Homeschooling College

Homeschooling through high school is my most frequently asked question --

Q. - How do you home school through high school?

A. - We use the classics! (See my lists of Classes by Classics)

While this is an answer for high school, NO ONE accepts that answer for college anymore.

Why?!?

I guess it's because of all the accreditation issues, laws, and concerns of society now. Everyone believes that a college education is the only way to achieve success, even though there are examples of people taking other paths...Steve Jobs, Rachel Ray, John D. Rockefeller, Ralph Lauren, and many others. (See more at Huffington Post and Business Insider.)

Okay, well, those are the exception to the rule, right?

Maybe...and then again, maybe not.

Does a college degree help a lot of people improve their lives and get better jobs? You bet! For many it has improved their lives dramatically.

Yet, we are seeing a trend of college graduates end up with tons of debt and very little improvement in their quality of life and job advancement possibilities. (See Ivory Tower trailer.)

Concurrent or Dual Enrollment

I previously posted about Concurrent or Dual Enrollment. My children have successfully taken online college level classes at BYU-Idaho. There are many colleges and universities that allow high school students to enroll in classes through them and receive both high school and college credit....for a discount even! BYU-Idaho, for example, only charges $30 a credit compared to their normal tuition of $152 per credit hour for LDS students.

$152 regular tuition - $30 concurrent tuition 

= $82 savings per credit!

So far, I have paid only $360 for 12 credits (would have been $1824) for my daughter and $150 for 5 credits (would have been $760) for my son. A total savings of $2074. Nice, huh!?! Not to mention that they have those credits before graduating high school, saving them time as well.

CLEP Exams - Testing Out of Classes

We are now exploring another way to gain college credits for less money and study at our own pace. CLEP Exams have been around for quite some time, but they are a very well-kept secret in many circles. When I inquired about taking CLEP Exams I was discouraged from doing so, being told it would be a waste of my time and money and that I wouldn't get the same "quality of an education" as I would taking the actual classes in person from their college.

I knew a friend in college that took every available CLEP Exam offered at that time over 20 years ago. He tested out of a full year of college and saved himself over $5,000 at the time. Now, one could test out of roughly 80-100 credit hours of lower level classes, saving anywhere from $3480-$24,000 depending on the tuition cost of the college or university you wish to attend. Details on getting credits for CLEP Exams can be found here. The average test costs $80 and a successful score can earn the student 3-12 credits, depending on the test. 

It is also important to check with the college or university you want to attend in order to see how many credits they will allow you test out of or transfer into their school. Most are required to allow CLEP Exam tests, but some have limits on only allowing 24-40 credits transferred in from exams and other institutions. Still, 40 credits through CLEP can cost around $960 rather than the tuition of 2 years of community college for $3360 or $19,200 for a university here in Arizona.

$19,200 - $960 = $18,240 in savings for a university student!

Amazing isn't it?!?

I think it is SUPER amazing.

An Example - Financial Accounting

My son is extremely interested in business. So am I. We decided this would be our first CLEP Exam experience. I read a few reviews that said it was a harder test, but we want to know this information anyway, so why not give it a shot?

The study guide or Fact Sheet for Financial Accounting also gives some free resources. The Fact Sheet gives the basics of what will be on the test. At the bottom we decided to check out the free resources to see what might help us study for the exam without paying for a pricey guide. 

We decided on PrinciplesOfAccounting.com, which is a free online textbook by Utah State University. It has study materials, workbooks, and lecture videos online to go along with studying the textbook. There are a couple of free practice tests at the official CLEP website and Free Clep Prep. (There are several free resources including an MIT Open Courseware and books that can be checked out at local libraries.)

So far, so good. We have not taken the tests yet, but the preparation materials we are finding for FREE have made this option quite within our price range and hopefully, pay off BIG in terms of lower college costs. Those that have done it, swear by it!

Even if my children do not finish college, I feel that the preparation they are experiencing cannot harm them in any way, quite the opposite. They are finding that they can compete in the "real college world" that everyone always questions us about. All the nay-sayers have nothing to complain about when my children each boast high GPA's in college courses before the age of 18.

