Tag Archives: high school

Internship for High School Credit ~ Review

Are you looking for an internship opportunity for your teenager? Did you know your kids can earn high school credit for the real life experiences they gain doing an internship? Anytime of year you can fit in an internship experience will become an asset to your high school student’s future.

A great place to start your internship journey is a course offered by Apologia Educational Ministries called Internship for High School Credit.

Internship for High School Credit

Spiral Bound Text & Workbook All In One

99 pages

5 Chapters

Recommended for 9th -12th grade.

Retails $33.00

Internship for High School Credit workbook teaches students and parents all the steps necessary for obtaining and documenting their internship experience. This workbook is intended to be used for either 1 or 2 semesters. It includes the worksheets and activities to cover both semesters. Most states require a full year of study or 150 hours of instruction to earn a full credit on the high school transcript, and a half year of study for a half credit. You can check out your state where you live to find out how much credit is earned for each course taken.

A typical school semester is 16 weeks long. In general, for most students to earn 1/2 credit per course per semester. They will need to combine the instruction in the workbook and intern on the job about 5 hours a week for 15/16 weeks to earn 1/2 credit. This could be done in conjunction with this workbook over a semester or over a summer to equal about 75 hours. To earn 1 full credit for their transcript, a student will need to complete two semesters or 5 hours a week for 30+ weeks, or 10 hours a week for 15/16 weeks, to equal about 150 hours to reach the full credit.

Benefits from doing a high school internship include:

Explore a career of choice
Gain experience related to career goals
Gain marketable skills
Build confidence
Bolster resume for future job applications.
Increase potential job offers.
Learn day to day job responsibilities.
Discover potential likes and dislikes about a job.
Discover if a college degree is needed for a particular job of interest and understand how to set goals to get the job you desire.
Focus college major more closely on job interests.
Bolster College Application
Increase College Scholarship Opportunities

This course workbook contains 5 Chapters that cover about 40 +/- valuable lessons including worksheet activities and evaluations to complete.

Chapters and lessons include:

Part I: Getting Started

Determining the Type of Internship
Choosing a Company
Preparation
Receiving High School Credit
Writing a Résumé
Letter of Introduction
Sample Letter of Introduction
Sample Student Résumé
The Interview
After the Interview
Gearing Up for the First Day

Part II: Information for Parents

Choosing an Internship Location
Child Labor Laws
Transcript Documentation
Course Title and Number
Number of Credits
Grades

Part III: First Semester

How to Use the Worksheets
Semester Goals
Weekly Worksheet I
Weekly Worksheet II
Weekly Worksheet III
Weekly Worksheet IV
Midterm Work Performance
End-of-Semester Work Performance
Skills Gained
First Semester Summary
A Bonus Benefit

Part IV: Second Semester

How to Use the Worksheets
Biweekly Worksheet I
Biweekly Worksheet II
Midterm Work Performance
End-of-Semester Work Performance
Second Semester Summary

Part V: Course Wrap-Up

Final Writing Assignment
Thank-You Note
Sample Thank-You Note
Letter of Recommendation
Updating Your Résumé

The first two chapters can be completed before the internship begins and include writing resumes, setting goals, and finding internship opportunities. The last three chapters need to be completed during the actual internship because they involve worksheets including time logs and performance evaluations and finally updating the resume with the new skills and experience acquired.

I highly recommend this course for families with high school age students. This course has taught us how to set initial career goals, write a resume, and plan and evaluate an internship. We have enjoyed learning with this course and plan for the oldest son to do an internship at some point in the near future.

We have two boys currently of high school age and plan to order another workbook for the second oldest soon, then we have another one coming up in age right behind him too. So before long, we might have three boys using this course.

Before reviewing this course, both of the older two boys discussed doing an apprenticeship with a construction company, one wanted to work outdoors with his hands and the other wanted to work in the office setting and marketing, and the next son hasn’t yet decided where he would like to focus. I am confident this course will help him too. This course has given our family new ideas and a method for doing internships to reach new goals.

