Curriculum 2016-2017

Our first week is almost over, and I think the dust has settled - or at least I hope it has.  I had to make a couple of adjustments.  After all these years of homeschooling Emily, we finally decided to hold her back in 6th grade.  She had a late birthday for her grade, and she always was trailing behind on her work.  We are hoping this will give her a chance to catch up and not feel so overwhelmed with school work, which is not the idea when you homeschool.  Both of the girls took a science class with our local coop teacher to supplement the Apologia curriculum.  It meets once a week for experiments, demonstrations, and group projects.  They love their science classes! :)

Emily (6th grade)

Bible - Journey Through the Bible 1  (Pentateuch)            Christian Liberty Press
           Three year reading through the Bible program

English - Fix It! 3  (Grammar)                                           IEW
                Following Narnia 1   (Writing)                           IEW
                Wordly Wise 7   (Vocabulary & Reading Comprehension)  
                McGruffey Reader 3                    

Math 7   BJU

History & Geography
                           New World History & Geography            ABeka      (Spine)
                           Literature, art, etc. added
                            to support this fact filled textbook
                            Geography Study Guide                         Beautiful Feet Books


Science   General Science                                                   Apologia
                Homeschool Co-op class                                     Connie Gerbasi

A nice guide for Exploring Creation With General Science2 

Michelle (9-10th grade)

Last year, we thought we would start 9th grade classes with Michelle, so she took Algebra, Biology, and Art History for high school credit. Some of her classes for this year might be considered 10th grade classes, but this is all in preparation for her to dual enroll at the local community college on her Junior year.

Bible - The Westminster Shorter Cathechism                        Christian Liberty Press
English - American Literature                                               Excellence in Literature
                The Elegant Essay                                                  IEW
                 Fix it! - Book 3  (Grammar)                                  IEW
                Wordly Wise 10
Math -     Algebra 2                                                               Bob Jones
History   Early American History                                         Beautiful Feet
Art          Early American History                                         Beautiful Feet
                Artists                                                                     Homeschool in the Woods
Science -  Advanced Biology - Anatomy & Physiology        Apologia
                 Anatomy Coloring Book (Kaplan Anatomy Coloring Book)
               
                 Anatomy Homeschool Co-op class                       Connie Gerbasi
                 Body by Design: An Anatomy of the Human Body
                 Anatomy Coloring Workbook, 3rd Edition 

Computer Applications
                Miscellaneous library books about Microsoft Word, Excell, Power Point, and typing                             software.
P.E.  -   Volleyball - YMCA


Check out what I do with Fix it!

Update on Pens & Highlighters!

The old secretary desk

Growing up, I had a grandfather who was a college professor, and in his study, he had an antique Victorian secretary desk, which he kept closed most of the time. One of my favorite things to do at his house was to sit with him, look inside it, and play with his collection of pens and all sorts of fun office supplies - nifty gadgets, pencil sharpers with toys attached to them...  I think this sparked my interest in nice pens.  

I have always owned a couple of fountain pens and love to play with inks of different colors, but for everyday use, I like to have an assortment of affordable pens for school and note taking.  Using different colors while making notes on schoolwork helps me draw attention to different points I'm trying to make, and colors are fun!

A couple of years ago, I tested a bunch of pens and wrote a review, so I thought I should make a quick update since I discovered these pens on Amazon - Pentel Energel Deluxe pens.  I used them all year, and they are fantastic.  I now own every color with boxes of refills, so I never run out.  I really like both the bold and fine tip pens, though I have been favoring the fine tips (0.5mm) more lately.  These pens are smooth and comfortable. They write well without the need to apply much pressure at all.  I love the variety of bright, well saturated colors available.  Pentel liquid gel dries quickly, which is a nice thing, but it does not write well on glossy paper, and it is not waterproof.  There is a good sized window on the pen to see if the ink is running low.

I also switched my highlighters last Fall and now use these Stabilo highlighters.  I love them!  I bought this set last Fall, use them every day, and they are still as good as new.  Since buying these, I have found new uses for my highlighters.  They have been especially helpful with IEW's Fix It!  I use them every day, and the girls love seeing their pages light up with color.  They almost don't mind that they have some things to correct and more work to do because their papers are so colorful when I am done with them. :)

Wrestling with IEW

Based on that title, you might think that I am having a hard time with IEW, and you would be right.  I think I have been going through this for the last fifteen years, or longer.  My struggle these days is different.  I struggle because of the many great choices and wishing I could just do all the different available courses.  This year, I would like to do the Theme based writing courses: Middle Ages, Early U.S. History, Narnia...  I would also like to do The Elegant Essay, Poetry, Fix it!, and American Literature...  If only we didn't have all the other subjects to deal with, especially with Michelle's high school load, which is quite daunting as it is.

So, what to choose?

