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Homeschool Human Development Course: Good for Transcript and Life!

Homeschool Human Development Course: Good for Transcript and Life!

Homeschool Human Development Course: Good for Transcript and Life! 7SistersHomeschool.com Build a powerful transcript and life preparation skills with Human Development course.

Homeschool Human Development Course: Good for Transcript and Life!

One of the most useful courses my homeschool high schoolers have taken is Human Development. It has prepared them for life as well as giving sparkle to their homeschool transcripts.

Just what is Human Development?

It is the study of the ways people grow and change from womb to old age. It covers changes in several different areas:

  • Physical changes
  • Emotional changes
  • Cognitive (mental/learning) changes
  • Social changes

7Sisters offers one of the few high school-level Human Development courses from a Christian worldview. 

Human Development from a Christian Worldview from 7 Sisters Homeschool

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You can see how that can be helpful to teens. They need to understand so many things as they are preparing for life.

  • They need to understand themselves. They learn about *metacognition*, an adolescent’s newly-gained ability to think about thinking about things (themselves, their faith, their friends, their future). It is a deeper level of thinking that is caused by neural development that happens during the teen years, thus it is not possible for younger children.
  • They need to understand their siblings and other family members. When they understand why their younger siblings are hung up on everything being *fair*, they can feel compassion, knowing it is a developmental phase rather than being irritated.
  • They need to understand why the 2 year olds they babysit always say *no*. Learning to say *no* is a way a toddler learns to distinguish between themselves and others, what they have control over, and what is expected of them.
  • They need to understand why their grandparents tell the same stories every time they visit. Part of a senior’s job is to know they have done some things well. As they tell the stories over and over, they are looking for positive encouragement that they did well (they might sometimes forget that they told that same story on the last visit).
  • They benefit from this information being presented from a Christian worldview. (For instance, children in the womb are children, not things.)

College-bound or non-college-bound homeschool high schoolers need these skills!

For more life skills, combine Human Development and Early Childhood Education.

Fun & Useful Elective: Combining Human Development and Early Childhood Education 7SistersHomeschool.com

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College-bound teens need a transcript with *sparkle*.

We are told by some college admissions officers that teens who are applying to competitive colleges, or colleges with competitive scholarship opportunities, have an edge if their transcripts show *sparkle*. These are transcripts that have out of the box courses or courses that shows they have explored an interest.

Homeschool Human Development course by 7Sisters will help build that sparkle for the transcript. One of the benefits of 7Sisters Human Development is that the text covers the scope and sequence needed for the credit in a quick, fun, teens-will-remember-what-they-learn fashion. PLUS, instructions are given for leveling-up the credit to a transcript-enhancing Honors level by choosing meaningful activities that teens will find interesting, engaging and applicable for life. Thus, they earn a competitive credit in a specialized manner.

Human Development in a Homeschool Co-op Class 7SistersHomeschool.com

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Homeschool Human Development is a great course for co-op, too!

Lots of great discussion material (some discussion-starter questions are included in the text), plus when you download 7Sisters Human Development Lesson Plans, you have course description, goals for each week and links to lots of good videos and resources.

Human Development Lesson Plans 7SistersHomeschool.com

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Download Human Development from a Christian Worldview and the Lesson Plans to build a good transcript and good life skills!

 

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Homeschool Human Development Course: Good for Transcript and Life!

Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 133: Got the Wrong Curriculum?

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 133: Got the Wrong Curriculum? This post is running concurrently on Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network.

HSHSP Ep 133: How to Handle it When the Curriculum is Wrong for Your Teens We are discussing what to do when curriculum is a bad fit for your teens.

Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 133: Got the Wrong Curriculum?

Sabrina, Vicki and Kym tackle the uncomfortable topic: What to do when you bought the WRONG curriculum for your teens?

What if you invested in a curriculum that YOU hate? or your homeschool high schoolers hate?

There are a few options, and they are good. Here’s how to handle it when the curriculum is wrong for your teens.

