Beginning Your Homeschool Journey in High School

**This post was written for a friend who lives in Indiana. Requirements and resources vary by state.**

Homeschooling is no easy task, and beginning your homeschool journey in high school is especially difficult. BUT it is not impossible.

This post will take you through transcripts, curriculum, and SATs.

Getting Started

• Find out how many credits you have and get a recent transcript. Find out how many you need to graduate.
• Know your learning style.
• Create a 4 year plan. This is crucial. 
• Research high school requirements in your state. If you live in Indiana, you're in luck.

This is a basic idea of what you will be doing:

3-4 credits mathematics (Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus)

4 credits language arts (literature, English, writing)

3 credits social studies (World History, American History, Geography, Government)

2 credits health and P.E. 

2 credits foreign language

3 or 4 credits science (physical science, biology, chemistry)

Google up "YOUR STATE high school requirements".

Credits, Grades, and Credit Hours

In Indiana, you get 1 credit per semester. Therefore, Algebra would be 2 credits. In all the other states, (or most of them) you get 1/2 credit per semester. Therefore, Algebra would be 1 credit. I didn't get this at the beginning, and therefore in Indiana terms, I had like 80 credits at the beginning of my 4-year plan. Well, got this straightened out and am down to a normal 50. :)

Determine how many credit hours will equal each semester and full course in your high school. For example, I am doing 80 hours in a half-year course and 120 hours in a full year course.

• One semester course is half a year.
• A one semester course is 1/2 credit. (one credit in Indiana) 
• Two semesters, a full year course, is 1 credit. (two credits in Indiana)
• A one semester course is approximately 70-90 hours of study.
• A full-year course equals about 120-180 hours.

Decide how many hours you want to use for a full credit and half credit at the beginning of your homeschool.

Transcripts

Transcripts are a major part of high school, and you need full transcripts to get into college. Firstly, and this is important, KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING YOU DO. Buy a planner. 

Your daily planner should look like this:

Algebra 2 - 90 minutes

Language - 60 minutes

Spelling - 30 minutes

Foreign Language - 50 minutes

Creating a transcript: http://www.smockityfrocks.com/2013/01/how-to-prepare-an-official-high-school-transcript-for-your-homeschool-graduate.html

Creating course descriptions for transcripts: http://hopehomeschoolconsulting.com/blog/homeschool-course-descriptions/

Building a high school portfolio: http://hopehomeschoolconsulting.com/blog/high-school-portfolio/

Building a Book List

Keep track of all books you read, both for leisure and for school. Reading a lot of classics looks GREAT on a resume, and most are free on iBooks, Kindle, etc.

Your book list should include: month/year read, title, author, and maybe number of pages and published date. (for lesser known books)

A list of classics include: (I have not read most of these, but there is a lot of content-issues)

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Chosen - Chaim Potok (my favorite novel ever!)
• A Farewell to Arms
• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
• To Kill A Mockingbird
• Old Man and the Sea
• Animal Farm
• 1984
• War and Peace
• Uncle Tom's Cabin
• Catcher in the Rye
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Count of Monte Cristo
• The Three Musketeers
• Les Miserables
• A Tale of Two Cities (and any other Charles Dickens)
• Scarlet Letter
• Pictures of Dorian Gray
• Catch-22
• Treasure Island
• The Great Gatsby

Choosing Curriculum

Some use the "Charlotte Mason living book approach" with high school. I believe high school especially, should have some sort of textbook backbone, with supplements and changes as needed.
Curriculum is one of the most important aspects of homeschooling high school. Here is a list of curriculums I have HEARD positive feedback from but have not used.

A note: A BEKA is a very rigorous Protestant curriculum. It is great college prep, but note their history is extremely biased to a point where it almost gets false. They treat all Protestants like they're perfect and all non-Protestants (Catholics included) as tyrants and dictators. Their history books are half fact and half opinion. This really bugs me. Their spelling and science curriculums are great though! The math K-8 is also a recommendation for gifted students. One thing though; it is said every textbook has some type of spelling/grammatical/factual error. I have used this curriculum for 4 years and I have never found a error. A Beka truly is a great high-quality curriculum.