2013-2014 School Year

I really don't like the word "school". It really does not describe what we do, but since that is how others view it, I'll use it here.

We consider ourselves year-round home educators. Education doesn't stop with certain days of the calendar. We do, however, have some planned yearly breaks mingled into the mix and the month of June falls into that category for us each year as various camps, conferences, and trips take place during that time. Now that we are into July, it's time to get back to a more Structured Time commitment.

I do purchase a few new items each year. Here are my "curriculum" purchases for this year:

English - Writing and Grammar
We will continue to use Excellence in Writing  and Winston Grammar products, focusing on the "Teaching Writing: Style and Structure" core materials for writing. Christian and I decided to add a curriculum this year that he can follow on his own in preparation for college. We have not yet decided if we will buy American Literature or British Literature. He is looking each over to see which one will suit him. I may just buy both so I can do them too. $29 each or $58 for both if I buy them new...not sure yet!

Math - Algebra and Geometry
We are using Aleks Math online program with videos from Khan Academy and some things we found online about The Human Calculator. Plus, he is a programmer so his normal, every day activities include lots of math. I purchase our yearly subscription at a discount from Leadership Education Academy for $99.

Science - Foundations of Science
My children take advantage of BYU-Idaho Concurrent Enrollment. This will be Christian's first year and will start with Science Foundations. While some feel the foundations classes are a waste of time because they may not transfer to other universities, I think they give my children confidence and a good taste of what college classes are like. The tuition for this 2 credit class is an amazing $60!

History - United States
We love Living History books. This year we are doing US History, an LDS Perspective by Dan Hunter. We loved the other sets we have and just want to keep going! He meshes history with modern and ancient prophets words. So nice that someone has taken the time to put these all together. $49.95 for Volume 1.

PE
I'm pretty relaxed about PE. We do weekly planned events were we invite others to play basketball, tennis, football, or volleyball when the weather is good. This year we are adding a subscription to the Aquaplex which includes a gym. We will have access to the indoor gym and weight facility for the entire family. With 6 people that boils down to about $80 a year for Christian.

Music - Guitar
We are blessed to have a free music program called Young Jammers. Christian loves the instructor and the down-to-earth way they learn to read music and play with a group. I hope to add personalized music lessons later this year, but that will be about $100 a month, so not cheap but well worth it!

Yearly Budget
I do not usually spend this much for the year, but with only one child educating at home now, I guess I can afford to give him the extras. I don't even consider all the extra books I buy on a regular, ongoing basis. I find things at second hand stores, garage sales, used book stores, and even purchase some books for NOOK.

This years budget totals about $347!

I don't usually spend that much for one student, but I am buying the gym membership and a college class this year.

10 Easy Ways to Cut Your Homeschool Budget

Let's face it, homeschooling can be an expensive endeavor. One trip to a homeschooling convention with rows and rows of booths full of really cool looking curriculum can make any homeschool mother's mouth drool while at the same time her pocketbook shrinks. I know I've bought things that looked great and others raved about it, but when I tried to use it, well...it just didn't turn out like I hoped.

The important thing is to make wise purchasing choices. Doing the research before I buy has made for less costly mistakes and better purchases. I only have a budget of about $200 a year to spend on curriculum. Most of that is spent on Aleks math and then classic books throughout the year to build up our home library.

Here are a few tips to save money so that you can better budget for the things you really need:

1. Wet Erase Sheets

I discovered this trick a few years ago. Rather than buy multiple student worksheet books or copy everything, I made these cheap and easy re-useable sheets. (By the way, I own very few worksheets anymore, but we use these sometimes.)

Take a few clear plastic sheets and cut off the side with the 3 holes.

Slide the plastic sheet over the page in the student worksheet.

Using a fine tip wet erase pen, have your child finish the worksheet.

After you check the work, slide the sheet off.

Clean with a damp paper towel or washcloth (or sock, see below).

2. Personal Dry Erase Boards

These have become very popular in public schools, but I think they are a MUST HAVE for homeschooling. Children can go through a LOT of paper. I find these work for math problems, scratch paper, spelling practice, doodling, handwriting, etc.

