Title? I Don't Need No Stinkin' Title!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last updated this blog. I've wanted to. I have! As usual, I've been keeping busy. If my laptop were still in working order, I'm sure I'd have updated earlier than this. Sitting at the desktop often feels like torture for me. I miss the portability.

Quick run-down...

CCD started, and I have a smaller class of first communicants this year. The first grade class is HUGE though, so I'll be kept on my toes next year. I wonder if I can petition to have the class divided then. It's so much easier with a smaller class. I find that I'm getting way more covered during each session. I want to make a connection with each of the kids, but when the classes exceed twenty or so students, I spend more time on classroom management than I do actually teaching the faith. I have a really great bunch of kids this year, too. They're asking great questions, and are really absorbing a lot each week. Again, it makes a huge difference that there are so few of them. It's so much more manageable!

Last week was our first break from homeschooling. It was welcome, but it didn't feel like much of a break. I think we only really rested one day. Note for next break: DO NOTHING, or close to nothing. ;)

Sometime in September we went into the city, and stopped by Trinity Church where they had a display of items and photographs related to 9-11. (Thanks go to my sweet niece for taking these pictures).

Ten years later, and I still have difficulty wrapping my mind around what happened that day. I found that I had to just tear myself away from the exhibit as it was just too overwhelming for me. Ten years ago, and a few months before the planes hit, I had been worried and upset that my husband had lost his job (right across from the towers), but on that particular day, I regarded the job loss as a blessing. Seeing the images of the people lost that day, just bore a hole into my heart, and I couldn't get out of there soon enough. Again, it was so overwhelming.

The visit to Trinity Church was followed with a pleasant, and welcome romp through Chinatown. We had a few items to purchase to satiate our Kung Fu addiction. My purchases consisted of Chinese liniments. Not terribly exciting, I know. But we did manage to pick up a rubber knife for kali practice. And there were a few other purchases, such as Jay Chou posters for my teen, and a pair of sneakers for me (a gift from my husband, who no doubt was tired of being kicked by my old sneakers. The old ones had a broken zipper on them, and made them extra dangerous. He gets kicked when we practice of course, so it's allowed).

After Chinatown we went to the Whitney Museum with my niece to check out the Cory Arcangel exhibit. I didn't really "get it," but I seldom understand what is regarded as modern art. It was more like a pop culture exhibit, and I did appreciate it in that sense. It seemed a rather loose interpretation of the word "Art." But what do I know? In any case, Arcangel (cool name, though) is a digital artist. But his pieces are quite unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's kind of difficult for me to describe, but one piece was made up of a regular television playing back-to-back related clips from Seinfeld. Another piece had a chronological array of bowling video game clips--the first showing a very rudimentary, highly pixelated early version, and at the end came a more detailed, better resolution, more modern clip of a bowling video game. These were all projected onto a huge wall. There were two benches situated before the wall, and seeing as we walked at least a gazillion blocks that day, it was oddly relaxing to just sit there and gaze at the series of clips which played on a continuous loop, with the echoing of electronic noise.

Let's see...what else?

Oh, yeah, school. It's been great! Yes, still! I think a lot of this is due to using the right materials. I'll have to write another blogpost listing our new curriculum picks, which reminds me--I have to update the items listed as our "current" resources here as well. The big winners so far this year? Campbell's "Exploring Life" for Biology, and Larsen's "The Art of Argument." I've also got to add the Teaching Company's DVD lectures on the Iliad and the Odyssey. Dr. Vandiver is very knowledgeable, and I find that her insight greatly enhances our enjoyment of these great epics. Good stuff!

As for other stuff...

My girls were so excited when they heard that their favorite k-pop acts were playing a free show near us. We didn't realize we'd need tickets though, but thankfully we managed to pick some up on the last day of distribution. There was a two-day Korean festival, in part, celebrating Korea's 20 years as being part of the UN.

Saturday we spent a large chunk of the day there, just wandering around, and visiting all of the booths.

Yesterday was the concert, and it was a LONG day.

One daughter was lucky and got to see her favorite of the bandmates.