Math
Most states require 3-4 years of math. I would HIGHLY recommend using some type of DVD with math. Otherwise, you will be sunk. I would not recommend Teaching Textbooks because I have heard it is very basic and will not get you through the SATs, ACTs, etc.

• A Beka - This year will be my first without A Beka math. A Beka elementary math is challenging, but high school A Beka (they're reprints of a 1910's curriculum) and they are WAY too hard without explanation. A friend used A Beka throughout high school and her kids learned no math in college - A Beka taught them everything. A Beka is extremely advanced and no doubt anyone who does it will succeed greatly.
• Math-U-See - MUS has Honors pages for more advanced work. My sister is using this curriculum this year, and Cassondra from Beyond the Cover blog used it through high school and loved it. 
• VideoText - advanced and on DVD.
• Saxon - I am trying Saxon for the first time this year! I am using the DIVE CD's. If you get this, I have heard positive things about edition 3, but very negative reviews on edition 4.

Language Arts

Indiana requires 8 credits in language arts including literature, writing, and speech.

• A Beka
• Stobaugh - Stobaugh's American Literature, British Literature, and World Literature count for two credits each - one in writing and one in literature. These college-prep analytical programs are very intense, with daily warm-ups and concept builders, and weekly tests and essays. I am using American Literature this year.

History

History is my all-time favorite subject!! BUT, a lot of textbooks, Christian included, are extremely biased and almost try to rewrite history by cherry picking the "bad" parts out. To prevent biased sources/textbook, I recommend using a textbook as a guide, not the full curriculum. No history curriculum is complete without movies, documentaries, and books. 

List of Historical Movies and Documentaries on YouTube 

Most states require government, geometry, world history, and American history.

• Sonlight - I have heard many wonderful things about Sonlight, and I HIGHLY approve of their book lists. Since they have books from a variety of authors, this prevents the bias of one person. It is a Christian curriculum, but Sonlight isn't afraid of truth. I LOVE their book lists! Sonlight incorporates language arts and history together. It is also multi-age, which means a tenth grader and eleventh grader can use it together.
• Stobaugh - to go with Stobaugh's language arts series, I am using Stobaugh American History this year.

For a list of history curriculums, see Cathy Duffy's reviews. If you're looking for book recommendations for 20th century and some 19th century, comment below! :) 

I have also noticed books about lesser-known events in history through books/movies, (i.e. the escape from Sobibor, instead of the Holocaust) you happen to learn MORE. You not only know something most people don't, most lesser-known stories revolve around something "bigger". Living books also make history more memorable, because it is much easier to remember people or fictional characters than boring dates.

Spelling and Vocabulary

Any spelling/vocabulary curriculum will do. 

• A Beka - You will need a dictionary with pronunciation for this.
• Marie's Words - I'm doing Marie's Words this year because it is SAT prep and it is all visual - and I am a visual learner.
• Big IQ Kids - For a FREE SAT-prep list of spelling words, use this list! Just print off the desired list and study each list for twenty days.

Science

• Apologia - rigorous and great college-prep. Students have been known to pass CLEP and AP exams with Apologia.
• A Beka
• The 101 Series - less rigorous, and on DVD. I am using this for Biology 101.

Foreign Language

Check out my post on free and cheap foreign language resources.

I don't recommend Rosetta Stone. For why, read this and this review. Type up "why rosetta stone doesn't work" on Google and you have great resources.

For a list of the best/worse courses and tips on learning a language, read this great course.

P.E.

Get off your couch and do something. Ha! P.E. would be a one semester course. Basically, any type of physical exercise counts. Again, time yourself on everything. Not to the last second, but just enough to know you met your credit hour goal.

Including but not limited too: bike riding, swimming, volleyball, gymnastics, football, baseball, trampoline, jump roping, efc.

