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How to Build High School Curriculum Directly From Amazon

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Knowing how to build high school curriculum directly from Amazon is a valuable skillset when you want to know how to homeschool well. Check out my how to homeschool high school page for awesome tips.

You may not think so in the beginning, but you soon realize there is NO one right way to homeschool high school. So you need flexibility and options to change midstream.

Quickly, you can build a high school homeschool curriculum package which suits your teen.

How to Build High School Curriculum Directly From Amazon

Today, I’m showing you what is important to know right away and what you can decide later.

However, before I go on, here are my super helpful posts for How to Build Elementary Homeschool Curriculum Directly From Amazon and How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon.

Many states are flexible meaning you don’t have many requirements to fill for high school according to the law.

5 Steps to Build High School Homeschool Curriculum

Step 1.
Meet Your State Law.

State law is your first starting point.

Know exactly what requirements you need to meet.
Don’t make this harder than it has to be by using a measuring stick that is unbending. Simply, meet the state law. Your own measuring stick is different.

If you’re having trouble knowing or finding your local law, shoot me an email or post here. I’ll help you to be sure that you’re in the absolute know.

Step 2.
Determine Credits by Choosing a Path – Career or College.

Next, don’t get sideways like I did when my first teen told me he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.

If your teen knows right away that he’ll choose a career or college track, then that is your perfect starting points for subjects to fill.

Ask the college about subjects if your teen is college bound; this is not as hard as it appears.

Most colleges maintain a website for admission. Right away you can see the number of credits they require for each subject. Boom – done.

If your teen doesn’t know what he wants to do like a majority of adults today, then try to give him what I call a traditional high school experience.

This keeps all doors open for whatever direction your teen chooses.

Next, a traditional high school experience will include these subjects below with 4 years being closer to what colleges want for a college bound teen and 2 to 3 years for subjects for a teen who is not college bound:

  • 2 to 4 years of Math. Intro to Algebra is now considered middle school, but in our parents time it started in high school. If a teen is pursuing a science or math major, then intro to Algebra begins in middle school and Algebra 1, 2 and Geometry and another higher course will be needed.
  • 3 to 4 years for English or I like the term Language Arts which we have used up to this time. English doesn’t just mean covering grammar or composition. It can be any theme or subject your teen likes that has to do with writing or speaking. For example, poetry, British or American authors, literature analysis, public speaking, world literature, vocabulary study, and etc.
  • 2 to 4 Sciences and with Lab. Typically Biology, Chemistry and Physics are what I call the main three areas to study. I have two sciences listed because kids that are not science majors may choose to do only two sciences; kids who are college bound will need more.
  • 2 to 4 Social Studies. Again, I don’t like this term but it’s the one used in colleges. I prefer the terms history, geography, social science, American government, world geography, etc. In addition, I again list only two years if your child is not college bound. If your child is college bound or you’re wanting to leave the door open for college, then stick closer to 3 or 4 years.
  • 1 to 4 Foreign Languages. Again what is accepted in one college may not be in another. Too, ASL is considered the study of a foreign language with some colleges. If your child is not college bound and there are no requirements for foreign language in your state, then you and your teen decide how many years.
  • 4 to 5 Electives. Electives are subjects that are subjective. This means you have much room to either add them to your teens load or focus more on core subjects like math, language arts, science and social studies.
  • 1 – 3 Fine Arts and Physical Education. Normally a few years to study fine arts is a good rule of thumb and like one credit for physical education unless of course these topics are your child’s college majors.

Build High School Curriculum

Step 3.
Determine a 2 – 5 year Graduation Plan.

Next, determine how long your teen will be in high school.

Some teens do a two year study and align the other years with an apprenticeship. Some teens prefer dual enrollment and still others need another year to mature.

Four years is not always the magic number for graduating; it’s a good guide. Moreover, grab my high school planning pages too and fill in as you go.

How to Build High School Curriculum Directly From Amazon

Download the High School Planning Page below.

High-School-Planning.pdf (5034 downloads )

Too, read Free Homeschool High School Planning Sheet (and pssst help for high school too) if you need more help on planning and then also grab the Editable High School Transcript.

Step 4.
Choose Core Subjects First, The Other Subjects Can Wait

Then, narrow down the overwhelm more by selecting first the books and courses need to fill the core subjects.

When homeschoolers use the word core it can mean various things. Some states divide subjects by core and non-core.

For example, some states require math, language arts, history and science as the core subjects.

When I talk about core, I mean the skill subjects which are the three Rs – reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. They have been your child’s 3 legged stool for an excellent education up to this time and they continue to be important in high school.

The point is unless your state requires other subjects, use your hard earned dollars for the skill subjects first. Unless social studies and science are required immediately, you can purchase those items in increments to give your budget a rest.

Step 5.
Choose Curriculum from Amazon by mixing and matching resource type.

Finally, you now have a big picture of the resources you need from Amazon.

In addition, to help you choose resources wisely, I have divided resources by topic or subject. Do not forget that many kids today learn well by videos and hands-on activities.

So don’t limit your choices to just textbooks or books. Look at the choices below for each subject.

Math High School Homeschool Curriculum From Amazon

Science High School Homeschool Curriculum From Amazon

Science Lab Component High School From Amazon

History and Social Studies High School Homeschool Curriculum From Amazon

Language Arts High School Homeschool Curriculum From Amazon

MORE Language Arts High School Homeschool Curriculum From Amazon

High School Graduation and College Readiness Curriculum From Amazon

Electives High School Homeschool Curriculum From Amazon

Also, do not forget to visit my store on Amazon. 
I have Lists created by subjects so you can see more choices.

High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages

Last but not least, I have listed all-in-one programs below. Sometimes you just need to start with a framework. I’ve listed curriculum packages below.

Remember that you can always tweak them to suit your student’s needs. You don’t have to use all-in-one programs as it. I firmly believe all of them are to be tweaked even if just a bit to suit your teen’s schedule, needs, and goals.

All-In-One Programs

How to Build High School Curriculum Directly From Amazon

Also, grab these other tips below to help flesh out any interests your teen may have:

I know you can give your child a solid education when you build the curriculum yourself. Did this give you a starting point?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Mama Pho says

    I appreciate wanting things to be easy! Please, let’s try to take the extra step and buy locally or from a small or homeschool online business. Let’s stop making Amazon richer. Many of these companies are owned by fellow homeschoolers. Home Science Tools, Homeschool Buyers Co-op, Homeschool Used Book, Rainbow Resource, and Christian Book have a ton of homeschool materials! Buying directly from the publisher would be great too!

    Reply

    • Tina Robertson says

      Hi Mama Pho,

      I’m glad you’re here and appreciate your comment. I know you don’t know me personally, but having homeschooled over 20 years I have almost for my whole journey bought directly from homeschool companies. I believe 100 percent in supporting homeschool companies. However, I have also lived in places where we had no homeschool store or I just couldn’t absorb the shipping costs. Having options to keep on homeschooling was my goal.
      Thanks for being here.

      Reply

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