Molly wrote:Hello! My 9th grade son is working through AHL this year. Next fall he will move on to World History and Lit. Meanwhile, my 8th grade son is competing ECC (along with our 6th, 4th, 2nd and 1st graders). Do you recommend our 8th grader jump in with WHL so that he and his brother are in the same time period of study?
Also, we were previously working with a different classical curric. in which all of our kids completed the medieval year. After we complete ECC, may we jump in with Exploration to 1850 (for some review, some cross-over with WHL, and some new info as we transition to the MFW track)? I suppose the main question here is: How do MFW families keep everyone in the same era for study once the high school years roll around?
Thanks so much for your insight!
Molly
Hi Molly,
You could always call the office and get their wisdom. And hopefully some families with 2 high schoolers will have time to join in the conversation.
But I think the usual recommendation will be to have the 9th grader to 9th grade, and the 10th grader do 10th. The progression of skills flows better that way, first doing ancient history and Old Testament and basic essays, before progressing to WHL.
I've also talked to teens at convention and it seems like working together in high school can often end up holding one or the other student back.
That said, you know your family's needs best. Doing WHL won't be a huge jump for a 9th grader the way US1 and US2 would be. I'm sure an experienced homeschooler like yourself could tone down some assignments in WHL this next year, and beef some up the following year when he does AHL in 10th.
About your other kids, yes, after ECC then families move into the time period where they are at, especially if the oldest in that group is in 6th-8th grade and you've laid a good foundation in your previous school years.
I wouldn't expect, though, to keep all subjects together with the high schoolers. Yes, there are some overlaps in topics, but the pace will be all off. Elementary kids may stop and spend a few weeks on something like the 10 commandments, and high schoolers may stop and spend a semester on something like government during the time of the forming of our nation, and neither might be appropriate for the other age group. It's kind of like math - yes, everyone might be using some addition in their math class, but it's just really not going to meet everyone's needs to do it together, especially when you get to earning credits for a high school transcript.
The family can do things together, though. Everyone can enjoy a project or a recipe. Everyone might gather to watch high school science labs. Essays and notebook pages can be read aloud to the family. Maybe there will be an elective that the whole family can enjoy together, such as the classical music or God & The History of Art, both of which can be part of a high school Fine Arts credit.
HTH,
Julie