3. Socks Erasers

We all have divorced and separated socks somewhere in our laundry, right? Why not reuse these poor lost socks as erasers for your Dry Erase Boards and Wet Erase Sheets. (They make good "dusting gloves" for kiddos too).

4. Use the Library

We use a ton of classics books and my budget does not allow me to own all the books we read each month (much less the space to store them). The library has most of the books we would want. If they don't, the Interlibrary Loan system has allowed us to borrow books from numerous local libraries without paying a cent.

5. Buy Used

Most families are also on a shoestring budget when it comes to homeschooling. Therefore, they re-sell their homschool curriculum in fairly good condition in most cases. I've bought from used curriculum fairs, eBay, Amazon, Home School Classifieds, Half.com, and Craigslist. For example, the Excellence in Writing Style and Structure program is $169 new. I bought it at a used curriculum fair for $40.

6. Sell Your Gently Used Curriculum

Like the post above, I also sell some of our used curriculum on the above websites. I often buy the items used and re-sell them later for about the same price I bought them for, breaking even!

7. Borrow Curriculum and Books

I was lucky enough to live in an area that had a great homeschool library that allowed members to borrow or check out items for a semester at a time. I also allow people to borrow items I have and have borrowed items from others to look at before purchasing. It helps to cut down on impulse buying and thus save you from spending money needlessly.

8. Use Online Freebies

The Internet is a vast source of free curriculum and teaching aides. There are too many to list here, but here are a few of the top contenders:

• Khan Academy - Math, History, Science, Economics, etc. Video based and easy to use. They have a Knowledge Map where students can master math topics and earn points and badges.
• YouTube - Many educational videos are available like Spalding Phonics, School House Rock, and The Human Calculator.
• Learning Page - Tons of worksheets for the early elementary years for math, handwriting, animals, etc.

9. Read for Free

Not only is the library a great free source for classic books. There are free Apps that can be downloaded for most phones, tablets, and computers to read books for free. 

The top eBook Apps are:

• Nook by Barnes and Noble
• Kindle by Amazon
• Google Books

Be careful of searching for "free" books as many undesirable books may also surface. Search for the specific title and author. We've downloaded several free titles, including, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Sense and Sensibility", "Guliver's Travels", "The Red Fairy Book" and "McGuffey Readers".

10. Focus on the Core Subjects

I've found that there is a lot of "fluff" out there. Focus on a few sound foundational programs and the rest will fall into place with the reading of classics. 

Some of the foundational programs we own are:

• Spalding Phonics - I borrowed the book "The Writing Road to Reading" from the library and only use the notebook pages where the student copies the rules. I bought a laminated set of the phonogram cards for $14. I've used these for all my children and foster children and never needed anything else.
• Math-U-See manipulatives - I've found that the Math-U-See program was good until the upper maths, but we still keep the manipulatives. I don't think the lower grades even need the curriculum. Most parents can teach basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division without an official math program, but the blocks are really helpful.
• Winston Grammar - I use this easy program to teach basic grammar and learn about diagramming sentences. We re-visit the topic for a couple weeks each year to make sure that the knowledge is still there. No other grammar program is needed with a classics based education.
• Excellence in Writing - I have the basic Style and Structure videos with the workbook and that's it! You can literally spend hundreds on needless, repetitive drills. The basic teaching is all you need on a writing program to teach what is expected. Free writing takes the place of all the other fluff.

Just know that we are all sucked in by the need to buy cool looking curriculum that fits in with the conveyor-belt way we were educated. I still get excited when I see workbooks. WHY? I guess it just makes me think...

workbook = learning

...yet, we all know that isn't true!

Reading and Personal Study = Learning

Good luck out there! I get tempted to spend too much each year myself.

End of Year Records

We "school" year round, with a few well-placed breaks among the un-planned breaks throughout. We typically go from July 1st to June 30th each year, which means we are nearing the end of this "school" year (I really don't like the word school...it reminds me of mindless fish). I take all of the records we've kept throughout the year and place them in a new binder.

The records I archive on June 30th are:

• Each person's individual planner for the previous year.
• The lists of books read by each person that year.
• The calendar used for attendance.
• The Course of Study plan.
• Previous Compass outlines, the current Compass stays in their Binder.

