Our 11th Grade Curriculum | 2023-2024

We found our High School groove last year and enjoyed a great 10th grade year.  We tried something new which was more of an incentive based approach to staying on track.  We told the girls that if they stayed on track with their schooling each week, we would let them invite 4 of their friends and we would take them all to Disneyland to celebrate their 16th Birthday.  So without any setbacks they stayed on track for the first half of the year and enjoyed an amazing b-day trip with their friends.

We're sticking to our tried and true curriculum again this year.  With 2 years left we have our plans set and now it's just a matter of getting through it all.  I'm excited for the girls to complete their final year of English since we're a year ahead and then this will be our final year of language, science and upper level math as well which will make next year a lot lighter.

Here's what we're doing for our 11^th Grade Curriculum...

• Bible: Individual Bible Study, Misc Books, and Scripture Memorization
• Math: Math U See - Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry
• English: Essentials in Writing - Level 12 
• Literature: Sonlight 20th Century Literature
  
• History: Sonlight Core 300 - 20th Century History
  
• Science: Berean Chemisty & Labs
  
• Language: Rosetta Stone - Spanish
  
• PE: Peloton Classes
• Music: Piano Lessons, Guitar Lessons, Voice Lessons & High School Worship Team
  
• Electives: Drivers Ed, Career & College Planning, and SAT Prep
  

 

Sonlight Core 300 - 20th Century History - This core is another one with a LOT of books.  These are just the history books the girls will be reading this year.  They absolutely loved Church History last year and are excited to jump into 20th Century even though it's going to a bit heavy and sad.  I'm looking forward to their level of understanding over this time period growing even deeper.

 

English & Literature - 20th Century Literature & Essentials in Writing 12 - We're on our last year of Essentials in Writing and the girls are excited to finish this curriculum.  It will be nice to only have research papers in our different subjects next year instead of Essays and papers due every week for English class.  They both got 100% on all of their papers last year and I still love that we have a grading service that we use so they aren't just being graded by me.  I think it's really helped them learn to polish their papers well.  These are the rest of the books the girls will be reading this year.  This core has so many great books that I'm excited for the girls to experience.  They've already read a handful of them over the summer!  

Math-U-See - Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry - The girls are excited to finally be able to use a calculator for math.  I'm a mean teacher and have made them do all the math by hand up until now, but I know they have the foundation and skills down so I'm letting them do even the simple math with a calculator this year.  This will be our last year of upper level math since we completed a year in Jr High and then next year we'll be doing a year of financial management which should help set the girls up with a solid foundation for real life financial skills.

Science - Berean Chemistry- Unless the girls choose to take Physics next year, this might be our last year of Science.  The girls loved the last 2 years of Apologia Science we completed, however I did a lot of research and I think this Berean course will be a bit more intuitive than the Apologia course so we decided to make the switch.  They were dreading not having a workbook this year, but I got a printable of all the study questions online and we created a notebook for them and so far they are liking the way they can choose to organize this with their note taking better than doing everything in the workbook provided in the past.   They take notes daily, record definitions, do experiments and then complete a review before taking the chapter test.  It's pretty much all student led I just review their work each day to make sure they are staying on track.

Bible - For Bible this year the girls are doing their own daily Bible Study and then reading through these books over the course of the year and doing weekly scripture memorization.  They are also planning to continue the Bible Study that they started with their friends over the summer and continuing it throughout the year.  They meet at our house with their friends every Thursday evening and are doing an inductive study covering a chapter of the Bible each week.  Over the summer they studied the book of Ephesians and I'm excited to see what they choose to jump into next.  I'm so proud of their heart for the Lord and for the influence they are on their friends to encourage them to be in God's word each day.  I'm so thankful that over the years they have truly made their relationship with God a personal one.