About the Author:

The author of Internship for High School Credit is Sherri Seligson. Sherri is a wife, mother, and homeschool mom. She is also an accomplished author, scientist, researcher, teacher, and speaker at homeschool conventions, retreats, and science fairs.

According to the Apologia website, Sherri Seligson earned a degree in biology/premed with an emphasis in marine science. She worked as a marine biologist for Disney World. Sherri also worked for a time with predatory ocean creatures and has published research on shark behavior.

Sherri Seligson has also written several homeschool courses for Apologia Educational Ministries. She has written the high school science curriculum “Exploring Creation with Marine Biology”, and she is the author and instructor for the DVDs that accompany the high school biology, chemistry, and advanced biology textbooks. She has also written several unit study e-books for Grace Hill Media to go with the Dolphin Tale films, War Horse, and the DVD educational series Little Angels.

If you are looking for information about where and how to start homeschooling with your kids, then check out all of the great homeschooling products Apologia has to offer such as How to HOMESCHOOL with Stunning Confidence, Contagious Joy, and Amazing Focus (DVD & Coursebook).

Social Media

Check out Apologia Educational Ministries social media links for all the latest news and product updates.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter: www.twitter.com/apologiaworld
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/apologiaworld
Google+: https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/apologiaworld

Homeschool Review Crew

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Digital Science Online Review

Digital Science Online

We received a one year subscription to Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) and Digital Science Online: Secondary Edition (Grades 6-12) . Each edition retails for $99 a year, and can be used by up to 8 students in the same home. It can be accessed 24/7. These programs can also be licensed for classroom use (price determined by classroom size), see the web site for more information.

Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5)

We chose to focus on the Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) for the purpose of this review. My children really enjoyed learning a variety of science topics with this program. The Elementary Edition includes two levels of learning: Primary K-2 (Physical Science, Earth Science, Life Science, Health) and Elementary 3-5 (Physical Science, Earth Science, Life Science). Units / Topics covered in each level are listed below.

Digital Science Online is divided into 5 easy to use parts in each edition: Video, Animations, Images, Student Content (Printable Activities,Worksheets), Teachers Content (Lesson Plans, Video Script, Materials Needed for experiments and hands on investigations, Quiz /Worksheet/Test Answer Keys, Teachers Tips).

Basically this is an easy to use guided classroom all wrapped up in one convenient online package. All you need is a computer and printer to use, and gather the supplies recommended for the hands on activities. Though older students may be able to work independently, younger students will need the parent / teacher’s help.

How We Used Digital Science Online:

We chose a few unit/topics from the Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) that we wanted to cover during the review (see list below). You can go through the subject however best fits your needs, but we went through each topic with this plan for our lessons:

Pre-video Quiz given by me (the parent/teacher) to learn what the kids already know about a science topic,
Then they watched a video or video clips that reinforced the topic.
Next they answered Video Review questions during the video or video clip as they are discussed.
Then they took a Post-video Quiz,
Next my kids completed several optional activities to explore the topic in a hands on way (observations (some observations were done outside), experiments, review the online animations and images quick guides, and complete several printable worksheets that reinforce the topic),
Finally my kids took a Topic Assessment Test.

The videos and video clips of the various topics are observed online. You can choose the topic you want to study and watch the entire video, or select a few short video clips to watch and stop to discuss or write down answers as you come to them.

Learning about 3 types of worms from the Simple Animals unit.

Some of the topics have a hands on experiments and activities to do, and some topics only have worksheets as the hands on component. Sometimes we substituted some of the materials for an activity based on what we had on hand. All of the worksheets are cross-curricular and promote skills in science, but also language arts, English, math, public speaking if done in groups, etc. All of the quizzes, tests, and worksheets are downloadable printables for the student to complete.

hole punched worksheet

I printed off the worksheets, quizzes, and tests for each unit/topic we were learning about. I used a three hole punch to put holes in the printables, and made a folder for each of my kids to put their completed worksheets in.

How to Measure Length Unit.