Beginning the "new" year - the first week of July is when I usually get the Binders ready for the new year. This time of renewal is always a fun time when I feel jazzed up about what the new year will bring. I try to have new resources ready by this time, but I've learned that new resources just seem to naturally begin showing up when they are needed. More on that next month!

Yearly Breaks

We used to take all of July and December off as our yearly breaks, but as the kids became teens we discovered there are many other conflicting things in the summer that get in the way. This year is no exception. There is Girl's Camp in June and Scout Camp in July. Seminary lasts into the first week of June. We've already had several visitors who feel we are sufficiently settled and can come visit on their terms. My mother is nearing the end of her life and we are taking more trips to visit her...and a wedding in another state at the end of July. With all this going on our calendar is rather disillusioned compared to the simplicity we used to experience.

We will be taking two weeks off in June and two weeks off in July instead of the whole month of July. We've already had too many breaks with the move and all the company we've had lately (I won't even get into some of the comments company made when they were here). It feels like we are really not making the kind of progress we've made in years past. We discussed these issues in our recent Family Council and discovered that we are all feeling a bit out-of-sync. With the new break schedule on the calendar, I think it gave everyone a much needed overview of what to expect this summer.

Economics Classics

We decided to have economics as a separate class simply because it is such a misunderstood area of study in our society today. I truly believe that if everyone in our society studied economics, we would not be in the downward spiral we are currently in, and I mean all over the world, not just the United States. There are a few TJED for Teens classics and then some others we have studied.

Economics Classics from TJED for Teens:

• The Science of Getting Rich
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!

Other Classics We Study:

• Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security
• Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? A Fast, Clear, and Fun Explanation of the Economics You Need For Success in Your Career, Business, and Investments
• Whatever Happened to Justice?
• Are You Liberal? Conservative? Or Confused?
• Ancient Rome: How It Affects You Today
• Evaluating Books: What Would Thomas Jefferson Think About This? Guidelines for Selecting Books Consistent With the Principles of America's Founders
• The Money Mystery: The Hidden Force Affecting Your Career, Business, and Investments
• The Clipper Ship Strategy: For Success in Your Career, Business, and Investments
• The Thousand Year War in the Mideast: How It Affects You Today
• World War I: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1870 to 1935
• World War II: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1930 to September 11, 2001

We highly recommend all of the Uncle Eric books. We do not use them, but they also offer study guides. We study a chapter a day as part of our devotional time, and then discuss the topics of the chapter we studied. Sometimes there are topics and questions in the back of the book that we discuss as well. I have learned so much from these books! I can't speak highly enough of them.

Science Classics

The Geometry of Fruits and Vegetables

Ooooo! Science! I've always been fascinated by science. I really enjoyed all of my science classes except Chemistry. I was feeling a bit daunted by the idea of learning science through classics. To me, science seems to NEED hands-on experience...you know...LABS! We tried a couple of Science curriculum packages, but really found them tedious and boring. With a sigh and my hands thrown up in the air I said, "Fine! I'll look for science classics!"

I have read a few now and found they greatly enhance my understanding in ways I was not expecting. First, I didn't understand everything, but I was able to understand MORE than before. Secondly, for me, most of these science classics will need to be studied repeatedly for me to grasp all the concepts in them. But, that's what classics are for! To be read over, and over, and over - finding new knowledge along the way in each re-read.

Science Classics from the TJED for Teens list:

• A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science by Michael S. Schnieder (See more below)
• The Illustrated Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition by Stephen Hawkins
• Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein
• Elementus - Books I, II, III, and IV by Euclid

Constructing the Universe website

You have got to check out this website - Constructing the Universe. It goes hand-in-hand with the book "A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science". There  are lots of different links and additional activity books available on this website. We have not bought the activity books, but I thought some might like this nugget of information. I do want to go to his Constructing the Universe classroom, it looks like so much fun! If I had the money I would have a science "lab" like his.

