Utah State Fair with photo results

Grade 9

before the school bell rings

On Sunday morning I sat down to organize the materials for school.  It's hard to believe we start hitting the books in a few weeks!

For us school starts on Wed August 22.  We are following the SLC school district calendar.  That is also the day the gym schedule switches from morning training to the afternoon schedule.

I write all of our curriculum.  Yep, from Kindergarten to now!!! Wow, ninth grade! I have been working for months to create a 4-year high school plan for Beach.

When I consider the bookwork we will use I usually have one focus- Beach.  Will she like this?  Is it engaging enough? Is the formatting friendly to her visual disability?  Will it challenge her?  Is this something useful to her?  Oh, don't worry she will demand I have the answer to that one!  Does this meet the standard of work her peers in the school system are doing?  Will she enjoy the end result of this course/project?

Why do I weigh her wants so heavily? One, because I can.  She is the only kid in the classroom.  I can teach through her interests without worrying about what anyone else thinks.  Two, when she is interested in what she is learning my job is SO easy!  Actually, when she is happy and engaged I don't have a job.  And three, because there are too many great ways to learn something to waste time with something she doesn't love.

This year I had 2 extra challenges in the mix: college readiness and NCAA standards for student athletes.

With a full high school load to balance we have gone back to using a student planner.  It is a simple 3-Ring binder with college rule notepaper and a few dividers for extra papers.  We use a basic format; days of the weeks with check off boxes for the assignments, noted appointments or events, and a place for quick notes about the day if needed.

I got us started by put in the work/plan of events for the first 2 weeks of school.  Once we get going we will fill the planner out on Fridays.

The reason to do planning on Friday for the following week is it gives Beach the weekend to get started if she has a busy week ahead- like say a travel meet.  Part of what she needs to practice is time management.  This allows for her to do that.

Friday is also the day for quizzes, tests, catch-up and submission of the week's work.  Later in the year this might require taking quizzes or tests while out on travel.  I am up for the challenge!

In order to get through all the math and English needed we have to stick to a schedule.  Of course I will have leeway over the specifics.  Once our travel meets are announced I can compare them to the major milestones like midterms and term ends to see how they line up.
 
Speaking of work, what is she officially taking this year?  Biology, English Comp, English Lit, Algebra I, Sign Language I, World History, Photography, and Art.

Unofficially, Home Economics, Agriculture, Film Studies, Community Events, PE, and Driver's Education.  It's great to be a homeschooler!

photography II

Course Name: Photography II

Grade/Year Taken: 9th

Graduation Credit: Arts (.25)

Teacher of Record: Misty L. Brown

Prerequisite: Previous experience with digital photography

Text(s) and Materials Used: NHMU Nature All Around Us photography contest guidelines, Utah State Fair 2018 Photography submission guidelines.

Course Description:  This course is designed to challenge the student to produce original, well composed digital photography works under specific guidelines relating to subject matter and formatting.  The construct is intended to build the student’s organizational skills and ability to follow multi step directions within the artistic process.    

Course Content:  1.) The student will produce 3 original works to be submitted to Nature All Around Us Photography contest NHMU (Sept 4, 2018).  2.) The student will produce an accomplished portfolio of work to be submitted to the Utah State Fair meeting all requirements for judging (Sept 6, 2018).

Types of Assessments Used: Participation and engagement Adherence to the specific guidelines of each assignment  Creativity and originality of composition

Grade Based On: A. 100-90 B. 89-80 C. 79-70 D. 69-60 F. 59-0 Participation = 40 NHMU Portfolio = 20 Utah State Fair Portfolio = 40

R and B Home School High via NCAA standards

In April I posted (one more year, a school post) about the decision we made last Fall to give Beach another year in middle school verses starting 9th grade a year "early".

What a wonderful decision that was!!! We had an amazing year.  But guess what? That is year is over and the 9th grade has already started with a summer photography course (June 24-Sept 26).

Now that she is in high school we will be following the guidelines set down by NCAA.  Under those guidelines all of her classes and credits need to be fully accounted for.

I will be including the class descriptions and assignments in our home school posts.  Something I haven't done since about 2nd grade when I used to include my complete curriculum in my blog.

The number one reason I will be doing this is for my own record keeping.  The second, is to share our experiences as home schoolers following NCAA through high school.

Course descriptions and other straight up paper work posts will not be posted on my facebook page.  I don't think my friends and family want to see all that.  BUT If you are interested those types of posts they will be tagged by the label: NCAA.  Or you can subscribe to get the blog via a gmail account so all the posts come straight to your inbox.

Sometime this week I will put out Beach's 9th grade class schedule and the school year calendar along with the course description for the Photography II course using the NCAA course description templet... but right now it is time to leave for gym!

summer school

This is officially Beach's first day of 9th grade.  Pretty fitting first day of school pic of Beach out on the J trail in the middle of it all <3 Welcome to R&B Home School High & Art: Photography II (.25) Summer Quarter 2018.

Beach's first assignment is to enter 3 photos in the Nature All Around Us Photo Contest NHMU due Sept 4, 2018.  Second assignment is a portfolio of work for the Utah State Fair due Sept 6, 2018.

E. Beach Ries 

Jordan River Trail