My other daughter wasn't so lucky, as her favorite had a schedule conflict and couldn't make it.

It was uncharacteristically hot for this time in October, and it was oh-so-crowded, too. I thought I was going to pass out when I got stuck in the middle of a crowd. But the girls had a great time, so I couldn't be happier. They were able to see B2ST, SHINee, 2PM, 4Minute, TVXQ, SISTAR, and several other soloists. Even the Village People were there. They have sure gotten a lot of mileage out of their act! We all had a great time, even though the start of the day was kind of crazy.

I just have to add that I'm so proud of myself though, because I really have learned to control my breathing, and keep myself from getting anxious. On a hot day like yesterday, that couldn't have been more useful. This morning however, I've been coughing up bits of blood. I'm thinking that it's due to yesterday's over-exertion, particularly as I don't appear to have any other symptoms other than some chest tightness. I had been meaning to update earlier that after the antibiotic regimen, I have been much, much better. But I honestly don't think that's all there is to it. I have been high-dosing Vitamin C, and am taking a daily multi-vitamin, as well as vitamins A, B, and E separately. The result is that I haven't gotten as much as a sore throat in the past few months. That's a new record for me! I've been more energetic, too, and it feels so good.

Shelf Reorganization

I spent most of yesterday sorting through our books, and reorganizing our shelves. That's easier said than done. Our kitchen book shelf has to house the most used stuff. Well, the kids' most used stuff anyway. My books had to be moved elsewhere for now.

Here is what we have on our top shelf. On the left is our new modern language for the year (Korean), followed by several Latin resources. What this shelf wasn't able to accommodate, were my Latin books (Henle, Wheelock's, and Lingua Latina), as well as our Galore Park Latin books.

I would just love to have everything kept together, but shelf space is lacking, instead of crack-a-lackin' at our house. I dream of built-in book cases. In. Every. Room.

Here we have Drew Campbell's Memory Work book. Love this resource! E has expressed interest in learning Spencerian script, so those penmanship manuals are on on this shelf as well.

We tried I.E.W. for the first time this past year, and while I feel just so-so about it, it has been a hit with E, so who am I to complain?

Next we have our Catechism books. I'm so excited about starting the Didache series with E this year! I'm still kicking myself for not having started her on them last year, but better late than never. S & F and still working their way through My Catholic Faith (gorgeous and faithful), and when we can fit it in, we're still s-l-o-w-l-y going through Memoria Press' Christian Studies guide, only we use the Douay-Rheims translation for the memory work and copywork selections.

And here are the rest of our Catholic books (at least the ones we'll be using this year), and some more of our writing resources. I'm excited to start S & F on Killgallon this year. For those of you unfamiliar with the Killgallon books, basically they teach children how to compose interesting sentences using modeling techniques. The goal is to reproduce the grammatical form, not the content, of the sentences being modeled. It's really neat! We'll take a lot of our copywork and dictation selections from it as well.

Lots of cool writing resources this year...including The Grammar of Poetry for my high schooler, and Imitation in Writing - Greek Myths for my younger two.

Next we have Science and Math.

It took forever to settle on Campbell's Exploring Life for biology this year, and while I still haven't received the student text (backordered), from what I can gather from the Teacher's Edition, it was a very good choice. Also on this shelf is Geometry: A Guided Inquiry. We'll be using the Math Without Borders CD along with it. I'm always grateful for the added help. Teacher resources are worth their weight in gold at our house. Oh, and the CD also contains all of the solutions! Score!

Hmmm...Forgot to capture the other side of the shelf. Those were all Singapore Math books, and there were a few Saxon Math books in there as well.

The bottom shelf is home to a few Art and Classical Studies books.

They're hard to see, but we've got Tanglewood Tales and A Wonder Book on here as well. Come to think of it, we've got a lot of Hawthorne on our shelves.

Some more Classical Studies titles and a few history books... E's history books are elsewhere. Again, not enough space to accommodate everything on the one shelf.

I won't even attempt to photograph all of our literature shelves. But here are a few...

And...

A few more eclectic selections...

