Summer break was just what we needed after the tumultuous school year. My health returned and my husband was doing fine with an improved diet and exercise. A better option didn't show itself, so we marched on with our homeschooling charter school.
10th grade was a quick year, a satisfying year, a well organized year, and a year of accomplishments. It was our last year of math (Geometry) and our last year of science (Biology). We had an English class, a World History class, drama, and PE.
Helpful technology included MP3 audio files for our Biology textbook, online virtual labs, KhanAcademy.org for Geometry, Pearson Prentice Hall online textbook for literature and grammar, and Steck Vaughn online quizzes and interactive activities for World History.
Zack had a fun and informative time with the vendored science teacher for his Biology labs. His favorite labs were dissections! He dissected a frog, a snake, a sheep's heart and a turtle.
His love of drama continued in a class at Sutter Street Theatre which he took once a week for several months. He memorized several short scripts and perfected improvisation. He had two performances in February that he nailed. He then went on to Studio 24 where he began learning how to audition for various roles in acting. He continued to practice improvisation techniques and memorization of short scripts.
Some of the curriculum we used for English was Expressive Writing and Sequential Spelling. They both use incremental teaching strategies. They are for special needs students. For our drama unit, Zack really enjoyed No Fear Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This wonderful series gives the original play alongside a modern version. I read the original text out loud, and then Zack would read the modern interpretation. We had a lot of fun with this!
In February, Zack took the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) for the first time. It took two months to get the results back, but it was worth the wait. He passed! We were all ecstatic with the good news! He will now receive a diploma upon graduation instead of a certificate of completion. This should make a big difference when he applies to college and when he applies for employment.
I think one of the reasons Zack had such a good year is because of the nutritional and emotional support we provided him. Every morning he did a meditation called Kirtan Kriya that harmonized his left and right brain hemispheres. It's a meditation that has been tested on Alzheimer's patients to help with cognitive functioning. I think doing it every morning got Zack's brain ready to receive the lessons of the day. It certainly brought down his overall anxiety, not just in school, but in all areas of his life. He also began taking 1 mg of melatonin at bedtime and Magnesium Citrate which helped him sleep better. The other new supplement was D3. I began giving him 2500 mg per day.
10th grade went by quickly and smoothly. All of his toughest classes are done. I'm looking forward to a more relaxed 11th grade experience.
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