Winter/Spring 2022 Plans: High School

 Winter/Spring 2022 Plans for 9th and 11th Grades (English/Government Focus)

Math

• Finish Mathusee Stewardship (11th grader)
• Start Mathusee Geometry (9th grader)

English

• Windows to the World, Literary Analysis
• Strunk & White's Elements of Style
• Narrations
• Literature
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
• The Little Prince
• The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Red Badge of Courage
• The Misanthrope
• Edgar Allan Poe (selected writings)
• The Turn of the Screw

German (continue)

Bible

• Continue daily Bible reading
• Study of Revelation

American Government

• Continue covering Texas and US Government
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to American Government
• You Decide: Applying the Bill of Rights to Real Cases
• Mock Trial

STEM Thursdays

• Finish The Elements and Mystery of the Periodic Table
• Subatomic particles unit study
• VEX IQ or Physics Pro lab kits
• Work on science fair projects
• Python Programming (continue projects)
• Some physics kits - like the "build an engine" kit and ultraglider kit

Outsourced/Extras

• Shakespearean Theater (11th grader)
• Reader's Theater (9th grader)
• Ballet
• Wednesday night church activities
• Voice lessons (11th grader)

Homeschool Day 12/8

 1st Grader

• Miquon Math Orange
• Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading
• Explode the Code
• First Language Lessons 1
• Mary, Mother of Jesus 
• Library book on digestive system (finished)
• Magic School Bus' The Human Body
• Looked at onion cells through the microscope

9th and 11th Graders

• Algebra 1 (9th) and Stewardship (11th)
• The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway)
• Gladys Aylward (read-aloud)
• Physics
• Crash Course Astronomy #24 LIGHT (excellent video explaining light, wavelength, frequency, the visible spectrum, where light comes from, etc)
• Mystbusters video: Can Christmas Tree Lights Spark a Fire? (Youtube)
• How Things Work Now
• Mad About Physics: Braintwisters, Paradoxes and Curiosities (we went through several of the puzzles from the light chapter together)
• Shakespearean Theater (outsourced class for 11th grader)

Homeschool Day 12/7

 1st Grader

• Miquon Math
• Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading
• Handwriting without Tears
• Biology
• We read a library book about the digestive system
• Story of the World 1
• The Librarian Who Measured the Earth (excellent book)
• Gymnastics (outsourced class)

9th and 11th Graders

• Algebra 1 (9th - she needed several problems worked on the dry erase board) and Stewardship (11th)
• Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea
• Gladys Aylward (read-aloud)
• Chemistry
• Mystery of the Periodic Table (9th grader)
• The Elements
• Notebooking together - BORON and CARBON
• Atomic numbers
• Bohr models
• Melting Points/Boiling Points
• Properties
• Metalloid characteristics
• Structures - we talked about Buckeyballs and Carbon Nanotubes
• Uses, etc
• Gymnastics (outsourced class)

Homeschool Day 12/6

 1st Grader

• Miquon Math
• Bananagrams - we did this for reading today, because - boy - he did NOT want to do school
• First Language Lessons 1
• Story of the World 1
• Read The Librarian Who Measured the Earth (Erathosthenes)
• We took a child-safe tape measure and practiced measuring things

9th and 11th Grader

• Algebra 1 (9th) and Stewardship (11th)
• Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea
• Read-aloud - Gladys Aylward
• Physics
• The Way Things Work Now (David Maccaulay)
• Mad About Physics: Braintwisters, Paradoxes and Curiosities
• We did half the chapter on light together
• We used mirrors and prisms from our science kit to solve the problems
• LAB: Refraction 
• Prisms and sunlight
• Acrylic lenses and sunlight
• Prisms, lenses and lasers
• Showing refraction of laser by prism and lens
• Science Projects
• We researched science projects some more and came up with solid ideas for projects
• The 11th grader is planning to do an experiment showing how magnetic fields affect plant growth
• The 9th grader is thinking of doing an experiment with either different types of glue and their strength or different building materials and their strength

Graduating Student To-Do Checklist

 We are 90% sure that the 11th grader is graduating in May.  Here is my to-do list:

1. Finalize transcripts on Word - mostly done - need to update with final grade
2. Print out 10 finished transcripts, sign them, seal about 3 in envelopes and sign the back
3. Put together graduation folder
1. Transcripts
2. List of sports/activities
3. List of awards
4. Volunteer work
5. Curriculum used/booklists
4. Finish and order Scrapbook from Snapfish - I started this already
5. Order diploma and tassel
6. Apply to the college in January
7. Update Meningitis vaccine and get paperwork signed off from pediatrician (required in Texas)
8. Review 5-paragraph essay with her
9. Schedule/take the TSI at the college
10. Put together her graduation gift bag

I need to get moving on at least the graduation folder and putting the scrapbook together.

Homeschool Day 12/2

 

We cancelled school and went fishing.  I caught a large-mouth bass.  Photo taken from my cell phone.  Texas in the winter is awesome.

Homeschool Day 12/1

 1st Grader

• Miquon Math Orange
• Reading
• Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
• First Language Lessons 1
• He learned how to write his address
• Mary, Mother of Jesus (read-aloud)

9th and 11th Graders

• Algebra 1 (9th) and Stewardship (11th)
• Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea
• Mystery of the Periodic Table (9th grader)
• Chemistry Notebooking: Lithium and Beryllium
• Bohr model
• Atomic #/weight
• Classification, properties
• Reactivity
• Melting point/boiling points
• When the elements were discovered and how
• Uses, etc
• Where elements are found in nature
• Shakespearean Theater (11th grader - outsourced class)
• School was very light, because we have an important appointment in the afternoon