When to Study Science Classics

It is interesting to note the interaction of math and science. I've read a few books, and also in the Robinson Curriculum, that suggest that students should not start any formal study of science until they have mastered Algebra II and Geometry. We have followed that path and discovered that this method is a sound one. Nayna is taking a college level science class because she felt the study of Science was one of her weakest points. She has since learned that she can rapidly learn all that she does not know. In fact, she is tutoring an adult in her college class and is the lead in her study group, simply because she waited until she was ready to study science.

Studying Science Through Nature

The Charlotte Mason home education method has some great ideas on studying science through observation and hands-on experience. During Core and Love of Learning Phases, this is how we addressed science. Now that my children are Scholars, we can still learn that way and begin adding in the science classics.

NOTE: Science and Religion. It is important to note that some science classics try to rule out God or any notion of Intelligent Design. Studying these science classics with my children, or often before them, allows me to know ahead of time what areas we may need to stop and discuss our beliefs and the truth and knowledge that we have gained. Those with a shaky foundation or Core could be swayed to believe untruths. We enjoyed a movie called, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed", which touches on the removal of God from science. You can watch this movie on YouTube here if you are interested.

American History Classics

'I cannot tell a lie.'

American History is a pretty easy one to find classics on...or so I thought. Once I began studying American History, I realized that so many sources vary in their coverage of events. For example, I was raised on the story of George Washington and the Cherry Tree...remember that one..."I cannot tell a lie." How disappointing to find out the story is a lie!

It then becomes difficult to find true historical writings. I find that older versions seem to be the most correct and that we need to make sure we are reading unabridged versions of stories and histories. It is my belief that each time we read someone's abridged version, we are getting more opinion than fact unless it is well documented where the information comes from.

NOTE: This list overlaps with American Government. We choose to work on 100 hours for each subject and only allow a work to count towards one subject.

From Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens:

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
• "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"
• "The Present Crisis"
• Also see the list for American Government

We have also added:

We found a fabulous history series by Dan Hunter at Living History Books. These are LDS based and we love them! There is an American History set that we have not started yet, but it is on the list (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2). We have some of the other sets and love the writing style as well as the detailed outlines, time-lines, maps, and references to where he got the information from; making this series of history books one of the few "curriculum" items we feel are classics. It is written from a very TJED point of view (no tests or worksheets) and Oliver DeMille even wrote the forward for them. Dan Hunter suggests that rather than test students, require projects or papers written on people or events (see below for more info).

HISTORY NOTEBOOK
We are embarking on a new idea to make our own history notebooks. I am getting mine started in order to "model" this for my teens. When I mentioned it nobody shouted, "Hooray! I always wanted to make a history notebook." Rather, I got one blank stare that said in silent mocking tones, "Seriously?" and another moderate eye roll that sarcastically mimicked, "Another great idea mom has to add to my full study load." I know, it might only seem appealing to the history fanatic, but I hope to get one started myself first and maybe inspire some others in my home later. ;-)

Check out this free download over at Living History Books on making your own history notebook.

Here are also some free notebook pages I made up to use based on the download listed above.  It didn't like his, not clean enough for me I guess. There are three different line height pages, including emergent writer (primary lined) pages, which Dan Hunter's does not include.

American Government Classics

I love learning about the birth of America, the various changes over time, and the current state of our great nation. This is one of the most important subjects to study from the classics. Textbooks have left out so much of what is true and necessary in the study of our government. One must study the original documents and the original words of the founding fathers in order to gain their own understanding of what government is and should be.

There are a lot of books listed here. For high school "credit", we choose from these lists and study for 100 hours to constitute a high school credit per Missouri law. That is pretty easy to do from this list, however, we continue with this list for Depth Phase.

From TJED for Teens:

• The Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution of the United States
• "The Gettysburg Address" speech by Abraham Lincoln
• "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Real Thomas Jefferson by Allison, Maxfield, Cook and Skousen
• The Real Benjamin Franklin by Allison
• The Real George Washington by Allison, Parry, and Skousen
• The Making of America by W. Cleon skousen
• Democracy in America Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Alexis De Tocqueville
• The 5,000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen
• The Law by Bastiat

Others we have added:

• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

Again, I would like to add sections of The Great Books of the Western World. 

