High School Electives Beyond Art and Music

When homeschooled students get to the high school years, there are often a lot of questions about electives. How many elective credits does my student need to graduate? What counts as an elective?

What are Electives?

First, let’s clear up some confusion about what electives are.

Electives are any class that isn’t fulfilling another required credit. So really, any high school level course could be an elective!

Let’s say your state requires four English credits and three science credits. At the end of his junior year, your student has already earned three English credits plus an American Literature credit; and he’s also completed Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses. But he’s still going to take another English class in senior year, and has his heart set on studying Anatomy and Physiology. Yes, those classes fall in the English and Science categories, but with those requirements already filled, they are also essentially electives.

Electives can also encompass foreign languages, fine arts, music, and all those fun “extra” courses that are focused on the student’s individual interests and pursuits. Sometimes we need to think outside the box just a little bit when figuring out what electives would be best for our kids, especially if they are not particularly interested in some of the more obvious electives like art or music study. Even those who do take music lessons or an art class may want to do something a little different for elective credit.

Read more about delight-directed homeschooling in high school:

Probably the best way to choose electives is to look for activities or topics that your student really enjoys, or to find electives related to what they want to pursue as a career. If computer programming or science or an ancient culture is what really sparks your student’s interest, look for a course that focuses on that subject, or allow them to study on their own. As long as there are clear course objectives and records, their self-directed studies can be credit-worthy.

Beyond Art and Music, my own students completed electives in Public Speaking, Photography, Graphic Design, Drafting and Technical Drawing, Classical Astronomy, Economics, Aerospace Technology and Leadership (Civil Air Patrol), and Automotive Repair.

Can your student earn credit while learning specific career skills?

Yes, internships are a great fit for many homeschooled high school students!

Right now, my daughter is working on an apprenticeship style credit – learning to tune and repair pianos. She’s being trained in this trade as part of her part-time job at a piano shop.

For an unusual elective that doesn’t come out of a textbook, simply write a course description that states the objectives are and what the student will be learning, and log the hours spent in training and study. If possible, the employer or the expert supervising the student could provide some kind of documentation that they’ve completed the training. We’re keeping our records using the resource Internship for High School Credit  from Apologia Educational Ministries to help us document this particular credit.  

Electives to Consider

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Kym

Kym has been homeschooling for more than twenty years. Her oldest three students have graduated, and her youngest will graduate in 2019. She and her husband of 30+ years are Canadians transplanted to Maryland. Kym loves coffee, history, and homeschooling, and you can join her for coffee break at her blog, Homeschool Coffee Break.

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