The Books are Here!

Our books have arrived! Well, almost all of them are here. I’m still waiting on one backordered item. But what a relief it is to be done.

I’m usually really excited whenever books arrive, but as the kids get older, I just get more anxious. More books mean more clutter, and very often, more work for me. I think the one item that’s been inducing more than a little of this anxiety is this bad boy right here…

I’m consoling myself with reminders that Korean is said to be one of the easiest Asian languages to learn. I hope that’s true! E’s enthusiasm over all things Korean has kind of spread on to her siblings, so now they’re all clamoring for it. I searched and searched, and this program seemed to have gotten the best reviews. Fingers crossed that it’s a good fit for us! While E is certainly old enough and motivated enough to wade through it on her own, I’m not so sure the younger two are, so it looks like I’m in on this one as well. Yikes!

Here are some other shots of our book booty.

We’ve got Euclid’s Elements. Under that somewhere is the Art of Argument, and some other goodies.

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, a book with tips on how to improve study habits…

Lots and lots of stuff. I could really use a few extra bookshelves!

The Catalog's Here!

The one good thing about being completely backed up and disorganized this year, particularly with regard to the actual purchasing of stuff for next year's homeschooling, is that for the first time ever, the new Rainbow Resource catalog arrived before I'd gotten around to placing my order!

Isn't it lovely, in all of its nearly 1,400-paged glory?

But I'm being good about sticking closely to my original list of resources and supplies, despite, as Rudyard Kipling would have it, my "'satiable curtiosity."

The trouble with being, at heart, an eclectic homeschooler (albeit with a decidedly classical bent), is not that I see value in so many methods and resources, but that I always wish I could employ them all. Some weeks, we're literature heavy, other weeks we're more hands-on and crafty. Ah, to be able to do it all at tandem.

In an effort to illustrate how easily I could be manipulated into wanting the latest and greatest thing on the market, I had been thinking rather seriously of using MCT language arts with my younger two this year, but I ultimately decided against it. I was mature enough to realize that the only reason I had been seduced into considering it at all was because of all of the wonderful things people were saying about it. I've no doubt that it's a wonderful program, but really, the eclectic mix that we have been using all along for language arts has been working well for us, so switching wouldn't really make much sense, regardless of how wonderful MCT seems to be. I think that by now, I have effectively exorcised myself out of that mindset. Besides, I've been homeschooling long enough to realize that there's always a bigger, better program on the horizon. Tangentially related, I visited the Well Trained Mind boards again not too long ago, after having been away for a while, and experienced a bit of acronym shock. Once upon a time, I just knew that "TWTM" = The Well Trained Mind, that "LCC" = Latin Centered Curriculum, and that "ETC" stood for Explode the Code. I used to be "in the know." But when I got there, I found a whole new set of acronyms to wade through. It took a while to figure out what was meant by RSO, CLE, and HOD. What?!?!? After some digging, I learned that these are Real Science Odyssey (Secular), Christian Light Education, and Heart of Dakota (Christian), respectively. All received glowing reviews. To be clear, I at no time considered any of these. Frankly, I've got enough options to wade through.

And just because I mentioned which of the aforementioned programs was secular, and which were not, I wanted to add that as a not-so-consistent rule, I do often tend to avoid a lot of Christian curricula, regardless of denomination. The "not-so-consistent" part comes in when it comes to grammar. I love Rod & Staff Grammar, a Mennonite program, and use books three through five. At those levels, the sample sentences are kind of generic Christian, and I don't mind that. At those levels, there's no particular doctrinal bias that I can see. I've read that this changes in the later levels, so I don't use those. To me it's just the best grammar program I've ever seen, and I love the teacher's guide layout. I wish all teacher's guides were as well put together. My teen is using Seton's Grammar 9 (Catholic) now as well, and really likes it, and the doctrinal bias in that case, is not a problem for us as we're Catholic. That said, it's not my favorite, but it gets the job done. When it comes to other subjects and materials written from a sectarian point of view, I find that often the religious content (yes, regardless of denomination) often seems tacked on and really reaches to fit the spirituality into the lesson. The way I see it, if the connections made make sense and are organic to the lesson, it should be seamless, and it seldom is.