Electives -  We're continuing with Spanish this year using Rosetta Stone, and then the girls are still required to work out 3-4 times a week.  I really want them to have a habit of self care and staying healthy.  I have a Peloton which has tons of classes other than cycling and we took our guest bedroom and turned it into a workout studio a few years ago which was the best decision for the way we use our home.  We got a Murphy Bed so we can still have guests stay with us, but it's usually folded into the wall so we have the entire room for working out.  The girls enjoy Pilates, Barre, Strength training with weights, and Yoga classes the most.  They are also still continuing to take music classes.  They both take voice lessons every other week and then the weeks in between Brinley is still completing her piano curriculum while Avalyn has been taking guitar and is now starting classical guitar.  Lastly, we're doing a college and career planning course that we started over the summer to help the girls figure out where God is calling them in their future.  That and prepping for the SAT has most of their free time taken up.

First Day of 11th Grade | 2023-2024

We have upperclassmen in the house!

The girls have had a wonderful high school experience so far.  They've done great with school, have an amazing friend group, are super involved in their youth group at church, lead worship, and are now driving. 

This past summer was filled with so many memories.  We spent 2 weeks in Hawaii as a family which was the perfect pairing of adventure and relaxing.  Our first week was spent in Oahu, which was our first visit to that Island.  We went to Pearl Harbor where the girls spent hours reading every sign and taking in every bit of history, enjoyed a horseback ride at Kualoa Ranch where they filmed Jurassic Park, and spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center ending the evening with an amazing Luau.  Our second week was spent relaxing at our favorite place on earth - Maui.  We go to Maui almost every year and have so many amazing memories there.  Little did we know it would be the last time we would eat at some of our favorite restaurants there or visit some of our favorite shops. My heart is still broken for the loss.

This summer the girls helped as leaders at Kids Games for 2 of the 4 weeks, enjoyed beach nights all summer with their youth group, had an exciting week at summer camp with all their friends, and even started and led a summer Bible Study with all their friends every week all summer.

This is the year we finish our prep for the SAT and make lots of decisions about the future.  I'm excited to see where God leads the girls in their future.

Our 10th Grade Curriculum | 2022-2023

 

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.

Here's what we're doing for our 10^th Grade Curriculum...

• 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.

First Day of 10th Grade | 2022-2023

For so many years it feels like you are counting up on this homeschool journey.  How many years until we finish?  How many years until High School?  How many curriculum do we have left to choose?   And now we've hit the place where we count down, and surprisingly not to finish, but to cherish the time we have left.  Only 3 more years left of school.  Only 2 more summer breaks.  Only 3 more birthdays until you are 18.  It's exciting to know we are closing in on the final years of our homeschooling years but also bittersweet because these long days of learning, play, fun, and conversations are quickly counting down.

The girls got through their first year of high school with tons of great memories, some fun travel, many nights leading worship at youth group, summer and winter camp highs, lots of time with friends, and all A’s in school.  They both play piano beautifully, Av has taken up the guitar and is good enough to play on the worship team, and they both take voice lessons now as well.  Most importantly they have grown in the fruits of the spirit which is a direct reflection of their time spent daily in God’s Word.  

They enter 10^th grade eager to learn and more importantly eager to learn to drive.  Eeeek!  Their hearts are as beautiful as their smiles and I’m so blessed to get to raise and teach them.   

10^th Grade here we come!

 

 

AVALYN

BRINLEY

 

Our 9th Grade Curriculum | 2021-2022

We don't have too many changes to what we're doing this year.  The biggest difference is that now that we're doing high school, the girls do much more independent work.  Instead of us reading together the majority of the reading is done independently and then we just discuss the books they read so I can make sure they understood everything.  Part of me is excited that I don't have to do as much school as I have in the past, but the other part of me misses the snuggling on the sofa while we read great books and discuss them together.  

A big part of what they need to learn over these next four years is time management.  That's a skill that is going to take them far into the future so it's super important.  We've been slowly working on that skill over the years as they have always had independent work to do, but this year almost everything is on them to manage and do alone.  I know if they can thrive in this they'll be able to do whatever life throws at them from a school/work/life standpoint.  My babies are growing up!!! 

Here's what we're doing for our 9^th Grade Curriculum...

