I love this time of year, because it is the time that we begin sharing "sneak peeks" from our new upcoming guide!
It is especially exciting for me to be writing high school level guides right now, as we have our own high school student using each guide right upon my heels as I'm writing! As we complete the high school path through HOD, it is our prayer that we will be able to write the guides in such a way that students who go through all 4 high school HOD guides will have everything needed for graduation and college entrance (with the exception of Physical Education). Our planned scope and sequence can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of the following link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/scope.phpThe target age range for our new American History guide will be ages 15-17, extending through 12th grade with adjustments in math and science as needed. It is important to note that only those 15 year olds who have first come up through the HOD World Geography and the World History guide should attempt the American History guide. All other 15 year olds would be better served by beginning with either the HOD World Geography guide or the World History guide. Our own 15 turning 16 year old is currently using and enjoying the World History guide this year for his sophomore year of high school.
For those students who are 16 on up, if they fit well in this guide placement-wise, they could enter it without having done the prior HOD high school guides. After having our oldest son go through high school without the benefit of having HOD guides written for his level, I cannot tell you what a blessing it has been for me to have the HOD World Geography and World History guides written for my next child in line (who has used HOD for his first two years of high school thus far)! I am a less frazzled and more sane momma/teacher with my HOD guide in hand than I was with my older son (who had to endure my less than polished sketchy, chicken scratch type plans).
With our oldest son graduating from high school last May, this coming school year my husband and I will have a college sophomore, a junior in high school, a middle school student, and a fourth grade son at our house.
Since our own high school junior will be in need of the new American History guide, I am eagerly anticipating this guide as much (or more) than many of you! Our plans for the first American History Guide are to follow a similar pattern to what we have been doing for the World History Guide this school year. This means that we have decided to allow families the option of receiving this guide's plans in parts as it is being written. This will enable families to use the American History Guide a year earlier than if we waited for the guide's completion prior to making it available.
To save me the deadlines, and our company the added expense, I had considered only making the American History guide available in rough form for my own son (and for my sisters' kiddos) for the 2015-2016 school year, and not making the guide available to the public until it was complete. However, for now, it seems that families are happy and appreciative to have the opportunity to use the World History Guide as it is being written, so we plan to continue on a similar course for the first American History Guide this coming fall.
I look forward to sharing the journey with many of you!
For our first "sneak peek", I wanted to begin by reiterating the thoughts I shared last year about high school science. Sharing a bit about our overall science plan for high school will help better explain our selection for science for the American History guide. Our continuing overall plan at this time is to recommend the following sequence for science in high school:
Freshman: Integrated Physics and Chemistry
Sophomore: Biology including anatomy in the course (with Health as an additional semester course credit sophomore year)
Junior: Chemistry
Senior: Possibly Physics or an alternative science option
While you can certainly follow a different science path if desired, this particular sequence does have its advantages. Since many states and colleges require some sort of physical science on the high school transcript (along with biology and chemistry), it is wise to consider how to gain the needed physical science credit (whether the student takes physics or not). Keeping in mind that not all future careers require students to take physics, taking an Integrated Physics and Chemistry course as a freshman fulfills the physical science requirement and frees the student from having to take physics (unless desired) later.
This science path also allows students the option, during their senior year, of taking a field-related science (i.e. marine biology, advanced chemistry, anatomy, advanced biology, etc.) instead of physics. So, we like the options that the particular science sequence we've listed above offers, as it allows for science decisions to be made as the child progresses through high school and gains a better idea of what he/she may be doing in the future. For those who are unsure of their future career path, the science sequence we've listed above will provide the student with a solid science path that will be excellent preparation for any field.
Our plan at this time is to offer each of the sciences scheduled in the HOD guides as a full credit with a lab component (so that each science can be listed as a lab science on the transcript).
Updated June 22 - As far as specific curriculum selections for science go, for the upcoming American History guide, we had originally shared a sneak peek with our planned route for chemistry, but as we proceeded through the process, we discovered that we would be unable to utilize or carry part of the science that we had originally selected. There were also some difficulties in making the various components mesh together. While this came as a complete surprise to us, we know that timing-wise all things come from the Lord. So, we have returned to the drawing board in putting together a chemistry plan. Updates on the area of chemistry will be forthcoming as we renew our chemistry search. In the past, when something like this has occurred, and there was unrest over a selection we'd made, I found that when the selection was right there was peace in the decision. I appreciate your patience as we seek as decision that provides the peace that only the Lord can give.
So as not to confuse our board readers, and those who will be using the new American History Guide, I am also removing the discussion that surrounded our original chemistry plans. I hesitate to do this, as it was a good discussion, however leaving it will only cause confusion over what is actually scheduled in the guide. When we post our new plans for chemistry, we will look forward to discussing that particular option with all of you!
Blessings,
Carrie
