Monday, August 1

9th & 12th Grade Curriculum Reveal

It's that time of the year again! Maybe it's because I'm a TK (Teacher's Kid), or maybe it's just because I'm weird....but the back-to-school sales and smell of new books always make me happy. This year, we've got two high schoolers...the house is full of ~~hormones~~ happiness....

Morning Basket (Together Time)

Since as far back as we can remember (which is to say, since the first kid was born), we've started our days with a little bit of reading together time. Now that they're teens, I see no reason to stop this tradition. We just change the book selections!

Seriously though, your teen might grumble that it's not cool to read together with his little siblings and his mom, but inside, he's truly loving it. Here lately, I've been reading aloud while the boys eat breakfast. They're teens, and they're sleeping in later than usual, so this is a gentle way to start the day.

And can we just step back for a moment and reflect on the blessing that homeschool affords us with that flexibility to sleep in? So many teens have to stumble through their early morning classes before their brains, biologically, are even capable of fully functioning. I like knowing that that extra hour or two gets them good sleep, boosting their immunity and helping them to start the day off right!

Morning Basket Read-Alouds

These are the books we'll be reading aloud together this year. With it being the senior year for one, we are revisiting some of our favorite read-alouds from our early years of homeschooling...

Once this time is done (usually a couple of chapters), we have a quick rundown of the day. Sometimes this is a quick once-over of their daily assignments. Other times, it's a reminder that we have appointments or a field trip or something special going on.

Ninth Grade Curriculum

As our youngest enters high school, it's natural to step back and reflect upon all the years we've been homeschooling...it's the end of an era. No more littles or even middle schoolers. This is our special needs baby, and it's been quite an accomplishment - from him, from us, and from our helpers - to see him standing on the precipice of this moment!

This year, he'll be enrolled at Sparks Academy, which will be fantastic for that peer interaction component, in the following classes:

Here in the home, he'll be working through:

Spanish I with extra practice
Bible History
Simply Good & Beautiful Math + Saxon Algebra 1/2

(we have some work to do on this subject)

Driver's Ed & Life Skills

Twelfth Grade Curriculum

The vast majority of this senior year will be completed through dual enrollment classes at a nearby college. It may seem like a heavy load, but you have to remember that this is our history kiddo. For the history and geography courses, they are classes he's just required to take to move forward. His DE schedule (over two semesters) includes:

World History 1
World History 2
Calculus
Introduction to Engineering
Design Principles
Physical Geography w/ Lab

At home, he'll be completing:

He'll also be completing CLEP tests for Psychology and Western Civilization 1 & 2. Some of these he has been working on over the summer between junior and senior years.

WHY is he doing so much classwork? Well, once he has completed his senior year, he will be only seven credits shy of an Associate's Degree. Being able to graduate high school having nearly completed that two-year degree is huge! It will help him financially, too, as he moves forward with his career path, possibly transferring into a four-year school. Like so many teens, he has struggled with the decisions of what his future brings...an age-old issue made more complicated recently by the pandemic and state of the union.

Naturally, there's sure to be some adjustments throughout the year. We're hoping to supplement our studies with a few nice, long roadschooling trips as well! Here's to a fantastic new year!

Looking for a different grade? Check out our preview curricula reveals!

This is part of our series - Five Days of Homeschooling Teens. Read the whole series...

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