Charlotte Mason’s Four Year High School Plan
Weekly Schedule
In this schedule, each study guide would take a full year to complete as you will work on that subject only one day a week. After 3-4 years, you will have completed three study guides in each category, equaling a high school credit in each. The benefits of this plan are that a student has a constant variety. A true feast each week.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
| biology 40 min. |
chemistry 40 min. |
physics 40 min. |
earth sci. 40 min. |
The negative is that periodically you will have several experiments in one week. This plan is also difficult in a school setting, where students may be entering after having completed a full year of one science subject, such as biology, or may need to transfer to a traditional high school having completed a set number of subjects rather than a portion of several.
To learn more about Charlotte Mason’s plan, read the article Mason’s Streams of Science.
Term by Term High School Plan (SMH plan)
Weekly Schedule
In this plan, biology is continued one day a week throughout high school, and the other science subject is rotated each term. It will still take three years to get through each subject as with Charlotte Mason’s plan, but you will put most of your focus on a single subject each term, such as chemistry, while always including a bit of biology.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 |
| biology 40 min. |
chemistry 40 min. |
chemistry 40 min. |
chemistry 40 min. |
Yearly Schedule
A possible rotation for the whole of high school is shown below:
| grade | all year | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
| 9 | Biology: part 1 | Chemistry: part 1 | Physics: part 1 | Earth Science: Weather |
| 10 | Biology: part 2 | Chemistry: part 2 | Physics: part 2 | Earth Science: Geology |
| 11 | Biology: part 3 | Chemistry: part 3 | Physics: part 3 | Earth Science: Astronomy |
| 12 | Student Choice | Student Choice | F3-4 Electronics if not completed already |
Student Choice |
There are several reasons why I have modified Charlotte Mason’s plan in the way shown here. You can read about them in the article How I Modify Mason’s Streams of Science. Still, my own family has done it both ways: her way and my way. (But never the traditional way.) We like both, so each year, we make a decision, are we going to do a different subject each day or focus on a different one each term. The choice is yours.
Traditional American High School Plan
This option may be required if you run a school and are anticipating students enrolling or moving away midway through high school.
Yearly Schedule
| grade | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
| 9 | Biology: part 1 | Biology: part 2 | Biology: part 3 |
| 10 | Chemistry: part 1 | Chemistry: part 2 | Chemistry: part 3 |
| 11 | Physics: part 1 | Physics: part 2 | Physics: part 3 |
| 12 | Earth Science: part 1 | Earth Science: part 2 | Earth Science: part 3 |
In truth, in most cases only 2-3 credits are required, so students would not need to complete all of their courses in this fashion. You may be able to complete the first two years’ worth in a traditional way and then revert to a more varied rotation after that.
The following are a few ways to infuse a little more variety into this rotation:
- Require a biography from a different category each term or each year. For example, in your biology year, require a chemistry or physics biography.
- Include a dedicated time for special studies and make sure they are done well. (i.e., observed, documented, and researched with intent.)
- Be sure a nature notebook is being kept with regular entries.
- During your biology year, focus on special studies that fall within the category of earth science.
With the above ideas in place, you will be touching on at least three subjects each year as shown below.
| grade | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
| 9 | Biology: part 1 Biography: Chemistry Spec. Study: Rocks/Minerals |
Biology: part 2 Biography: Physics Special Study: Weather |
Biology: part 3 Biography: Technology Special Study: Stars |
| 10 | Chemistry: part 1 Biography: Biology Special Study: any |
Chemistry: part 2 Biography: Geology Special Study: any |
Chemistry: part 3 Biography: Physics Special Study: any |
| 11 | Physics: part 1 Biography: Astronomy Special Study: any |
Physics: part 2 Biography: Biology Special Study: any |
Physics: part 3 Biography: Technology Special Study: any |
| 12 | Earth Science: part 1 Biography: Chemistry Special Study: any |
Earth Science: part 2 Biography: Physics Special Study: any |
Earth Science: part 3 Biography: Weather Special Study: any |
Alternately, some schools I have talked to offer a choice of a year of biology and then a year of chemistry (as shown in the first two years above) OR a mixed two years of biology and chemistry as shown below. The following two years could then incorporate physics and earth science in a like manner.
| grade | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 |
| 9 | Biology: part 1 Chemistry: part 1 each two days a week |
Biology: part 1 Chemistry: part 1 each two days a week |
Biology: part 2 Chemistry: part 2 each two days a week |
| 10 | Biology: part 2 Chemistry: part 2 each two days a week |
Biology: part 3 Chemistry: part 3 each two days a week |
Biology: part 3 Chemistry: part 3 each two days a week |