• Volume 43 - Articles of Confederation, The Federalist, On Liberty by J. S. Mill
• Volume 2 Syntopicon - Chapter 3 -Aristocracy, Chapter12 - Constitution, Chapter 16 - Democracy, Chapter 31 - Government, Chapter 42 - Justice, Chapter 46 - Law, Chapter 47 - Liberty
• Volume 2 Syntopicon - Chapter 59 - Monarchy, Chapter 62 - Oligarchy, Chapter 63 - One and Many, Chapter 64 - Opinion, Chapter 90 - State, Chapter 95 - Tyranny, Chapter 98 - War and Peace, Chapter 99 - Wealth, Chapter 101 - Wisdom

Poetry Classics

Poetry is not a topic that interested me very much. However, I am beginning to find it necessary and even enjoyable. (We can't always love everything, can we?) I know that most songs are poems and so that has intrigued me enough to spark my interest. My oldest child loves poetry and even wrote notebooks of poems herself. My son writes some songs once in awhile and so I can see that my children need these classics even if they are not personal favorites.

Poetry from Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens:

• Best Loved Poems of the American People by Hazel Felleman
• Sonnets by Shakespeare
• Poetry and Mathematics by Scott Buchanan

I had never thought of poetry and mathematics being similar topics, but I can now see that the rhythmic quality of poetry does have ma mathematical applications. A very interesting topic of study.

We also added:

• The Great Ideas Syntopicon, volume 2, Chapter 69: Poetry - from the Great Books of the Western World set.

As in Mathematics where we recommend the Syntopicon for a place of study, we highly recommend the chapter on Poetry for deeper consideration. There are several pages of explanation of what poetry is, how it is an "art" and how it is language, philosophy, and history. Next are oodles of references for further study on the subject of poetry from the great authors and thinkers of the western hemisphere.

Medieval and Ancient History Classics

Aristotle

Medieval and Ancient History is a difficult one I think. First of all, there is not as much original texts from this time period. Secondly, what is available is harder to read and understand. I personally wait a bit on studying some of these original texts until they are firmly into Scholar Phase.

From the Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens list:

• Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 (Saint Joan) by Mark Twain
• Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, Vol. 2 (Saint Joan) by Mark Twain
• Antigone by Sophocles
• The Illiad by Homer
• The Odyssey by Homer
• The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato - Includes Euthyphron, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Plato
• Nichomachaen Ethics by Aristotle

Others we have added:

• Plutarch's Lives - also see Our Young Folks Plutarch, Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls, and the Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans.

Shakespeare Classics

 

Shakespeare...need I say more? An entire year can be spent on Shakespeare alone. My children have grown to love Shakespeare so much that they have requested their own copies. We have a copy from The Great Books of the Western World and one from the National Classics Series, both are accurate editions.

In addition to reading the classics, Shakespeare needs to be seen and experienced in play form to be complete. We try to attend as many Shakespeare plays as we can. They can be disappointing, however, in how they are interpreted. We've seen some modernized versions that are so cheap and misrepresented that it gives a poor shadow of the original. There are some good ones too, even some movies are perfectly depicted and are preferred over poorly constructed plays.

In my humble opinion, no education is complete without Shakespeare. I once read an article about all the every-day sayings that come from Shakespeare, and is second only to the Bible in the number of sayings derived from it's works.

Here are our recommendations. The links provided have several versions for eReaders like Nook and Kindle as well as audio downloads.

Shakespeare Dramas/Tragedies:

• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark - Movie: Great Performances versions (free online streaming), Mel Gibson version
• Romeo and Juliet
• Julius Caesar 
• Antony and Cleopatra
• Coriolanus
• King Lear - Movie: Great Performances
• Macbeth - Movie: Great Performances
• Othello
• Timon of Athens
• Titus Andronicus
• Troilus and Cressida

Shakespeare Comedies:

• All's Well That Ends Well
• As You Like It
• Comedy of Errors
• Love's Labour's Lost
• Measure for Measure
• Merchant of Venice
• Merry Wives of Windsor
• Midsummer Night's Dream
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Taming of the Shrew
• Tempest
• Twelfth Night
• Two Gentlemen of Verona
• Winter's Tale

