It’s been a bit of a curriculum frenzy around here as we’ve not only been writing curriculum plans for elementary/middle school but we’ve also been researching curriculum to flesh out our overall plans for middle and high school. We’re still in the midst of reviewing resources to formulate a scope and sequence for our two teenage sons (which we aim to provide here this summer), but if you’re looking for curriculum that will equip you to teach your middle and high school students subjects such as Logic, Latin, Biology, Writing, Rhetoric, or History, now may be a good time to take a look through what Compass Classroom has to offer! Free lessons and downloads are available for almost everything that Compass Classroom offers, so be sure to check those out those free lessons here.
Although the following resources are available separately, many of the resources below are also part of the Compass Classroom Membership, a monthly subscription option allowing homeschool families access to over 50 courses (consisting of over 1400 videos). You can test drive all the courses for free for a week at this link!
Included in the Compass Classroom Membership are the following courses:
- American History (130 videos + PDF book/1 History Credit)
- Modernity/Modern World History (135 videos + PDF book/1 History Credit)
- Antiquity (130 videos+ PDF book/1 History Credit)
- Visual Latin 1 (90 videos + PDF book/1 Language Credit)
- Visual Latin 2 (90 videos + PDF book/1 Language Credit)
- Economics for Everybody (12 videos + PDF book)
- Devotional Biology (81 videos + PDF book/1 Lab Science Credit)
- Filmmaking from the First Directors (30 videos/1 Art Credit)
- Grammar of Poetry (Books Not Included) (30+ Videos/1 Half HS Literature )
- NEW Creative Writing through Literature (70 Videos/ 1/2 Language Credit)
- Grammar for Writers (41 Videos / 1 Half HS Language Arts or Writing Credit)
- Old Western Culture: The Greeks (48+ Videos/2 HS Literature and Social Studies Credit)
- Old Western Culture: The Romans (48+ Videos/2 HS Literature and Social Studies Credit)
- Old Western Culture: Christendom (48+ Videos/2 HS Literature and Social Studies Credit)
- Is Genesis History? Feature Film & Bonus Features
- Beyond Is Genesis History? Vol 1. Rocks & Fossils (20 videos)
- Beyond Is Genesis History? Vol 2. Life & Design (16 videos)
- Is Genesis History? Bible Study Set (6 videos + PDF book)
- Is Genesis History? 2017 Conference Videos (70+ Videos)
- Modern Parables Bible Study (12 videos + PDF book)
- Word Up! Vocabulary Series (30 videos)
- Audio Stories – 500+ Dramas, Radio Shows, and more
While you’re at it, you can also sign up for a free MyCompassClassroom account to experience discussion forums, support groups, and free courses! And.. visit this helpful website which lays out how to plan your year using Compass Classroom.
What We’re Most Excited About
First, we wanted to share what we’re most excited about using with our middle schooler and high schooler.
Economics for Everybody. This is a course each high schooler must take for at least one semester as part of the core curriculum, and we’re looking forward to using this program which incorporates hundreds of fun and fascinating clips from old movies and cartoons into the course’s instructional videos.
Grammar for Writers. This course taught by Jonathan Rogers (author of The Wilderking Trilogy) is designed to help students analyze their own writing, diagnose problems, and write better sentences.
We’ll provide a more in-depth summary of what our specific plans are (for all subjects) early this summer, so be sure to keep an eye out for that!
Note: When shopping at Compass Classroom, use our special discount code HHAW25 to receive a special 25% discount. Click here to browse and download sample lessons from all the great courses at Compass Classroom!
What We’ve Used and Highly Recommend!
Creative Writing through Literature (1/2 credit). Taught by Dr. Jonathan Rogers, author of The Wilderking Trilogy, this course is designed to help students to become better writers by examining and practicing techniques used in beloved classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hobbit, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Students learn to write compelling narrative through effective dialogue, memorable characters, and more. Try eight free lessons by clicking on “Sample Lessons.” Our second son took this course and absolutely LOVED it! I sat in on many of the lessons, and it was simply fantastic. Read our detailed review here.
Dave Raymond’s History (American, Modernity, Antiquity, and coming soon… Christendom!) As we’ve researched various options for U.S. History, we’ve narrowed it down to Dave Raymond’s History because of its fascinating and engaging blend of storytelling and primary source texts. It’s a one-year homeschool curriculum presented from a Christian worldview that includes 130 videos (5 lectures per lesson, ~15 min ea), 4 projects, a year-long portfolio, a student reader based on original sources (i.e., learning history from primary source texts), teacher’s guide, and weekly exams. It counts as one high school history/social studies credit and is our top pick for American history. Modernity is a study of world history from the 1500s to today. (Dave Raymond’s American History course has been wonderful for our teenagers! See what it’s like in this detailed review.)
Grammar of Poetry. This course lays down an excellent foundation in rhetorical skills in poetry and literature. The Grammar of Poetry uses the classical approach of imitation to explore the pictures (tropes) and music of poetry. It’s designed for students in 6-9th grade. Our second son is an award-winning poet, which he attributes to what he learned in this course.
Visual Latin. Any time Dwayne Thomas teaches anything, our children gather around to watch. This program is an amusing and delightful approach to learning Latin grammar. Partway into the program, it uses Lingua Latina, an immersive approach to applying Latin grammar to translation. It’s not what we’re currently using for Latin study, but it’s still something we recommend because our children honestly enjoy it more than any other Latin curriculum we’ve used. Read our detailed review here.
Introductory & Intermediate Logic. We used this program when our oldest was in Classical Conversations Challenge B. Although my husband especially enjoyed Introductory Logic, our oldest son was excited about the whole thing. (He just loves logic.) The videos were a must for our family. Read our detailed review here.
Word Up Latin and Greek Word Roots. A thoroughly amusing way to learn Greek and Latin roots! A favorite pastime in our home! Highly recommended!
Fitting Words. Study the most famous speeches of all time and practice the skills of effective oratory. This rhetoric curriculum trains students in the five skills of oratory: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery and provides opportunities for students to deliver their words with conviction, elegance, and persuasiveness. This high school course in rhetoric is the best we have found thus far!
More Resources!
We’re still looking into other resources available from Compass Classroom, but those listed above are the ones we’ve looked into in great detail and wholeheartedly recommend. If you’re looking for other middle or high school level courses, other courses include:
- Literature & Classics courses, including Old Western Culture.
- Science Resources, including Is Genesis History and Devotional Biology (which qualifies as one credit for high school biology).
- Economics Resources. Earn 1/2 credit for high school economics. (Two options available.)
- Filmmaking, for teaching students the art and history of film-making and how to make films one step at a time.
Compass Classroom offers free lessons for almost everything they sell so you can experience it beforehand. You can check the free downloads page. They also have a subscription option where you can access almost all these resources for free for a trial period.
Compass Classroom’s monthly membership is available as an app so you can take your learning on the go! You can sign up for one free week to try everything out, including the programs we have used and recommended in the past.
You can also sign up for a free MyCompassClassroom account to experience discussion forums, support groups, and free courses!
If you have any questions about this course or about the Compass Classroom Membership, just give us a shout! We’ll be glad to help in any way that we can!
Compass Classroom continues to develop classes and resources that equip parents to educate their older middle and high school students. If you’re uncomfortable with teaching certain subjects, it’s an affordable way to bring an instructor into your own home.
