Where to begin? Middle School at Online G3
Parents often wonder where to begin with G3 classes for online middle school. We usually direct parents to our Placement and Progression charts for guidance through our history, literature, grammar, and writing sequences. However, today I thought I’d share something a little different. You see, I’m not just the CEO and Director of Online G3. I’m also the parent of G3’s very first student.
Ten years ago, I was homeschooling my 8-year-old daughter, Kaytlin. Her favorite homeschooling activities always took place at co-op, where she could learn with friends. But as any homeschool parent knows, coordinating the homeschool schedules of multiple families is like herding cats. So eventually, I offered to put a few classes online so that the kids could keep learning together, even though parents could no longer drive everyone to the same location. Thus, G3 was born.
Here’s what we offered that first semester to Kaytlin’s cohort of online peers:
These gifted kids were between the ages of 8 and 12 and all working at the junior high level academically. However, they were not necessarily ready to write at the junior high level. So I found books and curriculum that were thematically appropriate for elementary-aged students, offered more challenging content for kids working ahead of grade level, but did not require the written output that would come with a traditional grade skip.
As my daughter and her friends grew, so did our G3 offerings. Over the last ten years, we have added dozens of courses to allow students to continue learning at G3 through high school. We’ve gained WASC accreditation to help our students earn recognition for their studies. We’ve also recently revisited our middle school program to offer a wider range of courses to address various student interests.
First, we added the Horrible Histories series for students who want to study history beyond the United States at the middle school level. This series uses the wildly popular Terry Deary history books and biographies to engage students in world history.
Then we added Paragraph Town for the students who are ready to work on their writing skills at a younger age. We don’t want to rush formal essay writing at an early age, but some students are seeking guidance on sentence and paragraph structure, and this 6-week workshop helps them gain fluency in writing.
Lastly, in fall 2018, we will launch our new Historical Fiction series. These classes use award-winning middle school fiction to engage students in both literary analysis and the stories of our past. The first class in the series will cover America in the early 1900s. In the spring, we will introduce a class on World War II from a worldwide perspective.
If you have been thinking about introducing your gifted student to online classes at the middle school level, check out our current offerings. You are also welcome to contact us if you have any questions about the best course placement for your student.
Jaime Smith is also known as Headmistress Guinevere at OnlineG3.com. She is the President and CEO of Online G3, Inc., and she teaches literature and grammar at G3.
