Homeschool Curriculum ~ Not Back to School Blog Hop

Living in Texas, in order to be a legitimate homeschool, you must have a curriculum that teaches grammar, reading, spelling, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship, and you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide manner. This curriculum can be obtained from any source and can consist of books, workbooks, other written materials, or materials on an electronic monitor including computer or video screens, or any combination thereof.

However, the college-bound student will add to this list of courses to meet college admission requirements for high school academics. Today I would like to share with you our curriculum choices for the 2020-2021 homeschool year that will meet these college admission requirements as well as prepare my daughter for college courses.

Grammar – BJU Press Writing & Grammar 9 develops grammar skills in conjunction with writing skills. Grammar sections teach parts of speech, sentence patterns, phrases, and clauses. Writing assignments include a personal experience, a research essay, poetry, a personal response to literature, and devotional writings.

Reading – Progeny Press Literature Study Guides teach literature from a Christian prospective. Each study guide includes a concise synopsis of the book, information about the author, background information pertinent to the story, suggestions for pre-reading activities, vocabulary exercises for each section of reading, literary analysis and terminology questions designed to give students a good understanding of writing technique and how to use it, critical analysis questions designed to help students consider and analyze the intellectual, moral, and spiritual issues in the literature and weigh them with reference to Scripture, and it study guide includes a complete answer key with suggestions for further reading.

Spelling – The Critical Thinking Company Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 increases vocabulary, stimulates imagination, and boost language arts skills. Each lesson contains definitions, pronunciation guides, parts of speech, and alternate choices for each word made up of synonyms, idioms, and phrases. Students complete a variety of exercises requiring critical reading and writing skills to contextualize the words. The exercises deliberately use other forms of the words so that students learn to recognize these variations of the original words in different parts of speech – further expanding their vocabulary and enabling them to use the words in more contexts.

Math – Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 is designed specifically for homeschoolers. This math program includes automated grading and audiovisual solutions for every single problem; new lessons on advanced topics as well as hundreds of new problems and solutions; and interactive lectures with lots of real-world applications.

History – BJU Press Cultural Geography takes students on a continent-by-continent tour of the world, studying the cultures, landforms, climates, resources, economics, religions, and governments of each country. The textbook has colorful photographs, charts, and maps that make this virtual world tour an exciting and engaging experience. The critical thinking questions and notes on the status of Christianity in most nations makes this book more relevant than ever.

Science – Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology is a college-prep course that provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general biology while reinforcing the scientific notation. Topics include a detailed study of the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and Mendelian genetics, evolution, dissections, and ecosystems. In this course, students participate in three types of labs: experimental labs, microscopy labs, and dissection labs.

Foreign Language – BJU Press Spanish 1 teaches the basics of reading and speaking Spanish – greetings, verb conjugations, basic vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical structures – as used in Latin America. Students also study cultural/historical highlights and get a glimpse of the Spanish-speaking world as a mission field.

Elective – Test Prep – College Prep Genius: Master the SAT Class teaches students how to find the correct answers by learning the patterns, profiles, and hidden strategies that occur over and over on these tests. The author, Jean Burk, will guide you through each section of the SAT and provide step-by-step instructions on how to approach all types of test questions.

Elective – Music – My daughter takes piano lessons through private lessons.

Elective – Physical Education – My daughter takes ballet classes through Brieanna’s Ballet Barre; and she takes tap and jazz classes through Studio D.

I purchase our BJU Press materials through a representative so I can save 25% and receive free shipping; but all other materials are purchased through the Rainbow Resource Center or THE Book Nook.

Visit the Blog Hop to read more posts about curriculum from the Homeschool Review Crew.

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