Our Curriculum for this Year - 9th and 7th Grade

A fellow crewmate is doing a blog hop about curriculum choices this year.  While I’m not sure everyone cares what we are using, I do know that it has taken hours and hours of scouring choices and looking at books and pricing options and considering my boys learning styles and figuring out what our co-ops are doing, and, and, and… to get to the point where we made our choices.  So, for me, it’s a bit cathartic to put it in writing.

I homeschool my two youngest boys.  My oldest is starting high school and my youngest is going into 7^th grade. 

9th Grader (14 this Sept.):

This year he will take three courses through our co-op.  We meet one day a week and then do the learning at home.  I like a co-op because they are accountable to someone besides me, because these ladies have expertise in areas I am weaker in, and because it keeps the idea of a classroom setting in his mind for college.

The three co-op courses are:

Biology (and lab)  – we are using Apologia Biology.  I am going to incorporate additional work to make it an honors course.  This is really two classes at the co-op because the lab is separate.

American History – the text is United States History by BJU.  We will also use REA CLEP for History 1 and 2 and The History of US DVD and text.  This will be an honors course and he’ll take two CLEP tests this year.

Computer Applications I – this is a semester course I will be teaching at the co-op.  We are using Microsoft Office 2007 Simplified along with a plethora of information and activities I have downloaded.

3D Visual Programming – also a semester course I will teach using Alice by Canegie Melon.  Alice is a free download with many tutorials that teaches the fundamentals of programming in a visual platform.

At home he will be doing:

Spanish I – we have Auralog’s Tell Me More Spanish levels 1-5 Homeschool Edition.

Honors English I – I will use Excellence in Literature: Intro to Literature with the honors option, Easy Grammar Plus to keep up with grammar and we’ll supplement vocabulary as needed.

Geometry – Teaching Textbooks is our choice here.  Both my boys really like the format and instruction.  It worked well with Algebra I for him so we’re sticking with it.

7^th Grader (12):

My younger son also attends the same co-op and will be participating in another as well.

At the first co-op, he will take:

Middle School Art – this class will focus on drawing and paint.

General Science – We stick with Apologia for science. I have bought him the audio to go with the text as he’s more auditory.

Computer Applications I and 3D Visual Programming – same class as my oldest except for a modification for the middle school students.

World Geography – the instructor is compiling her own materials

Co-op #2

Critical Thinking – will use Critical Thinking materials

Writing – (this is every other week) He will have a teacher the first semester focusing on the five paragraph essay; I will teach the course second semester and focus on genres of essay writing.

Science Lab – (every other week) Taught by a highly qualified scientist who will have parent led labs with her assistance. He will create two projects over the course of the year.  The labs are similar in content to what he will be learning in General Science.  A good supplement.

At home:

Literature – we are doing Battle of the Books this year, so he will read 27 total books (3 per month – we did nine over the summer.)  I have a study guide for one book a month so we can address that one in more depth.  I will also have him doing Easy Grammar Plus. 

Pre-Algebra – Teaching Textbooks all the way!

German I - we have Auralog’s Tell Me More German levels 1-5 Homeschool Edition.

Whew – that’s one big year ahead of us and that’s not even counting the extra-curriculars…  I can’t wait to get past the anticipation and finally get rolling!  Two more weeks!