Gonna be 8th graders and or 9th year what are you doing?

I am trying to really figure out what to do for ds next year.
I will have two out of school, one full time one very part time in college.
So one at home doing HS with me and we want to make it fun, exciting and very educational at the same time. That fits our personalities!

I am thinking for Math doing MUS--- straight from the SOS8th grade which looks pre algebraish, into MUS ALg 1? Any pros and cons on that?

English -- looking at the Monach lesson for 7th grade and considering it
We love Writing strands but ds has started forgetting where he was, I need to get him book mark I know, but his daily grams will stay and he will have something on writing. The Language arts for 7th grade in monarch looks like it has writing and lit both? Reading will be a variety of things as well.

History/Geo--Thinking of doing civics or a step up history of US maybe US HITSORY from Simple Zine cause it looks really good, but I am not sure if I want a full study casue we will do it again in High school on a really deeper level.

And choice 2 is World history with geography as our spine. Going around the world looking at the topography and terrain, of different places then a breif history of each region we cross on our invisible journey.
I am thinking of having him use a journal as if we really were traveling around. Then taking some feild trips in my state to places with similar topographical information or formations.
Since he wants to be an archetictual engineer someday, wether for Lego or whomever I want to teach him about different grounds and structures in different parts of the world.
WHy people settled were they did etc.


Science, we will probably try the Siimplezine science stuff, we have been looking at a few as samples.

what else, OH PE is Fall Ball baseball season.
We dont know if we will have Drama next year, depends on how well I do I guess with the OUR TOWN idea I have.


Not possitive on that one so whats anyone else using?

ARt we will do drawings of course and painting... structures etc.




So what are you all thinking of doing? I am looking at 8th and 9th because his math and science are ahead

 

Everything is really up in the air at this time because I tend to change my mind constantly when it comes to putting together our curriculum.

 

Well, here's what I know so far:

English: I'm not doing it!!! (Well, sort of!) We've a retired English teacher that teaches high school classes to homeschoolers. Faythe will be taking his Grammar/Essay class. Rachael has taken it in the past, and believe me, he works those kids meeting just one day more than I do with them five!!! Rachael will be taking his Research class next year.

Math: HBJ Algebra 1 (a "retired" public school book!)

History/Geography: Looking into "Around the World in 180 Days"

Science: ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!! I HATE SCIENCE!!! Apologia doesn't work for Faythe!!!

Possibly "The Fallacy Detective". I want to do it with Rachael, and may have Faythe do it with her.

Anyway, that's what I got so far!

 

cry because they are grewing up to fast.

I am going to have a 12th and 10th grader next year.

 

I am doing this too!
This year! I todl dd to go back to 11th grade so we can still have her be little! sniff sniff, she said no she did not want to do an extra year of school just so I can ekep her young lol geee!

Jackie, I am sorta planning science because it is not my forte either!
I have finally come to realise why the ladies at our home school co op plan that as the class in our area though we all do it together well, sorta, but it gets the job done.
Ds however likes science stuff so he has to get something... I am considering Language arts with the Monarch, or science, I dont want both cause I really want variety. I am also thinking of maybe just doing Life Pak for his lang arts.. its the same stuff only on paper and he needs to write more on paper...
I have decided he has to do a whole 7 day lesson of his WS so he will write the full thing out cause he gets lost in the parts now. I guess this is a good thing, he just is not a start and stop kind of kid, its all or nothing?

I have expanded on my history and gotten excited! After talking with dh about it he likes the idea of an imaginary trek around the world. So we are doing the Journal idea ( I am going to get a flap over front style journal that he can carry with him as we go to different places, feild trips or tv dvd adventures, computer research will be in there too!
HE will learn to write out what he is learning and keep "feild notes" like an archeologist would. We have studied for most of his life about explorers now he gets to become one!
Dh got excited about the idea of Netflixing the historical places and getting the History Channel's stuff and Discovery channel stuff , etc, for the different parts of the world. I said it will mean work on our part but he will be the only child to teach so it will be worth it!

The one thing, Math for him will be outside the home maybe because the MUS is at dds school right now. Depending on if the teacher wants to still use it for his one alg 2 student next year and I thinkhe will have one for next year for alg 1, he used them this year so we are trading off not sure if I have to go there to use it or not kwim?
I was going to sit in the room to watch the videos this year so I could teach it next but I decided I will ist with ds next year and do it that way I am with him while we study it.
And he will get group time that way too with his friends he has made this year. The kids really have responded to him and they will be the ones he graduates with if he goes out in his senior year too. He has a lot of growing to do before then! HAH! YEAH! I can keep one little! hehehe

So English--- I wish I could send him to your teacher Jackie but the commute would be too much!
WHat do you ladies think though shoud I have him do the online Monarch, or the booklets that can get lost ( they always do here thats why I have extras LOL)

hey is topography considered Science? Maybe that can be my side science that I do along with the co op next year?It would be studying the minerals and rocks and such that we find in different areas, and will help me with the rock climbing feild trips we want to be tied in... hmmm

 

Wish you could, too; he's the greatest!!! Rachael had him at age 12 (the youngest he would take a kid), and she had the second highest grade in his class. She actually changed his mind about kids that young! And Faythe is MUCH more prepared going in! When we did Easy Grammar, Rachael complained, "Why didn't you have me do this BEFORE Mr. M's class? I could have had the HIGHEST grade if I knew all this stuff first!!!" But after Easy Grammar and two years of R&S, Faythe really has a pretty good handle on that aspect of it!

