Future High School Guides

[mmschool]

My husband and I are doing some long term planning (very long term - we have preschoolers) and we are comparing some programs. Unfortunately, my husband really only likes to look at high school and there are plenty of programs (like HOD) that are still in progress. I realize that you are far from finalizing all of your selections, but I was wondering if I could pick your brain for some general trends.

I presume that the programs will be college prep, if desired? Do you intend to try to tie literature to the time periods being studied? (Even if that means two American lit years?) I read on the boards that you were hoping for a more living book type science if possible, but would it still have lab components? For a world history survey, would you like to do an overview, or look at certain themes? Would there be a composition program, or just writing assignments? Would the Bible portion be like the quiet time components with Bible reading/study or will you continue the parent interaction portion with some worldview or Christian living topic?

Anyway, if you can give me any general ideas/ thought processes/ approaches to high school that would help my conversation with the dh.

Lena

dd3 LHTH
ds1

[christina101902]

I can't answer the hs curriculum question. Just wanted to let you know you are not the only one preplanning their education. I thought I was the only one preplanning high school before we finished Kindergarten What I have learned is as much as you plan life happens so enjoy it. We suffered a broken wrist on her writing hand of course, so that put us 5 weeks behind, but thats the joy of hs you just pickup where you left off. By the time your children reach high school Carrie and Julie will have a solid curriculum going you can be assured.

[mmschool]

I bet you are right. I can imagine that the guides will be good. Unfortunately, my husband has a little less imagination on the topic. He sees another program with tons of high school level history reading and he thinks that a world history survey sounds...flimsy. Well, of course - he is either comparing high school works to sixth grade ones - or comparing summaries to fully written programs. I am just trying to get some book ideas to try to expand his imagination of what a high school HOD might include, so he doesn't try to steer us elsewhere in the meantime!

Lena

dd3 LHTH
ds1
ds on the way

[holyhart]

I don't know if you have seen this or not, or if this even helpful to you, but here is the scope of the future highschool guides. http://www.heartofdakota.com/scope.php

[mamas4bugs]

Have you had him look at the thread on ways to beef up the current guides for high school? That would at least give him an idea of HOD's thoughts on high school. The suggestion was made to us to add in The Federalist Papers and The 5,000 Year Leap as options to beef up a current program for a government credit, so I think you'll find that the choices are going to be meaty.

The high school thread is here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6571

Also, I wanted to reassure you that World History is a standard high school class. We graduated my oldest last year, and most of the colleges we looked into expected a high school World history credit. It is a standard ps high school class.

I, too, still plan out everything for even the littlest one. I have her guides all lined up. But I did want to encourage you not to worry too much about what the distant future holds. In this, our 10th year of homeschool, if I have learned anything, it's that life tends to happen, and the best laid plans get modified over and over and over and.....

May God bless your homeschooling journey! It really is an amazing way to live.

[off2workigo]

You should know that when comparing programs based on the booklist alone, I too was concerned that this program didn't look "meaty" enough. (We've got a 6th grader.)

Yet, when I received the guide and realized how DEEPLY students connect with the material, how much they are expected to process and KNOW the material, I can assure you that HOD guides are very meaty.

The question becomes: Race through as much literature as possible, remembering little? Or diligently work through a reasonable amount, remembering most?

You should also know that when comparing HOD with the other program I was looking at, I had to physically do a book count. It's not nearly as far off as I originally thought. HOD leads my 6th grader through A LOT of reading, once I counted the Economy, Basic, Deluxe, and Extension book packs (added to the Bible, Grammar, Math, etc.).

Another thing I didn't expect is how THICK these books are. The lesson manual & the DITHOR manual are HUGE. The Rod & Staff English, when the student and teacher guides are taken together, are almost heavy enough to be used as a weapon.

Yes, HOD is "meaty" enough, and I'm thinking it's easily comparable in rigor to anything I taught during my 19 years of public school teaching...but SO much more well planned out and thoughtful. Plus...my daughter LOVES it!

-Rebecca

[off2workigo]

I was curious after typing this, so I brought out the scale.

Rod & Staff English 5 (Rod & Staff's English 10 is an end-of-high-school English guide, so working in a guide labeled one year below your child's current grade level is recommended...and I'm glad I listened...this book is advanced!) teacher guide + student text is:

5.2 pounds!

Wow!

-Rebecca

[mmschool]

I will have to look through all of those high school "beef up threads" and get some ideas for him about the level of reading in them. That will make it easier to compare apples to apples. I will also have to do a book count and at least have an average for comparing quantity. I agree that you want children to retain the material. I am attracted to HOD because of the way they introduce and build on skills year after year. There is never a comment "have you child research..." without some instruction on where and how that research should be done. Unfortunately, I think my husband (who adores history and is a voracious reader when he can find time off of work) sees a four year history cycle at the high school level and thinks wow! Think of the discussions about reformation theology and ancient philosophy and trends in american military history I could have with my high schooler! He wants to read all of those books. I have to sell him on the notion that high schoolers are still building a lot of skills, they can only think so deeply if they are reading masses of material, and that HOD will provide a basis for him to have some really great discussions with his older kids about topics that he feels strongly about like reformation theology. (It doesn't help that he was the sort of geeky kid that read Institutes of the Christian Religion for fun in high school!)

