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High school at home?  Most definitely!  Many parents approach me with concerns about their ability to teach the high school subjects, but I assure them - and you - that it is not the daunting task that it may seem.  There is a vast array of resources available to homeschooling parents of high school students - ranging from self-study courses, to tutoring settings, to traditional texts taught by parent or by video - and don't overlook the rewarding approach of learning alongside your student.  I never thought I would be learning Latin at my age, but I have found it both fascinating and rewarding to study along with my sons.

Barb Shelton's book, which I have linked below, provides lots of inspiration and practical guidance.  The book is not written in the traditional format - Barb writes like she talks, with lots of side comments and smiles - but gives a number of class "plans," creative grading guidelines, learning guides for various subjects and so much more.

High School Courses

Many home school parents ask me how to "translate" Sonlight Core programs into high school courses for their student's transcripts.  While I do not have experience as a high school registrar, I can provide an outline of what I have recorded on my sons' transcripts as they complete Sonlight courses.  I created transcripts for my two older sons who were accepted into college (one into a Christian college and one into a secular university) without any difficulty.

Core 100: In-depth American History

  • American History - 1 credit
  • Bible Study - 1 credit
  • Literature - 1/2 credit
  • English Composition - 1/2

Core 200: History of God's Kingdom
(you can change this title if your child will attend a secular college)

  • History of God's Kingdom (or perhaps World History) - 1 credit
  • Bible Study - 1 credit
  • Literature - 1 credit
  • Composition - 1/2 credit

Core 300: 20th Century World History

  • 20th Century World History - 1 credit
  • Bible Study - 1 credit
  • 20th Century Literature - 1 credit
  • Composition - 1/2 or 1 credit, depending upon the extent of writing your student completed during the year

Core 400: Civics/American Government

  • American Government - 1 credit
    (Honors credit may be appropriate due to the course depth)
  • Civics, or Political Science - 1/2 credit
  • World Civilizations - 1/2 credit
  • Bible Study - 1 credit
  • American Literature - 1 credit
    (again, Honors credit may be appropriate)
  • Composition - 1/2 or 1 credit, depending upon the extent of writing your student completed during the year
        NEW! Sonlight's Economics Program
Sonlight combines dynamic multimedia videos, excellent notes and interactive exercises with the Bible and modern literature for a clear, critical view of the macro and micro Economics. From basic theory to "Political Instability and Trade," get your student ready for success in college placement or AP exams.

        NEW! College & Career Planning Program

Created by me - a homeschool mom who has launched students from high school into college - and tailored just for homeschoolers, these materials guide students in identifying their unique abilities and the way God has created them to serve others.  Once this is accomplished, the program provides tips on planning high school studies to maximize the student's preparation for college or work after graduation.

        Worldview Training

Understanding the Times Homeschool Edition
is a video-based curriculum that brings a host of Christian worldview and apologetic experts into your classroom. This class will help students clearly understand the tenets of the Christian worldview and how it compares with the tenets of other leading worldviews of our day: Islam, Secular Humanism, Marxism, New Age, and Postmodernism. Prepare your students to recognize and confront the worldviews that saturate Western society. As they first gain an understanding of what Westerners believe, and evaluate those beliefs from a biblical perspective, they will learn how to formulate biblical answers to today's popular anti-Christian arguments.

Geography & Map Work

Incorporate the notebook approach for covering Geography with your high school student.  Using Uncle Josh's Outline Maps, you can print from a selection of 124 maps - covering the world, continents and countries - for your student to fill in using references from the Core Instructor's Guide. As you study through American History, World History and World Cultures with Sonlight's Core programs, your student will amass an impressive collection of geographical references ... all familiar to him because of the people and places you have studied through Sonlight's literature. These maps can be labeled and color coded to suit the student.

High School Timeline

For those older students who prefer not to continue mounting timeline figures in the Book of Time, you can create a narrative timeline using the computer word processor.  Set up a page with a left-hand column for the date and a wide column for the description.  As you make entries, insert them chronologically and color-code the print to identify people, places, wars, inventions, and whatever other categories you wish to identify.  This timeline can be maintained on the computer and a reference copy printed on a regular basis for review.

High School Transcripts

There are a variety of approaches to take in preparing a transcript for a high school student.  These are some of the resources that I have used, or have heard good reports about, as I have prepared my sons' transcripts:

Instruction for completing your own transcripts

Resources for having a transcript prepared