When it comes to choosing high school electives, there are so many options available for homeschoolers now. And fostering your child’s interests by carefully curating a curriculum tailored to them is just another incredible perk of homeschooling. After a dozen years of homeschooling, I still find it fascinating that we can choose courses based on topics that my children are naturally drawn to.
The high school years are perfect for honing in on subjects your children are interested in and may want to pursue after high school.
Years ago, my oldest thoroughly enjoyed Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Astronomy in elementary. We decided to revisit astronomy, but as an elective in her junior year. So if you haven’t heard yet, Apologia has a High School Astronomy Course now that can be used as an elective. Yes! It was new to us too, and we are so excited to share it with you. It’s a little bit different from typical high school science courses. But don’t worry, it’s a good different.
What’s New About Apologia’s High School Astronomy Elective Course?
Apologia has an excellent option for astronomy as a high school elective. It’s a no-fuss type of elective, so if you appreciate a quality yet simple curriculum, you will want to keep reading. It also has some attractive new features that, as a fellow Christian homeschool parent, you will love too.
- No Lab Reports or Experiments. Yes, you read that right, no experiments. If you despised collecting materials for science experiments, this course is right up your alley. There are no labs or experiments required to complete the course for credit.
- No Exams. Eliminating exams can be good for a few reasons, especially if you have a child who experiences testing anxiety. By removing the added stress of testing, your student can focus on the content of the curriculum in full. There is no additional pressure to test well or to only learn for the purpose of testing.
- No Set Schedule. If you have used Apologia before, you know there is usually a suggested schedule to help you stay on track for the semester or homeschool year. But with Apologia’s High School Astronomy, your student can work completely self-paced. So if you have an overachiever, they can zip through at their own pace. Or, if you have a student who likes to linger over some topics a little longer, they can do that too.
- No Additional Materials Required. To complete this elective course for high school, all you will need is the textbook. Yep. One book, Apologia Exploring Creation With High School Astronomy, will guide you through the course from start to finish. That also makes for an extremely affordable elective course since all you need is one textbook for the entire credit.
Why Choose Apologia High School Astronomy As An Elective?
As a Christian homeschool parent, I respect that Apologia offers this Astronomy Course without exams, experiments, and scheduling. Not because I don’t like exams, experiments, or schedules, but because Apologia is creating more time and space for our children to connect with our Creator. That is something I can respect and get behind.
Apologia’s High School Astronomy Course is written in a conversational tone. Your students can connect one-on-one with God about the universe conversationally by leaving out any looming stress about testing or completing work on time. How cool is that?
Apologia is pointing our children back to God; they want to encourage students to understand the vastness of God’s creation. I love homeschool curriculum that points my children back to Jesus. That is how we homeschool, and I love supporting Christian curriculum companies that share the love and admiration for God’s handiwork.
Like me, you probably appreciate courses for your teen that phenomenal instructors author. Damian Ludwiczak wrote the curriculum for Apologia’s High School Astronomy Course. Damian is the Chief of the Mechanisms and Tribology Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center, and he has been with NASA since 1987.
What To Expect From The Apologia High School Astronomy Course?
There are 14 modules that your student can work through at their own comfortable pace. So you can complete the elective in 14 weeks for one semester or in 28 weeks for the homeschool year. It’s flexible, and you can choose how quickly or slowly you want to work through it.
If you are worried about retaining what your child will learn without testing, Apologia has added On Your Own Questions for that. These questions will help your child review what they are learning as they move along through the course.
If you want to expand on the Apologia High School Astronomy Course, you can also access Apologia’s Book Extras. I found this extremely helpful; the book extras are on Apologia’s site. Once you have purchased the textbook, you can access additional links for each module and reading recommendations. The book extras help you incorporate articles, videos and reading material to reinforce your child’s study. The book extras are arranged for easy navigation, you can use it right along with the course, and there is no prep work for the parents.
We hope this gives you a glimpse into the Apologia High School Astronomy Course. It is a solid yet simplistic elective option for your homeschooled teen that is worth looking into. View a sample of Apologia’s High School Astronomy here.
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