Electives

You will need a few electives. Journalism (Look if your local 4-H has a Media Club, this will equal enough hours for half a credit.) and a Business class with personal finance are two examples of electives I take outside of "school".

You can even make up your own curriculum. But, make sure it has adequate credit hours. See more information on this in the Following Passions section below.

Make a list of your desired curriculum choices. Up top, write online store names like eBay, Amazon, Hearts at Home curriculum store, and the product's website. List prices and compare. Amazon has saved us hundreds of dollars.


Free apps for high school students: http://christmasssssa.blogspot.com/2013/06/free-apps-for-middle-and-high-school.html

AP: Advanced Placement and CLEP

Many thanks to Angie from HOPE Homeschool Consulting for providing this information!

AP1. For information on AP and other tests, visit this link.
2. Home Education Council of America online course.
3. Use an AP or College prep curriculum. Do some research if others have passed AP/CLEP exams with that curriculum and how well they did. 
4. Do some AP prep.
5. Take the test at a local high school.
6. List course as Honor on your high school transcript if you pass. Do not list it as AP since it is not taken with a certified teacher.

Following Passion

Follow your passions in high school. It may save you tons of money during college.

This article from the Home Scholar talks about how investing money into delight-directed (passion) learning can really make your homeschool, and set your student apart from others during college. You don't need a curriculum, you (the parent) doesn't have to know what they're doing, all you need is passion.

Your passion could be specific (Russian history, WWII, animal science, guitar) or as the Home Scholar figures out, it could be chess.

Delight Directed Learning in High School
Putting Delight Directed Learning on a Transcript

College

Pick a few colleges you are interested in and study their admission requirements. It's best to be prepared and keep detailed records in high school. Visit colleges during high school. Get to know people. Look into scholarships.

Normal Family, Big Scholarships

For Additional Information

I would highly recommend Angie from HOPE Homeschool Consulting. I met Angie in 4-H Media Club and she has helped me quite a bit :) 

Lee Binz, The Home Scholar, also has great information specifically on homeschooling high school. She has a number of mini-eBooks and has freebies all the time. Sign up for these here.
For more information on homeschooling high school, check out my homeschooling high school Pinterest board.

Homeschooling High School by Jeanne Davis is a great book.



Drop a comment by if you have anything to add or have any questions. I will do my best to reply!

12 FREE Foreign Language Supplements

I am parsimonious. And I want to learn Hebrew.
I have been wanting to learn Hebrew, since I would love to live in Israel. I don't like Rosetta Stone, I don't know anyone who speaks Hebrew or who is even Jewish, so I didn't know what to do. I came to the conclusion I would have to do it myself. If there is a will, there is a way.

Here are some different resources for for you to learn a language for FREE. You will have to do a lot of research and personalization for each language, obviously. Spanish and French resources will be easier to find than Danish resources.

Why learn another language?
In Germany, children are taught a foreign language in elementary, another language in middle school, and another language in high school. With German, by the time they graduate they will know four languages.

I believe everyone should know at least two languages. Knowing another language gives you great cultural insight! I have always been fascinated about other cultures.

In the following, I will use Hebrew, but you can change it with whatever language you want to learn.

Introductory

• Read this article that includes information, polls, tips and resources for learning a language.
• Choose a language you are interested in. The more you want to speak it, the less likely you will want to give up.
• Be sure you won't be burnt out in a week of trying to learn that language. Make sure you are REALLY interested in it.
• Know your learning style.
• Try to find somebody who also speaks the language.

BOOKS

There are 5 resources your library may have for learning a foreign language:

1. Books that teach Hebrew (That are meant for non-native speakers)
2. Kids books in Hebrew
3. CDs (music) in Hebrew
4. CDs (for people trying to learn the language)
5. Kids movies in Hebrew

All of the language resources at your library will be in the 400 section. Ask a librarian for assistance.

BIBLE

This is easiest for Hebrew. There is the Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB), which is in English with certain words in Hebrew. When reading a NIV Bible and OJB simultaneously, you will learn Hebrew.

