Assessment 2024-25: Little Princess

I chose this picture because it is so Little Princess.
It's a bathroom selfie.
Her expression!
She's beautiful.

 In a nutshell, here's Little Princess's 10th grade year:

American Literature

We used the Apologia American Literature text, supplemented with novels.  Obviously, on the list are a couple of Shakespeare's plays, and those don't count toward American Literature, but they were good reading no matter what our subject focus was. :)  Little Princess participated in all of the reading, all of the discussions, and all of the writing assignments (not too many, but a few).  She was excellent at raising questions about the historical context of the novels, moral issues, and author intent.  

Performing Arts--American Rhythm Dance Team

For one of Little Princess' possible future goals, she has to have at least 2 years of performing arts on her transcript.  This year plus last year made two years.  I asked her about staying on the team or leaving, and she agreed that it's keeping her well-rounded. I particularly love that she joined this team when she was 3 years old--at the earliest she could possibly join it--which will make her our first preschool-senior AR graduate if she sticks it out for two more years. 

I hope she does!!

This year, she was one of our most experienced dancers.  She attended and participated in all of the rehearsals and shows.  She did her best to contribute in positive ways to our team.  She went out of her way to greet and spend time with as many residents of the senior living and rehab facilities at which we performed as she could.  

World History--Revolutions through Modern Times

We used The Mystery of History vol 4.  Little Princess is fabulous about asking questions, and she is the reason that many of our lessons led down happy rabbit holes, exploring the accuracy of the facts presented in the text, exploring subjects more in-depth, and exploring how historical events relate to one another.  She took copious notes, passed exams, produced a well-written and well-researched research paper, and participated gleefully in review activities--especially those that involved "stumping the teacher."

Biology

Using Apologia's Exploring Creation with Biology high school textbook, Little Princess has studied, answered review questions, performed experiments, and completed exams with high scores.  As of today's writing, she still has a few sections of the final module to complete.  She tried to get it done before FSY, but time ran out, so she's trying again to complete them before Encampment.  

If that doesn't happen, she'll finish when she gets home, and she'll go right from Biology into Physics without a summer break from science. 

Either way, she's put in the effort to truly learn the material.

Social Science--Women in Science

Little Princess loves to read about women in science, so this book was a Christmas present one year.  She asked me how she could turn this favorite book into high school credit, and together we determined that one chapter plus further research plus writing a one page essay each week would equal .5 credit.  She completed 25 essays this year, and while that is less than one per week, there were weeks that she put so much time into researching and writing that she definitely exceeded her 60 hour minimum required for .5 credit.

Algebra 2

She used Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2.  She completed every lesson and quiz with a 95% average.

(And she was mad at herself because she didn't have 100%.)

Chinese 1B

This year Little Princess met every Monday afternoon with an online class using Outschool.  Her teacher is a native Mandarin Chinese speaker who put the kids through their paces for 48 weeks.  This class doesn't even end until August 18th!  Little Princess missed 2 classes due to summer camps.  She attended classes even when sick because she could participate safely online.

I wasn't sure what to call this class because she studied Mandarin Chinese on her own last year, and this year's class was another first year class that reviewed what she learned before but added to it and developed beyond what she could do alone.  That's why I have Chinese split into 1A and 1B on her transcript.   

Here's the description from the Outschool website:

High School Mandarin Chinese 1 Full Year is a lively and engaging Mandarin Chinese class designed for high students, with classes held once a week. This program is specifically tailored to beginners to help them develop a strong foundation in the Mandarin Chinese language through interactive, fun, and hands-on activities.

The core of each class focuses on a specific set of vocabulary words, such as numbers, colors, animals, or basic greetings. These words are introduced through interactive activities like flashcards, stories, and games. Students can see, hear, and participate in the learning process.

The class also incorporates elements of Mandarin Chinese culture and traditions to make the learning experience more holistic. Students might learn about celebrations, food, or customs from Mandarin Chinese-speaking countries.

High School Mandarin Chinese 1 Full Year aims to make learning Mandarin Chinese not just educational, but also a delightful adventure. It fosters a love for the language and an appreciation for different cultures, making it a rewarding experience for high school students.

Little Princess studied on her own between class sessions, reaching 60+ hours of study time, making this a .5 credit class.

Russian--Introductory

Little Princess found Busuu.  She's using it to learn Russian.  I asked her about her hours, and though she didn't track them as carefully as she could have, I am confident she reached the 60 hour mark, giving her .5 credit.

Astronomy Lab

Little Princess absorbs astronomy like she absorbs oxygen.  She just can't help it.  However, I wanted to give her the challenge of completing some lab work, so I purchased this book for her.  We outlined 2 projects a week for the school year as her goal.  However, she ran into weather issues, timing issues, and general confusion about the instructions.  

Astronomy is a very weather and time sensitive subject for lab work.

She did her best, but was ultimately defeated, and I was unsuccessful at finding her an astronomy mentor.  Eventually, we pulled up Crash Course Astronomy for her to use as a virtual "lab"--at least something with videos and instruction that could help her "see" the sky.

It didn't stay as hands-on as we hoped it would be, and we learned that I must outsource her future astronomy needs, but she did what she could under the circumstances. 

I asked her what grade she deserved for effort/mastery/devotion to the subject, and she grimaced before telling me it was a "B" effort.

Seminary

Little Princess completed a full year of seminary--last semester was Book of Mormon, and this semester was Church History.  (Now I need to edit her transcript because it is missing .5 credit!)  Classes met 5 days a week--3 in person and 2 via web instruction/assignment--from September to May.  Little Princess surpassed all requirements and passed all exams with 95-100% scores.

Physical Education

Through the entire school year, Little Princess has completed cardio workouts, strength training, and flexibility exercises of her own design/choosing.  She has used YouTube, Instagram, and a variety of fitness apps.  She has completed part of the Couch to 5K program (she sprained her ankle in the middle of it), and she has worked out her own running/walking program.  She has not tracked her hours carefully enough for me to give her a full credit, but she's probably closer to a full credit than the .5 I can comfortably award her.

Overall, Little Princess is a thoughtful, intelligent, capable student who is still working on her time management skills.  She has been setting goals and both meeting and failing to meet them.  Each failure has given her impetus to try again and to try different time management systems.  We've talked about her struggles, and I see her growing and maturing.  She did better this year than last year, and I have every confidence that she will do better next year than she did this year.