  • Remember: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school?
  • Remember: It’s okay to have options, so forsake your perfectionistic ideas about curriculum and your choices.
  • Remember: Some curriculum providers have a money-back guarantee (7SistersHomeschool.com, for one)
  • Remember: Are you having a curriculum issue or an attitude issue. (Teens have to learn that they CAN do things they don’t want to do…moms, too! Sometimes teens have never truly hit this issue before. They had never truly hated a school subject before, but high school has required credits, even if teens DON’T like those credits.)
  • Remember: Ask yourself, is this ONE subject that your teen doesn’t like or is it ALL subjects? If it is all subjects, it may be other issues besides the specific curriculum? Ask yourself: Is this character, anxiety, health, self-care, wrong publisher?
  • Remember: Model flexibility, adaptability, willingness to change, humility for your teens.

Remember: Ask yourself if you have the wrong curriculum, for instance: a college-prep text for a non-college-bound teen? Why waste time, energy and self-image on unnecessary rigor in a textbook. That’s why 7Sisters curriculum is easily adaptable for college bound teens’ needs AND non-college-bound teens’ needs.

Here are concrete ideas:

Join Sabrina, Vicki and Kym for a lively discussion and enjoy these posts, too!

Electives for Homeschool Transcript: History Electives

 

50 Ways to Scrap Your Schoolbook

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Homeschool Highschool Podcast Ep 133: Got the Wrong Curriculum?

HSHSP Ep 132: College Success Tips for Athletes, Interview with Carly Smythe

This week on HSHSP Ep 132: College Success Tips for Athletes, Interview with Carly Smythe. This post is running concurrently on the Ultimate Homeschool Radio Network.

HSHSP Ep 132: Homeschooler's Tips for College Athletes, Interview with Carly Smythe #HomeschoolAthleteToCollegeAthlete #HomeschoolToCollege

HSHSP Ep 132: College Success Tips for Athletes, Interview with Carly Smythe

We have a treat for this episode! Kym interviews her youngest twin, Carly, about success in college.

Carly is a homeschool graduate and is now a senior Sports Management major at University of Delaware. She is captain of UD’s Women’s Hockey, as well as part time work at UDairy, internships with sports camps at UD.

Carly Smythe photo used by permission HSHSP Ep 132 College Success Tips for Athletes

Carly Smythe photo used by permission

Carly got into ice hockey with her twin, Kendall, when the girls were 11 years old. The girls played travel league ice hockey all the way through high school. They both loved the sports so much that they looked for colleges with women’s ice hockey.

It was a big decision about playing at college level, Carly had to decide whether she had concern about burning out her love of the sport at that level. She evaluated colleges by the personality of the program. But most importantly she chose a college that had everything she wanted there. She was able to balance sports, service, academics and social life (even if she hasn’t slept all that much).

  • Carly had learned a lot about balancing academics, social and sports in homeschool high school. She was part of a homeschool umbrella school where she learned time management and what she likes to call: Self-accountability.
  • One of the most important things she learned in homeschool high school was how to use a syllabus.
  • Another thing she learned was how to translate study and projects on the syllabus into study time on her calendar.
  • She also learned how to make sure studying fits with practices, games, travel and work- that using good planning is necessary
  • Carly points out that studying with her teammates is important (especially while traveling)

An important tip that Carly offers is that finding stress management tools is necessary for success.

  • She depends on her sport or other fitness activities as stress burn-off.
  • Petting the family Seeing Eye dog helps, too. (Mom lives nearby, so she can drop the dog off periodically for Carly.)

She also recommends sleep (at least enough to survive). Self-awareness helps her know when her cutoff point on staying awake to study.

Carly suggests finding both serving and leadership positions in her college activities. She supervises at UDairy and is now a team captain and president of her UD Women’s Hockey team. She learned serving and culture/atmosphere creation in her homeschool umbrella school and has carried this through college.

Part of the culture creation she has loved is the power of creating fun in whatever project or program where she is involved

Carly is studying Sports Management and is hoping to stay in a career where she is busy and active.

