10th Grade Curriculum

 

Bible

• Bible Study Fellowship The Gospel of John
• Sonlight 200 Bible with 100 American History  I rented this from a friend for a fraction of the cost.  For more budget saving homeschool tips, see here.

English

• Sonlight 230 Classic Literature- We LOVED the books picked for this year and the discussion questions were great, but I wasn't a big fan of the writing assignments.  They didn't give a lot of direct instruction and not specific grading rubrics. I rented this from a friend for a fraction of the cost.  For more budget saving homeschool tips, see here.
• Multicultural Living Book Basket
• Heritage Mom
• Stories of Color

History

• Sonlight 100 American History  We switched our history spine from MFW to Sonlight for 10th grade We really enjoyed the older version, with the spine of History of US by Joy Hakim. I will not recommend the new edition of Sonlight 120 with the new History Spine, America. The Last Best Hope. The title alone , America: The Last Best Hope, gives me the pause, but after reading the reviews, the table of contents, his introduction, and excerpts from this book I am so thankful my boys were able to use this curriculum the Hakim History Spine. I rented this from a friend for a fraction of the cost.  For more budget saving homeschool tips, see here.
• Current events 

Science

• Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC 1 Full Course Kit)

Math

• Math U See Algebra 2

Spanish

• Duolingo 

Electives

• Miscellaneous Cooperative Classes  

12th Grade Curriculum

 

I have always supplemented our curriculum, dropping off books I don't like and adding ones I do, but I have always had a history spine to follow.  In Kindergarten through 8th is was My Father's World.  In High School we chose Sonlight.  Twelfth grade will be our first year going fully eclectic.  

The main reason for this is my boys are taking Dual Enrollment at our local community college. 

Bible

• Bible Study Fellowship Revelation
• Strength to Love by Martin Luther King

English

• Dual Enrollment Creative Writing
• 7 sisters Professional Writing
• Book Basket
• Booklist from Sonlight American Literature, Heritage Mom, and Stories of Color 

Health

• 7 Sisters Health 
• Teen Sex by the Book
• Bare marriage Course The Whole Story Boys age 14-16
• Fight the New Drug Video Series

Economics

• Financial Reality Check 
• PBS Crash Course 
• Worksheets 
• Economics for Dummies Just the chapters to line up with Crash Course Videos 
• Christians in the Age of Wealth  

Government and Politics

We will not being u sin a homeschool history spine this year because the twins will be taking a Dual Enrollment Government class. Even with this class,  I am adding several books to supplement the discussions.  I plan to assign reading throughout the week and meet on Fridays to discuss.

• Dual Enrollment Intro to Government and politics 
• Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart
• Current events (once a month)
• Compassion and Conviction by Justin Giboney (8 weeks)  
• Ballot and the Bible by Kaitlin Schiess 

Spanish

• Easy Peasy Spanish 3 

Science

• Dual Enrollment Physics 

Math

• Dual Enrollment Trigonometry 

11th Grade Curriculum

 Bible

• Bible Study Fellowship The Gospel of John
• Sonlight 300 Bible with 20th Century History I rented this from a friend for a fraction of the cost.  For more budget saving homeschool tips, see here.

English

• Dual Enrollment English 101 Written Communication
• Dual Enrollment Fundamentals of Public Speaking
• 7 Sisters Writing- We loved these no busy work writing assignments.  I added them whenever my boys were not taking a Dual Enrollment English class
• Short Story Myth
• Poetry Writing 
• Sonlight 20th Century Literature- We just read the books this year and skipped the writing assignments due to workload from Dual Enrollment English Courses .  I also didn't feel like the writing assignments in 10th were that great.  They didn't give a lot of direct instruction and not specific grading rubrics. I rented this from a friend for a fraction of the cost.  For more budget saving homeschool tips, see here.
• Multicultural Living Book Basket
• Heritage Mom
• Stories of Color

History

• Sonlight 20th Century History I rented this from a friend for a fraction of the cost.  For more budget saving homeschool tips, see here.
• Current events 

Science

• Friendly Chemistry

Math

• Dual Enrollment College Algebra/Pre-Calculus 
• Kahn Academy SAT Prep

Spanish

• Easy Peasy Spanish 2 

Electives

• Dual Enrollment Introduction to Design Technology
• Friendly Driver's Education 
• Miscellaneous Cooperative Classes  

Should I give grades in my homeschool?