Off to peruse the catalog a bit longer. Just in case.

Still in the Throes of Planning...

Okay, so I was all set to go with the Well Trained Mind recommendations for Biology this year, and now I'm not so sure. I'm still planning on incorporating the general source reading material the book suggests (i.e., Euclid's Elements, Aristotle's Physics, and Hippocrates' Aphorisms), but I'm not feeling all too confident about the Self Teaching Guide recommendation.

I wish it was easier to just throw out into the universe what it is that I want out of a Biology curriculum, and have it just magically appear on my doorstep, with teacher helps and all. Seriously, what to do with Biology is driving me nuts.

Here's what I want.

A text that...

- is user friendly
- uses clear language (this is for a non-science major after all)
- is thorough, but not so broad that it is superficial in depth
- is not dry
- provides thoughtful end-of-chapter discussion topics and questions
- has a helpful teacher's manual (with clear objectives and lesson plans) and an answer guide
- has uncluttered pages and detailed diagrams


I've almost decided to go with Exploring Life, a Campbell text. The reviews I read were favorable, but sigh...it's a standard textbook. Now, don't get me wrong, I do believe that textbooks do have their place. I'm just hoping it isn't too dry (see my list of wants above). And then there's the issue of there being like a gazillion editions of the book, not to mention all of its supplements, including an interactive CD, which I assume correlates with specific editions. The existence of a CD is not in itself off-putting. It's just that I'd like to know when I can schedule it, and if I can use it with any edition of the book.

E is not all too thrilled about the lab portion of our future Biology studies, either. Her issue is with the dissection labs. Now, I'm sure we can bypass doing actual dissections in favor of virtual ones, but I wonder how that would look on her transcript. As for me, I'm not squeamish at all, but the thought of doing home dissection is not all that pleasant. The odor alone is enough to deter me. My husband has already suggested we take the dissection out into the yard. Not a bad idea, but I wonder how that will go over with the neighbors. I guess we'll find out eventually!

As for labs, I've narrowed it down to two kits--one put out by Quality Science Labs, and the other from Labpaq. Both seem thorough, but the former one is *very* heavy on dissections. I'm not quite sure about the other. It seems like it's professionally put together, but the details on the specific labs are scant. I'll have to call for further information. Having to call for details is a major pet peeve of mine, too. I like the convenience of having things clearly listed on a web site.

Another thing I'm contemplating is perhaps altering our schedule for next year. I was thinking we could divide the school year into two semesters, and follow sort of a college schedule. For example, instead of doing US History II all year long, along with Biology, we could focus on History the first semester, and Biology the second. It would be similar to block scheduling, allowing us time to get fully immersed in specific subjects, without having to juggle too much. I don't fare too well with tight 30-45 minute scheduling blocks for each subject, so the thought of being more generous with our time allotments is a much less stressful prospect.

Spring Planning

First a quick update.

My daughter's blood tests turned up no problems! Deo gratias! A follow-up appointment with her eye doctor turned up that whatever she had in her eye, at least this last time, was possibly viral. She was prescribed a combination anti-inflammatory / antibiotic drop, and we saw a big improvement right away. Go figure. She had been prescribed an anti-inflammatory drop one other time, and then an antibiotic drop another time, but what she apparently needed all along was a combination of the two. The doctor still believes what she had the first time was episcleritis, but this last episode was different. As part of her 2nd follow-up visit (there were 3 total), she had her vision re-checked, and was taken through various eye testing stations. The verdict? Her eyes grew and her vision worsened. She needed new lenses for her glasses, and all in less than five months' time! She's over the moon with her new lenses though. Apparently, it's made quite a difference for her.

So, things are finally getting back to normal. School is coming along fine, but I've completely neglected to do all of my school planning for next year. I was so exhausted over worrying about everyone, and getting used to the increased exercise, that I just didn't get to it earlier. So today, I've been hitting the catalogs and message boards, seeking suggestions. The kids have expressed a desire to learn Korean, so my current task is finding adequate resources for that. I'm hoping for something they can use independently, as I cannot fathom my learning another language right now. Knowing myself however, I will no doubt partake, but possibly not regularly.

