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Homeschool High School With The Classical Conversations Challenge Program

Homeschool High School with the Classical Conversations Challenge Program

Homeschooling high school CAN be done! 

In fact, homeschooling high school is where I am starting to see the fruits of my homeschool mom labor.... why would I quit now when it's just getting good?  

We have been part of a Classical Conversations community for the past three years. In that time, my oldest (now 9th grade) has completed Challenge A and Challenge B - and now she is on the home stretch in Challenge I. 

There are so many reasons I would recommend Classical Conversations, but for high school I love it for a few BIG reasons. 

1. Unlike many other homeschool high school programs, I (as a parent) retain the control in grading and assignments. Our Challenge tutor partners with our family, but we still have all of the authority. 

2. Students learn together (in an intimate setting) about TOUGH topics. Everything is based on a give and take - lots of discussion. 

3. The five canons of rhetoric - invention, arrangement, elocution, memory, and delivery - are emphasized throughout ALL subject areasThis prepares our children for a world where they will need to defend their faith in God and viewpoints in an articulate and accurate manner.  

Families who appreciate the classical model recognize that the current deluge of trivia and the trivial has damaged their ability to engage in meaningful, responsible discourse. They want to train their children in the art of thinking and using words to clearly express those thoughts. Practicing the five canons of rhetoric inculcates these abilities.
— Leigh Bortins

 

*I have not been compensated by Classical Conversations for this post.  I'm just a happy CC mom that wants to share our experiences. 


A Word About Accreditation and Transcripts

Before we go any further.... so much of a homeschool parent's fear about homeschool is wrapped up in accreditation and creating transcripts.  

After doing much research, I am confident that I will be able to transcripts my children's high school experience and help them gain acceptance into a college of their choice. 

I will be using The Total Transcript Solution from The HomeScholar to assist me in creating a transcript.  I recently had the pleasure of hosting a high school webinar with The HomeScholar.  

If you'd like your heart to be calmed about homeschool high school, listen to the webinar playback. It will give you GREAT peace of mind! 

About Challenge I

Challenge I translates to ninth grade. See the full scope and sequence (scroll to the bottom of the page) of Challenge to learn more.

Anna meets one day a week 4 other classmates and a tutor.  This tutor isn't responsible for being the "expert" who imparts all of her knowledge to the students, rather she is a fellow learner that comes alongside the young people and models learning and helps lead discussions. 

Six seminars are covered each week, and they are all so beautifully woven together and they all point the students back to their Creator. 

  • Latin

  • American Literature and Persuasive Essay Writing

  • Free Market Economics and American Government

  • Physical Science

  • Drama and Music Theory

  • Algebra

The students are accountable to each other and to their tutor - and this accountability spurs them to do their best work. 

The theme for this year is Discipline Brings Freedom.

Homeschool High School with Classical Conversations Challenge

When I asked Anna's tutor to describe Challenge I in a nutshell - this is what she said:

I like Challenge 1 because the students showcase their budding independence. They have been preparing and practicing in A and B to take the lead in their own education. Challenge 1 takes the next step in the process. It is the first level where workload and effort is recorded for future college admissions. This level also opens the students’ eyes to some of the realities of our fallen world as they transition from children to young adults.
— Challenge 1 tutor

A Typical Week in Challenge 1

Anna attends class each Tuesday.  She plays on a tennis team that practices every Tuesday after CC - which a great way to get some energy out after a full day of academics! 

On Wednesday morning she makes a planning sheet.  She looks in her Challenge 1 guide to assess what is due the following week, then she schedules the work onto a planning sheet.

This skill - of discerning, prioritizing, and planning her activities - has been one of the most valuable things in Challenge.  She knows what is expected of her and is in control of when to complete the assignments. Sometimes it goes well, other times it does not. But through all things we are learning and growing. 

Homeschool High School with Classical Conversations Challenge I

Drama/Music Theory:

I love Classical Conversations' careful incorporation of the fine arts into all areas of their curriculum. This year the students read The Taming of the Shrew for drama and now move on to music theory in the second semester. 

Anna is my piano player. She loves music and says she wants to be a Music Therapist one day. 

This semester she is using her expertise in music theory to help lead the class in a new study - Math in Motion: First Steps in Music Theory. Her tutor has let her take the lead with the class. Anna helps explain new grammar and has been making up her own review games to help her peers. She LOVES this! 

This week she completed the theory exercises in her book and continued to plan review games for the class. She also practiced playing the example hymns from the book.


 American Literature and Persuasive Essay Writing

 

The American Literature selections for the Challenge 1 years are carefully selected. Most books are then followed with a persuasive essay on an issue of the student's choosing from the book. Because these kids have been using The Lost Tools of Writing since Challenge A, they are becoming quite adept at writing persuasive essays.  

Anna just finished a persuasive essay after reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and is starting Up From Slavery.  She's also beginning to compose an issue and start an essay for Born Again.  