Shakespeare Histories:

• Cymbeline
• Henry IV, Part I
• Henry IV, Part II
• Henry V
• Henry VI, Part I
• Henry VI, Part II
• Henry VI, Part III
• Henry VIII
• King John
• Pericles
• Richard II
• Richard III

Science and Fantasy Fiction Classics

One of my favorite literature genres is Science Fiction and Fantasy fiction. Many may not agree, but there are MANY classics in this genre that are worth reading. Like traditional high schools, a "class" in these genres may not be required, but some may find it a fun elective "class" or find it part of their passion in reading. We used this as a semester class rather than a full year of study, giving it half a credit.

As a side note on teaching composition, we use the Excellence in Writing program called "Teaching Writing: Structure and Style". I did not purchase anything other than that, the rest of their curriculum is too "textbooky" for me. We use the classics they are reading to practice the subjects of note taking, outlining, summarizing from notes, etc.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Fiction

• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (NOTE: This one has some adult language.)
• Elantris by Sanderson
• The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R Tolkien
• The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

British Literature and Composition

Most of our "classes" for high school credit are a literature and composition combination. British Literature is surely a fun class to read, write, and discuss. As I said in my last post, our state requires 100 hours to be considered a "credit", so I allow my youth to choose enough books to read and write about to fill that requirement. It so happens, that they have much more than 100 hours spent in this "class". It doesn't hurt to watch a few of the movies too.

British Literature

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Emma by Jane Austen
• The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable by Thomas Malory - Le Morte D'Arthur Vol. 1, Le Morte D'Arthur Vol. 2
• Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnnet

NOTE: The books chosen for this list are from "TJED for Teens" book, the AYLI classic books list and the Classics for Youth list in "A Thomas Jefferson Education" by Oliver DeMille.

American Literature and Composition

In high school it is often common to combine the study of literature with a composition class. We decided to take this approach and have our children write articles, essays, or reviews on the classics that our youth read. This not only cements their thoughts and what they learned, but gives practice in writing, grammar, and spelling.

Our youth choose from this list to create the 100 hours required for our state in a 1 credit class. Basically, I have them choose from this list and write about what they read.

American Literature

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
• Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingles Wilder
• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingles Wilder
• Pollyanna by Elleanor Hodgman Porter
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Rawls Wilson
• Man of the Family by Ralph Moody
• The Sackett Series by Louis L'Amour (link has reading order)
• Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
• The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

There are so many classics that could be added to this list as you see fit. If my children have a book they would like to use for this "class" then I typically look into it, read it myself and ask the child why they feel the book is a classic. If the book makes the classics list, then we use it!

NOTE: These books are chosen from the Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens list.

TJED "Classes" by Classics

For the past couple of years I've studied the best ways to create home education transcripts. I've thought a bit about how a TJED or Leadership Education will translate into traditional terms for "classes" and "credits". I know this must be possible, after all it is a far superior education. I spent some time thinking about all the standard conveyor-belt requirements and feel that I've been able to showcase a method of recording a Liberal Arts high school education with a TJED Classics basis and a traditional transcript.

A transcript by subject seems most preferable in this endeavor. Here are some examples I found online of Transcripts by Subject:

• The Home Scholar
• HSLDA Example

I do not suggest that anyone PAY for transcripts. It's too easy to do with a bit of time and a parent who does a little bit of research.

I've taken the TJED for Teens reading list as posted here and divided the classics into the various high school level classes. Our state requires 100 hours for a "credit" or 50 hours for a "half credit". Your state may suggest something else and you may need to adapt this list to your state's requirements.I will be posting each class over the next few weeks. It is easy to add your own classics as possible choices.

Classes:

• American Literature
• British Literature
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature
• Mythology, Fairy Tales and Fables
• Mathematics
• Shakespeare
• Medieval and Ancient History
• Poetry
• American Government
• American History
• World History
• Science
• Religions of the World
• Economics

In a few cases, I have purchased curriculum to fulfill the class credit requirements in Mathematics and Latin.