As far as booklets go, what I do with the ones that I can NEVER find is to drill them and put them in a loose-leaf notebook. I have all my R&S worksheets/test booklets in one, my Saxon bookilets in another (actually, with Saxon, I have a different notebook for each level!), and I really need to put Wordly Wise in a third. It has really helped keep track of stuff!

 

I'll have an 8th grader next fall also- also a 10th and 5th. How did that happen????

Anyway, here is a little of what I am looking at. By the way, love the idea of the journal and the trip around the world ideas! DS had a semester of US Geography at co-op, and a semester of World Geo so I'm pretty good on that. I'm not familiar with Monarch, so can't help you there.

We will be involved with our co-op, which is offering:
Literature- unit-type study with two/three take-home reads
Nature Journaling- poetry, scripture, botany, nature walks, art
Ancient history
Health Science

At home:
Math- TT Pre-algebra
Lang Arts- I am still working on. I have Easy Grammar; Fallacy Detective; Writing Strands; and spelling.... plus the Lit class
Latin 1- with younger brother (if we don't get it finished this summer)
Spanish- Rosetta Stone
Music- guitar lessons
P.E.- flag football in the fall; basketball in winter

I just keep looking at this and thinking I am forgetting something major, you know??

MT3

 

Thanks MT3 You reminded me I will have to get the Spanish set up for next year too...dd canhelp him with that. She is all excited and can't wait till he takes Pre Alg stuff inhis math this year cause she wants to help him Lol.. I will gladly let her help! HAHA!
We also have Latin! 1,2 and I think I may have gotten dd 3 as well.
Music he will take band at church class. Gonna try to get some of his home school friends to join in at the same time and give the instructor a bit more $ he is doing such a good job with the kids there.

did I say PE is Baseball fall ball? Then the homeschool group is talking football but dh said no to ds playing so he wont be doing that this year. But the baseball will last till Christmas plays, then we will go on to spring ball, he wants to play ball in college at least if not pro, so we are keeping that as his main sport and I am teaching different ones on the side.

 

I'm glad I reminded you of a couple of things! I forgot to ask you a question though. Did you use the SOS Constitution for your older kids? I have that as an option for my kids for part of their government/high school credit and was just curious what you thought of it. We did a civics class at co-op last year for middle schoolers, so we are good until high school.

Also, did you use their high school Lit- American or British? DS #1 is looking at that for next year (10th). Although, he is taking a Shakespeare class first semester, and speech or debate the second semester.

DS #2 loves baseball- but it is only spring/summer here. We just signed him up for Babe Ruth last week. He's pretty happy, since several of the boys have been on the same team already for three or four years.

MT3

 

Babe Ruth is what we have to wait till fall for cause theyonly offer 13 and up here,
very disapointed boy, they tried to pass us off to neighboring town but thats a ton of traffic flow and miles with gas as it is now it did not make it worth the extra fees this spring, tried to get to another league we dont like but woudl take as a last draw but it rained and then we were sick, so we have summer Jr Giants that I coach, and then fall ball he will be in tune for it this time!

Okay for SOS-- we did the History and geography constitution portion from that I added in a Heritiage I think study unit study on Constitution that came with dvd, and we ordered a dvd series to follow up on that as well. She really knows her stuff too so it worked!

Thier gove is what I am thinking on for ds forhigh school as well. But I may also add in the other thing as I really like how we did it and it taught the amendments, how come they were amended too, It was a free costtituion study, if I could remember where we got it, or where I have it now I will et you know what it is called.

For Lit we did the Notgrass World History and LIt all in one thing,
This year though she is doing something but its all in the 12th grade English I think with SOS
she is at private church school that is run like a home school
they did not offer the English lit when I had ordered her curric for 11th or she would have had it, or something I forget why we chose not to get it, may have been a financial thing or misscummunication...
DD is a big English/Brit buff so she would love to do more and I am sure she will in college.

 

Oh boy, I have not put that much thought into it yet. DS will be in 8th grade next year.

We have to continue Japanese with Rosetta Stone because I bought all three levels and we did so much review this year that we haven't made much new progress. His accent sounds great to me though - when he lets me listen in. I am very happy with the progress in Japanese. I wish the Hiragana was coming along as well, but it isn't. He forgets them all the time. At this rate we'll never get to the Kanji.

