Well, we are finally here. We began homeschooling when our daughter was in kindergarten, and nine years later, she is ready to enter high school. Seriously, how did that happen??
We've had many people asking us, "So, is she going to high school?" Our enthusiastic answer has been, "YES! At home!" While this is a point where many parents do choose to hang up the homeschool hat and send their children to private or public school, we are excited about continuing our homeschooling journey. It is amazing to watch our daughter's thoughts and skills unfold like a flower opening to the morning sun, and in this pivotal season, we are being careful to choose, and to help her choose, the academic input that will help guide her and prepare her for adulthood.
That said, high school feels BIGGER, doesn't it? Credits, transcripts, dual enrollment, CLEP, AP classes and testing, SAT, ACT, CLT, future plans - all of these can come together to make the most steadfast homeschool parent ask the big question, "AM I DOING THIS RIGHT?"
But like all of homeschool, and all of life, God is with us and provides us with the grace we need for the next step - and right now, that is ninth grade and choosing curriculum. Join me as I share what our ninth grader will be doing.
We've had many people asking us, "So, is she going to high school?" Our enthusiastic answer has been, "YES! At home!" While this is a point where many parents do choose to hang up the homeschool hat and send their children to private or public school, we are excited about continuing our homeschooling journey. It is amazing to watch our daughter's thoughts and skills unfold like a flower opening to the morning sun, and in this pivotal season, we are being careful to choose, and to help her choose, the academic input that will help guide her and prepare her for adulthood.
That said, high school feels BIGGER, doesn't it? Credits, transcripts, dual enrollment, CLEP, AP classes and testing, SAT, ACT, CLT, future plans - all of these can come together to make the most steadfast homeschool parent ask the big question, "AM I DOING THIS RIGHT?"
But like all of homeschool, and all of life, God is with us and provides us with the grace we need for the next step - and right now, that is ninth grade and choosing curriculum. Join me as I share what our ninth grader will be doing.
Math
Math is the one area that has been pretty steady for us. Except for this year, when we chose a class specifically on Euclid Geometry, our daughter has done well with Saxon Math, so we will return to that in ninth grade for Algebra 2. She follows the explanations well, and we have figured out how to deal with the plethora of problems to solve (we don't have her do them all).
Science
We really went around and around about this one. We knew we wanted her to take Biology, and examined half a dozen good biology courses, and got our daughter's input as well. In the end, we all chose Devotional Biology, a video-based course from Compass Classroom. I'll share more details about it later - we are very excited about this! We may also supplement her work with portions of the Guest Hollow Biology curriculum, and with the Biology Coloring Workbook (which cost less through Memoria Press because we got it as part of our Ninth Grade Curriculum Set, even though we are not using the biology that MP recommends).
Literature
We have been extremely pleased with the Memoria Press literature thus far, so that is our plan for ninth grade literature, as well. Works include Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with The British Tradition I: Poetry, Prose, & Drama from the Old English and Medieval Periods. I admit, this is all a bit intimidating to me, which is why we will also be taking advantage of the discussion groups at Vita Beata, and possibly some lectures or podcasts from House of Humane Letters.
Composition
In addition to the writing that she will do with her literature, our daughter will be moving forward in Memoria Press' Classical Composition Series, with Classical Composition V: Common Topics. I've seen the strength of this program over the last two years, and I'm excited to see her gain new skills this year as she applies the skills she has acquired to more persuasive writing.
History
This is an area that the classical model does really well, but it ends up getting spread around several courses! Our daughter will be using The Book of the Middle Ages as part of her literature studies. She will also be reading The Book of the Ancient Romans, along with The Aeneid, for her Classical Studies focus, Renaissance and Reformation Times for her Modern Studies focus, and The Story of Christianity for her Christian Studies focus. (Not all of these are daily topics, don't worry!)
Electives
Our daughter will continue with her study of Latin, using the Forms Series from Memoria Press. She is also excited to start her formal study of Logic, beginning with Traditional Logic 1 and 2 (each one a semester course), and she will spend some time learning about Early Sacred Music, a nice complement to her study of the history Christianity. Outside of her studies, we also participate in our local Community Bible Study program and American Heritage Girls, both of which provide needed time with peers and important learning.
What about you?
Are you gearing up for high school, too? What curricula are you using? Share below!
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