Enjoy this episode with Kym and Carly. You’ll also enjoy this episode about what colleges are looking for in incoming freshmen.

You’ll also enjoy these posts:

Homeschool Highschool Podcast #41: Time Audits for Teens

The Secret to REAL Time Management

Helping Teens Become Independent Learners: Using a Syllabus

 

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HSHSP Ep 132: College Success Tips for Athletes, Interview with Carly Smythe

10 Top Confidence Building Soft Skills Teens Need for Success

Here are the 10 top confidence building soft skills teens need for success.

10 Top Confidence Building Soft Skills Teens Need for Success homeschool high school

10 Top Confidence Building Soft Skills Teens Need for Success

One of the most sad and frustrating things I experience in my work as a life and career coach is when I work with teens who are prepared with career or academic skills but no hire-ability skills.

This is not a homeschool problem, it is a priority problem that I see in homeschooled teens and traditionally educated teens. The deal is: teens are raised to created a great transcript for their academics, even service and extracurriculars. However, they can be so busy that they are never taught basic work etiquette and the other soft skills that help them to:

  • Build confidence
  • Work in a group
  • Lead and follow
  • Show appropriate respect in various circumstances
  • Build a new friendship group after graduation
  • Network

You can get teens started by downloading a simple guide that I have used with my kids (then reviewed at adolescence). It teaches 10 absolutely necessary skills that every person needs.

Social Skills for Children soft skills teens need

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Here are 10 confidence building soft skills teens need for success.

  1. Non-verbal skills. When teens learn some basic skills for managing their body language, they will inspire confidence in themselves and others will have more confidence in them. It’s a pretty amazing thing to switch up the way you stand and your facial expression and see the change in the way others react to you. Here’s a freebie you can download with some basic skills.
  2. Communication skills. Teach teens: active listening (waiting for others to finish/not interrupting, repeating back what others have said when clarifying), speaking positively (avoiding gossip and complaining), giving and receiving compliments, assertiveness, using please and thank you.
  3. Self-awareness skills. Teens need to be in touch with their feelings, so feelings don’t manage them. The need to be non-judgmentally in touch with their own strengths and weaknesses.
  4. Other-awareness skills. Teens need to practice perspective-taking and reading other’s non-verbals. They need to practice the skill of respect (for other’s needs, personal space, feelings, safety).
  5. Motivational skills. At the root of motivation is values. Teens need to be clear on their values and know how they must accept or reject other’s values (family, friends, work, groups). Here’s an introduction to a values discussion.
  6. Teamwork skills. Teens need to understand the importance of a group’s cause or project and how to respectfully pull their weight. They need to learn to give credit where credit is due.
  7. Leadership skills. All teens will be leaders somewhere, sometime. Here’s a post on basic leadership skills for teens.
  8. Creative thinking skills. Teens need to know that the ability to think creatively is one of the most hire-able qualities. Many teens think that they aren’t creative. However, if they are created in the image of God, who is a creator, they have creativity. What they need is to discover their creativity. Try on hats: build something, take an arts appreciation class (download this freebie), listen to classical music in the car, do some creative writing assignments, have a brainstorming session, do a progressive story (see YouTube below).
  9. Problem solving/critical thinking skills. Teens need to be willing to work on a problem until it has a solution, to talk things out looking for solutions, not vindication. They need to be able to learn discernment of facts and truths. Here’s a post to get you started.
  10. Trustworthiness skills. Teens need to be able to say, “I’m wrong”, to do what is asked and more, to honestly handle time and resources. They need to be able to understand confidentiality and the limits thereof. (This is important when dealing with fragile friends. This is one of the topics handled in 7Sisters’ Introduction to Psychology text.)
Psychology from a Christian Perspective from 7SistersHomeschool.com

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If this all feels a little overwhelming, do what you can.I’ve found from experience as a counselor and coach that these skills make a BIG difference in teens confidence and success.Your teens will thank you in the end.

AND keep your eyes open. 7Sisters will be releasing a health curriculum that covers all this and more (hopefully for next school year.)

