ENGLISH
To start this curriculum review, we will begin with English since it is typically the largest subject to go through when looking at all the homeschool curriculum, what with all the parts of it.
To start, we used IEW Bible-Based Writing Lessons. As you can see it’s a well loved book I have used many times before. For a more in depth review check this out!
Above is a picture of his assigned reading books for the year. The only book not pictured is The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Rutcliff. I kept a log of additional books he read. He read all the books and it sparked an interest for classical literature so he starting making a list of his own. He has read so many books now, I have stopped keeping track!
For Grammar, we used IEW’s grammar series “Fix it! Grammar.” He just finished book 4. I highly recommend this product and have used it with all of my kids 5th grade and up. If you’re interested in learning more about it, read my review here.
Although I enjoy Simply Charlotte Mason’s Spelling Wisdom series and English From the Roots Up, we just didn’t spend much time on either one of these.
MATH
We used Math-u-see Geometry this year and he did really well with it. In our homeschool, this is our favorite choice for high school math. For an in depth review, go here.
He used all the components: Textbook, DVD, worksheets, and tests.
Here is a link to their website if you’re if you want to check it out.
SCIENCE
For Biology, we used Apologia’s 2nd Edition of Exploring Creation with Biology.
We also used the accompanying workbook to record the experiments. As for the curriculum review, its a bit wordy at times, however my son did well with this science curriculum and I would recommend it.
HISTORY
The Mystery of History volume 2 book was interesting and he enjoyed notebooking with it. I’m definitely keeping this one around.
He enjoyed this, even if he didn’t do some of the activities. He did watch quite a bit of Drive Thru History and did complete all the readings and timeline though so he earned a full credit. All of my kids have enjoyed the readings and learned a lot.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
For the Spanish curriculum review there are a variety of resources that were utilized. The writing component was Cherrydale’s Speaking Spanish with Miss Mason and Francois. To practice speaking we utilized Pimsleur. For extra practice we used Duolingo or italki. I really want him to let it sink in and use it in an applicable way.
I’m still persistent with this subject, although not required for all colleges. (Remember I prepare my kids for college whether they are planning to go or not in case they change their minds).
I liked the Cherrydale book and I do feel he was learning with it, but I think for high school, more instruction may be needed, so we will try something different next year. This is an excellent supplement in my opinion.
Pimsleur is a great program but he just wasn’t connecting with it like I do. You have to be pretty consistent with it.
Duolingo was ok, it does help as a supplement as well, it just doesn’t help that much with speaking progress.
As for Italki, we never even got to that. I wanted him to be more familiar with the beginnings of Spanish before having him speak with a native speaker.
Also, he’s still not that interested in learning Spanish, so the progress felt slow and often we didn’t get to this. There was still progress and he performed enough of it to get a half credit though.
FINE ARTS
Music: Unexpectedly, He discovered a love for the guitar a little over a year ago. He learned watching you tube videos. We kept track by keeping a log of how much time he is learning, practicing each day in his weekly planning guide (more about that below). Eric needed 120 hours for a full credit. He learned basic instruction from a YouTube channel called Music is Win and BERNTH. He then used Songsterr to practice.
Music is his favorite thing now. I can’t say enough how much teens need the space to explore their own interests and learn more about themselves at this stage. He didn’t even know how much he liked music until I required it of him. The same for drawing. Will he make a ton of money at this? Who cares? I don’t. He has found a new way to decompress, bring joy to others, and connect with them in a new way! The YouTube channels listed above were very helpful to him and I would highly recommend them.
Theatre: My son liked to participating in our local homeschool theatre group for high school kids. It was an amazing opportunity!
Such an amazing experience for him and I can’t wait for him to have the opportunity again in the upcoming year. It really helped him to build confidence, work as a team, and just have a lot of fun with some good kids.
HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM PLANNING GUIDE
My teens all get planning guides likes this one. Sometimes I make them myself, sometimes I utilize an excel version I bought here from A Farmhouse Full. I like hers because she utilizes Excel and they are able to auto fill certain category labels. Some parts I will fill in a semester or quarter at a time with our homeschool curriculum choices and others they fill in as they go.
This worked really well. It was especially great when we found ourselves in a busy season or I was unavailable. Honestly though, it was just easier to say follow the schedule than have them keep coming up and asking what’s next !?! Haha 😉 Whether I use this version again or make my mine own again doesn’t really matter as long as it’s written down. I will show how I fill these out later in a post.
Moreover, I encourage my kids to begin their own routines in high school as jobs and activities can begin to complicate homeschool schedules. Lastly, here is a link for how to create a morning routine and an evening routine that I encourage my children to follow in an effort to further encourage independence.
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