• Bible: Daily Bible Study, Misc Books, and Scripture Memorization
• Math: Math U See - Geometry
• English: Essentials in Writing - Level 10 
• Literature: Sonlight American Literature
  
• History: Sonlight Core 100 - American History
  
• Science: Apologia Physical Science & Labs
  
• Language: Rosetta Stone - Spanish
  
• PE: Swimming, Hiking, Peloton Classes, Gym Membership
  
• Music: Piano Lessons & Voice Lessons & High School Worship Team
  
• Electives: Typing Instructor 

 

 

Sonlight Core 100 - American History - For the first time ever we aren't reading all these books together.  We still discuss everything they read with all the great notes and questions that Sonlight provides.  We're still working on a schedule to make sure they can fit everything into their days, but so far they've been able to keep up.

English & Literature -  Last year we used the grading service for Essentials in Writing for the first time and I can't speak highly enough about the entire process.  The girls had a different mindset about their writing knowing that someone other than me was reading and grading it.  They did amazingly well and got all A's writing at a high school level when they were only 8th graders.   Even though the curriculum and writing assignments are a little repetitive from year to year, it gives them good practice with a variety of different writing styles and they've become really great writers.  For this reason we're sticking with Essentials in Writing and we again added the grading service.  In addition to their writing we're doing the Sonlight American Literature program.  They have SO many great books to read this year and I can't wait for the discussions we're going to get to have about all of them!

Math-U-See - Geometry - This curriculum is still one of my favorites.  Mr Demme has made math so easy to understand and the mastery approach has made it so that the girls have never gotten behind and only thrived in math.  They were so nervous about doing Algebra 1 last year and were sure they were finally going to struggle with math... nope!  They mastered each lesson before moving on so they were always ready for whatever came next and before we knew it the year was over and they hadn't struggled at all.  I predict this year will be another great one without any issues.

The Sonlight Science for this year is actually an Apologia course.  The girls are only a week into it so far and are really loving it.  They do it completely on their own including labs and lab reports and said it's really fun.  The workbook is really inclusive and I can tell when I grade their notes that they really understand what they read and learned as there is lots of summary work for the questions so unbeknownst to them they are putting their English skills to work as well. 

For Bible this year the girls are doing a Bible Study sampler which is a bit more inductive in style and really allows them to focus on what God is specifically showing them in each passage of scripture.  I think it's so important for them to know how to study the Bible on their own without a study or guide and this is much more geared towards that so I can't wait to watch their spiritual lives continue to grow.  I'm already so proud of who they've become and the walk they each have with God.  They both love him and have a desire to grow in their relationship with him and are such a good example to their friends and everyone around them. 

We're ready to start our first year of High School and are praying God's blessings over each of us as we journey this year together!

First Day of 9th Grade | 2021-2022

Well, we officially have high schoolers in the house.  I'm not quite sure how my cute little pre-schoolers learning to read and write their names became 9th graders who are doing Geometry and Physics all on their own.  These lovely ladies are helpful, thoughtful, mature, and most importantly love Jesus with all their hearts.  I couldn't be more proud of the path they are on and their enjoyment and love for life.  They are both learning to cook and help out around the house, and they still appreciate time together as a family, which this mama loves!  I'm so thankful that our experience with teenage girls has been a good one and that we all love each other and enjoy being together as a family.

Right as summer started they jumped into VOX, the high school youth group at our church, and are soaking up every minute of it.  They both play piano on the worship team, they sign up for every event no matter who else is going to be there, and they're making great friends who love the Lord right along with them.  They both chose to be baptized about a month ago at one of the beach nights.  It was such a beautiful experience being surrounded by their friends and leaders who love them and prayed over them. I felt so honored to be part of it.

As we enter the final chapter in our homeschool journey I'm excited to see what God will do in their lives and how he will continue to grow and expand their minds as they learn.  I'm excited to see how they nurture and grow their friendships, how they grow in leading worship, and what God calls them to in the future as he turns their passions into something tangible.  I have no doubt we're in for an amazing high school journey and I'm so excited they've reached this exciting point in their lives.  It feels like we've rounded a corner and I know these last 4 years are going to fly by.

