  If she's really into a subject, you might want to spend longer going deeper- or it may be a check box to fill.  There is nothing wrong with box checking classes.  Not everything has to be the best.  What classes are you okay with dropping to the minimum?  Because that might happen.  

I also noticed that most of your credits are academic and book based.  Do you plan any outside group activities?  Co-op classes, art, music, drama, speech, even cooking class?  I would try to add one fun class that is done with others.  Other not as academic classes you might consider- health, personal finance, or PE.

[Clemsondana]

I don't have opinions about particular providers - we do everything at home or through our co-op (or fundafunda, which has many of the same teachers as our co-op although on a different schedule).  As an overall plan, I first decide on the 4 core classes (math, science, history, and English/lit), which can be done as separate subjects or combined (as you are considering with history/English).  It looks like you mostly have ideas for those.  Our umbrella requires 1/2 credit of Bible each year, so I make a plan for that.  We're doing 3 high school credits of foreign language, so we've slotted that in for 9th-11th.  That's 5.5 credits.  Then we consider how many credits we plan to do.  For my current high schooler, we do 8 each year, but I am likely to do something different for my younger who is less academically interested - we'll probably do 6 or 7.  If you aim for 6, you only need another 1/2 credit.  I'd look at what other requirements you have (from an umbrella, or requirements for your state, or to meet expectations for college admission).  Many students need PE, health, fine arts, and perhaps personal finance.  I'd consider one of those.  Classes like PE or fine arts are often fulfilled by counting hours of activity, and can be done at any time.  

Even with my advanced and academically enthusiastic kiddo, I try to look for a balance of intense and mellow, challenging and fun, each year.  My kid is happy to take some outsourced classes, but likes to have some home-based ones to offer some schedule flexibility.  We also often do some credits over the summer.  On one hand, we like a break, but on the other hand, kid likes having a slightly less hectic school year.  Electives can be a good fit for this - a 1/2 credit home-grown drawing program (there are good books that teach basic drawing) or PE can be done in just a few hours a week and don't feel like regular academic work.  And, PE doesn't have to be boring - a rec sport or day camp, bike riding, swimming laps, hiking, or walking could all be PE.  I know somebody who counted the hours on their yearly ski trip, and, alternatively, summer water skiing could count, or bowling, or whatever would be a good fit.  Another friend went to the driving range to hit golf balls a couple of times a week.  It may be a mental game, but my kid likes starting in August with 1/2 credit or more already checked off.  

[Trilliumlady]

You guys, this is so helpful, thank you.  I will really have to consider work load for her after all your thoughts.  She is in two online classes now (HS Latin 1 with CLRC) and Integritas Academy writing and has done an online class one a year for the two years before that.  At least the online format wouldn’t be new for her.  

We unfortunately live in rural-ville USA in the midwest.  The closest official HS group is an hour away.  Opportunities for club sports, activities, etc are slim pickings.  

I like the idea of a half credit in the summer though, and starting the year a “half credit ahead.”  

[Trilliumlady]

20 hours ago, cintinative said:

ne alternative you have is to take the Great Books classes at CLRC which do include writing instruction. What they don't include is theology, and they also are not a "Christian" provider.  However you will note that their book lists are not as long.  And, the course is only worth 2 credits. 

Would you then count the class at CLRC as history/lit combo then?  Or history/lit/writing?

[cintinative]

7 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

Would you then count the class at CLRC as history/lit combo then?  Or history/lit/writing?

The latter. It's basically a combo of a lit/comp and history course.  So if you wanted you would say one credit for Lit and Comp and one credit for history.  There are a bunch of ways to transcript it really, but some variation of that makes the most sense.  

Compare that to the WHA course where you would be transcripting 1 credit Lit, 1 credit History, 0.5 credit theology

Another option you could look at is TPS' integrated humanities courses.  We looked at them and in the end it wasn't for us, but those are comp/lit/history but from a Christian provider. Again, no theology included.  In the last couple of years they dropped the Ancient comp/lit and history in favor Bible comp/lit and history. Also they made the American comp/lit and history for high school credit.  https://at-tps.org/subjects/classical-integrated-humanities/

Our family ended up forging our own path for history when we couldn't find something that was "just right."  That has honestly been a lot of work that I wouldn't recommend to a lot of people. 😃

[Trilliumlady]

On 1/28/2022 at 12:03 PM, Lori D. said:

Agreeing with above posters about:

- first figuring out your overall goals for high school, and how you want high school to help prep the student for post-high school life, career, college/training...