10 Top Confidence Building Soft Skills Teens Need for Success

 

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What Kind of Writing Should Teens Do With CS Lewis Literature?

Are your teens reading Lewis this year? What kind of writing should teens do with CS Lewis Literature?

What Kind of Writing Should Teens Do With CS Lewis Literature? homeschool high school

What Kind of Writing Should Teens Do With CS Lewis Literature?

One of my homeschool high schoolers’ favorite Literature-topic years was the year we spent studying the fiction of CS Lewis. We not only studied his fiction but we extended their learning by including Lewis-type themes in their writing. Here’s how we did it:

First off, here’s what we read.

In the fall semester, we read:

  • The Chronicles of Narnia (This is only a high school literature if you include a high-school level study guide for each book in the series). Of course, our favorite study guides are 7Sisters Chronicles of Narnia guides because they develop great Language Arts skills and thinking skills without killing the book.)
  • Screwtape Letters
  • If we had time, we’d add another Lewis favorite (each of my teens has been different). We’ve included one of the following (none of which are fiction, but did enrich that teen’s Lewis experience).
    • Mere Christianity
    • Surprised by Joy

In the spring semester, we read:

  • The Space Trilogy
  • Poems by CS Lewis

Now for the writing that can go along with the fiction your teens are reading.

In the fall, we began the work on a myth-fantasy short story.

Do create a good myth-fantasy, your teen needs an excellent backstory (or what Lewis would call a *subcreation*). We would use 7Sisters APA Research Paper Writing Guide and 7Sisters Myth-Fantasy Short Story Guide.

APA Style Research Paper Introductory Writing Guide homeschool high school

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The Myth-Fantasy Short Story Writing Guide guides your teen through the same writing process that CS Lewis used to write The Chronicles of Narnia. There’s a format to these myth-fantasy stories, so once teens learn the format, they can truly write that genre. These really are delightful writing assignments!

Myth-fantasy Writing Guide homeschool high school

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Here’s the fun:

We combined the 2 writing projects into one by making the APA Research Paper a totally fictional paper about the subcreation my teens were creating for week 1 of the Short Story guide.

Using the APA format, my homeschool high schoolers created:

  • A world with map and written geographic descriptions
  • *People* groups  with descriptions
  • A history of that world
  • Famous *people* of that world’s history
  • *Current events* in that world
  • A fictional reference list and in-text *citations*

Of course, we did not finish this in one week. To complete the entire project (APA Research Paper and Myth-Fantasy Short Story) took the entire fall semester.

After they finished their full research paper, my homeschool high schoolers completed their Myth-Fantasy Short Story Guide by writing a 5 (or more) page story based on that subcreation.

My teens have been so proud of both projects! They had great APA experience and Myth-Fantasy experience and they had fun. (Note: We also did real, non-fiction APA papers other years. AND my teens who were aiming for honors credits wrote a second APA-style paper: a biography of Lewis or history of England during his life.)

In the spring semester, we wrote:

C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy Study Guide homeschool high school

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In this way, we covered the requirements for Language Arts (both reading, writing, vocabulary, editing). If we were covering Lewis for the year in co-op, a public speaking experience would be included also.

Your teens will have fun, gain great Literature experience and lots of powerful thinking and writing skills when you do a year of CS Lewis with them!

 

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What Kind of Writing Should Teens Do With CS Lewis Literature?

What’s the Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides?

We sometimes get the question: What’s the Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides?
What's the Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? homeschool high school

What’s the Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides?

There are 2 different kinds of English Language Arts curriculum here at 7SistersHomeschool.com. It can get confusing! We’d like to clear up the difference between our:
  • Literature & Composition courses
  • Literature Study Guides
  • Writing Guides

So here’s the difference between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides!

First off, you need to know that English/Language Arts should include a

  • Reading and some literature analysis
  • Vocabulary 
  • Writing (with editing or grammar)
  • Public Speaking (not always included in English/Language Arts but recommended by some colleges)

Now that we’ve got that straight, let’s move on.

