Help with High School Plans

[ncmomof5]

Hello,

I am considering using Ressurection to Reformation with my two 9th graders next year. Here is what I am considering using to beef it up:

Literature
AIG Pilgrim's Progress Study
Total Language Plus Lit Study of The High King by Lloyd Alexander
Total Language Plus Lit Study of Treasure Island

History
Drive Thru History East Meets West
The Story of Liberty by Charles Coffin (with study guide)
Courage and Conviction

Bible
The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study by Starr Meade

The Story of Liberty by Charles Coffin is a book that I want my children to read before they graduate. It covers the time period of 1200 - 1600 AD. I am hoping that it would be a good fit to put this book in there as an extension for high school.

We used HOD's CTC a couple of years ago, and then we left HOD for a couple of years. Now we are considering coming back. My 2 oldest have never studied RTR's time period, and it won't be covered in depth during the high school guides ( I'm assuming that there won't be time during the world history guide to really study this time period in depth). My son especially loves this time period and, as I said, I wanted to do it so I could make sure they read the Story of Liberty. Since we have spent the last 2 years studying early American history, this is the guide sequence I am considering for high school:

9th - RTR beefed up for high school
10th World Geography
11th World History
12th Modern American History

How does that look to all of you? Since this is my first time through high school, I am a little unsure of my choices/decisions.

Placement Check: I checked the placement guide and my only area of concern is in language arts. We have not been doing Rod and Staff Grammar, and I am not sure where they would place in that. Writing is another matter of concern for me. My children are currently in an IEW writing class at co op and they have been struggling some with it. I'm wondering if it would be better for me to use Essentials in Writing for 9th grade next year instead of IEW's Medieval history writing. I really want to build their confidence and give them concrete, step by step instruction that will prepare them for the writing in the high school HOD guides.

I appreciate your thoughts, suggestions and input.

In His love,
RuthAnn

[Carrie]

RuthAnn,

Normally, we would encourage you to place your kiddos where they fit best on the placement chart and progress through the guides as sequentially as possible from there. However, you do have some unique things to ponder in that you have just completed two years of American history. If it was mainly early American history that you've covered, then for sure MTMM would be very different. I will share that the two years of Rev2Rev and MTMM are also not purely American history, as world history is integrated within each of them, so that may make a difference in your pondering.

If you did place your kiddos according to where they fit on the placement chart, all thoughts of the history cycle aside, where do you feel that they would fit best? Having this information will help us advise you even better!

If you did end up going the RTR route for 9th grade, I would still lean toward recommending that you do the literature/composition/grammar included in the new geography guide. This is because you'd need to beef up in that area some anyway, and have already had a dose of IEW. Essentials in Writing would give you something different from IEW. Or, it is possible that your kiddos will hit their stride with IEW through the differing format of Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons. If so, then you could stay with that as scheduled in RTR. Then, you could do as you shared and add your language arts components.

However, I will share that we are definitely using the AIG Pilgrim's Progress study for our world history guide. So, you would want to probably wait on that! We also have plans to likely use Starr Meade's The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study for Bible in the upcoming guides, so you may want to consider waiting on that as well.

It is possible that we will use Courage and Conviction, but not for sure. It is also possible that Treasure Island may be in the line-up as a choice for literature. The Story of Liberty is a possibility for our world history guide, but not as likely, as it is pretty graphic at times (although it reads very narratively).

If you did do RTR in grade 9, it could count toward your world history credit. Then, you could go on with Rev2Rev and MTMM and finish with geography if desired. This would work well credit-wise, giving you the needed world, geography, and American history credits. Or, you could jump forward after RTR as you mentioned and go that route instead. However, with that route, you would end up with a credit of world from RTR, a credit of geography, then back to a credit of world, and then ending with an American history credit. So, there would be a bit of a double up there in the "world" history department.

One last thing you could consider is doing the geography guide for grade 9, and just progressing on from there. That would only be a fit though if you felt your kiddos fit well into that particular guide skill-wise.

I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts as you get a chance to share! You're not alone in this path, so there are others who will be willing to weigh in too!