For example:

Genesis 1:1 NIV In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 OJB In the beginning, Elohim created hashomayim and haaretz. 

You learned two main words: the heavens is hashomayim and the earth is haaretz. When you see these words in whatever program you're using, it reinforces it (and makes you feel smarter). I have learned many words this way.

Psalm 121:1-2 NIV I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 OJB I will lift up mine eyes unto the harim, from whence cometh ezri. Ezri cometh from HaShem, oseh shomayim v'aretz.
From Genesis 1:1, we know aretz is earth. We also learned to help (ezri) as well as hills/mountains (harim). They say you will be able to hear a language before speaking it. Lyrics in hymns especially will repeat, and when you listen to a song and are able to pick out a few words you learned from other songs, you will be thrilled!

Bible Gateway has nearly every single Bible version for free, including foreign language Bibles. For Hebrew, I found qBible, which has the Bible in Hebrew, Hebrew transliteration, and English - and all three are beside each other.

Challenge: Instead of trying to memorize a verse/chapter in English, try memorizing a verse/chapter in the foreign language.

MUSIC

I am always listening to music. I also find myself humming and singing the song I learned - so why not learn some Hebrew? About 75% of the music I have listened to in the past month is Jewish-related or in Hebrew. Listening to music in a foreign language is a fun and easy way to learn some of the language. When you listen to music in that language, you get a feel for how it's supposed to sound.

I am starting to dissect songs and find each words meaning- and it's improving my Hebrew. Just LISTENING to Hebrew is improving my Hebrew.

I am using a Jewish acapella group, the Maccabeats, for most of my Hebrew music. Mainly because I find it hard to just search for "Psalm 23 in Hebrew" and find a catchy, professional-singer, good-quality (non-live) video of the song. When you find a band you like instead of just a song, you tend to like it more. You're familiar with the style and the lead singer's voice. (Check out the Maccabeats amazing version of When You Believe! The Hebrew starts at 2:42. I included the lyrics in Hebrew and English. Easy, fun, and their voices are amazing! Keep in mind there are no instruments used.)

If you want more recommendations for Hebrew, I like: (videos with Hebrew and English subtitles)

• Ma Navu - Christian hymn
• Ma Rabu - Isaiah 45:7 and Psalm 104:24
• K'shehalev Boche - hymn/prayer
• Lecha Dodi (slow) - prayer
• Lecha Dodi (fast) - prayer
• Shir Lama'alot - Psalm 121
• Arim Roshi - Psalm 121 + song
• Kol Hashem - Psalm 29:2-8a (go to qbible.com for lyrics)

Many songs in Hebrew are hymns/psalms. Being said, finding lyrics is normally pretty simple. I bought some Hebrew music on iTunes, and created videos with iMovie. iMovie is SUPER easy to use. I made lyric videos in Hebrew and English. (See my video Ma Rabu)

Challenge: Spend a week looking for music in the language you want to learn. For a week, only listen to music in that language. Listen to it while you work, while you're doing school, have it on the radio. No English music for a week.


MOVIES

For Hebrew, Arabic, and Chinese learners - this probably isn't going to be a great option for you. However, this will work best for Spanish and French. You have two options: watch it in English with foreign language subtitles, or watch it dubbed in a foreign language with English subtitles. I think using both methods would be best. Or, you can watch foreign language films, like watch Life is Beautiful in the original Italian!

PODCASTS

For Hebrew, I first simultaneously used the first three trial versions of two different podcasts, Learn Hebrew Pod and Hebrew Podcasts. They gave me a basic knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet, introductions, and just stuff I will need to know in Israel. Many podcasts come with transcripts for spelling and a better pronunciation. For me, podcasts ultimately failed because I am a visual learner. If I hear, I normally forget.


YOUTUBE

HebrewPod101 on YouTube was a great resource, and they have SpanishPod101, TurkishPod101, DutchPod101. etc.


TECHNOLOGY

Set your Facebook, Pinterest, iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc. to that language. Unless its in Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Japanese, this should be pretty easy!