Here’s how 7Sisters English/Language Arts works for Literature and Writing Guides:

If your homeschool high schoolers use ONLY 7Sisters Literature Study Guides, they will cover vocabulary and reading/literature analysis. (You get some optional suggested writing prompts but no instruction in HOW to write- that’s for the Writing Guides to do.)

So, your homeschool high schoolers can specialize in a literature topic of their own interest for the year with 7Sisters’ individual Literature Study Guides OR purchase a full year’s Literature Study Guides on one topic such as:

Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? American Literature

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Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? British Literature - One Year of Reading and Thining

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Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? Great Christian Writers Literature Course

Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? World Literature BUNDLE

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Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? Literature Analysis, Literal Thinkers and Movies

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If your homeschool high schoolers use ONLY 7Sisters Writing Guides, you get writing instruction of 4 different types, but no reading/literature analysis or vocabulary (along with rubrics for editing). The 4 types of writing include:

Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? Introductory Guide to High School Writing

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Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? APA Style Research Paper Introductory Writing Guide

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Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? Introductory Story Writing: Family Narrative

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Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? Introductory Poetry Writing

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Writing Guides may be purchased by topic or bundled to include all the writing homeschool high schoolers need for each year.

Here’s how 7Sisters English/Language Arts works for Literature & Composition Bundles:

The idea behind the Literature & Composition bundles is to meet both of the reading/literature analysis and vocabulary and writing/editing needs  for the English/Language Arts credit, one semester at a time. You will need Literature & Composition Part A (fall semester) and Part B (winter/spring semester) to get the full credit.

Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides? Introductory Literature and Composition Part A

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We offer these in all of these different options because there’s not ONE right way to homeschool:

  • Some homeschool families have really strong readers who LOVE literature analysis but  need some concrete writing instruction; they are great at talking about books, but not so great at writing. So they buy a Literature Study Guide bundle of their choice and a Writing Guide bundle that fits their skill level.
  • Other families are tackling reading and literature analysis in a co-op or book club that chose a list of titles and those don’t fit with any of our guides. So they just purchase a Writing Bundle for their teens.
  • Some families have teens who is use a different curriculum for writing, so they don’t need writing instruction, but they DO need literature analysis. So they order a Literature bundle. 
  • Some families want the English/Language Arts to be *boxed* in one place, so that all they need to do is move right through the curriculum with no extra work or planning. They order Literature & Composition.

There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school! 7SistersHomeschool.com has lots of options for English/Language Arts. Your teens will develop strong skills as they use our curriculum. Download yours!

What’s the Difference Between 7Sisters Lit & Comp vs Our Other Guides?

Talent-Developing Ways to Create Honors Level Creative Writing Credit

Here are talent-developing ways to create Honors Level Creative Writing credit.

3 Talent-Developing Ways to Create Honors Level Creative Writing Credit electives homeschool high school

Talent-Developing Ways to Create Honors Level Creative Writing Credit

One of my teens was a born author. He created short stories and poems before he could write (which meant dictation with illustrations when he was very young). At high school level, his love of writing was still there. He needed to write. When God gives a gift to a young person, it should be developed- so we did LOTS of writing in homeschool high school.

Do you have a teen who loves to write? Teens who have a love of creative writing and want to build their skills and power-up their transcripts can create an Honors Level Creative Writing Credit. Here’s how to create an Honors-level Creative Writing credit.

Honors-level Creative Writing credits are Language Arts electives. These should be above and beyond the writing required for Language Arts. Language Arts electives are useful for any teen heading to college and planning on a major in:

  • English
  • Humanities
  • Writing
  • Communications
  • History

If you are not familiar with levels (Honors level of this elective) for the homeschool transcript, this post will help. Also, listen to this episode of the Homeschool Highschool Podcast.

Honors Level Creative Writing Credit HSHSP Ep 116: What Are Levels in Homeschool High School?