My son (10), has been really eager to learn Algebra lately. He's very driven and interested, so we're having lots of success with it. I started to use some of the Key to Algebra workbooks with him, but he's starting to get a bit impatient. He just wants to jump in whole hog. Thankfully, we already use Singapore Math, so what I've been doing is having him do his word problems twice--once using the Singapore method of drawing models, and once using Algebra. So far so good. Hindsight is 20/20. I should have done the same with my 14yo when she was using Singapore. I do often resort back to the pictorial method even now with her, particularly when faced with an especially difficult or confusing word problem. That usually does the trick in helping her understand. Now more than ever, I'm really and truly appreciating Singapore Math's methods. I'm seeing the big picture, and it makes sense. Better yet, it sticks.

I think the big challenges for me this coming year, will be how to handle the sciences, particularly for my high schooler, and find the right fit for Geometry. I did find that David Chandler, the man who put out the companion CD for Foerster's Algebra, also has a CD for Geometry. I haven't heard much about the main text he recommends, i.e., Geometry: A Guided Inquiry, by G.D. Chakerian, but I'm pretty much sold on this option based on the availability of Mr. Chandler's CD alone. The sciences are always challenging for me, especially at this level. I'm not convinced that we can get away with doing just paper labs. I noticed that some correspondence schools offer these "paper labs" in lieu of the more traditional labs most of us went through in high school, but I'm still not convinced they'd be adequate enough, even though my daughter doesn't plan on majoring in any of the sciences. We've done Chemistry this year, and bought a decent home lab kit for that. Next year however, I plan on Biology, and those labs, at least to my memory, were much more complex, particular in terms of supplies and specimen. My daughter is not exactly looking forward to having to do dissections, but I'm assuming these are still required, or at least encouraged, in most high schools. While our chosen order of science topics may seem odd to some, it made sense to me to start with Chemistry. I figured it would help in the understanding of Biochemistry later. I still believe this to be true, but I guess I'll know for sure when I get there.

Also on our list of supplies this year--a globe. Our old globe, at least a gazillion years old, was barely legible, and had already fallen off its base. It badly needs replacing. Also, the atlas and Google maps just aren't cutting it. I wanted a more tactile option, and it's my one back-to-basics purchase for this next year. It feels good to have a non-techy, basic, classic item on our list. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I'm still coming up with our literature selections, and I'm still on the fence over one elective. My daughter most certainly has a choice, but she's as indecisive as I am. I'm also looking into the Didache series for religion for next year, but we didn't start the series this year, and I wonder if it's something best done in order. It makes me all anxious to think that we will not be able to complete all four volumes.

The Joys of a Productive Day

While I love the holidays, it often takes us a bit longer than most to get fully back into the swing of things. But I'm glad to report, that we're officially back in business. Yesterday was possibly one of the most productive days we've had in weeks. Not only did I manage to keep everyone on task, but I managed to keep the apartment in order, make healthy (vs quick) meals, do three loads of laundry, and start planning for next year.

In other news, my 14 year old daughter, who had been considering trying high school last year, recently informed me that she no longer wants to go at all. I'd be jumping up and down with excitement, except she's been known to change her mind easily. And frankly, this propensity of hers to change her mind so readily, has been the biggest sticking point for me, in "allowing" her to go to school. "Allow" is not even the correct word to use here, as I've always maintained what I feel is an open-door policy with regard to where my children are educated. It's just that as a Mom, I could tell she was just thinking out loud regarding the going to school thing, perhaps even feeling me out on the issue. I want for her to understand that if she does go, she has to stick with it, for at least a year. If she was younger, I'd likely not have the "try-for-a-year" requirement, but at her age, and in high school, I think more time to test the waters would be more fitting. She has assured me (this week) that she feels that she no longer needs school, as her schedule is fairly busy now as it is. Last year, her schedule was much lighter, with only about 2-3 outside activities per week, and she felt a bit of a void of sorts. Now, that's not the case. So, I'm planning on her school stuff for next year, but between you and me, I'm not purchasing anything until August, just in case she changes her mind again--a likely scenario.

