Amy's Wandering

*Disclosure: I received a free set for review purposes and am being compensated for my time. I am not required to give a positive review.  As always,  I am sharing my honest opinion with you.

Sometimes I really miss our early years of homeschooling, when our schooling had a decidedly Charlotte Mason flair. Our days were spent reading lovely books and exploring nature. Then came high school.

I realize it is very possible to apply Charlotte Mason’s principles to a high school curriculum plan. However, I am a non-multitasking momma of five kiddos that range from kindergarten to twelfth grade. It’s just not going to happen.

What I HAVE done is try to avoid boring textbooks as much as possible when choosing curriculum for my high schoolers. We definitely fall into the Eclectic category. The downside to this is that I worry about gaps in their education because we are not just going step-by-step through a book.

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum has really helped to bridge that gap for us.

My twelfth grader has been working her way through English Literature and Philosophy. Instead of one large book, each of the four chapters has a text workbook and an activity workbook. There is also a Teacher’s Key with activity keys, quizzes, quiz keys, tests, and test keys. It is encouraging for my daughter to be able to work towards finishing one book and starting the next.

Study literary themes using historical texts

This English IV course studies historical authors who were “firsts” in their fields. Their writings are used to study literary themes, enhance vocabulary, and build moral character. The activity workbook is a good mix of multiple choice, discussion, and essay questions. *You can view samples at the bottom of this page.

These are just a few of the writers covered in the first chapter:

• Benjamin Franklin
• Phyllis Wheatley
• Thomas Paine
• Anne Bradstreet
• George Washington
• Samuel Adams
• Jonathan Edwards
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The reading is meaty and meaningful, and the assignments really make my daughter think about what she is reading instead of just regurgitating information.

PAC is not just for Advanced Homeschoolers

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum courses are advanced, but that doesn’t mean they are only for students pursuing an accelerated education. My daughter is not college bound at the moment. She will be interning with my husband after she graduates. But we don’t want her to take the easiest path just because she doesn’t need the extra credit. We want her to stretch her mind and, more importantly, strengthen her character. I simply break up each activity section into what I think she can handle in a day. I love the flexibility!

Another benefit to the individual chapters is the ability to purchase only what I need. I decided to give PAC a trial run with my tenth grader, so I ordered chapter one of the English Composition Skills course and also the digital Teacher’s Key. (I can’t wait to get it!) If it works for her, I will purchase the entire set next year.

More details about Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum

The PAC curriculum is also available in digital format through “Audio Enhanced Textbooks” which read aloud to students while simultaneously highlighting the text on the computer screen, smartphone, or tablet.

PAC is in the process of incorporating QR codes into all of their courses, allowing the students to access extra content via smartphone. As of now, the only course with this technology is biology.

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum offers these discounts:

40% off for

• homeschool groups (minimum purchase $1000)
• single parents

20%  off for

• ministry families
• military families
• farmers and ranchers
• first responders
• foster parents

Call Paradigm at 325-649-0976 for a discount code to use during the checkout process if you fit into one of these categories.

I really look forward to adding Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum to our school lineup next year!

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