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While there’s not ONE right way to create an Honors-level Creative Writing credit, here are some suggestions. Mix and match projects that catch your homeschool high schooler’s interests. Work on this together. Develop a syllabus with due dates so that your teen doesn’t flounder. (A syllabus is always adjustable if a teen finds a project they love so much that they are producing LOTS of material.)

Aim for a Carnegie Unit credit (240-360 hours, according to your state requirements). That’s a lot of hours, but not too much for Honors-level work.

A Creative Writing elective can be broken into units. Here are 5 units we suggest.

Unit #1: Myth-Fantasy

Use 7Sisters Myth-Fantasy short-story writing curriculum for this project. This is a fun project teens. Even if your teen has written one myth-fantasy, allow them to write another. Log those hours (on all the projects). You might want to assign page minimums and maximums (for a Creative Writing elective, you’d expect more of your homeschool high schooler if this is a second story: maybe 10-50 pages). Depending on the number of extra assignments, this unit might last a full semester.

Honors Level Creative Writing Credit Myth-Fantasy Short Story Writing

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Other creative assignments based on their Myth-Fantasy short story:

  • Create an APA-style *research paper* based on their subcreation. They get to make up the whole totally fiction, research paper (even the *resources*)!
  • Write a *biography* of one of the characters in their story.
  • Write a collection of 5-10 poems/songs that their characters might have written.

Unit #2: Creative Chronicling

Now try something completely different: a personal chronicle. This is a creative project that is easy, meaningful and fun! Use 7Sisters’ Creative Chronicling Writing Guide for a great project. 

Honors Level Creative Writing Credit High School Guide to Creative Chronicling

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Depending on the interest-level of your homeschool high schooler, this project could last 1 week to 1 month.

Unit #3: Family Narrative (Holiday version)

A family narrative story is a meaningful and quick creative writing exercise for the holiday season. Allow 1 week for this quick project using 7Sisters’ Family Narrative Holiday Story.

Honors Level Creative Writing Credit Holiday Family Narrative Writing Guide

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If interest is greater, this exercise can include:

  • A personal or family biography 5-10 pages.
  • A family tree (do some family/ancestor research).
  • A tall-tale version of the story. (If you need help, use 7Sisters’ Tall Tale Writing Guide.)

Unit #4: Poetry

Creative Writing electives should include a unit of poetry. Poetry is important for the development of creative word-usage and vocabulary. This unit could last 5 weeks- a full semester according to the interest of your teen.

If your teen has no experience with poetry, start with 7Sisters’ Introduction to Poetry. If your teen has a little experience with poetry, start with 7Sisters’ Intermediate Guide to Poetry.

If your homeschool high schooler has some experience hop to Advanced Guide to Poetry and add 7Sisters’ American Poetry Reading and Writing.

Honors Level Creative Writing Credit American Poetry: Reading and Writing

Unit #5: Tall Tale

By the end of the year, your teen may be ready for a simple, easy project. Tall-tale writing is a great choice. Use 7Sisters’ Tall Tale Writing Guide. Give this project 1 week-5 weeks, according to the interest and experience of your teen.

Honors Level Creative Writing Credit Tall Tale Short Story Writing Guide

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Because Creative Writing Elective is an elective, you and your homeschool high schooler have choice on which projects to include and the time frame to assign for each project. At the end of the year, you may want to write a course description, in case you need that for a college application portfolio or other opportunity.

Teens who love writing will love a Creative Writing elective. It is worth the investment!

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Talent-Developing Ways to Create Honors Level Creative Writing Credit

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit

By request: Here’s how to use our FREE resources in a full Apologetics credit.

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit

Many families want their homeschool high schoolers to earn an Apologetics elective credit before they graduate. This is wise because teens need to be equipped to understand, explain and defend their faith as they interact more with the wider world.

As many people know, 7Sisters has a FREE Apologetics lessons. There are 28 special Youtube videos that explain biblical, archeological and scientific reasons that our faith is real and reliable.