Tangentially related to the whole high school thing...

I just wanted to rave again about our Algebra program! Parents out there struggling over your Algebra options, I'd strongly encourage you to check out Foerster's Algebra I: Expressions, Equations, and Applications. Not only did it receive high marks at the Mathematically Correct site, but it can be done independently with the help of some really great supplements, such as David Chandler's Home Study Companion CD (available through Math Without Borders), and a very helpful full solutions manual you can purchase through Pearson. If the Mathematically Correct review doesn't sway you, I don't know what will, especially when you see how it ranks in relation to other programs in use out there! In general, I have my daughter watch the CD for the day's lesson, and then she goes on and does the corresponding exercise. I usually have her do just the evenly numbered problems, as several of the lessons are very lengthy, and save the odd numbered problems for use in quizzes. All I can say is that I am so very appreciative that these materials are out there. I certainly hope that I'm as fortunate in finding a Geometry program that works just as well for us.

Speaking of Geometry, I wonder if it is necessary to do Geometry first before jumping into Algebra II? I'm assuming that what is learned in Geometry may aid in understanding the material in Algebra II, but I cannot say for certain if that is the case. I'll have to add that to my list of things to research for next year.

Happy homeschooling, everyone!

Really Learning Latin

Just yesterday, as I struggled to translate a Latin sentence through what this site refers to as a "crossword puzzle" reading of it, I realized that I had a problem that needed addressing. Deconstructing sentences this way is wholly inefficient. I tend to follow all of the steps thusly: pick out the verb, determine the conjugation (1st, 2nd, etc.), determine the personal ending, the number (singular or plural), the tense, the voice, the mood, pick out the subject, determine the number, check for an object, again check if it's singular or plural, determine the noun cases, etc. And I didn't even get to adjective declensions, or issues of gender. Not to mention that I'm still learning all of the vocabulary.

The article I've hyperlinked above details the Dowling Method for learning Latin. It speaks of learning Latin grammar via "brute memorization." Well, after yesterday's exercise in frustration, I've come to the conclusion that yes, nothing but brute memorization is required here. Surely, internalizing all of the forms by way of daily recitation and keeping copywork notebooks full of charts would be more than helpful. The article recommends that these charts and tables be copied 200 times each--100 times for the adjectives table. That's a lot of copying. If I'm not able to master the paradigms after that, I'd have to pack it all in. But how could one not get it after all of that? Now, despite my agreement with all of this drilling and copying, I just don't see the point in holding off so long before introducing reading selections. The article explains how the forms must be mastered first, and asserts that this could take about six months' time. That's a big time commitment to nothing but rote memorization. I'm a big believer in the immersion method to language learning, which requires little to no prior familiarity with the target language. And yes, while immersion in Latin is very different than immersion in a modern language (it's not like you will be surrounded by native speakers or anything like that--unless of course there's some society of classicists that do nothing but hang around together and speak Latin all day), I still see value in exposing oneself and one's children to Latin readings early on. In my opinion, it gives children (and adults) something for which to strive. Drilling forms, I've determined, is essential, but why hold off on something as pleasurable as reading? Why can we not have our cakes and eat them too?

As far as Latin reading material is concerned, I do own the first of Hans Orberg's series, also referenced in the above article. I've only read through a dozen or so pages, but I was able to understand everything I've encountered there so far. I understand there is a huge jump in difficulty as you go along, but that's to be expected, and brings us closer to our goal of eventually reading more complex material. It's such a neat idea. In fact, I wish such a series existed for most languages, but especially for ancient Greek. The illustrations basically help you understand the text. Really, it's as much of an immersion program as can be found for Latin students.