- ease into all-online (if you haven't done any outsourced online classes before, then 2 is PLENTY for starting out; if you have done outsourced online previously, then 4 is a lot to juggle, unless some are self-paced and less rigorous -- that WHA 2.5 credit mega class is going to devour your time and energies, so maybe save German for another year, and just do 1 other online outsourced class of Math with Jann

- let your student choose an Elective or Fine Arts of interest for that last credit

Here are my suggestions with your list of credits:

1.0 credit = English (WHA Great Conversation)
1.0 credit = Math: Algebra 1 (Jann in TX)
1.0 credit = Science *
1.0 credit = Social Studies (WHA Great Conversation)
1.0 credit = Foreign Language
0.5 credit = Elective: Theology (WHA Great Conversation)
0.5 credit = Elective: PE
1 credit = Fine Arts or Elective **
6.0 credits = total

Drop Foreign Language for now.
Give DD a chance to adjust to high school level work, esp. if going with that mega 2.5 class that is going to require massive amounts of time and brain energy on reading, writing, and critical thinking/analysis. That is just not going to leave much gas in the tank for starting a foreign language. JMO.

Add 0.5 credit of PE
Since you'll have that Simply add up the time spent on weekly physical activities over the course of the year -- 75 hours (about 2 hours/week during the school year) is 0.5 credit. It's easy to track time, it's something she'll already (hopefully) be doing on weekends/afternoons/evenings, and it doesn't require any brain drain. In fact, it will be a welcome balance to the academics to get out and be active. JMO. 😉 

* = Science ideas
If at all possible, try and NOT outsource to online and overload with another heavy class. Maybe use a video-based program so she can do a lot of it solo and self-paced, and you do the labs with her once every 2 weeks? Some lighter, self-paced ideas:

Guest Hollow
Options of: Botany, Anatomy, Kitchen Chemistry, Biology (also Physics, but your plan is to do Clover Creek Physics in 10th). These are self-paced and lit-based programs, but with lab suggestions so they can still be lab science credits.

Rainbow Science: year 1 + year 2
Normally done as 2 years in middle school, but combined and done in 9th, this works as Integrated Physical Science. Christian. Expensive, but all-included and solo-working by the student.

Also, perhaps she would more enjoy a non-traditional science?
Astronomy, Botany/Horticulture, Ecology/Environmental Science, Equine (Horse) Science, Geology/Earth Science, Meteorology (Weather), Zoology (Animals)

See ideas in POST #5 of the big pinned thread, "High School Motherlode #2" for resource suggestions for those sciences. Also these 2 threads might spark thinking:

Options for high school science besides Bio/Chem/Phys
Alternative/creative science ideas for 9th graders?

* = Fine Arts/Elective ideas
What would SHE like to do? Look for something with local classes outside the home to attend in person, or that she can explore at home at a self-paced rate with various resources.

Fine Arts can go in lots of interesting directions:
- art making -- drawing, painting, print making, silk-screening, etc.
- performance arts -- music (voice or instrument), dance, theater, etc.
- studio arts -- pottery/ceramics, sculpture, fibers/weaving, woodworking, jewelry making, welding/metal-working, etc.
- visual arts -- filmmaking, photography, etc.
- digital arts -- animation, graphics, web design, etc.
- appreciation -- history and understanding of film, theater, art, music, etc.
- creation -- composing of music, choreography of dance, making theatre costumes/sets, book-making (physical process), etc.
- theory -- fundamentals of design, color, composition, etc.

Electives are wide open! What would she like to explore? What is she already interested in/doing that she would like more time to go deeper -- that can definitely be an Elective. Schedule regular time for her to dig into her interest.

 

BEST of luck as you plan for 9th grade! Warmest regards, Lori D.

“Rainbow Science: year 1 + year 2
Normally done as 2 years in middle school, but combined and done in 9th, this works as Integrated Physical Science. Christian. Expensive, but all-included and solo-working by the student“. 

Sorry, not sure how to quote just a section of your post.  Would Rainbow Science cover HS Biology enough to list it on a transcript as such?  Or would she need to take another Biology course after this still?

[Lori D.]

48 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

... Would Rainbow Science cover HS Biology enough to list it on a transcript as such?  Or would she need to take another Biology course after this still?

Sorry, no. Rainbow Science is not a high school Biology credit.