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit Apologetics 101 A Good Answers Apologetics Presentation

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The powerpoints are the creation of Dr. Gerald R. Culley of Good Answers Ministries. Dr. Culley is the professor emeritus of Classics at the University of Delaware. He is also the father of 7Sisters Allison and Sabrina.

Dr. Culley has been teaching Apologetics to our local homeschool high schoolers for years. He also gives these same presentations at churches around the region. He is a well-beloved figure and is full of wisdom. He developed these lessons as a gift so that all students with access to a computer could watch the lessons. He did not want anyone to be left out due to financial concerns, so he offers the FREE as part of his Good Answers Ministries.

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit Ezekiel and Tyre Presentation Good Answers Ministries

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Our local homeschool high schoolers LOVE Dr. Culley’s Apologetics course. They eagerly watch the Apologetics lessons and then discuss them enthusiastically. Here is one of our teens’ favorite lessons:

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit Arguing with God Presentation Good Answers Ministries

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Some students are interested enough in Apologetics that they want to earn a full elective credit for their high school transcript. So Dr. Culley provided us with the syllabus that he uses with our local homeschool high schoolers. That way they can earn the same credit that our local teens earn as they work through the year with Dr. Culley.

Click this link to download your FREE syllabus from Dr. Gerald R. Culley of Good Answers Ministries.

How to Use Our FREE Resources in a Full Apologetics Credit Apologetics Suggested Syllabus Good Answers Ministries

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3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School

Here are 3 ways to schedule a school year in homeschool high school.

3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School

3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School

There’s not ONE right way to schedule your homeschool high school year. That’s the beauty of homeschooling! We can create the schedule that meets our family’s needs. Here is a look at 3 kinds of schedules for high school:

2-Semester Schedule

The traditional 2-semester schedule breaks the school year into halves. If your family prefers a 36-week school year, then you will break the year into 2 18-week semesters with summers off. (My family has always preferred a 30-week year with 2 15-week semesters, then several weeks at the end of the year to tie up loose ends or go on a great field trip.)

  • As you schedule out the year from there, start by placing on your planner as *adapted-school* days (reading books/audiobooks, and other creative education):
  • Then note on the planner your teens’ co-op or group classes, college courses and other commitments.
  • Decide which 1-semester courses will occur in the fall, which will occur in the winter/spring
  • Then, using textbooks or other course materials, decide now many days/week each subject needs to be covered:
    • Writing projects are often 4 days/week (although teens often need 5days/week when working on research papers). 4-day writing week works well for us; that’s why 7Sisters writing curriculum is broken into 4-day/week lessons.
3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School Introductory Writing BUNDLE

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3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School British Literature - One Year of Reading and Thining

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  • Math is often 4 or 5 days/week
  • Science is often 4 or 5 days/week
  • Social Studies courses are often 4/5 days/week
  • World Languages are best done in small chunks 4/5 days/week
  • Electives, Fine Arts and Phys Ed vary according to the course. Psychology is a favorite elective of many families. It is a 1-semester course.
3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School Psychology from a Christian Perspective

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Block Scheduling

Some families like to work on 1 or 2 courses at a time, using a 5, 7, 10 or 12 week format. Here is a post that goes into detail about block scheduling.

3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School 3 Ways to Do Block Scheduling in Homeschool Highschool

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Year-Round Homeschooling

Some families schedule homeschooling all through the year. They adjust curriculum to fit different schedules, such as:

When you give yourself permission to schedule they best way for your family, everyone has a better year.

3 Ways to Schedule a School Year in Homeschool High School

How and Why to Create Course Descriptions for High School

By request: How and why to create course descriptions for high school.

How and Why to Create Course Descriptions for High School

How and Why to Create Course Descriptions for High School

One good reason for homeschooling is to simplify life. So if you want a simple homeschool high school year, skip this post. HOWEVER, you will want to read this post if you have a teen who is:

  • Thinking about the military
  • Hoping for NCAA scholarship for college
  • Going to a college that is unfamiliar with homeschoolers
  • May be transferring to a traditional school at some point

Very often in these instances, the recruiters, officials, admissions officers or guidance staff want to see 3 things:

  • Transcript
  • Course descriptions
  • Syllabus for each core course

Sometimes, they might want:

  • Tests and work samples (see post on Master Portfolio for ideas)
  • Diploma (if your teen is graduated)

Not all homeschool high schoolers need to include course descriptions in their records, but just in case, it’s better to create them when the course is happening.

