Carnival of Homeschooling- The NaNoWriMo Edition

Preface

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Welcome to this hundred-and-umpteenth Carnival of Homeschooling! Because November is National Novel Writing Month (also known as NaNoWriMo or nano), and I’m over 10,000 words into the writing process (and can’t think of anything but writing, writing, and more writing), I thought it would be appropriate to format this Carnival as sections of a book. I even consulted the Chicago Manual of Style for an authoritative list of book parts!

Introduction

For me, homeschooling is first and foremost a heart matter. In Mangled Schedules and Grateful Hearts, an article I wrote for Home School Enrichment magazine, you can read how a father’s presence and influence can shape a family school. Enjoy! Read more

New Transcripts Made Easy Review

Cindy from Curriculum Choice (a delightful blog) has posted a very nice review of Transcripts Made Easy. I’m grateful for it, and happy to know that it’s still helping to calm those homeschool-through-high-school fears.

High school transcripts and records really aren’t as hard you might think. I like to plan and do, but I’m not the best record-keeper on the planet, so my system had to be short, sweet and to the point. Practical!

Cindy says, “Transcripts Made Easy is truly easy to understand.  Even with 120 pages, it’s a fairly quick read, too.  Janice walks you through, step-by-step, how to simply and effectively keep academic records, how to turn those records into a GPA sheet, how to calculate credits and quality points, making adjustments for AP or college classes and how to make sure you are preparing your student for classes that meet state and college-bound goals.”

I’m glad it’s helpful. Thank you, Cindy, for the great review!

How to Calculate +/- on a High School Transcript

I just had a question from a reader who wondered how to calculate quality points for plus and minus grades on the high-school transcript. The free GPA calculator just calculates whole numbers and weighted grades, but it’s pretty easy to allocate a point value for +/-. Just add or subtract 1/3 of a point from the whole number. You’ll come up with this:

A = 4
A- = 3.67
B+ = 3.33
B = 3
B- = 2.67
C+ = 2
C- = 1.67
D+ = 1.33
D = 1
D- = .67

High School: A Four-Year Plan for Homeschoolers

I thought you might enjoy seeing my four-year plan for homeschooling through high school. It’s included in Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler’s Guide to High School Paperwork, which is, of course, my favorite resource for keeping high school records;-).

This is an academically-oriented plan, with an emphasis on looking forward and preparing for life after high school. Even if your student isn’t planning to go to college, it can’t hurt to have the basics in place, just in case his or her plans change, as they did in our family.

One of our boys is in an HVAC apprenticeship, and didn’t plan to go to college at all and wasn’t so sure he needed all the academic stuff. However, after he graduated from high school, he started considering entrepreneurship for the future. He ended up earning a Business Management certificate, and is currently studying for his Associate’s degree in Business. Having the academic basics in place made it easy for him to make a quick post-high-school decision to start taking classes, and having a solid transcript ready to go made the whole process easy for me.

Freshman year

• 6 courses, 1 unit of each core subject (English, Mathematics, History, Science, Foreign Language, Arts/Physical Education/Electives)
• Read for pleasure as much as possible.
• Learn Greek and Latin roots for vocabulary.
• Establish solid study habits.
• Practice note taking skills.
• Begin developing test-taking skills (PSAT skill book can be useful).
• Think about personal aptitudes and read up on career options.

Sophomore year

• Same class balance as freshman year.
• Continue or develop extracurricular activities that fit interests.
• Schedule PSAT for the fall of junior year.
• Begin researching college, trade school, or apprenticeship options.
• Request info.
• Use test-prep books to get ready for the SAT or ACT.
• Take CLEPs whenever ready.
• Begin classes at a community college, if desired.

Junior year

• Six classes*
• Take the PSAT in the fall (optional, but there are benefits, such as qualifying for the National Merit Scholarship).
• Focus on time-management & study skills.
• Narrow down college and/or career options.
• Spring: Take SAT/ACT and visit colleges or alternatives.
• May/June: Apply to two or more colleges, tech schools, or apprenticeship programs.

Senior year

• Six classes*
• Scholarship search/essays/applications.
• Take SAT Subject Exams, AP, CLEP exams.
• Retake SAT I or ACT if desired.
• Continue good study habits and extracurricular activities.

*Hands-on learning, college classes, entrepreneurship, or apprenticeship activities can fulfil some of the class requirements, so don’t feel that you have to have six traditional, text-book-based classes. Mix and match as needed!

Good planning and recordkeeping will help you and your student reach your goals (it’s hard to reach what you haven’t set, so goal-setting is a key part of the planning process). Take time to plan, then have monthly meetings with your student to determine whether you’re on track to succeed. If you work as a team, homechooling through high school can be a tremendous blessing!

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(If you’re have difficulty getting your life organized enough to feel as though you’re making progress, you may find Cindy Rushton’s Organized Moms Super Set– a complete program for organizing every facet of your life. It includes audio resources, inspirational and instructional books, reproducible planning pages, and much more. It’s comprehensive and encouraging enough to help the most organizationally-challenged mom do more in less time than she ever thought possible. What a blessing!)

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High School Scheduling- Some Non-Traditional Options

When was the last time you thought about the best way to schedule your school days? Six subjects, one hour each per day, five days a week– ho hum. Maybe it’s time to ask some questions about scheduling!

Why are high school subjects scheduled like this?