Book, Video, and Other Lists

Another important part of our yearly binder is the lists we keep of completed books, videos, magazines, and other articles. Here is a link to some list forms. My favorite is the books, issues and videos/plays/concerts forms. One requirement for my Scholars is that they record all of the materials they finish on these forms in their individual binders. Nayna and I also record the books we read on Goodreads.com with reviews. This is a nice way to have your student write a review and share it. Sometimes she reads so many books that she does not write reviews on every single one.

In addition to recording every book we finish, we also have checklists to chose books from. Our most important list is:



Once an item has been read they check it off on their list. Our goal is read all of the books during their Scholar Phase and marked off as level 1 and to hopefully have at least one a month marked off as level 2. (For an explanation of the three levels please see "TJED for Teens" by Oliver DeMille and Shannon Brooks.)

Course of Study for 2011-2012

Each year is a new experience in preparation for the next year. One of the things that I like is to get a general plan in order with some of my thoughts on what we need to study together. I like the files at donnayoung.org for helping me get organized. I'll be featuring a few of the forms that I personally use over the next few posts.

The Course of Study form is one of my favorite all-in-one-place forms to show my general outline for the entire year. I combine my two youth still at home on the same Course of Study. Many things we do together but for those things that are separate it is listed by their initial. To some this may seem a bit vague. Basically, I am outlining the mentoring portion of what we are studying. The rest will be determined throughout the year as the Scholar finds new interests and passions to study. It is important to remember that this is not a complete layout of the year, but this is a list of the things that I want to inspire them with and what I will share with them during our devotional, read aloud, and do-together portions of our education time.

Some are just resources for further study in specific ares. Some items are review, something we often turn to when we need to brush up on certain skills, like grammar and spelling. These resources are on the list for sporadic use. A few items are curriculum that has been purchased for that use. Each student chooses which resources they will use at any given time.

The World Before Christ: An LDS Perspective

I posted several weeks ago about my son's need of some new history books. We decided to purchase 'The World Before Christ: An LDS Perspective" by Dan P. Hunter. We have been using this three volume set for a few weeks now. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this set of books.

At first, I was quite impressed with the various quotes and documentation included in this work. My concern comes in that so much of the book seems to quote "The First Two Thousand Years" by W. Cleon Skousen. I'm beginning to wonder if we should have just read his books and not purchased this set if it is going to do so much quoting, paraphrasing, and referring to this other work. Also, I am not completely convinced that Cleon Skousen's view on history is 100% correct, which would also make this work possibly not correct. However, not all the quotes are from this one work. There are scriptures and doctrinal books mentioned as well.

Another challenge with using this curriculum is that it has three volumes and each time period, or Epoch as it is called, is spread throughout each of the three volumes. We like to study our history sequentially and so we are having to go through each volume to finish each Epoch. Chris wanted to take the bindings apart and put them in the correct order to make it easier for him. I have not done that yet, I'm not sure if I will.

The proposed way to use this set is to go through one volume a year of each of the various sets, then repeat using the second volume. So a curriculum plan would look like this:

• Year 1 - The World Before Christ: An LDS Perspective - Volume 1
• Year 2 - The World After Christ: An LDS Perspective - Volume 1
• Year 3 - The World Before Christ: An LDS Perspective - Volume 2
• Year 4 - The World After Christ: An LDS Perspective - Volume 2
• Year 5 - The World Before Christ: An LDS Perspective - Volume 3
• Year 6 - The World Before Christ: An LDS Perspective - Volume 3
• Year 7 - United States History: An LDS Perspective - Volume 1
• Year 8 - United States History: An LDS Perspective - Volume 2
• Year 9 - Native American History: An LDS Perspective

Basically, a family would study each volume together and make their way through all of the volumes throughout your homeschool life. I do not feel these volumes could be read independently by children younger than 14, and even then, they need to be good readers. There are several references, books, videos, etc. listed in each volume as possible inclusions for each Epoch. We have had a hard time finding the videos listed in the book, so it is difficult to say if that is very helpful.

It looks as though Chris will go through more than one volume a year, simply because he loves history and wants to study it in depth. He is studying the scriptures along with the history books. I had hoped he would LOVE these books, but I think he likes them fine.