The life science parts in Rainbow Science are overview and of at a middle school level, so not at a high enough level to count as high school credit. But especially, Rainbow does not have enough coverage on the topic to be a high school credit of Biology. The life science parts in the program are only in year 2, and not even all of year 2 -- about 2/3 of the topics are life science and 1/3 are Meteorology + General Science topics.

re: having to take another Biology course in high school
Biology is not necessarily required for college admission. Many colleges require 3 lab science credits, but don't specific which topics. So a student who hates Biology could do 3 non-life science courses and meet the requirements for college admission. Even if the future college of interest does require Biology to be one of the 3 required Science credits for admission, there are creative ways of doing Biology that make it less "painful" to a student who hates Biology.

Just throwing that in for future thinking, in case it helps. 😉 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Lori D.

[ScoutTN]

That looks like a lot of online for a 9th grader to me. 

 

[Trilliumlady]

12 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

That looks like a lot of online for a 9th grader to me. 

 

Sigh, I know.  

It is really hard right now with how our life circumstances are currently.  I really wish I wouldn’t have to rely so heavily on online, and I keep trying to come up with ways to make that more doable, but with my work schedule - combined with a mother who so far has helped out with my kids and homeschooling on days I get called away (my schedule is not set, for the most part, which makes it REALLY hard to schedule school around) but is getting older and slowing down, combined with oldest entering high school and wanting to make sure I don’t fail her, combined with a husband who isn’t able or willing to step in to help at all makes for more reliance on online that I would like 😞

[BusyMom5]

Looking at your post again,  after working on my freshman plans (3rd time with freshman), I think you should pick 2 or 3 online classes and then buy a good program that is good for kids to do themselves.  I really liked OM for that.  You could buy a history and English (feel free to cut assignments that are too hard or not interesting- their English had a lot in it!), and all you would need to do is grade those.  Its all laid out each week for your student.  I haven't used their science, but I would assume it would be pretty good, too.  I would also recommend the OM Health- my freshman will be using it.  Its not a hard credit, and if you include some exercise you can make 2 credits- PE and Health.  I'm not sure what other programs lay each week out like OM, but I know there must be some!  Maybe Sonlight?  

[Trilliumlady]

Thank you @BusyMom5, I’ll have to look into Oak Meadow (I’m assuming that’s what you meant by OM).

[Kassia]

1 minute ago, Trilliumlady said:

Thank you @BusyMom5, I’ll have to look into Oak Meadow (I’m assuming that’s what you meant by OM).

We used OM for several classes in high school and liked them.  Some of the courses had a lot of work in them so we cut some of the assignments out but dd liked most of them and it was nice that the whole class was planned out already week by week.  

[Kassia]

On 2/1/2022 at 2:24 PM, BusyMom5 said:

Looking at your post again,  after working on my freshman plans (3rd time with freshman), I think you should pick 2 or 3 online classes and then buy a good program that is good for kids to do themselves.  I really liked OM for that.  You could buy a history and English (feel free to cut assignments that are too hard or not interesting- their English had a lot in it!), and all you would need to do is grade those.  Its all laid out each week for your student.  I haven't used their science, but I would assume it would be pretty good, too.  I would also recommend the OM Health- my freshman will be using it.  Its not a hard credit, and if you include some exercise you can make 2 credits- PE and Health.  I'm not sure what other programs lay each week out like OM, but I know there must be some!  Maybe Sonlight?  

 

7 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

Thank you @BusyMom5, I’ll have to look into Oak Meadow (I’m assuming that’s what you meant by OM).

It's been a long time since we used Oak Meadow but they used to have a sale in May around Mother's Day.  We would also buy used curriculum on ebay since their curriculum is pretty expensive and we always bought the books used elsewhere or even borrowed some of the books from the library (like for English).  
 

[Lori D.]

On 1/28/2022 at 8:09 AM, Trilliumlady said:

ETA: Ok, second round, does this look any better?  

1 credit - Math: Algebra 1 with Jann in Texas (online)
1 credit - German: CLRC German 1 (online)
1 credit - Composition: Integritas Academy Lit and Comp for Underclassmen (online)
1 credit - Biology: FundaFunda Academy Biology 1 (asynchronous, but deadlines)
2 credits - History/Lit Roman Roads Greeks at home (streaming/asynchronous, no outside deadlines)
.5 credit - Elective: CLRC Beginning Drawing 

For those who know the workloads, does this look any more doable??  I’m thinking taking a Great Books class back to home will give us a bit more flexibility with those credits as far as stretching it out if needed.  She requested the art class as her elective.

 

That's even more online courses, and from 5 different providers, so that might be a bit stressful. But otherwise it looks pretty good.

Hope this works well and is enjoyable for both of you. Have fun launching into 9th grade!