There is a huge list of approximately 136+ science units/topics available in both English and Spanish in the Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5), and another 125+ science units/topics in the Secondary Edition (Grades 6-12), so this program can last your classroom through out their school years. It can be used as the curriculum, or used as a supplement for other curriculum. I have only listed the unit/topics from the Elementary Edition below. You can choose to do them in any order you choose. We loved the freedom of being able to move around and choose the topics we wanted to learn about.

Topics in Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5)

Units of study: Grades K-2 collection
activities of plants, adaptations, animal behavior, biodiversity, blood and circulation, cells, changes on earth, changing climate, chemical changes, classifying living things, complex animals, cycles in living things, day and night, describing matter, describing matter and its properties, describing problems, designing solutions, earth and you, earth’s nearest neighbors, earth’s rotation and revolution, ecology, fundamentals, electrical circuits, electricity, environmental problems and solutions, everyday simple machines, exploring desert biomes, exploring earth, sun, and moon, exploring energy, exploring energy and heat, exploring forest biomes, exploring fossils, exploring freshwater biomes, exploring grassland biomes, exploring landforms, environmental problems and solutions, everyday simple machines, explorando el sonido (exploring sound), explorando la energía y el calor (exploring energy and heat), explorando sólidos, líquidos y gases (exploring solids, liquids, and gases), exploring desert biomes, exploring earth, sun, and moon, exploring energy, exploring energy and heat, exploring forest biomes, exploring fossils, exploring freshwater biomes, exploring grassland biomes, exploring landforms, exploring marine biomes, exploring solids, liquids, and gases, exploring sound,
exploring the building blocks of matter, fall, fascinating fossils, food and digestion, food chains, forces in fluids, forming bonds, fósiles fascinantes (fascinating fossils), gravedad (gravity), gravity, grouping living things
hábitos saludables (healthy habits ), healthy habits, heat and energy
helping us work, how to measure length, how to measure volume,

Using a ruler to measure worksheet.

Units of study: Grades 3-5 collection
ALL OF THE ABOVE PLUS:
impacto en la tierra (impacts on earth), impacts on earth, interacciones de los seres vivos (interactions of living things), interactions of living things, investigando la herencia (investigating heredity), investigating chemical reactions, investigating earth’s natural resources, investigating heredity, investigating mixtures, solutions, elements, and compounds, investigating water, investigations and data, invierno (winter), keeping earth healthy, landforms, language in science, life cycles, light, listening and speaking in science, los ciclos de los seres vivos (cycles in living things), magnets and electromagnetism, making observations, measuring, microscopic life, migración e hibernación (migration and hibernation), migration and hibernation, minerals, moving muscles and bones, moving things, natural resources, needs of living things, nuestra preciosa tierra (our precious earth), nutrition, objetos en movimiento (moving things), observando el clima (observing weather), observing weather, otoño (fall), our distant neighbors, our precious earth, particles and matter, physical changes, planetas (planets), planets, plant life cycles, plant parts, plantas (plants), plants, plants with flowers, plate tectonics in action, primavera (spring), reading in science, reading maps, recursos naturales (natural resources), rocks, scientific method, seguridad climática (weather safety), simple animals, soil and rocks, solutions at work, spring, stars and galaxies, starting with questions, suelo y rocas (soil and rocks), summer, sun and stars, the air around us, the changing phases of matter, the nature of waves, the rock cycle, the water cycle, things in motion, traits and heredity, trees, tu cuerpo ( your body ), tu dieta ( your diet ), usando la electricidad (using electricity), using electricity, using the scientific method, using tools in science, uso del método científico ( using the scientific method), verano (summer), vibrations and waves, water, water, everywhere, weather around us, weather on the move, weather safety, weathering and erosion, weighing things, what are magnets?, what are plants?, what do living things need?, what is a bird?, what is a fish?, what is a mammal?, what is a reptile?, what is an amphibian?, what is an insect?, what is light?, what is science?, what is sound?, what is the water cycle?, why do we measure?, winter, working with data, writing in science, your body, your diet, ¿qué es el ciclo del agua? (what is the water cycle?), ¿qué es la luz? (what is light?), ¿qué es un anfibio? (what is an amphibian?), ¿qué es un ave? (what is a bird?), ¿qué es un insecto? (what is an insect?), ¿qué es un mamífero? (what is a mammal?), ¿qué es un pez? (what is a fish?), ¿qué es un reptil? (what is a reptile?), ¿qué necesitan los seres vivos? (what do living things need?), ¿qué son los imanes? (what are magnets?),

Build a pulley system for Simple Machine’s unit.

