Lots of Help for Your Homeschool High School Planning
One of the first tasks you should undertake when trying to
decide on your homeschool high school program and curriculum is to check with
your state home schooling regulations for the applicable high school curriculum
requirements. You can find some useful information in the Home School Legal
Defense Association, (HSLDA) brochure entitle 'A Guide for Homeschooling
through High School', that includes an abundance of data about course
suggestions for all subject areas. As a parent, everyone wants to ensure their
child gets the absolute best education possible, so you'll definitely want to
use the years during high school to teach your child the life skills that can
be used for the remainder of their lives.
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Homeschool Announcements |
Typical Home Schooling High School Curriculum Requirements
All high school requirements include a well-rounded
assortment of courses and curriculum that is challenging to most students. The
standard courses should be adequate to ensure those intending to expand their
education beyond high school is addressed, and, at the same time, should be
sufficient for those who intend to pursue other specialized training after
graduating, whether it is from homeschool, private, or public schools. But,
generally, all curriculums will include the following during four years of high
school before you can prepare your customized graduation announcement wording
for homeschool:
* English: 4 years
* Math: 2 to 4 years
* Science: 2 to 4 years
* History: 2 to 4 years
* Foreign Languages: Minimum 2 years
Non-Required Courses for HomeSchool and Public High Schoolers
In addition to the list of required courses outlined above,
you may add a few electives each year based on your child's interest and
intentions after graduating. You can think of these electives as subjects that
complement and supplement the required core courses and might include subject
matter such as: computer skills; keyboarding; home economics; and SAT prep. And
then there are those courses that are a bit more enjoyable and oriented to your
child's interests such as: health, physical education, art, music, and so
forth. Again, be sure and check with your state education requirements, as some
of these listed as Non Required, may, in fact, be a requirement for graduating.
After all, the list in the paragraph above is considered required core courses,
while those in this paragraph are not considered core, but could still be a
requirement for graduates.
Considering Elective Courses for Your HomeSchool Student
When you are considering possible elective courses, it's a
good idea for your choices to reflect, to a large degree, your child's
educational plans after graduating. There are lots of examples for this, but
one might be if your child is considering entering the workforce immediately
after high school. If this example is correct, then perhaps a course on
personal financial management would be an excellent choice as he would learn,
among other things, various considers and issues when buying a car, setting up
and reconcile his own checking account, to list just a couple. However, if your
child is planning to continue with college, then a prep SAT course or two would
definitely be a good choice for an elective.
Deciding Which Courses to Teach Your Home Schooled Child
You'll definitely want to take advantage of one of the
primary benefits of homeschooling at the high school level by customizing the
courses your child takes to best complement his post high school plans. Here
are a few examples that might be helpful:
* English: Grammar, Composition, Vocabulary,
American and British Literature, and Speech
* Math: College bound - Algebra 1 and 2,
Trigonometry, Geometry, Pre Calculus and Calculus; For Non college bound -
Bookkeeping, Consumer Math and Beginning Accounting
* History and Social Sciences: American,
World, and Ancient History, Government, State and National Civics, Geography,
and Economics
* Science: Physical Science, Biology, Earth
Science, Physics, and Chemistry
* Foreign Languages: Spanish, French, Latin,
and others
If you child plans to continue on with college, then you
should obtain the college(s) catalog(s) he wants to attend to determine its
high school requirements for admission. However, if college is not in your
child's plans, then you might select those high school courses that will be
more beneficial to him in his desired vocational field.
And, There's Always an Internship or Apprenticeship
In those situations when your student already knows the
vocation he wants to pursue, why now consider an apprenticeship or internship.
For example, if your child has a keen interest in veterinary science, then you
might consider contacting a local veterinarian and inquire about him working
for the vet several hours each day or week. Or, perhaps he wants to develop or
expand his clerical skills, then you could set him up to do volunteer work in a
local business or church. However, you definitely don't need to stress out over
these possibilities as most of the time these situations and opportunities
simply fall into place. Some of these activities can be included as
accomplishments in your creative graduation announcement for homeschool
graduates.
Planning Those Oh So Important Extracurricular Activities
To the vast majority of students, non-curricular activities
are extremely important part of the high school experience, regardless of
whether it is for homeschooled students or those in the public school system.
You'll definitely want to ensure your child obtains a well-rounded education by
encouraging him to participate in several extracurricular activities. Like most
courses, these should be planned at the beginning of the school year will the
hopes that he will grow into leadership positions.
Be sure and choose these extracurricular activities wisely
and with your child's interest and aptitude in mind, as these can be helpful in
assisting your child in developing and maintaining a healthy balance of outside
interests, academics, and work. These extracurricular activities are even more
important for those students who intend to advance their education after high
school, as most college admissions prefer students who were involved in these
type activities.
Read
more about popular home school graduate announcement wording and stylish homeschool
graduation announcement cards articles written by Sarah Porter for http://www.graduationcardsshop.com,
and lots of other publications, blogs, websites, and newspapers for the home
schooling parents.