[Trilliumlady]

@Lori D. I guess maybe I wasn’t clear.  There would be 4 live on lines (with only 3 providers) (one of which is the drawing which was her elective which I was thinking maybe would be a bit lighter?)  I was hoping that the Biology would be slightly less of the “stressful online feel” with it being asynchronous (maybe I shouldn’t assume that?). We watched some of those videos and also discussed continuing with Berean Builders (a text she’s doing now so familiar with) or MP Biology with their DVD videos for instruction and she liked FundaFunda the best.  Roman Roads we’d only be doing at home, not the live class attached to it. I truly do appreciate your input.  It is so very hard for me figuring out how to balance her needs and wants with our life circumstances and my honest assessment of where and when I’d be able to work on a class with her the most.  

[MamaSprout]

1 hour ago, Trilliumlady said:

@Lori D. I guess maybe I wasn’t clear.  There would be 4 live on lines (with only 3 providers) (one of which is the drawing which was her elective which I was thinking maybe would be a bit lighter?)  I was hoping that the Biology would be slightly less of the “stressful online feel” with it being asynchronous (maybe I shouldn’t assume that?). We watched some of those videos and also discussed continuing with Berean Builders (a text she’s doing now so familiar with) or MP Biology with their DVD videos for instruction and she liked FundaFunda the best.  Roman Roads we’d only be doing at home, not the live class attached to it. I truly do appreciate your input.  It is so very hard for me figuring out how to balance her needs and wants with our life circumstances and my honest assessment of where and when I’d be able to work on a class with her the most.  

Has your dc looked at the Roman Roads videos? I thought my kiddo would like them, but she did not. At all. Part of it was that it was that she had too much screen time already in her week. We used pieces and parts, but mostly ended up using textbooks, short courses, and lightning lit.

Have you looked at GPS? It isn't video based and does combine history and literature and is pretty clearly laid out. There is some writing instruction: Global Perspective Studies · SIMPLIFY (simplify4you.com)

If she likes the FundaFunda, great, but for a non-STEM student, it might be worth looking at the PAC biology/ anatomy combo: Principles, Theories, and Precepts of Biology | Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (pacworks.com) and Precepts of Anatomy and Physiology | Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (pacworks.com)

 

[Trilliumlady]

17 minutes ago, MamaSprout said:

Has your dc looked at the Roman Roads videos? I thought my kiddo would like them, but she did not. At all. Part of it was that it was that she had too much screen time already in her week. We used pieces and parts, but mostly ended up using textbooks, short courses, and lightning lit.

Have you looked at GPS? It isn't video based and does combine history and literature and is pretty clearly laid out. There is some writing instruction: Global Perspective Studies · SIMPLIFY (simplify4you.com)

If she likes the FundaFunda, great, but for a non-STEM student, it might be worth looking at the PAC biology/ anatomy combo: Principles, Theories, and Precepts of Biology | Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (pacworks.com) and Precepts of Anatomy and Physiology | Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (pacworks.com)

 

I haven’t seen the PAC curriculum yet, off to check it out…

And yes, we did watch some of the videos together.  Was there something in particular your daughter didn’t like about the videos, or was it just that she needed non-screen time?  

Thank you for your response!

[MamaSprout]

13 minutes ago, Trilliumlady said:

I haven’t seen the PAC curriculum yet, off to check it out…

And yes, we did watch some of the videos together.  Was there something in particular your daughter didn’t like about the videos, or was it just that she needed non-screen time?  

Thank you for your response!

The PAC curriculum is on the light side, but is a manageable amount of material.

She didn’t care for his lecture style, but she also was at her saturation point for screens. 

[Lori D.]

14 hours ago, Trilliumlady said:

@Lori D. I guess maybe I wasn’t clear.  There would be 4 live on lines (with only 3 providers) (one of which is the drawing which was her elective which I was thinking maybe would be a bit lighter?)  I was hoping that the Biology would be slightly less of the “stressful online feel” with it being asynchronous (maybe I shouldn’t assume that?). We watched some of those videos and also discussed continuing with Berean Builders (a text she’s doing now so familiar with) or MP Biology with their DVD videos for instruction and she liked FundaFunda the best.  Roman Roads we’d only be doing at home, not the live class attached to it. I truly do appreciate your input.  It is so very hard for me figuring out how to balance her needs and wants with our life circumstances and my honest assessment of where and when I’d be able to work on a class with her the most.  

Ah, okay, thanks for explaining. It looked like 5 outsourced classes total to me. 😉

I totally understand that you need to outsource everything due to life circumstances, so I'll stop making suggestions, as that really might not be helpful for you now. 😉

Wishing you and DD all the BEST! Warmest regards, Lori D.