Since Michelle is doing American History and Literature this year, it would make sense to do the American History writing curriculum with her.  However, because of the distribution of high school credit requirements in Florida, I need to have her take an English class each year.  So, I will just have to stick with doing IEW's American Literature, which has a good bit of writing in it, and save the American History writing courses for next year.

With Emily, on the other hand, I will do Following Narnia 1: The Lion's Song, because I just can't wait.  We will be listening and reading along with Kenneth Branagh's great voice in these Chronicle's of Narnia audiobooks.

I would like to continue with our Middle Ages writing program with Emily because she needs extra work with English.  She is my late bloomer, the baby of the family, who likes to take things slowly and go about life in a relaxed manner. I think that's called being laid back?...  It's a bit of an alien concept for me.

We will also carry on with the Fix It! series, books 3 and 4.  I have developed my own system with Fix It! which has been working well for us. I print out the student e-book on one side of the paper only.  I go through the lesson with each one individually on Monday, then assign the day's part for them to fix.  I then use different colored high lighters - I love these - and mark their lesson, using a different color for each thing they didn't get right.  I then use the opposite blank page to write a note on what they missed and a further assignment will be given on that particular item.  Depending on what it is and whether this is a repeat problem, they will need to explain why they got it wrong, copy the grammar rule missed found in the grammar section of their book, write examples of how that part of speech may be used, do an etymology on a word that is misspelled or used incorrectly, etc.

What do I do with Fix it!?

Apologia Biology

Michelle is finishing up with biology for the year.  She did very well and enjoyed even the disection labs.  It was revealing for me to watch her and see that she's a natural at the anatomy labs.  We may have found her gift!  This is so not my area... I had to steel myself several times when she couldn't find one of the organs, pick up the tool, and start moving parts... to show her the lungs which were buried in the back behind the liver, or some other such thing...  I am glad there are people who have this area of interest!

Dual Enrollement - How To

Both of our older children dual enrolled before being admitted to university here in Florida.  We had a good experience each time and plan to do this again with our younger daughters as well.  

To dual enroll at our county's community college (HCC), a student must have a 3.0 GPA and have taken the SAT/ACT.  The requirements on test scores vary depending on the classes they want to take.  So, for MAC 1105 the SAT math score must be equal or greater than 510.  In Florida, you are allowed to take nine credit hours per semester, which may be up to three classes.  They started out taking one class in the summer, and by the Spring semester in their senior year, they were taking the full nine credits.

Current test score requirements in Hillsborough County (HCC)










Some of the benefits of dual enrollment for our children as homeschoolers:

• Double credit for classes - high school and college
• Free college classes, although not free textbooks for homeschoolers
• Experience in a classroom environment with hard deadlines and multiple teachers
• Coming into college with these credits creates flexibility when deciding which classes to take
• May allow for early graduation from college
• May help with deciding on a career, less time wasted doing so after high school
• Opportunity to start accumulating college credit and building a solid GPA
• Dual enrollment experience adds value to high school transcript 

You should submit your application and paperwork at least thirty days in advance of the beginning of registration for the upcoming term.

Contact - Nancy - Very nice on the phone, (813) 253-7121 or (813) 253-7062

Email -  dualenrollment@hccfl.edu

Important Links

For Florida high school transcripts: Statewide Course Numbering System
To search the latest Florida statutes
Steps to apply in Hillsborough County
Course equivalency list
Find links to forms here: Dual Enrollement - HCC
Steps to apply (HCC)

Success!

What a year this has been.  In retrospect, I am thankful for many things.  We had a full year with ups and downs, as always.  Of my curriculum choices, I am very happy with a switch to BJU in math.  I had never used their math curriculum before for middle school.  I had stuck with Saxon Math for years.  It wasn't working so well with Michelle, and BJU was just right.  I've decided to break with Saxon, after so many years.  Their system of random review problems at the end of the lesson, with just a few practice exercises on what was taught that day really was confusing.  The traditional, incremental approach taught in the BJU program is excellent.  There are review problems at the end of each chapter, and this is still very important!  So, I am very happy to have taken the plunge.

I updated my SAT post with the latest news from a couple of months ago.  Michael won the National Merit Scholarship, and we are so happy!  He will be going to the University of South Florida, our local college, part of the Florida university system.  Because he plans on going to graduate school, this was the best choice for him financially.  Living at home, we will be saving a substantial amount of the scholarship money he will receive each semester and will be in good shape to pursue graduate work when he gets his bachelor's degree.

Looking ahead at 2016-17, because of work related issues, we may be having to spend some time in Maryland this summer.  There is a threat of strike at Don's company (Verizon), which means we will have to go up there at a moment's notice for him to fill in for an unknown length of time.  What this means is that I will have very little time to pack and run.  I plan on starting school on the first week of July this year in order to make up for this potential disruption...  not knowing when and for how long is the hardest part.

Back to School

Emily is enjoying her science curriculum and learning about birds.

How air pressure might lift the water up like the wings of a bird.