Good stuff - not exactly what I was doing in the ninth grade.

The literature list for Challenge 1 is impressive. And yes, they read ALL OF THIS in one year. 


Science

The surprise of the year has been how much Anna enjoys science. 

The text they are using is Apologia's Exploring Creation Through Physical Science. She goes straight through the textbook, completing the study guides for each module and taking tests. The students complete experiments and labs in class.

(Again, I grade all tests and study guides. The tutor does NOT do this... the parent retains all grading rights!)

This week Anna continued to complete notecards from her sources for the science research paper. This research paper will be worked on for the entire semester. I love that they are walked through the research paper process over a long period of time. 


Latin

Latin is one area where we have veered from the Challenge guide. 

Classical Conversations suggests Henle Latin, and we abide by that suggestion. It is a rigorous Latin text that takes discipline and perseverance to complete. 

I wasn't able to devote the time to learning Latin alongside Anna (which is really necessary for success in Latin without a traditional teacher), so we made the decision to enroll her in Henle Latin I through Memoria Press Online Academy.

Anna's class meets online once a week for 90 minutes. She is completely accountable to that teacher.  All quizzes and tests are completed online. Anna keeps up with the daily exercises and is graded on in class participation and test grades. 

This has worked PERFECTLY.  Anna benefits from a Latin expert and also from having the experience of strict accountability to a "teacher". 

Anna still participates in the Henle Latin seminar in class - she is just working at a different pace than her classmates. 

I love that we can customize her Challenge 1 year to fit our family's needs. 

Homeschool High School with Classical Conversations Challenge Program

Free Market Economics & Debate

The first semester was spent reading ORIGINAL American documents and annotating them. Anna also created a timeline of important events in American history. 

(We then traveled to Washington, DC as a family to reinforce this learning -- what an experience!)

In the second semester, using Whatever Happened to Penny Candy and A Bluestocking Guide: Economics, the Challenge I students are tackling some hard to understand concepts. 

When Anna and I sat down to talk about her assignments this week we were looking at The Big Mac Index and going over economics terms I hadn't heard since college. 

She is also following a stock portfolio each week - she invested $10,000 (imaginary!) in the stock market three weeks ago, and will track her stocks' progress until the end of the semester.

In addition to this, the students are working on a budgeting and personal finance project.  Anna will choose a profession - determine the salary she will be making - and then create a working budget based on that. 

How cool is that? 

Also this week, Anna is preparing to present her IE - a 3-5 minute memorized Individual Event. She has chosen a sweet AA Milne poem, "Teddy Bear", and is having fun with this. 

Algebra I

Classical Conversations recommends Saxon Algebra I. 

After many frustrations with the upper levels of Saxon, Anna switched to Mr. D Math. 

I've written before about Mr. D. He is my math savior!  This is an area where we needed an expert to HELP us.

Anna takes Algebra every Monday afternoon with Mr. D and several other students. They meet online for an hour.  I HIGHLY RECOMMED Mr. D's math curriculum.  Read my review if you want to learn more! 

The beauty of Challenge is that Anna can still participate in the math conversations they have each week in her Challenge I class. They are discussing CONCEPTS and students take turns leading the class with different ways to solve problems.  Anna has benefitted greatly from her experience with Mr. D, and hasn't suffered at all during math seminar at CC. 

Weekly Check-Out

Every Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. (yes, we have a time on the calendar for this) Anna and I sit down and have a check-out for the following day. 

We go through the guide together and check off her assignments, discuss any areas of concern, proofread papers, and just assess the week in general. Check outs in Challenge A and Challenge B were sometimes rough. It's a learning process.

Now, however, check out meetings are running smoothly.  Anna is generally well prepared and we have good discussions about  the stock market, music theory, American Literature, and debate topics. 

I never imagined homeschooling a high schooler in the first place, and I am constantly AMAZED at what a beautiful, God-centered education my child is receiving - with Classical Conversations as our partner in education. 

Ultimately, that we have the freedom to choose what works best for our children and for our families.  Homeschooling high school doesn't have to be scary. There are so many options out there. 

Do you homeschool a high schooler? Do you have any anxiety THINKING about homeschooling a high schooler?  I'd love to know. 

 

Homeschool High School with Classical Conversations Challenge Program

Collage Friday

Collage Friday at Homegrown Learners

Join me on alternating Fridays for a wrap up of the week - or just to share pertinent thoughts that have been rambling in your head during the past week.

Be sure to include your photo collages!

Then, visit other bloggers that have linked and leave them a supportive comment.  I love the Collage Friday community!

Add your link using the widget below. Additionally, if you'd like to join further, use the hashtag #collagefriday on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. 

Hitting Reset in Your Homeschool

GRACE is a magnificent thing.

