Tuesday, July 31, 2012

What Will School Look Like This Year.....?

My friend Mindy over at Grateful for Grace is talking about school curriculum choices, and while I already mentioned that we're using an on-line school for the boys I thought I'd go into a bit of detail about what that will look like.  I know you've been burning with curiosity, right???

The Writer, who begins 9th Grade this fall, will enroll in six courses from Texas Tech University's on-line high school program (TTUISD). His schedule will include:

  • English I -- this will encompass literature, grammar, vocabulary, etc. He will still read other books for fun &/or at my direction as well. 
  • Biology -- study of living things. Should be interesting. 
  • Geometry -- he's finished up Algebra I this year so will move onto Geometry (he needs a break before going to Algebra II, though I've honestly never understood why we split up the Algebras and put Geometry in the middle....). He's excited to have a math that is NOT Algebra, though, so that works for me. 
  • World Geography -- he was hoping for US History, but the great state of TX puts freshmen in Geography; as he will enroll in the full-time program next year, which involves all that end of year testing stuff, he needs to take the history courses in order. He is, however, excited to know that World Geography focuses on different things than World History (which he's just finished 2 years of), so it should be a good year.
  • Health -- a pretty basic health course. I haven't seen the text yet, so not sure what all it covers. I remember my public school health class as being fascinating, so I hope he enjoys this. 
  • Art I -- Texas requires a fine art credit, and he couldn't decide between Art, Music History, or Theater. As the Theater course required watching various DVDs, videos and even a real play -- things we weren't sure we could locate here in Brazil -- we suggested he take Art. He likes to draw (I am, after all, making a quilt showcasing his comic strips) and is hoping to improve through this course; while it's an on-line course, he will have projects and have to submit photos via email, so it should be a lot of fun. 
A pretty full schedule, and using all textbooks, which is new. He's used a textbook based math & science this past year, so it won't be totally foreign to him, which is good. He is looking forward to being challenged; he complained this year that, aside from Algebra, his coursework was too easy. Hopefully this will keep him busy, challenged, engaged. I love that he is maturing to the point where he recognizes that working hard is good for him and he'd rather push himself than coast through life. He definitely inherited his father's work ethic. 

The Artist, who begins 6th Grade in the fall, will be taking a few on-line courses and a few at-home courses as we transition him into junior high/middle school. His line-up looks like this: 
  • TTUISD: English 6 -- this 6th grade English course encompasses reading, grammar, vocabulary, etc. He, too, will still read for fun; not that we often see him without a book or three around anyway. I don't think we could stop him from reading if we tried. A boy after my own heart! I so love that....
  • TTUISD: Science 6 -- a general 6th grade science course. Science is my weakest area, and while it is a strong subject for The Chemist (he didn't get that nickname by accident), his job keeps him too busy to spend time doing actual, consistent teaching like he used to when the boys were younger. Out-sourcing this class just makes sense. 
  • At Home: Math 6 -- Teaching Textbooks again. I love that this allows the boys to be independent in math. As I need to devote more and more time to The Adventurer, I can trust that The Artist is getting proper math instruction (via CD-Rom tutor) even when I'm not the one explaining how to do things. 
  • At Home: World Geography -- although he will repeat this in 9th grade, I had already bought a great program and so want to go ahead and use it. With both older boys studying Geography, I hope they can help & encourage one another as they learn the countries, landmarks, rivers, etc. The Writer will use the State of TX approved text; The Artist will use Around the World in 180 Days. Should be an education for all of us. 
  • At Home: Art -- he has been using, off & on, a program called Artistic Pursuits. It's a student-directed program, he can work independently, and he enjoys it. He will continue to make his way through this program in the coming year. 
Not as full as The Writer, but then 6th Grade and 9th Grade aren't supposed to be equal. Still a sufficiently heavy course load for him, and one I think he'll enjoy. He will continue his keyboard/piano lessons as well, which he loves & excels at. Should be a good year for him.

And that brings me to The Adventurer. He will be doing a variety of things:
  • Miquon Math -- this is a hands-on math program, using manipulatives and Cuisenaire rods to make math concrete. He loves it. His math box is a favorite activity, and he often pulls it out in his free time just to play. We will stick with this until we've completed the program.
  • Explode the Code -- he's finished the 1st three "pre-Explode the Code" books (Get Ready, Get Set, and Go for the Code) and will move on to the actual Level 1, 2 & 3 books this year. We'll work our way through at his pace, and supplement with alphabet games, activities, scavenger hunts, and whatever else is necessary to cement the information firmly in his head. 
  • History/Literature -- he will make his way through Sonlight's old-version Core 1. I have no idea what this package is called now; we'll be using the books that I first purchased when The Writer was about 5 years old and just reading them at our own speed. This package is a beginning introduction to world history, focusing on ancient Egypt, Greek mythology, and other fun stuff. It is full of information that appeals to a 7 year old boy and I know he'll enjoy it. 
  • Science -- we'll work through a very casual study of the world, using a great National Geographic set we also bought back when The Writer was about four or so. The titles include one on weather, space, earth, mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, volcanoes....just a slew of titles on different general-interest subjects. We'll use those as our starting point, explore any topic he wants in greater detail, and just have fun. The books will be a good introduction to the world of science, and at a level and speed I can handle. 
I'm excited to have more time to spend focused on The Adventurer, and excited about the things we'll be reading about and learning about. Even though this will be my third time through the Sonlight books, I know I won't be bored; watching The Adventurer learn about mummies should be entertaining and educational for both of us. 

Not a typical home school year at all, but as we're on-line schooling instead I guess that makes sense. Our curriculum and course plans for the year are exactly what we need right now, and I'm anticipating a very good school year for everyone.