So as you can see there are several years worth of fun learning units/topics to do, and you can do them in any order you chose. My advice would be to put a “short list” together of the units/topics you want to cover for a school year, or semester, or even for just a month at a time, and then spend a week +/- on each topic. Some students may want to go faster or slower, but you have the freedom to go at any pace that fits your family 24/7.

A science curriculum program like this is a real asset to families. Whether you are a homeschool family or not, if you want to teach science to your kids or if you are looking for an after school science program to help boost your child’s knowledge, give Digital Science Online a try.

You can download a FREE sample lesson to try before you buy. Just click on each square for the sample video, animation, student content and teacher content separately. You can also watch a tutorial for how to use the Digital Science Online resource program. This is a great way to see if you and your student will like using this program. You can also sign up for a FREE 10 Day Trial subscription.

Social Media:
Follow on social media for all the latest news and updates
Facebook http://facebook.com/visuallearningsystems
Twitter https://twitter.com/visualearning

Be sure to check out what other families on the Schoolhouse Review Crew had to say about Digital Science Online.

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Hewitt Homeschooling Review

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Hewitt Homeschooling has some great products for homeschool families. We are reviewing My First Reports: Bugs and Worms by Hewitt Homeschooling, and we are learning lots of great information and having fun at the same time. If you are in the process of putting your curriculum choices together, I would encourage you to add products from Hewitt Homeschooling to the list.

My First Reports

One unique product Hewitt Homeschooling offers is a curriculum supplement called My First Reports. My first reports uses a step by step approach to help elementary age children learn about a subject they are interested in and write a report about it.

Skills used in My First Reports include:

Research
Organizing
Sorting
Writing
Penmanship
Vocabulary
Reading
Critical Thinking

There are several My First Reports to choose from and they are geared for different ages, but all are flexible and can be used for grades 1 – 8 depending on the skill level of your student.

My First Report: Music
My First Report: Transportation
My First Report: Weather
My First Report: Me
My First Report: Famous People
My First Report: Wild Animals / Large Mammals
My First Report: Wild Animals / Small Mammals
My First Report: Pets/Farm Animals
My First Report: Bugs and Worms
My First Report: Birds
My First Report: Reptiles/Amphibians
My First Report: Plants
My First Report: Solar System
My First Report: Marine Life
My First Report: Olympics
My First Report: Outdoor Activities
My First Report: Sports
My First Report: My State
My First Report: Eastern United States
My First Report: Western United States
My First Report: Middle United States
My First Report: Southern United States
My First Report: Lewis and Clark Expedition
My First Report: Focus On The World

You can purchase My First Reports individually for $8.95 , or buy 14 titles as a bundle for $69.95 and save nearly 40% off retail.

Our Experience:

We chose My First Reports: Bugs and Worms for this review. It is designed for kids in 3rd – 4th grades, but can be used for younger students in 1st-2nd grades or older students in 5th-8th grades too. My First Reports: Bugs and Worms contains 52 pages including reproducible forms, worksheets, suggested reading and resources, and a unit study.

When we received the packet from Hewitt Homeschooling, I placed the pages into a binder. The pages come already hole punched so you can put it into a three ring binder for convenience, or into your students completed notebook if you desire. I am a unit study “collector”, or perhaps a unit study nerd might describe me better. I guess and I love being able to insert them into a binder and keep them for future use. If someday I pass along our schoolroom to my own grown kids, or to another family, hopefully all the unit studies we have acquired or created over the years will be easy to just grab and go because they are arranged neatly in their own binders. You could fill a whole book shelf with them. Ooohhh Awwhhhh. Yep, I am a unit study nerd!

