JJ's JUNIOR YEAR - What Our Spring Semester Looked Like

This school year, (JJ's Junior Year) is definitely a year to remember. It was completed earlier than our years in the past, but it wasn't really by choice. You see, we were all looking forward to taking a 2-week Spring Break in April and go on a family vacation to Florida; but, then, the COVID-19 Pandemic broke out, and our vacation plans came to a halt. With nothing else to do but stay home, we decided to continue working through our Spring Break, and that allowed us to officially finish our school year at the end of April.

Many parents have been forced into schooling their children at home these past couple of months, and I can imagine how hard that must be for them. For us, it hasn't been as much of a shock to our family dynamic because we were already homeschooling. However, the Pandemic has certainly changed the way we have done things, has "messed up" our plans, and has produced lonely and stressful situations for all of us. I can say for certain, schooling at home during a stay-at-home order is not a typical way of homeschooling, and we are hoping/praying that next school year will allow us do things the way we are used to doing them.

Here's a brief update on our

Spring Semester:

NUTRITION CLASS:  JJ and CV were almost finished with Nutrition class before they could no longer meet together for lessons. For their final project, they were supposed to plan a menu, shop for ingredients, and cook a meal for both of our families. They got as far as planning the menu but, unfortunately, were unable to shop and cook as a team. The boys enjoyed learning together while it lasted.

Comparing nutrition labels on cereal boxes

CAREER EXPLORATION:  During 1st Semester, we finished our book-work and visited a Funeral Home, a charcoal artist, and the local Post Office. We had planned on visiting several more businesses in the 2nd semester, but plans changed big time once the Pandemic broke out. We did manage to get a Career Fair in that was held at the High School, and JJ was able to get some new ideas about potential jobs from there. He also visited a friend at the local Subway, then filled out and turned in his first job application. Again, the Pandemic stopped that job possibility from happening. He will try applying for a job again at a later date.

Career/Job Fair

 
STRENGTH & FITNESS CLASS:  The gym where JJ has his classes, of course, closed its doors during the Pandemic, which was sad. But, JJ has been able to continue with his class via Zoom meetings. He is very dedicated to getting and staying fit, and does not want to miss a class if possible. I'm glad the Zoom meetings became an option for him.

MODERN WORLD HISTORY:   This is one of the classes the Pandemic did not change. After finishing Ancient World History in 1st semester, JJ used a history textbook to get a good overview of Modern World History. He read a portion each day, wrote a brief summary, and watched a topic-related video.

ALGEBRA I:  Again, no change in this class, but whew! We made it through it, and JJ passed with a C grade. That's really about all I have to say about that! Then, with the few weeks we had left over, he moved on into an introduction of Geometry.

JUMP IN (WRITING):  No big changes with this class either. JJ completed all his writing assignments. Honestly, he didn't enjoy writing them, but at least he got through the course and learned a little more about how to organize his thoughts. The final assignment was to do a book report. JJ chose the 3rd book in the Michael Vey series which I read aloud for us both to hear. Because of our time at home, we were able to get in some extra reading time and finished the book quicker than we normally would have.

Typing a Book Report

OTHER MISC. PHOTOS FROM
OUR SEMESTER:

Volunteering at a local food distribution

Helping Dad change the kitchen faucet

EL taking part in a Zoom "show and tell"

Church at Home

Mom wearing a mask at a doctor appointment

Mowing the lawn

Assembling one of 4 Star Wars puzzles

JJ's JUNIOR YEAR - FALL 2019 Field Trips

Here's a quick peek at some of the interesting places we visited during JJ's first Semester of Junior year. . . .

September 16, 2019 - We stopped at a local cafe' to watch charcoal artist, Mack Leighty, in action. It was interesting to have our questions answered and to watch him work. His charcoal drawings are so incredibly detailed that they look like black and white photographs. 

One of the finished drawings.

September 18, 2019 - A fun trip to Casey, IL, to see all the BIG things, many of which are in the Guinness Book of World Records. JJ is pictured here in a big bird cage with two of his cousins.

November 16, 2019 - JJ took his first college trip with a group of friends/family to visit the campus of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

Post Office

November 21, 2019 - We took a visit to the local Post Office to see how things are run behind the counter.

We are still exploring job/career options this year, and hope to be visiting several more businesses during this final Semester of Junior year.

JJ'S JUNIOR YEAR: 1st Quarter Review

We are off to a great start this year, probably our best year of High School so far. The work has not been tedious, and JJ is able to do most of his work independently now, as long as I give him instructions ahead of time. He has chosen to do most of his book work in the evenings before bed (because he is not a morning person.) However, I still sit with him mid to late mornings as he goes through Algebra lessons & Ancient History; and also guide our Nutrition class in the afternoons.

ANCIENT HISTORY - We are currently watching Drive Thru History's Ancient History DVD series, along with answering the provided discussion questions. It is interesting and educational material, especially for visual learners.

WORLD GEOGRAPHY - JJ is using The Geography Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit. This is a book for all ages that gives great practice in paying attention to detail, while also learning geographical locations. He is not thrilled with it, but is doing the work and learning from it.