The first official semester of this homeschool year was very disjointed. Despite my best laid plans, illness, a home renovation project, and LIFE happened and the beautiful routine I had crafted early in the year seldom occurred. 

It was important for me to lavish grace upon my children - and upon MYSELF, and to realize that so often progress cannot be measured in scores or "accomplishments". 

Progress happens slowly over years of pouring ourselves into our children. 

(I also rest in the fact that our Classical Conversations  Memory Work is enough and am so thankful my Challenge I student is self-disciplined.)

Over the past two weeks I've hit the "reset" button in our homeschool, and I have the feeling that many of you have done (or will do) the same thing as we enter into a new year. 

I'd like to share what hitting reset looks like. 

Maybe you can glean a few ideas - and maybe you can offer ME ideas, too. 

(I love to interact with readers who leave comments.)

 

Hitting Reset in Your Homeschool

Simple Organization

Over the past year our ENTIRE family has been at home. 

A new job meant my husband now works from home (no more nasty commute downtown), but that also comes with its own set of challenges.

We needed to finish out a space in the basement just for him. He now goes downstairs to "WORK". 

With that finished basement came a space for storage of school things and a workspace. I have gone many years schooling at the kitchen table, so this completed projected feels like HEAVEN! 

I'm trying EXTREMELY HARD to stick to my  SIMPLE HOMESCHOOL PHILOSOPHY.  Less is more. Only keep out what we love and truly use. 

Organizing Homeschool Spaces
  • Anna, my 9th grader, organized her own books in one shelf of the school room. We keep those books, and a few reference books, on the shelves. She does so much online now and doesn't need a lot of physical books.   Anna has a work space in her bedroom that she adores.... she keeps many things in her desk there, so she doesn't actually use the school room as much as her brother. 
  • Grant, my 5th grader, has one bookshelf for his current Cycle 1 resources. He works on a simple craft table in the school room, and all of his supplies (pencils, markers, etc...) are organized in an hanging shoe holder inside the schoolroom closet. 

Favorite "Must Haves" Pictured Above

{ Stay tuned for a "schoolroom" post ---> I still have a few more finishing touches before I'll share the whole room on the blog. }

And... if you'd like to keep up with our day to day activities, I love to hang out on Instagram.  


Take Time For JOY

This sounds so obvious, right? 

Who wouldn't want to take time to be joyful?

But, when you have a high schooler with a demanding academic load, the temptation can be to just buckle down and be SERIOUS much of the time. 

This IS NOT a good idea. 

The Joys of Homeschool

This week we got outside, spent time with friends, and brought back some WONDER into our homeschool. 

Anna and I also enjoy spending time with younger children - our six year old friend that we hiked with put us in such joyful moods. It's good to get out of ourselves and see the world through a young child's eyes. 

We need to something like this WEEKLY to remind us to embrace beauty and joy. 


Let Your Children Take the Lead

Yes, we educate Classically.  Yes, much of what my children learn is dictated by ME and what I know to be best for them based on my research and expertise.

I believe, however, that children MUST take the lead when it comes to certain parts of their education. 

One area that I simply FOLLOW my child's lead is in STEM activities. 

LEGO Education in Our Homeschool

As part of our homeschool reset I am allowing ample time in our day for exploration and play, using our LEGO® Education materials

This week Grant gave me such a perfect opportunity to give him grace.  While I was grocery shopping one afternoon he decided to take all of the very well organized Mindstorms EV3 pieces and dump ALL of them into one big bucket. 

(Our LEGO club starts next week and I was depending on everything being organized and ready for the boys.)

I must admit I was less than thrilled when I came home to find all of those pieces combined. I told him it didn't really please me - then he looked at me with his sweet eyes and said, 

Yes, I think it was kind of a dumb thing to do. Did you ever do anything dumb when you were a kid?

Sigh. Of course I did. 

I helped him reorganize the LEGOS over the next few days, and in the end I think we came up with a better system of storage, and in the process Grant taught me the "grammar of Mindstorms" as he said the names of all the different pieces and what their functions are. 

He also spent much time building a super cool elephant that will probably be programmed this weekend. 


There you have it.

Simple organization, joy, and letting my children sometimes take the lead.

Our homeschool has been "reset" and I'll keep you posted on how things are going!

I'd love to know if you are resetting your homeschool at the beginning of a new year.  What are you doing differently?  

How to Reset Your Homeschool

Collage Friday

*Note: Collage Friday will now be a bi-weekly event. I will leave this link up open for 2 weeks... the next Collage Friday will be on January 22! 

Join me each Friday for a wrap up of the week - or just to share pertinent thoughts that have been rambling in your head during the past week.

Collage Friday at Homegrown Learners

Be sure to include your photo collages!

Then, visit other bloggers that have linked and leave them a supportive comment.  I love the Collage Friday community!

Add your link using the widget below. Additionally, if you'd like to join further, use the hashtag #collagefriday on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.