We had a great start to High School last year. Unlike past years, High School is very student led and while overall we had a great 9th grade year it wasn't without some struggles as we tried to learn and balance time management and the ability to be motivated and get tasks completed. I think the hardest thing about last year was how reading heavy our curriculum was. Between all the work in the different subjects, learning a new language, multiple research papers, a time intensive science curriculum with labs, and a much busier social life than ever before, it was just hard to read 2+ books per week for history and literature. Despite a few bumps and struggles to stay on track the girls finished well and completed everything with all A's and I'm really proud they did that with very little actual teaching on my end.
This year I'll be adding twice a day check ins, morning and afternoon, on top of our daily together time where I grade their work from the day before and we do all our discussion questions for the previous day's reading. The check ins will allow for us to look at the day/week/month ahead to make sure they know what to focus on and how to learn to prioritize their time, and at the end of the day to make sure they've completed what they needed to. I really want to make sure they learn to look ahead over the coming days and weeks to make sure they are staying on task for all the longer term projects and papers that are due. I really hope this will further develop their time management skills and keep them from getting distracted (usually by reading other books or their Bible - I suppose there are worst problems to have.)
We're ready for a great 10th grade year albeit a little terrified that Drivers Ed is coming soon. Praying over my sweet girls that God blesses their time in his word and continues to grow them to reflect him more and more as they grow and mature into the young ladies God has called them to be.
- Bible: The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Misc Books, and Scripture Memorization
- Math: Math U See - Algebra 2
- English: Essentials in Writing - Level 11
- Literature: Sonlight Classical Literature
- History: Sonlight Core 200 - History of the Christian Church
- Science: Apologia Biology & Labs
- Language: Rosetta Stone - Spanish
- PE: Swimming, Hiking, Peloton Classes, Gym Membership
- Music: Piano Lessons, Guitar Lessons, Voice Lessons & High School Worship Team
- Electives: Drivers Ed
Sonlight Core 200 - History of the Christian Church - Last year there was A LOT of reading. Not going to lie, it was a struggle for the girls to keep up between history and literature. They had to spend a bit of their summer reading to catch up. This core has a lot less reading and I think it will be much more manageable to keep on track. They are both super excited about this core and to dive into church history. I can't wait for all the discussions we're going to have!
English & Literature - We had another great year last year doing Essentials in Writing and using the grading service. The girls are excellent writers and constantly impressed their graders with their writing skills and were challenged by their graders to do more difficult things with each writing assignment than the curriculum even called for. I love that they are writing for someone other than me and are being challenged to improve. We're still a year ahead as the girls are doing the 11th grade level. We are doing classical literature this year and I'm so excited for the girls to read some of these amazing books. They've already read a few over the summer like Pride & Prejudice, Pilgrim's Progress, and The Screwtape Letters. I can't wait to discuss these books and then watch some of the movies to go along with them!
Math-U-See - Algebra 2 - I rave every year about this curriculum and this year is no different. The girls mastered Geometry last year with ease. I love that they master each new concept and then constantly review past material so they are always revisiting concepts to keep them fresh all year. I can't say they are excited about Algebra 2, but I'm excited to have something that is easy to teach and to know they do well with each year.
Science - Apologia Biology - Last year was our first year doing an Apologia science and it went really well. This course is completely student led. They read the textbook, complete their note-booking, do their own labs, and then study and prep for tests. It was a success last year and the girls did a great job and learned a lot. It ended up being one of their favorite subjects. We're excited to use the same curriculum and format this year with Biology.
Bible - I'm really excited for our Bible this year. We're going through the Westminster Catechism this year which gives the girls the opportunity to dig into theology and to figure out what they believe using scripture to support or disprove the ideas they are given. It's so important for them to take the time to make their faith their own and really wrestle with what they believe and why. I can't wait to see how this grows their faith and their confidence in being able to explain to others what and why they believe what they do.
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