Course descriptions are slightly detailed (usually a paragraph or two) description of:
  • Text used for course
  • Topics covered by the student in the course
  • Methods used for instruction (text, real books, inquiry-based activities, etc)
  • How the course will be graded
  • Amount of credit earned and at what level of rigor
  • Plus a syllabus, where possible (Here is a post on how to write a syllabus.)

ONE more thing. If your homeschool high schooler is aiming for NCAA college sports, you will also need to formalize your course description a little more by including:

  • Course Goals- This is a short description of what your student should be able to do at the end of the course. An example might be: At the completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate an introductory knowledge of Human Development and apply basic principals and theory of Human Development to his daily life.
  • Course Objectives- These are a list of actual tasks that the student will complete. Use the chapters of the text to help you describe the objectives or simply describe some basic goals for the course. You can often use the description in the publisher’s estore or catalogue to develop the objectives.

You will put these at the beginning of the Course Descriptions document followed by the text, topics, methods, grading, amount of credit earned, level of rigor, and syllabus.

Here’s an example of a Course Description for History and Philosophy of the Western World.

Create Course Descriptions for High School History and Philosophy of the Western World

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Course Description for History and Philosophy of the Western World

Course Goal:

At the completion of this course, the student will be able to demonstrate an general knowledge of history of the western world along with an introductory knowledge of the major philosophies through time.

Course Objectives:

Throughout the course, the student will:

  • Demonstrate map skills
  • Interact with basic philosophical concepts
  • Demonstrate an increased vocabulary pertinent to history and philosophy
  • Demonstrate test taking skills
  • Demonstrate basic paper-writing skills
  • Complete appropriate projects for student’s assigned level of rigor

(Note: You can go WAY more in-depth with objectives. But since we know there’s not ONE right way to write objectives, we are keeping them brief. If you want to really have a party writing Course Objectives, check Bloom’s Taxonomy or read this brief overview from Iowa State University.)

Text:

History and Philosophy of the Western World by Dr. Micah Tillman and Vicki Tillman MA. Published by 7SistersHomeschool.com, 2015.

Topics Covered:

Ancient Greece, Ancient Turkey, and the Natural Philosophers
The Miletans
Ancient Italy and its Philosophers
Early Greek Philosophy
Early Athens and the Sophists
Greece Versus Persia
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Philosophers
Rome
The Middle Ages
St. Augustine
St. Thomas Aquinas
Early Church Reformers
The Renaissance
The Reformation Across Europe
The Baroque Period and Rene Descartes
British Empiricists
The Rationalists and the French Revolution
Immanuel Kant
The Romantic Philosophers and Georg Hegel
The Industrial Revolution
Kierkegaard and Existentialism
The Revolutionary Philosophers- Darwin and Marx
Twentieth Century Philosophers
Twenty-first Century Philosophers

Method of Instruction:

The method of instruction will be self-directed learning under supervision of parent using text, projects, papers, tests and discussion.

Grading:

The course will be graded on the following scale:

  • 93-100=A
  • 84-92=B
  • 75-83=C
  • Below C will not be a passing grade for this course

The course will be graded based on the following rubric.

Course Credit and Level:

This is a one-credit course. The student will complete the course at Level 5 Honors.

Syllabus:

Design your own syllabus based on your family’s needs. Here is a how-to.

Create Course Descriptions for High School How and Why to Write a Syllabus for Homeschool High School Courses

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REMEMBER: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school OR to write a Course Description, so don’t panic. Adapt this to your needs…and relax! Your teens who need Course Descriptions will be so much better off because you created them as you went along.

 

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How and Why to Create Course Descriptions for High School