Our annual competition expo at co-op is always so much fun. With three children entering projects now, we hit an all-time high for family entries – 21! Stressful, yes. Worth it, oh yes!
The photo collages are in no particular order and don’t show every single project we entered. Some projects were created by a 9th grader, some by a 6th grader and some by a PKer. (We only took part in the art, construction, sewing and cooking competitions. There were probably six other categories we could’ve entered. I’m tellin’ ya, this night is amazing!)
Many homeschool moms who teach co-op classes develop their own curriculum. Me, too, for the most part. However, I’ve found it a little more difficult to design a thorough, engaging curriculum for middle and high school students that doesn’t leave me studying and preparing for hours.
As a curriculum reviewer, a lot of great curriculum has come my way that doesn’t quite work within a homeschool environment, but has a very useful place in a classroom full of students. Much of it quite appropriate for older students. To keep a record for myself and hopefully help others, I’ve created a list of some of those really good co-op resources.
Of course, a lot of curriculum written directly for homeschoolers can work well in class situations, too, but I want to focus on some of the more unusual options in this post.
For Middle/High School
Don’t be fooled. Yes, Teaching Economics Using Children’s Literature utilizes some pretty elementary book selections (as well as several chapter books), but the lessons teach some super-serious economics concepts like goods and services, production resources, investment, cost opportunity and SO many more! Not to mention, many of the lesson ideas are very concrete and/or hands-on. I believe the curriculum was likely written for the upper elementary student, but I already have plans to propose using it with middle school students at my co-op next year. Couple this with the free Playdough Economics curriculum and you’ve got quite an in-depth study!
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My friends at Prufrock Press know how to develop engaging curriculum for older classrooms! Each of the studies below currently sit on my shelves just waiting to be presented to the co-op curriculum committee as they prepare for next year.
Ecopolis is an economics/government resource where each person in the class plays a part in a simulated town. Students get a chance to have jobs, make speeches, elect officials, pay taxes, compete in business and more. It’s very student-directed with the teacher playing the role of a facilitator rather than lecturer. Reproducible handouts, role cards, graphics and a posttest are ready to go for you.
Okay, I’m going to be the first to admit that this study goes a little beyond my understanding. However, I feel certain that I could follow the directions as written and likely teach this without having much prior knowledge about the subject (and maybe I need to push myself to do this.) Math in the Marketplace is a course for understanding investments, banking and the stock market. Again, the method is a simulation where your class takes on the roles of investors, bankers and stockbrokers and work together to try to make (pretend) money. Plenty of handouts, graphics and teacher talking points are included.
Order in the Court
allows you to teach the judicial system through participation! After learning about the ins and outs of each person’s role in the courtroom, all the students get to play a part in a mock trial based on the story of The Three Little Pigs. Role-playing cards, forms to write opening/closing statements and examinations/cross-examinations, rubrics to define the expectations of each role, and more are included to make the “proceedings” both easy for the teacher and clear for the students. Fun!
What’s Your Opinion? can be used as a speech, debate and/or persuasive writing course. Through various exercises, students learn how to build good arguments on debatable subjects. As with any course that is not overtly Christian in content, there may be some topics you choose to skip over or replace, but the process is very good. Each lesson builds on the next (using various activities and topics) so that, by the end, the student is able to create a thoroughly defended and convincing argument.
Mythology is a debatable topic among Christians. In our home, we have introduced our children to mythology for the simple fact that they need to know what other cultures have believed and where some of the current day religions have developed their beliefs. Teaching mythology has actually served to strengthen our Christian beliefs as we’ve discovered points at which ancient people went astray from the One True God. I consider the knowledge of mythology to be ancient apologetics of sorts.
In Mythology for Teens, each lesson begins with a little skit for your students to perform. Afterwards, discussions ensue about such things as story elements and themes, morality/immorality of the gods, and character traits. Ideas for activities include drawing, writing, comparing and contrasting, and researching. In some instances, students are asked to compare a myth to the Bible, and a good teacher will find opportunities around every corner to bring more Biblical discussions into the class.
Have you ever wanted to teach a course on Shakespeare, but haven’t a clue where to start? Julius Caesar is one of several Advanced Placement courses on Shakespeare that Prufrock Press has available. Through performances, debates, hands-on activities, writing, speeches, art and more, your students will dive deep into understanding (and maybe even enjoying) Shakespeare. Plenty of handouts and lengthier projects are provided for homework assignments, too, if you wish.
The following book I actually used in my home because it works well in the homeschool environment. As we were going through it, I kept thinking, “What a great course to use with a co-op or Sunday school class!” So, my last suggestion for the day…
Learning About Islam is one of the most complete, “kid-friendly”, easy to read books about Islam as it pertains to Christianity that I’ve read. It’s a super-easy read, meaning you will want to purchase one per child in your class so they can have it as reference. For you, there is not a “curriculum” to follow, per say, although several ideas for activities are sprinkled throughout the book. You will likely have to be slightly creative if you want to do more than read and discuss during your class. However, there are so many concepts, definitions, Bible tie-ins, prayer points, and charts that you will have loads of “real” talking points and can easily create quizzes or tests from the material if you choose. In the end, your students will have a thorough understanding of the history of Islam, the culture of Muslims today, current missionary work, talking points when witnessing to Muslims and so much more.
I’d love to hear about treasured curriculum you’ve used with middle and high school co-op classes!
At co-op this year, I have the privilege of teaching two logic & critical thinking classes – one for high school and one for middle school. We’re having a great time together! I promised a little look inside that class, so here goes.
I’m doing similar things for both classes – expecting more depth, harder activities, a little homework and a few tests for the high school class. We’re:
completing logic matrix puzzles,
learning about logical fallacies,
playing critical thinking games, and
solving mysteries.
Both classes began with a Biblical understanding about why it’s so important for Christians to learn to think critically and how the Bible proves that fact to us. We discussed and memorized Bible verses based on this important article by Nathaniel Bluedorn.
Each week finds us doing something different and exciting. I’m using activities and ideas from various resource books, most of which are below. You’ll notice some of the books are meant for upper elementary students. I’ve found these are a good place to start with my middle school class which consists of 5th-8th graders, most having never enjoyed logic & critical thinking before.
At least once a month, I simply bring games that reinforce logic & critical thinking. The kids love learning new games and you can’t beat the super-fun method for learning!
Once I take more pictures, I’ll share another look-see into the class!
You might also be interested in reading my reviews of logic materials posted over at The Curriculum Choice.
School has been out since the end of April, meaning all the school-related posts that I’ll be publishing soon are way overdue. Oh well, better late than never. Our summer vacation has been nothing short of a whirlwind so far, but I wouldn’t trade the busyness with my sweet family for anything! I’ll try to post some summer fun posts once in awhile, too.
Some of you know that our co-op hosts a yearly competition expo. We love taking part and the photos below show my children’s entries this year.
Mahayla
Chocolate Cream Pie
Honey Oatmeal Yeast Bread
Acrylic Painting
Knitted Doily
Caleb
Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Acorn Forest Wood Project
Paper Craft
3-D Animal Cell
Eli
3-D Fish
Hot Rocks Painting
And my sweet parents who helped organize the art competition.
At co-op, we have a “serious” field day with class competitions and ribbons and awards. A group of friends in our hometown also gets together for a more “casual” field day. Each of the moms prepares a simple game or two – many involving water and relays – and we just have fun together. No awards or ribbons necessary.
This year, we brought potluck food for lunch and our wonderful hostess opened up her pool after the festivities. My children always look forward to this fun day, but the pool made it extra-special!
Little ones enjoyed their own pool while the big kids played games.
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