TT for Algebra. He has gotten used to the method and the solutions are worth the price. Plus so far in Pre-Algebra he thinks he's an algebra genius...LOL...whatever works. He came in to me yesterday to tell me how fast he can work the problems. Gotta love it when they are excited about math!

I'm writing the Middle School Chemistry and American History II courses right now so we're gonna do those.

I'll probably continue with Working With Words, Spelling Power, and Writing Strands for Language Arts. I still have not even opened Easy Grammar Plus, so maybe we'll use that next year too.

Literature is the biggie. I have not put al lot of thought into that. This year it seems like we did a lot of fluff - but he has enjoyed the books and loves reading - so I guess it is worth it. I wish I had time to make interactive literature unit studies because that would be perfect. Maybe I should hire someone to write them and then I can convert them to interactives. I bet lots of people would use those.

Lots of art for next year, both computer and regular. We will make time for some life drawing lessons, Corel Draw lessons, and Toon Boom Studio lessons. There is a website that you pay $30 a month for tutorial videos for computer programs, so we'll use that for the Corel and Toon Boom.

I guess the only things I have to buy are TT, Writing Strands, Working with Words, novels, and the computer tutorial website. Not too shabby this time.

 

TMom- thanks. I'll have to look and see what other Constitution program/DVD I have too. I bought it two-for-one with a friend a year ago.

Bummer on the baseball. But it sounds like you've got things covered until then.

CMom- I've been fortunate to be the "Lit teacher" for my son's class in co-op the last two semesters. Last semester (in a class of 8) we read "The Mixed up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler" and did some interesting comparisons in prices/values, etc from the 60's, 80's and now; "Carry On, Mr Bowditch", and "Call It Courage". We spent about four weeks per book and learned some things about the time period of each. This semester we are reading "The Hiding Place" and "Rifles for Watie". We've done great research on WWII and now the Civil War. (The things I'm learning too!) It is not completely a Lit class, in that we are learning history and social studies (and some science and math!), but we are also doing some writing assignments, etc. The kids wrote a movie review, and now are working on a biography.

I think if your son likes reading that is half the "battle"! (And I love that he thinks he's an algebra genius!)

MT3

 

I know what courses we'll be studying for 9th, I just am not sure of all the materials. We are in a co-op and the other high school teacher and I are going to the local used book sale at the university this spring.

History - History Odyssey, Level 2, modern
Literature studies on the novels used in History Odyssey
Latin, either Cambridge or Wheelock's
Logic, text undecided
Algebra 1 using Lial's Introductory Algebra
English from the Roots Up
Astronomy

In the middle grades we are using a syllabus approach with history and science, so the parents can cover the subjects using whatever materials they want. We use A World of Adventure which will cover all subjects except math. We will be covering the Fall of Rome to the Renaissance. My 7th/8th grader may do some Latin and Logic. She is doing Saxon math.

HTH!

 

You all have such wonderful ideas. Perhaps I will change my game plan but for now this is some of the things we will be doing. Next year my son will be in 9th grade.

History--Sonlight's American History In-Depth 100. This will be first year using Sonlight. Hope we like it.

Literature and Writing--Should be covered in Sonlight's history package

Bible--Should be covered in Sonlight. If not, then probably a nonstructure approach.

Grammar--Easy Grammar maybe. Have to first see how much information is in the Sonlight program.

Science--This is where I am undecided. Have been looking into SOS with the video. Also have been thinking of just picking a few topics to do on our own with no in-the-box curriculum. I don't want to use Apologia because I think it is too much for my son, but we have all of the high school books so I might use it. I do want to read and discuss It Couldn't Just Happen

Computer--Take a couple of classes or use Pure and Simple Computer Science

Math--TT Algebra

I would like to also cover art and public speaking but those two subjects are more fun with other children, so I am not sure what to do about teaching it.

 

MT3 I think thats the one we got! the two for one!

 

monach has a communication class thing, it deals with public speaking too so I was wondering how to do that one..

 

I'm looking very seriously at Monarch!!!

 

I think the way the lessons are beside the questions is good too... you can see the whole lesson easier that way, I greatly dislike adjusting the lesson to view the questions.

 

OH! Jackie did you see they have a semester class called "College Planner" I may get that for dd to do. even if she does a couple at the cc it may be helpful
OKAY one set back, cant reuse the lessons with younger kids... so thats one thing I don't like, but it doesnt matter for me at this point since most of whatI do is for one homeschooling child now..

 

Jackie, asking you to remind me how you are doing History geography with your dds next year, was it you who is also doing Geography like with 180 days?
I am now thinking Civ with Monarch may be a good idea, as well as the English for 8th grade for ds, but still planning my Geo history plan cause dh and I are planning it together! Wee!