Some other books I either own, or am contemplating purchasing for the kids are Ecce Romani (similar to Orberg in that you are immediately immersed in Latin, although Orberg's books are far better and infinitely more thorough), and an assortment of children's books/stories translated into Latin (Fairy Tales in Latin: Fabulae Mirabiles, Harrius Potter books which I recently found are also available in ANCIENT GREEK, and various Dr. Seuss titles as well). There are just so many options now, and it would be a pity to hold off on them until all of the Latin grammar is committed to memory.

   

Week One

We're a week into our homeschooling for this academic year, and while so far, the children have raved about our choice of curricula, it's become painfully apparent that something will have to give.  This is probably one of my greatest challenges.  Everything looks so good, and it all seems so enriching, and at times, even necessary, especially when considering the big picture.  But just looking over at our schedule, it all seems super language heavy, and already I'm thinking that we'll be having a bit of overlap.  I'll be following the WTM writing suggestions for frequent persuasive essays for my 9th grader.  I think the recommendation is about two per week.  I'm considering cutting it down to one short persuasive essay per week as we're also using IEW this year (SWI-C), and doing any more may very quickly turn into too much.

Generally, I think I'm most stressed out when it comes to teaching writing, and I tend to over-compensate in that area.  Language arts came easily for me as a student, but it has always been the most challenging for me to teach to my own children.  What seemed to come naturally for me, was daunting for at least one child, so I found myself having to reassess and adjust our methods.  I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about it all right now, but as mentioned before, I do see some overlap.

Here's what's on our school shelves for this year (some of which I'll have to tweak):

dd14 - Grade 9


Algebra
Foerster's Algebra I - Big hit!  I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and purchase the Math Without Borders CD to go with this.  The Solutions Manual from Pearson was a great addition as well.  My dd is able to do this independently, freeing up some time for me.  Granted, she hasn't gotten very far in the book yet, but the CD lessons are thorough and clear, so I don't anticipate a problem when she gets further into the book.


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Language Arts - Our one multi-pronged subject...


Literature - Still not fully planned out yet, but here are some of our definite selections:
Animal Farm + Portals to Literature Companion
Of Mice and Men + Portals to Literature Companion
Flowers for Algernon
Lord of the Flies
Pride and Prejudice

Literature for Classical Studies -
The Iliad (Prose translation by Martin Hammond)

Essays, Short Stories, & Poetry - 
Wide selection from several anthologies, primarily American

History-related -
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Diary of Anne Frank

Writing -
IEW - Student Writing Intensive - C
Interdisciplinary persuasive papers/essays

Grammar -
Seton Grammar - 9

Vocabulary -
Vocabulary from Classical Roots - A

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American History I - We're using American Vision along with Oak Meadow's syllabus.

Logic-Critical Thinking-Rhetoric -
Critical Thinking: Problem Solving, Reasoning, Logic, Arguments - Book 1
A Rulebook for Arguments

Latin -
First Form Latin
Ecce Romani

Chemistry -
Conceptual Chemistry
High School Chemistry DVD Course from The Teaching Company
MicroChem Kit

Religion -
My Catholic Faith
The How-To Book of the Bible
Ignatius Bible

Computer Skills - with Dad



dd11 - Grade 6 & ds 10 - Grade 5

Math:  Singapore
Language Arts:
Grammar - Rod & Staff (through grade 5 book only)
Writing - Writing with Ease 2 (requiring a bit more from both) & Writing Skills workbooks (plus written narrations for history)
Spelling - Spelling Power
Literature, including Classical Studies related - Father Brown Reader, 50 Famous Stories Retold, The Trojan War by Coolidge, and more yet to be determined

Science - Complete Book of Science along with Animal and Science Encyclopedias

History - Story of the World

Latin - First Form Latin

Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome along with Memoria Press Guide

Religion -
My Catholic Faith
Concise Bible History

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In addition to the above, the children will also be doing/taking part in the following, some things together:


Runkle Geography (hoping to get to it!)
Art - possibly an outside class
Kung Fu and Tai Chi
Piano lessons
CCD classes and youth group, with dd14 acting as teacher's aid for me during my 2nd grade CCD classes

The girls are taking a break from dance for this year, Deo gratias, so that frees up an extra night of the week.  Joy!