Our 8th Grade Curriculum | 2020-2021

There has never been a time I've been more grateful to be homeschooling than during this crazy season of Covid-19.  When things started shutting down last spring it was so comforting to know that nothing had to interrupt or change my girls education.  So much of homeschooling is going out and experiencing life outside of the home, however the core of our learning is done using the curriculum we have chosen right in our home.  To know that we were able to finish out our year strong and that my girls didn't get behind was so comforting.

I was able to order all of our curriculum for this year in the spring when I usually do and did my normal lesson planning over the summer.  As so many parents are still struggling to fit their child's education into whatever plans the schools choose to move forward with I'm glad that we were able to start on time without any delays and that there won't be a disruption to the girls schooling. 

Here's what we're doing for our 8^th Grade Curriculum...

• Bible: Turning Your Bedroom into a Bible College, Misc. Books
• Math: Math U See - Algebra 1
• Language Arts: Essentials in Writing - Level 9 
• Literature: Essentials in Literature - Level 9
  
• Grammar: Rod & Staff English 7
  
• Reading: Library Books & Sonlight Readers
• History: Sonlight Core H - World History 2
  
• Science: Sonlight Science F - Anatomy
• Logic: Orbiting with Logic
• Language: Sign Language Made Simple & Duolingo Spanish
  
• PE: Family Workouts, Swimming, Hiking
• Music: Piano Lessons    
• Electives: US Elections Lapbook, Typing Instructor 

Sonlight H - World History 2 - History, Bible, and Literature.  We enjoyed our first time back through part one of world history last year and are excited to finish it out from the Roman Empire through modern day.   There are always so many amazing books and I love that the girls have both re-read almost every Sonlight book we have multiple times.  It definitely makes owning all these books beyond worth it! The girls really enjoyed the lap-book last year and are excited to complete another one.

Sonlight Science F - Anatomy for Girls - This is our first year doing Sonlight for Science and we're really excited.  After 6 years of NOEO we were ready for a change.  We're excited to jump into Anatomy this year and the girls are really excited for the worksheets that go along with each lesson.  In the past I've made them keep a science journal but they're happy to switch from that to completing diagrams on worksheets instead of making them themselves

 

Math-U-See - Algebra 1.  We had a fabulous year doing Pre-Algebra last year.  I'm always waiting for the girls to hit a bump in Math where they struggle or we have to slow down, and because of Math-U-See we have yet to hit that bump.  I'm so blessed we started this curriculum from the beginning and am happy that it will carry us through our last few years of Math.

Our biggest changes this year come in our choices for Language Arts.  After a second year struggling through Grammar for the Well Trained Mind I made the decision to try something different.  The girls learned so much but there was still so much they struggled to understand and while the approach was meant for them to repeat over the coarse of 3 years grasping more each year they felt frustrated not understanding parts of what they were being asked to do.  We're moving to Rod & Staff English this year since it has a heavier grammar focus than some programs and I moved us back a level since it will differ a bit from what we have done in the past and I didn't want it to be frustrating.  We still love Essentials in Writing and will be doing the 9th grade program this year as well as adding on Essentials in Literature to learn to break down literary work.  I'm excited for the growth the girls will do this year in their writing and understanding of the English language.

For Bible this year the girls will be doing How to Turn Your Bedroom into a Bible College.  It teaches them a variety of ways to break down and study the Bible on their own.  From word studies, to book or chapter studies it will take them through different ways they can break down God's word.  In addition to their own study time we'll be reading these additional books together and discussing them.  The girls just finished doing an in depth Bible Study with their Jr High group and are really thrilled to jump into something else.

For our electives this year we are continuing with Typing Instructor, and for our language we are continuing to work on ASL and then doing an intro to Spanish by using the Duolingo App.  Since this is an election year we'll also be doing a lapbook on US Elections.  The girls are still going strong with Piano and for PE we are now doing family crossfit style workouts at home and eventually when things open back up we have gotten a gym membership for the girls.

We're excited and ready for our final year of Jr High!!!