Homeschooling the Upper Grades

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Apprenticeships

In our home school high school, we have found that one of the most effective teaching tools is apprenticeship. If possible, find out what is most interesting to your child and then search for someone who will take him under his wing and show him the trade. This may be a friend, neighbor, father, uncle or a business acquaintance. Our eldest son has enjoyed self-taught auto mechanics and now he has a neighbor who enjoys working with him on his car and our ranch machinery. Exploit their interests and remember, not all learning comes from a book.

A dear friend of mine, Jamie Sowers, is a home school graduate who has used her gifts of music to further her own education. She plays piano, violin, guitar, and clarinet...some of them self-taught. Last Christmas Jamie gave a concert to raise money for a missionary group called For Haiti With Love. You may like to see her accomplishments here.

Science

Just as we used hands-on sciences in the lower grades, we continue to pursue this method in the upper levels. We enjoy the TOPS Programs which include individual science topics, labs with every-day household items, and all the vocabulary and ideas you could want. We've just begun the Apologia Science programs Exploring Creation with Biology and Exploring Creation with Chemistry by Dr. Jay Wile. This program also contains many labs and logical thinking.

Math

At this point, we have used Math U See very successfully through the Algebra-Geometry level. We also believe in learning math through science experiments. Tops has a very good Metric System lab and we've found a good geometry project called Blueprint for Geometry which we ordered from Timberdoodle Co. The Apologia Science uses a great amount of math in their programs as well.

Language Arts

We continue to use Learning Language Arts Through Literature. We do not use it solely however. I like to keep the children doing as much free-style writing as possible and also believe their writing assignments should be practical and useful to them...not just make-work. We continue to read good classical literature as much as possible which usually coincides with our historical studies.

We used Writer's Inc. with our son in his 12th grade year.  I especially had him work on the "business writing skills" section where he made a resume' and wrote business letters and etc.  When he went to college the following year, he used his resume to get into a Caterpillar Training program and then used nearly all his Writer's Inc assignments in his college courses.  His teacher was thrilled with his work.

History

We use many "living books." We prefer historical fiction, biographies, and good non-fiction books of the period. We are now enjoying the Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World which we are using as a spring board into historical topics.  We liked using A History of American People as a "textbook" for American History. 

Fine Arts

I strive to bring the fine arts into our home and studies whenever possible. We continue learning about and appreciating the great composers and artists. We have gained much good from the National Gallery of Art's Extension Program . Our family usually buys a family season ticket to the area Concert Series which offers us a great opportunity for music appreciation in a small town. It isn't always easy to keep a teen-aged boy interested in the fine arts, but I still believe in exposing them to as much as is possible.  I try to keep a few classical CDs going now and then as "atmosphere" but I also like to expose the children to various kinds of music--Glen Miller, George Winston, Stephen Foster folk songs and etc.  This isn't always "studied" but enjoyed.

Bible

Our eldest is enjoying the old book called My Utmost for His Highest--a daily devotional with some very meaty stuff. We also study the Bible chapter by chapter around the family table.   Our daughter is reading through her Bible in a year with a schedule from her Extreme Teen Bible.   Next year she plans to use the same Bible but do the varied studies included in it. 

A group of very small books have come into our lives which we hold dear. They are called Polite Moments. These little booklets are biblically based and excellent for every age group. One is titled "How to be a Servant" and one is "Visiting Other Families" and another is "Working for Others." I always tell my children, "You can never be too kind or too polite in this ol' world."  We purchased ours through Elijah Co.

Though they may not all be Einsteins...

...we give them the best we can to make them confident in themselves and in their abilities to function in today's world. Often that doesn't mean more books, but rather more skills in every-day living. Can your teen reconcile his bank statement? Can he prepare a simple meal and do his own laundry? Can she fix a flat tire or change the oil in her car? In all our educating, let us not forget to educate our children in life skills and self-sufficiency.

One more thing...let's not forget to prepare them for "eternal life" which is far more important than any other thing we can do. A friend gave our son a bumper sticker which said...

ETERNAL LIFE... Smoking or Non-smoking.

Funny but true.

Jody

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Click on NEXT if you'd like to read a letter from a homeschooling mother who discusses teaching the upper level grades.

An interview with Dr. Jay Wile of Apologia Ministries on "Homeschooling the High School Student" with Mary Leggewie. (This is a more formal way of schooling than I do, but very good ideas to use.)

THE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS  by Chris and Ellyn Davis  This is one of my most favorite homeschooling article which deals with choosing courses, grading, and general ideas for educating the high school student.  Don't miss this article!

Delight Directed Studies with the Susan.  Susan's articles will set you free!

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