Wrapping Up 9th Grade

Kieron and I just talked about this year.  We both think he made quite a bit of progress and that he doesn't really need to work into the summer. 

He has a good routine going. He didn’t work particularly intensely this year, but none of my other 9th graders ever had a particularly productive year, so I was comfortable with it.

He audited several lecture series from Homeschool Connections

• Introduction to Logic
• Logical Fallacies and Paradoxes
• Latin Boot Camp
• Latin 1
• Homer's Odyssey

He read voraciously, mostly library fare – fantasy and science fiction. Also some historical fiction and some PG Wodehouse.

For Formal Reading he went through:

• Old Testament Readings vol 1 and 2
• Readings fin Ancient History
• Famous Men of Greece
• The Iliad
• The Odyssey (not finished yet)
• King Solomon’s Ring
• Instant Biology
• Mystery of the Periodic Table
• Fabre’s Book of Insects
• Screwtape Letters

In Math, he is halfway through Jacob’s Geometry. I wanted him to have time to fill any gaps from Algebra and basic math so we did a lot of review type exercises and SAT sample questions. I think he has more confidence than he did last year.

He wrote several stories (that was the heart of our language arts curriculum, though we did some grammar and literary analysis earlier in the year).

He did some online Biology and History tests, and reviewed the Catechism a little.

He also participated in Morning Time – we read and discussed Treasures of the Snow, King of the Golden River, some poetry, and various historical pieces.

And he played lots of board games with his brothers, narrated many, many reviews or critiques of games and movies, and did football during fall.   He sledded with his brothers during the winter. 


So the last couple of months are going to be wrap-up.

My plans:
• Historical Tales:  The Romans
•Readings in Ancient History (Rome)
• Apprenticeship – computer programming with his Dad
• Start “Crash-Proof Your Kids” with familiarity with cars and how they work
• Homeschool Connections – The Mass Explained (probably)
• Photo nature study (his sister gave him her old camera and I want him to go out and use it once the snow melts – that can be his “nature study project” for this year).
• James Herriot – at least one of the books
• Galen and the Gateway to Medicine
• Chemical History of the Candle (if time provides – otherwise next year).
• Keep working on story-writing using the progym.
• Finish Latin 1 from Homeschool Connections
• If time provides, some books from modern literature like The Chosen, To Kill a Mockingbird, An Episode of Sparrows etc. – things he wouldn’t pick up on his own that I still want him to read at some point.