I am a Christian and a wife and mother of three trying to live out God's purpose for my life. Our homeschooling journey was not a typical beginning. My husband and I had attended public school and had planned for our children to attend there as well. My oldest had attended a pre-k program at a Christian school to get him ready. It had been a bumpy start but he finally settled down and got used to it. When time came to tour the elementary school that our son was zoned for (which was known to be the best one in the county) we decided it wasn't for us. I was floored at what they had planned on teaching them in kindergarten and the learning environment was not inviting. We therefore decided to leave him at the private Christian school he was at and that is where he stayed until 3rd grade. By that time my middle child was ready for pre-k and I signed him up that year as well. Things went pretty well for him but my oldest through the years was bored and didn't want to go. He almost always got perfect scores and never studied. I tried talking with the teachers and they said there was nothing they could do until he got into the upper grades just to be happy that he was bright and "didn't need help." I was tired of paying big bucks for my son to sit and not be challenged so that is the year I took the plunge and pulled him out. It has been a learning road and I have spent many hours studying and learning what is best for my children. Everyone has a story and what works for their family. This blog is what has worked for mine. I hope that what I write will help others who are beginning or those who are always looking for things to help deepen their children's learning. Blessings!

Friday, July 17, 2015

Books and credits for 9th Grader 2014-15




Ancient/World Literature            Semesters: 2                  Credits: 1                             Home  
In this class we read, discussed, and wrote about various literature focusing on the ancients.  For the study of The Iliad and Odyssey we used The Great Courses taught by Elizabeth Vandiver, for Plato and Aristotle we used The Greeks by Wesley Callihan.  We also used Abeka’s Grammar 12 program for our continued study in grammar concepts.  Books read: Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, Odyssey, Plato:  Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Phaedrus, The Republic, Aristotle:  The Metaphysics, I & II, The Ethics I & II, The Poetics, Numerous Greek myths, Screwtape Letters, and Holy War by Bunyan, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare), Elements of Style and How to Read a Book, Just So Stories, Walt Whitman (Reef)

Rhetoric                           Semesters: 2                Credits: 1                             Schole Academy  
It is designed for high school students who want to study and practice the art of rhetoric. In this course, students will be introduced to the five canons of rhetoric: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Special attention will be given to the study of invention (gathering and inventing one’s arguments), arrangement (structuring one’s arguments in a sequence of elements for maximum persuasion), and style (enhancing one’s writing with sentence and word arrangements and turns of phrase that please and delight the listener). Students will also begin the study of great examples of rhetoric and learn how to “imitate the masters.” Students will study and then compose and deliver their own ceremonial and political speeches. This course is ideal for students who wish to speak and write persuasively.  Texts used: Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student The Rhetoric and Poetics of Aristotle, Writing with Clarity and Style - A Guide to Rhetorical Devices for Contemporary Writers Instructor: Joelle Hodge Also read:  A Rulebook of Argument

Honors Algebra II            Semesters: 2                Credits: 1                             Lucid Education  
These topics comprise the material normally taught in a high school Algebra 2 course which include:  equations and inequalities, linear functions and equations, systems of equations, quadratic functions, polynomials, powers, roots, and radicals, exponential and logarithmic functions, rational equations and functions, conic sections, sequences and series, trigonometric ratios and functions, trigonometric graphs, identities and equations Texts used: Algebra II by McDougal Littell  Instructor: Derek Owens  Also read:  String Straight Edge & Shadow

Chemistry                                 Semesters: 2                      Credits: 1                             Home
Provides a rigorous foundation in chemistry in order to prepare your student for college-level studies. Topics include significant figures, units, classification, the mole concept, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics, acids and bases, redox reactions, solutions, atomic structure, Lewis structures, molecular geometry, gas laws, and equilibrium  Text used: Exploring Creation w/Chemistry/ Apologia, Elements of Faith, The Disappearing Spoon, Creation Facts of Life

World History/Archaeology       Semesters: 2                   Credits: 1                             Home  
Will learn the techniques and accounts of the archaeologist and some of the richest discoveries of the Middle East that demonstrate the accuracy and historicity of the Bible.  Discover how archaeologists know what life was like in the past; history of ancient cultures; and many others.  Will go into an in-depth look at famous Egyptians, architecture, and pyramids.  Will also study the history of Israel both historically and Biblically. Texts used: The Archaeology Book, Unveiling the Kings of Israel, Unwrapping the Pharaohs, Also included many the following books in our study:  Pyramid, Riddle of Rosetta Stone, Letters From Egypt, Adam and His Kin, The Golden Goblet, and The Cat of Bubastes, Visits to the Middle East (Geography study), Material World, The Hungry Planet, The Story of the Greeks, Are you Liberal, Conservative or Confused, What Happened to Penny Candy

Latin III/IV                         Semesters: 2                Credits: 1                             Potters School  
In this course, we will climb the pinnacle of Latin-learning achievement: reading original Latin poetry and prose. After studying selections of Virgil, Seneca, Cicero, and the Vulgate from the Cambridge Latin Anthology, we will collaborate on a class project to create our own Latin anthology with Latin passages selected, glossed, researched, and illustrated by the students themselves. Possible themes for our anthology include: children in the ancient world, Roman food and dining, classical art and artists, animals in antiquity, or the empire beyond Rome. Simultaneously, we will continue to shore up our knowledge of Latin grammar—which is indispensable for mastery of Latin texts—by reviewing a chapter from Wheelock’s every week. Texts used: Wheelock's Latin Student, Cambridge Latin Anthology  Instructor: Isabella Leake


German I                                    Semesters: 1                      Credits: 0.5                         Home 
Students will begin learning about the German language by following the story of an American business man and his family. Students will translate short stories and children's poems to work on reading German, and students will compose German each week as they grow in their knowledge of the German language. Memorization assignments children's poems, and famous German quotes. There are homework assignments, quizzes, memorization activities, a long composition, and two exams for this
course each semester. The grammar that is covered includes the following: German pronunciation; Gender of nouns; Definite
and Indefinite Articles; Noun Endings for All Cases; Present and Past Tense of Regular and Irregular verbs; The Negative; Formation of Questions; Word Order; Imperative Forms; Prepositions; Position of Infinitives; Modal Verbs; Da(r) and Wo(r) combinations; Interrogatives; Subordinate and coordinate conjunctions; Adjective endings; Personal pronouns; Reflexive verbs; Separable prefix verbs; Inseparable prefix verbs; and more! Texts used: German Made Simple & Rosetta Stone

Old Testament Survey               Semesters: 2                      Credits: 0.5                         Home  
An in depth study of Genesis-1 Samuel in the Bible chronologically.  Texts used: Bible, Commentary for Children:  Exodus, Numbers, and Leviticus  Also read the following books for personal development:  Do Hard Things, Case for a Creator, Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends, Missionary Stories with the Millers, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Radical, A Young Man after God’s Own Heart

PE                                                   Semesters: 4                   Credits: 0.5                         Home  
Two hours a week of running and weight training.

Fine Arts                                     Semesters: 2                      Credits: 0.25                       Home  
A study into the lives of composers:  Claude Debussy, Bella Bartok, and Maurice Ravel and the works they accomplished using various books and CDs to appreciate their style.
Also studied the following artist’s lives and technique that they used and became familiar with many of their works:  Norman Rockwell, Frans Lanting and Thomas Kinkade.


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