 

If you're scared that not grading like the public school will hurt your kids in college, let that go. I never gave grades in elementary or junior high. We worked until they mastered something, then moved on. If they were struggling, we found new resources and stayed on the topic. I was ok being "stuck" because it was better than being left behind.

I had to start giving grades in high school for transcripts. I have never given given a grade on an English paper that wasn't an A, but not because I am an easy grader. After they took a few outside classes I learned I am their toughest grader. But I always allowed them to turn in a rough draft, then we reworked it together until we were both satisfied. Through this process they learned how to improve their writing and rewrite. My motto is most of writing is rewriting.

I knew there would be a learning curve to how they viewed rough drafts and time management when they began taking classes at our local community college. We discussed often that in college they can not submit a first draft as your final draft. I reminded and prayed they used their rewriting skills BEFORE turning it into the professor. 

Flash forward to today. It's a Friday and their final paper for their dual enrollment class, Introduction to Literature, is due Sunday at midnight. I was already proud that they both set a goal of getting their final paper done before the weekend, but now I'm doubly proud they finished it yesterday so they could spend today reviewing and rewriting before submission. 

Keep going homeschool mom, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. When you feel discouraged that your child has to do something AGAIN, see it as an opportunity! They don't get a grade then we move on. It is so much better to be stuck than left behind.

TEACHER TO MANAGER: HOMESCHOOLING HIGH SCHOOLERS

 TEACHER TO MANAGER: 

HOMESCHOOLING HIGH SCHOOLERS

Homeschooling in High School is so different from the younger grades. I love that high school is so much more independent, especially when they are taking a few Dual Enrollment classes at our local community college. My teens are learning adult soft skills as they manage their time using checklists I and their professors give them.

That said, I am more of a manager than a teacher at this stage. I have to be so much more intentional about meeting with them and staying involved.

We have instituted a weekly meeting with mom. It was through our weekly meeting that I realized in high school homeschool I've gone from being their day to day teacher to essentially their manager. A good manager checks in often to monitor quality of work and maintain good relationships. A good manager doesn't do the work for you, but they give you tools and encouragement to do your work well.

This meeting is to make space for them to learn how to discuss and summarize what they are studying. I have caught items they forgot to do or didn't schedule correctly. I encourage them to look ahead and start planning for the next thing.

The transition of homeschooling high schoolers is a hard one at times. The first few years of high school were actually a little heartbreaking. I miss the snuggling on the couch and reading picture books together. I miss being THE teacher they came to with questions. I had to mourn that stage of homeschooling before I could move on. But they grow up, and this is the natural next step. Now, they teach ME about what they are studying. We have even deeper discussions about history and the Bible. They are also taking math class that is way beyond what I took in high school.

My job isn't to help with the content but the context. How do they communicate with their professor? How are they feeling about the workload and dealing with the stress?

It is ok and even healthy to mourn what was, but now I am thankful and prayerful of how to be a good manager of my homeschooling high schoolers.

Financial Reality Check: Personal Finance and Budgeting Workbook for Beginners/Teens

Financial Reality Check:
Personal Finance and Budgeting Work for Beginners/Teens

 Financial Reality Check is the practical personal finance book I wanted for my own sons and couldn't find, so I created it!

This finance curriculum gives junior and senior high school students the opportunity to experience some of the financial challenges they will face with independent living. The goal of this eye-opening personal finance experience is to give students a glimpse into what costs they can expect and to help them learn to take responsibility for personal financial decisions with the use of a Monthly Budget.

Students begin the book by taking personal inventories to help them chose from a list of entry level positions in 16 career fields. Job options also include information regarding the education level needed to obtain that position and if health benefits are provided. 

Students will then identify their tax bracket and calculate their monthly take home pay. 

Using their monthly take home pay students will work through several Expense Chapters where they make decisions about how to live independently while staying within their budget. For example, at the Housing Chapter they will be given several options including renting or buying, then must weigh the pros and cons of each. 

The reality check helps students become more aware of the true costs of living, including the many hidden costs they may not have considered, like renter’s insurance, mortgage rates, and utilities. They'll complete similar exercises in domains such as food, transportation, pets, maintenance, etc.

Some Skills Learned:

• Identify how personal strengths and interests determine career choice
• Identify how career choice, education, skills, entrepreneurship, and unexpected life events affect income
• Identify tax bracket, gross versus net income, and employee health benefits
• Calculating single and multi digit fractions, along with addition/subtraction needed in monthly budgeting
• Responsibility for personal financial decisions with the use of a Monthly Budget
• Identify the relationship between spending practices and achieving financial goals.