We were very excited about this curriculum. This package covers information about 12 different bugs and worms:

Grasshoppers
Flies
Ants
Bees
Fireflies
Crickets
Ladybugs
Spiders
Caterpillars
Butterflies / Moths
Dragonflies
Worms

Unit Study Approach

This set is designed to used for 12 weeks, in a unit study method, covering one bug or worm and corresponding worksheets and suggested activities per week. Being a unit study, many different ages of kids can enjoy it, and it is cross curricular for many different subjects and covers:

Math
Reading
Social Studies
Music
Art
Language
History
Science
Health
P.E.
Bible
Suggested Field Trips

(Picture my son took of hundreds of new born baby spiders emerging from their nest on a tiger lily).

During the process of learning about a bug or worm you will also do many activities mentioned in the accompanying unit study. For example, various activities to choose from might include: geography you will take a map of your state or a region and list bugs found there. Younger students might cut out pictures and paste them on the map and older students would likely create a map and write a list of various insects identifying them and their locations or to add in an art aspect, they might sketch them too. In the bible they would learn about insects mentioned in various verses. For reading and literature they would read various books, magazines, news articles, and poems about bugs. For Language you would learn insect vocabulary words and spelling of each insect, as well as answer the report questions on the worksheets. You might create word puzzles and give an oral report too. For Math, you put the insects in order based on a category such as length or color or weight ect. Perhaps you could make a graph for comparisons. You might calculate speeds and distance traveled or the amount of food they eat. For Science you will make comparison graphs for body characteristics, learn about habitats and how to classify, catch-observe-release different insects when you are studying each one, etc. One suggestion is to build a wormery when you study the worms section. For art and science you might make a kite and then for P.E. you would go outside and fly it. Also for P.E. you would take a hike through your neighborhood or a park to look for insects and study where they are found, what they sound like, etc. For music you might study and recreate the sound of various insects, sing songs about insects and songs about creation including songs and praises to God. Art has so many suggestions like making a spider web, visiting an art museum, making collages or mosaics, sculptures, and various crafts. Field tips ideas include hikes or nature walks in various locations like parks, nature preserves, zoos, museums, the insect section of the library, a honey farm, or other farms where insects are used in some way, nature store, etc.

While learning about each “critter”, my 3rd grader completed a worksheet for each bug we learned about. The worksheet includes a picture of the bug, its class and scientific order, vocabulary words, and several questions to research further. He is encouraged to write complete sentences when answering the questions. When the week of learning about the insect is complete, and he has answered all the questions, he can transfer that information into a finished report by using his answers to help create paragraphs for a report about the insect he is writing about.

I have always loved the hands on aspect of Field Trips. My kids love the adventure and learning outside the classroom / house. We took a field trip two weeks ago to the Creation Museum to learn more about the history of insects and see various species in their collections.

This is a great curriculum resource and I would encourage other homeschool families to work it into their learning adventures this school year. My First Reports would also be a great adventure for summer school, Sunday School, or afterschool learning adventures too.

Social Media Links:

You can follow Hewitt Homeschooling on their social media to keep up with all the latest news and updates.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HewittHomeschooling

Twitter
https://twitter.com/HewittOnline

Pinterest
http://www.pinterest.com/hewittonline/

Google Plus
https://plus.google.com/b/115323246990194958229/+HewittHomeschoolingResources/posts

Hewitt Blog
http://hewitthomeschoolingresources.blogspot.com/

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Weiser Academy

Homeschool and Family Life Adventures

Tag Archives: high school

Internship for High School Credit ~ Review

Internship for High School Credit

About the Author:

Social Media

Homeschool Review Crew

Digital Science Online Review

Digital Science Online

Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5)

How We Used Digital Science Online:

Topics in Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5)

Hewitt Homeschooling Review