Blessings,
Carrie

[ncmomof5]

Carrie,

Thank you so much for responding.

To answer your first question, I think my children would be best placed into MTMM (based on the current Placement chart), and I would have no problem placing my children into the new World Geography guide in everything except for Language Arts. My daughter did Applications of Grammar last year and my son is currently doing Growing with Grammar, but I'm not sure where that would put them with Rod and Staff. I have not been doing dictation with either of them. I know that they would have no problem doing extensive copywork (other than my son's tendency to "hurry up and get 'er done). We have not been doing regular written narrations.

I guess what I am saying is that since we have not been using an all inclusive lang. arts program like rod and staff along with all the dictation, copywork and written narration skills that build slowly in HOD, my son and daughter will be expected to do things in the World Geography High school guide that they have not been practicing for the last few years. Would it be possible to spend the rest of this semester and some time over the summer remediating these skills?

Since it is only February, I could spend some time this semester studying the medieval time period as well as working on some of these language arts components that I feel have been underdeveloped. It really is hard to bring all those language arts components together without a plan that is laid out for you (like HOD ). Or I could just bite the bullet and plan to study MTMM next year (since that is where they place best) to make sure that they will be well prepared to handle the depth and rigor of HOD high school.

Also, I was considering using ACE Biology next year unless you are planning to schedule that into one of the future guides.

Thanks again for all your help. It really helps to have an outside eye look at your thoughts and plans and give you input on what would work best.

In His love,
RuthAnn

[Carrie]

RuthAnn,

I can understand wanting to study the time period in RTR, especially if you have never done it. It is a crucial time period for Christianity, and one I felt was important for my boys too. In fact, I had my own oldest son do RTR in pilot form as an 8th grader (even though he would have been beyond it on our current placement chart as he was just one of those kiddos who excelled at everything at an early age). Yet, I wanted him to have the content and the thought-provoking readings in RTR (and I've never regretted that he did). It was a growing year spiritually for him and that made my heart sing!

The one thing that bothers me though about the line-up you mentioned is that you'd end up with a year of RTR (which will count as world history), a year of geography, then a year of world (which would be a world history survey), and after that a year of early American history (with no later American history). This is a unique line-up. So, I did wonder if you might want to ponder doing RTR, followed by Rev2Rev, then MTMM, and last the geography guide for high school instead.

Or, you could ponder starting RTR now as written (and getting as far as you can before 9th grade) and then just finish out the readings only in the summer (with discussing as the mood takes you) and start fresh with the geography guide in 9th grade. These upcoming months before summer would then be used to help you hone your kiddos' narrating, dictating, and grammar skills and help set them up for the next year while getting them into a terrific time period.

I would lean toward placing your kiddos in Rod and Staff 5 right now if you did choose to switch to Rod and Staff (with what you've shared so far).

As far as ACE Biology goes, I will share that I used it with my own oldest son for his 10th grade year and he really enjoyed it. We are leaning heavily in that direction for Biology, which will be scheduled in the World History guide. I'm not sure if that is helpful to you at all, but I thought I'd mention it.

Blessings,
Carrie

[ncmomof5]

Carrie,

Thanks for coming back to share some more input on my situation.

I did have one other thought that may solve my unusual sequencing problem. What if we did the following:

9th - RTR for World History
10th - World Geography HS guide
11th - Am. History HS Guide #1
12th - Am. Hist. HS Guide #2

I am not completely opposed to the sequence you mentioned of using RTR, Rev to Rev and MTMM, but I do have 3 other children and using the high school guides as written without beefing up, etc., would make things a lot easier for me to keep up with everyone.

I agree with your placement of Rod and Staff English 5, and I think I am going to get that for my daughter to work on as she is not currently doing any grammar program.

The idea of starting RTR now would be a welcome suggestion if we were not right in the middle of studying the Civil War and we were not already committed to several co op classes for the rest of the year.

Thanks, again, from taking your precious time to provide input. I will continue to ponder and pray for the Lord's clear guidance.

In His love,
RuthAnn