ITALKI

iTalki is a paid tutoring resource. However, it also has tons of free resources!
Notebook Entries
Resources
Q&A - ask questions, get answers
Discussions

LIVE MOCHA
Live Mocha link

LiveMocha may not be the best resources, but it has some valuable stuff.

APPS

Go to the App Store and type up your desired language. "Hebrew" "Spanish" "French", whatever. Then, go and download every free app you think would be helpful. If it looks good, no matter the rating, download it. Then, go through all of the apps you downloaded, weed out the unhelpful ones, and then use the "good" ones. I have found tons of great Hebrew flashcard/letter games and stuff. I have been enjoying the series Nemo Apps for Hebrew. They have tons of flashcard-based resources for a bunch of different languages.

KIDS PRINTABLES

Go to Google and type up "Hebrew color worksheets". I printed off a bunch of kid resources for myself, teaching me the Hebrew alphabet (Almost have down!) and numbers/colors.


MANGO LANGUAGES
http://www.mangolanguages.com/

I have only tried a bit of Mango, but I love it so far, and it's a great alternative to podcasts for visual learners. I got Mango for free from my (awesome) library. I have downloaded the Hebrew and biblical Hebrew.

What I love about Mango:

• It's free (for those whose libraries have it)
• It's easy to use
• It has literal translations
• It has pronunciation guides
• It has grammar tips
• It allows you to repeat the translation as many times as possible
• You can work at your own pace
• It keeps track of time spent.
• You can download it on mobile devices

TO USE:
Go to http://www.findmango.com/. Enter your zip code and find your library. If you can find it, enter your library account number, and then create a Mango account. Creating a Mango account allows you to do Mango on your iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone.

Click to enlarge.

Tips for learning a foreign language

Get the feeling for the culture.
The best thing about learning a language is you get to learn about another culture. Gustave Flaubert said, "Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world."

Look up some French recipes or celebrate a Swedish holiday! (depending on what language you're learning, obviously)

Learn the first 100 words.

According to this article, the 100 most common words in any language account for 50% of total spoken communication. The 1,000 most common words account for 80% of all communication. 

And to tell you the truth, I believe those numbers are probably pretty accurate.

Practice for 15 minutes daily.
It is recommended when learning a foreign language, practice for fifteen minutes every day. Every. Single. Day. Not a half hour every other day, fifteen minutes every day. More than thirty minutes daily is too much, and you may get burnt out soon. (Unless of course it's student-led)

Don't give up.
You won't learn any language in ten days. It's frustrating, believe me I know. Don't give up!! 

Immerse yourself in the language.

Rosetta Stone claims immersion. Frankly, you can't get immersion just by using a computer program. Some people recommend putting sticky-notes around your house. Label lamps, beds, food, and other household items with their respective names. Listen to the language as much as possible. Once you have learned numbers, try to really only use those foreign numbers until they come naturally to you. Talk to yourself in the language, even if it's only a few sentences.

Visit the country.

OK, this is not cheap. But, it WILL be an experience of a lifetime! Maybe...senior trip?

Reinforce: Use multiple programs and devices
If you have 3 different apps teaching you Spanish numbers, this is GOOD, especially for Chinese. I like to hear multiple people say a word, just because dialects make things difficult. If you are learning numbers with three different programs, they will concur and better reinforce it. Also, there may be more than one way to say something (formal, informal) , and using 2+ programs will teach that. 
With Hebrew, there are many different ways to write each letter. So while I have the letters down on one, I don't on the other. For example, when learning the letter "a", one must recognize "a" and the circle-with-a-tail "a" you learned to write in kindergarten. Oh yes, and cursive vs. handwritten vs. book Hebrew - fun fun fun! Luckily, I found resources for all three.

Do you have any tips for learning a foreign language? Let me know!

Free Apps For Middle and High School

I have came across a bunch of apps for homeschooling elementary-school kids, but what about high school? Here is a short list of educational apps I have found.

