9th Grade Homeschool Curriculum choices

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Current situation: I'm laying down the rails for high school. A big box from BJU Press just rolled up in our driveway a few days ago and I'm trying not to hyperventilate. 9th grade is coming at me like a freight train. Wasn't she just starting kindergarten yesterday? Fortunately for the both of us, my daughter wears BRAVE well. "Mom, I got this. God's got this. It's gonna be just fine. Bring it on." I'm glad one of us is handling it well.

So, while I try to scrape my emotions up off the floor and attempt to piece my heart back together, you can take a quick peek at her upcoming school year.


I've always tried to weave in as much family-style learning as possible. And this year will be no exception. After sketching out a tentative four-year high school plan, I think I've planned a nice mix of both group and independent subjects to give her a one-of-a-kind year.

Here's what she'll be learning.
(Items with an asterisk indicate a new-to-us resource. Because we don't homeschool on Tuesdays, all subjects will be completed four times a week unless otherwise indicated.)

Content-rich subjects

As in year's past, she will do a lot of her content-rich subjects like Morning time, history, world geography, art, and composer study with the rest of the family. You can see all of those subjects and curriculum choices here>>>

Personal Devotions- everyday

• ESV Student Study Bible
• A Young Woman After God's Own Heart***

Language

• LLATL Gold Book: World Literature (While she has never used LLATL for Language Arts, her brother used the program last year. I have been very impressed with this open-n-go Charlotte Mason curriculum.)
• Word Roots Level 2

• read for pleasure (everyday)
• read a new book for her MUST READS for Christian Teen Girls book list each month

Math

• Teaching Textbooks Geometry

Science

Last year, in preparation for her dual-enrollment classes coming up in 11th and 12th grades, my daughter requested to take a more traditional approach to science. She wanted a chance to learn with a textbook and lab assignments in order to become comfortable with that set up before she had to do it "for real" in PSEO. I could certainly understand that logic. So, after reviewing four major textbook science programs, I settled on BJU Science which provided not only a thorough look at certain aspects of science from a Christian perspective, but also an opportunity to develop practical lab experience. Because since it is a traditional program, she struggled at times to completely understand all the reading. She and I both liked the program, we just knew she needed a bit more explanation.

So this year, I have ordered the textbook AND video lessons. (I have chosen to lease the videos instead of ordering the online streaming option. I don't want my daughter to be at the mercy of a sketchy internet service.) Each day's lesson is taught right to the camera by a science teacher. She'll watch the video, read the texts, answer the questions, and take the unit tests. (I'm not a fan of tests for elementary students, but I have different opinions about them in the jr. high and high school years.)

• Physical Science 9 DVD with books

Electives

Interior Design- 2x a week

• Elements of Interior Design Unit & Lapbook- 1st semester***
• Interior Design Course- 2nd semester***

• create one design board each week in a Universal Sketch Pad
• shadow two area interior designers a few times throughout the year to get a glimpse of the unglamorous, monotonous, and business aspects of interior design

Piano- lesson 1x a week; practice 5x a week

Critical Thinking- 1x a week

• Mind Benders Level 7

Basketball- winter months

Like last year, she plans to try out for the girl's basketball team at a local Christian school. During the winter/early spring, practices will be several times a week right after school with games scattered throughout the end of the season. 

She's gotten pretty self-sufficient in the kitchen and has even mastered many dishes that I've never even attempted like homemade pudding, crepes, and fried pickles. So, she'll not be assigned any particular cooking classes like the Simplified Dinners course she took last year, but will be assigned a rotation of breakfasts and dinners to make throughout the month.

Ready or not, here comes high school.