That is really it - I want to convince him that there will be enough content (beside skill building etc.) in HOD high school to do some deep learning and discussion with his kids before he tries to get us out of HOD and into something else by first grade! To him a world history survey suggests the kind of inch deep/ mile wide/ nothing really gained history that he did in public high school. He wants better for our kids than a "standard" education. So do I. I am just hoping to convince him that HOD will be "enough" content to do that.

[mamas4bugs]

I love high school discussions. I'm having some great ones with my 8th grader this year so far.

There is also the thread at the very top of this board that talks about why HOD chooses what it does. That might help. And I promise, nothing about this curriculum in only an inch deep. That's sort of the point of the somewhat fewer books at a deeper level.

I hated history in ps. Never learned a single thing, and I was an honors student! I learned more in HOD's Preparing about world history than I did my entire high school career. I can't wait to see what's planned for high school. If it helps any, both my dh and my oldest son are huge history fans. My son has been reading on a high school level since 4th grade. He has used other curricula, and he actually is the one who requested HOD for high school. He says the interaction with the material is far superior to other things he has used, and I agree. And the discussions are soooo much deeper when they are interacting with the material. Also, the book choices in HOD are carefully chosen for quality in content, so we don't run into that politically correct history we seemed to get with some of the more "modern" textbooks.

In the end, each family must choose what is best for them according to the Lord's leading. I would encourage you to pray with your dh over the decision. I promise you, though, if you do choose to go with HOD, you will not be disappointed nor will your children lack in depth of education.

[Heather4Him]

We just started high school with HOD TODAY, and we are going through the 4-year history cycle in a way more thorough style than anything we did in public school. That is with using the current HOD guides with extensions and the high school suggestions/"beef-up" ideas.

BUT, even as awesome as this is, HOD is working on a full history cycle for high school that should be done way before your children reach this age. If the current guides are this awesome, I can only imagine the high school guides will be beyond stellar!

(And after just 1 year w/ HOD last year, our dd (who just finished 8th grade) tested in the 11th to 13th grade equivalent for almost everything. So, HOD teaches them well-- and most importantly keeps everything Christ-centered (most important!)

[my3sons]

Hi Lena, and welcome to the HOD Board! I am Carrie's sister, and I will try to answer your questions here.

...I presume that the programs will be college prep, if desired?
Yes, absolutely. Both Carrie and I have our masters degrees in education, and we want every single child that graduates from high school having used HOD to be fully prepared for college should he/she choose to go.

Do you intend to try to tie literature to the time periods being studied? (Even if that means two American lit years?)
We want to balance using excellent living books with achieving necessary high school credits. So, yes, HOD will use literature to tie into the time periods being studied, while still choosing materials that give a balanced coverage of history, keeping in mind high school credits need to be met as well.

I read on the boards that you were hoping for a more living book type science if possible, but would it still have lab components?
Absolutely. Labs are a necessary component of high school, and HOD will include them. HOD will try, however, to include excellent living books as much as possible to balance out the hands-on component of science education.

For a world history survey, would you like to do an overview, or look at certain themes?
HOD will be teaching a balanced world history review. You'll hear the word "balance" often in HOD's plan. Balance keeps subjects varied, interesting, manageable, and credit worthy.

Would there be a composition program, or just writing assignments?
A composition program, though Charlotte Mason based higher level thinking assignments that follow essay format will be used too, as well as R & S English which includes incremental, more clear/focused writing type techniques. So, this 3-prong approach to LA will be continued - a composition program, CM style LA assignments, and R & S English based assignments.

Would the Bible portion be like the quiet time components with Bible reading/study or will you continue the parent interaction portion with some worldview or Christian living topic?
HOD wants to help dc develop the habit of a daily quiet time, while also continuing to plan for parents to have the time and the resources to partner with their dc to help them in their walk with the Lord. Christian worldview is extremely important. HOD plans to address all of these areas, as you can see is already being done within our current guides, especially our newest guide which is appropriate as it is targeted for older age ranges.

Anyway, if you can give me any general ideas/ thought processes/ approaches to high school that would help my conversation with the dh.

Lena
dd3 LHTH
ds1

How blessed your ds and dd are that they have a set of parents so committed to teaching them well - both academically and spiritually! I think you'd find an excellent match in HOD - we are quite like minded in our thoughts and desires. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[mmschool]

Thank you for answering my questions, Julie. I am working on a sort of HOD sales pitch for my dh when he gets home from some work stuff this month. I like the integrated unit study and he likes the classical skills and intense history so I am hoping that HOD will work out to something of a solid compromise. I will probably still have to make some adjustments (we are part of a more old fashioned church) but that is better than having to write my own program!