Have you settled on homeschooling high school and made a decision which classes you are going to teach? If you answer is yes, it is now time for you and your student to create their four-year plan. [If you haven’t created your list of classes yet, please see Curriculum Requirements for Homeschooling High School before you dive into your four-year plan.]
The beautiful part of creating a plan is to keep us focused on the goal we are trying to achieve. There are days when the end feels too far away and your motivation weakens, but with the plan in hand and your goal in front of your eyes, it is much easier to push through. While working on the details of your student’s four-year plan, keep in mind that even though it should be as precise as possible, it is only a plan and must be kept flexible to reflect growth, change of interests, or even new life circumstances.
Let me share with you an example of a four-year high school plan we created for our school at home that has proved to be very profitable in helping us keep focused.
What Are the Typical High School Classes?
Following is a list of classes we originally considered for our four-year plan. However, keep in mind that there is almost no limit to the subjects you can teach.
- Language Arts – 4-8 Credits: Fundamentals of Literature, American Literature, British Literature, World Literature, Analyzing Literature, Composition, English (grade level) [You can either bundle the Language Arts into 4 credits, or, as some people do, separate them into 2 groups Literature & Composition.]
- Mathematics – 4 Credits: Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Consumer Math
- Science – 4 Credits: Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Life Science, Zoology, Astronomy
- Social Studies – 4 Credits: US History, American Government, World History, World Geography, Political Science, World Religions
- Foreign Language – 2 Credits: Most popular – Spanish, French, German, Latin; on the rise – Chinese, Russian
- Physical Education – 2 Credit: Any sport or class your child participates in
- Electives – 4-8 Credits: Business, Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Visual Arts, Performing Arts
How to Distribute the High School Classes Throughout the Four-Year Period
While deciding which classes to teach which school year, it is a good practice to follow some basic rules:
- Consider your child’s maturity level: For example, some children are excellent readers capable of diving into old English literature right from the 9th grade, some are not. It is safer to start off the 9th grade with Analyzing Literature than have them suffer though a British Literature course.
- Consider your child’s previous academics: For example, as some children have already completed Algebra 1 in the higher elementary grades, the natural continuation would be to jump straight to Algebra 2. However, many math curricula recommend slipping Geometry in between as Algebra 2 requires much more abstract thinking, which increases with every year during the student’s teenage years.
- Consider the natural sequence of classes: For example, it is a wise practice to teach U.S. History before approaching American Government as the knowledge of history will give your student a firm foundation to understanding the structure and functions of the government.
As an example, let us choose our favorite classes from those we have identified as “possibilities” for our homeschooler and distribute them across the four years of high school:
How to Assign Credits to a Class?
Once you have made a decision which classes you are going to teach and when, it is time to assign credits to each one of them to make sure you meet your state’s, future college, etc. credit requirements.
There are two ways to assign credits:
- By length of a course: Generally, 120 (60-minute) hours of classwork translate to 1 credit, while 60 hours or classwork translate to 0.5 credit. In other words, subjects that are studied intensively throughout the entire school year are awarded 1 credit, while subjects that last only one semester receive only 0.5 credits.
- By difficulty of a course: If your student is following a dual-credit path and takes CLEP or DSST exams, 3 college course credits translate to 1 high school credit. Even though it may take them only one month to prepare and succeed, it is, after all, a college level exam, therefore can be valued as one high school credit.
Following is an example of how to assign credits to your student’s 9th grade classes:
Creating a four-year plan for your high school student will give both you and your child peace of mind that you are ready to make the transition to the next level of education. Rest assured that with a solid but flexible plan, you can prepare your child for a successful future.
Our fully editable high school four-year plans are available for a free download with a purchase of How to Homeschool High School Ebook.
Are you looking for more High School resources?
HOW TO HOMESCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL eBook PLUS editable TEMPLATES