Algebra and Geometry

• Free graphing calculator (William Jockusch)
• Quick Graph (Colombiamug)
• Khan Academy (Khan Academy)

Geography and History

• Geography Quiz Game (Webelinx DOO) - I love this app. Although the questions are multiple choice, this is a VERY hard game. What is the capital of Nepal? Which country's capital is Addis Ababa? What is the official language of Sudan? The questions vary from languages, capitals, locations, and flags. Sometimes it will show a picture of a building or landmark and you have to guess the location. It also has the option for 2 player games, which is extra fun for siblings!! The questions repeat every few games - which is great to see if you remembered the answer. After seeing a question five or six times, it sticks in your head. Now I know where Belarus is, Lebanon's flag, and Haiti's capital.

• Learn World Geography (Brainscape) - This app is another excellent geography supplement. Choose which continent you want to study, and it will ask you, "Where is XXX country located?" and then you will click "Tap here to show answer", and it will highlight that country. Then, you will rate yourself. 1 means you had no clue where the country was, and 5 means you knew without a doubt. The lower the number, the more it will repeat until you have the location memorized.

• Your World (Spuz) - This is probably my least favorite of the three geography apps. This one is unique. It shows a globe which you spin, and, like a puzzle, you must place each country on the globe. Well, the main thing this app has taught me is I can't place Kazakhstan on a world map. It does not show country boarders, which makes it super difficult, especially since it is in globe-format.

• Flags Quiz (Atico Mobile) - Made by the same people who made the Logo Game, the Flags Quiz is very similar in format to the Logo Game; this time with flags! Level 1 is easy; Canada, America, Israel, etc. But level 5? Impossible! :)

• All history apps from Maple Leaf Soft. - Maple Leaf Suit. has sample versions and full versions on each the following subjects: American Revolution, US Presidents, Civil War, Cold War, WWI, WWII, Hitler's Germany (more the Holocaust and about Germany during WWII), Classical World, American Military, and Napoleon.       "Think you're an expert on XXX?" well I thought I was somewhat knowledgeable in WWII, but I get about 60% of the questions right. They are multiple choice and very challenging! The background changes every question and has a picture during that time period, and if you get the answer right, a quote from a notable person during that time period. I have only bought one (Hitler's Germany) full version, but it was completely worth it. Try the free sample versions, and if you ace those, I would definitely purchase the whole version.

English and Literature and Spelling

• Dictionary (Dictionary.com) - Every homeschool family needs this app.

• iBooks (Apple) - iBooks allows you access to most classics for FREE. I have also downloaded all the CK-12 books, which are free high school supplements from US History, Biology, Algebra, and more.

• Vocabulary for GRE, SAT, ACT, GMAT (SuVoBi) - To work this app, press "Select Vocab Lists" and you can choose from levels ranging from easy to heard. The easy levels are for junior high and the harder ones are for things like the SAT and GRE. After selecting the appropriate lists, click "learn", and off you go! Great app with various methods and sufficient review for one to memorize the words, but not get bored.
• Vocabulary Build (John Old) - Great extensive list of vocabulary words!

Health and Science

• WebMD (WebMD) HEALTH - This is a medical app, and a great resource for pretty much everyone.

Miscellaneous

• SAT Question of the Day (SAT Board) - Each day, a SAT practice question is featured. This is great SAT-prep and takes about a minute of your day.

• DK Quiz (DK) This is a VERY hard quiz game! The only ones I have done really well on is the Spies and Espionage (I didn't know I knew so much about espionage!) and War Films. I mean you'd think I'd know a thing or two about Famous World Landmarks, but I guess I don't. Each quiz is 20 questions long. You are on a timer, and you cannot click out of a game. You can exit the app, leave it for a month, but it will still go back to where you were at. The questions are in categories, and categories vary from food, geography, health, science, history, and music.

• Fox News Radio (FOX News Digital) - No Government study is complete without Fox News!

Know any apps designed for middle and high schoolers? Let me know!

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