ALGEBRA I - This has been one of our easiest years with Math so far. We are using SchoolYourself.org, a FREE online curriculum that covers the basics of Algebra. The lessons are short, and he is understanding them for the most part. Some areas he still struggles with, but we are working through the program with much less struggle this year than in previous years.   

WRITING INSTRUCTION - We are using Jump In, by Apologia (A workbook approach for reluctant OR eager writers). So far, he has learned how to write an "Opinion" paper, and is currently working on a "How-to" paper.  Writing is not his favorite subject, but I love how this workbook breaks things down into easy steps and is helping him learn the benefits of different forms of writing. Someday, he'll thank me for putting him through it. (I hope.)

VOCABULARY - We went over all of the words in 1000 High Frequency Words listed on K12 Reader, covered several new words in 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know, and he is also using Explode the Code for some additional phonics/vocabulary review.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE - We decided to drop a foreign language for now. The Tok Pisin he had chosen on UTalk.com did not work out as well as we had hoped. He already finished one year of Spanish his Freshman year, so we will wait and see if college is something he wants to pursue. If it is, then another year of Spanish would be a good option during his Senior year. If he does not pursue college, then Foreign Language isn't really necessary. So, we aren't stressing over it at this point.

CAREER EXPLORATION - We finished the main workbook from 7 Sisters Career Exploration, took an Interest Assessment on Career One Stop, and have been watching career videos on You Tube to see which jobs/careers might spark some interest. So far, he has a few things he is showing interest in, most of them hands-on types of jobs. He knows for certain he does not want a desk job, or anything that requires a lot of Math. 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION - He is still going strong with attending a teen strength and fitness class at a local gym. They meet on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. He is being challenged, and is enjoying seeing how he improves.

NUTRITION - We meet to have this class once per week with our friend CV. It is going well. The boys have so far learned about the essentials of drinking water over sugary drinks, different forms of carbohydrates and fats, the importance of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. We are using Janice VanCleave's Food and Nutrition for Every Kid, related videos on TedEd, and several Nutrition worksheets by Milliken.

NUTRITION EXPERIMENT:  Which banana tastes sweeter, the less ripe or more ripe? ANSWER:  The more ripe. WHY? Most fruits grow sweeter as they ripen because the starches in the fruits digest (break down) into sugars.

STRATEGY CLUB - After Nutrition class, the boys choose a game to play that requires strategizing skills. So far, they have played Checkers, Connect Four, Battleship, and Stratego. They have been enjoying this and learning from it.

STRATEGY CLUB - Week 1

 
OTHER ACTIVITIES this year have included Boy Scouts twice a month, volunteering at a local food distribution once per month, attending church on Sundays, Youth Group on Wednesdays, and also a teen hangout on Saturday nights. In his spare time, he is also learning to play songs on the keyboard (self-taught by using You Tube), learning Aurebesh & Huttese (an official Star Wars alphabet and language), and has been involved with making and editing short videos for his and cousin Jon's You Tube channel, JON SQUARED. One of their most-liked videos so far is THE MAGIC CLOSET. Check it out, and subscribe to their channel to see more. 


NOTE:  JJ is at the age where I don't like to post his personal business without his approval. So, he read over this with me and allowed me to post. Our friend, CV, also approved the photos that include him.

Back to School 2019 - JJ's Junior Year

Traditional breakfast: Toaster Strudel and a banana

Today was the start of  JJ's Junior year. He has a good load of courses again this year; but won't be doing everything all at the same time. David and I (with a bit of input from JJ also) came up with a course of study that will hopefully be challenging, but not too boring, for a visual, hands-on learner.

This is what we have chosen to use for his curricula this year:

• World History Overview (1 credit) - Drive Thru History's Ancient History, and The History of the Modern World textbook are the spines we will branch out from.
• World Geography (1/2 credit) - The Geography Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit. (This may sound like a children's book, but it's for all ages. The coloring provides practice in paying attention to detail, and also helps memorization of geographical locations.)
• Algebra I (1 credit) -We will be starting with SchoolYourself.com, a FREE online curriculum that covers the basics, and might also use other online resources for more help and/or practice.  
• English/Writing Instruction (1 credit) - Jump In, by Apologia - A workbook for reluctant OR eager writers that teaches how to write persuasive papers, expository essays, descriptions, narration, and poetry. For Vocabulary, we will be going over 1000 High Frequency Words as  listed on K12 Reader, as well as covering one new word per day from 100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know.
• Foreign Language: Tok Pisin (AKA Talk Pidgin, one of the three official languages of Papua New Guinea (1 credit) - UTalk.com
• Bible (1/2 credit) - We will be doing this with Dad in the evenings. Our spine is Drive Thru History's DVD series of "The Gospels"
• Physical Education (1/2 credit) - A membership to a Teen strength and fitness class at a local gym. He did this last year and loved it, so will be continuing this year as well. Classes are held 2x per week starting in September.  
• Nutrition & Health (1/2 credit) - Using a variety of resources, including Janice VanCleave's Food and Nutrition for Every Kid and several Milliken worksheets on Nutrition. 
• Career Exploration (1/2 credit) - Using the 7 Sisters Career Exploration curriculum.
• Extracurricular - Strategy Club with a friend.

We are looking forward to a great school year!