Electives - Exodus Books

Store Location

We're not exactly sure who determines what are electives and what are "core" subjects, or why. Okay, maybe math is more useful than tracing your family tree because you can't balance your checkbook using scions and second cousins. But what about your family history, and the history of, say, Guam or Haiti? Is there something inherently better about reading "the classics" than learning Mandarin Chinese? Why are physics part of the main coursework for high school students, while robotics is optional?

Unfortunately, we aren't qualified to answer those questions, but we can defend electives on another level. Electives are essentially those subjects best suited to a student's personal interests, talents and abilities. In that sense, they're almost more important than core subjects, though we aren't going to make an argument that you should learn French before mastering English grammar (as long as you live in an English-speaking area, that is). We are arguing for advances beyond the necessary "standards," however, and for a broad curriculum that is child-specific.

Some electives are more important than others. Learning to manage one's money, how to interpret the Bible, and (these days) how to operate and understand computers are all more important than taking an acting class (though the acting class will be very important for some on a different level altogether). Technically, none of these are required courses, though for Christians particularly the first two are essential for a proper education. There are plenty of similarly important topics as well, though each family will need to prioritize.

There seems to be a move toward less specialized education. As our society becomes increasingly homogeneous, we spend less time focusing and more time absorbing "the big picture." We ignore either one at our own risk. We must have a larger framework in which to fit the smaller pieces, but take away the framework and you're left with relativity and chaos; the smaller pieces, and you have only an impersonal and meaningless ideology. Electives are a way to assert the need for both, and to have fun doing it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

Did you find this review helpful?

Parent Categories

Home Schooling

Electives

Subcategories by Grade

7th grade (Ages 12-13)

8th grade (Ages 13-14)

9th grade (Ages 14-15)

10th grade (Ages 15-16)

11th grade (Ages 16-17)

12th grade (Ages 17-18)

Subcategories

AOP Lifepacs: Electives

- AOP Art & Drawing

- AOP Literature

Christian Light Electives

Home Economics Curriculum

Money Management for Kids (and Teens)

Psychology

Theater, Drama & Film

- Evan-Moor Leveled Readers Theater

- Historical Skits and Plays

254 Items found Print

20 Exciting Plays for Medieval History Classes

by Dean Bowman

from Walch Publishing

for 7th-9th grade

in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)

$25.00

20 Plays for U. S. History Classes

by Dean R. Bowman

Revised from Walch Publishing

for 7th-9th grade

in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)

24 Exciting Plays for Ancient History Classes

by Dean R. Bowman

from Walch Publishing

for 5th-8th grade

in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)

All New Square Foot Gardening

by Mel Bartholomew

3^rd edition from Cool Springs Press

for Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$24.99

Anna's Garden Songs

by Lena Anderson

from Scholastic Reference

for Kindergarten-3rd grade

in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)

Art of Interpretation

A Study in Bringing Literature to Life

by Nicholas R. Elledge

from Institute for Cultural Communicators

for 9th-12th grade

in Speech & Debate (Location: SPEECH)

$10.00 (2 in stock)

At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater

by Elizabeth Swados

from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

for 7th-Adult

in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)

$5.00 (1 in stock)

Backyard Homestead

by Carleen Madigan

from Storey Publishing

for Adult

in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)

$18.95

Bankruptcy Of Our Nation

by Jerry Robinson

from New Leaf Press

for 10th-Adult

in Economics Resources (Location: ECON-REF)

$15.99

Best of Sewing Machine Fun for Kids

by Nancy Smith & Lynda Milligan

1^st edition from Possibilities

for 4th-8th grade

in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)

$4.00 (1 in stock)

Better Homes and Gardens: Annuals Perennials and Bulbs

from Meredith Corporation

for Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$4.00 (1 in stock)

Better Than a Lemonade Stand!

Small Business Ideas for Kids

by Daryl Bernstein

from Aladdin Books

for 4th-8th grade

in Money Management for Kids (and Teens) (Location: SS-MM)

Bible Type

Computer Typing Instruction Method

by Jackie Newbrough

from Centruth

for 7th-12th grade

in Typing Curriculum (Location: HAN-TYP)

Big Book of Backyard Projects

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

Book of the Earthworm

by Sally Coulthard

from Head of Zeus

for 8th-Adult

in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)

$8.00 (1 in stock)

Botanical Gardens - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Dot Barlowe

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

$4.99

Child Star

When Talkies Came to Hollywood

by Lydia Weaver

from Viking Press

for 4th-7th grade

in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)

$6.00 (1 in stock)

City Gardener's Handbook

From Balcony to Backyard

from Random House

for Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$5.00 (1 in stock)

Clothing for Women

Selection, Design and Construction

Lippincott's Home Manuals

by Laura I. Baldt

1922 Printing from J.B. Lippincott Co.

for Adult

in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)

Coding Projects in Scratch

by Dr. Jon Woodcock

from DK Publishing

for 3rd-6th grade

in Computer Literacy (Location: ELE-COMP)

$6.00 (1 in stock)

Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden

by Gertrude Jekyll, introduced and revised by Graham Stuart Thomas

1983 revised edition from The Ayer Company

for Preschool-2nd grade

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$7.00 (1 in stock)

Common Weeds - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Stefen Bernath

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

$4.99

Contained Garden

from Viking Press

for 10th-Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$5.00 (1 in stock)

Country Flower Drying

in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)

$4.00 (1 in stock)

David Hicks Garden Design

by David Hicks

from Routledge & Kegan Paul

for Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$8.00 (1 in stock)

DK Eyewitness: Film

DK Eyewitness Series

by Richard Platt

from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

History Reference for 4th-8th grade

in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)

$6.00 (1 in stock)

DK Ready Set Grow!

Quick and Easy Gardening Projects

from DK Publishing

for 3rd-6th grade

in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)

$6.00 (1 in stock)

Do People Grow On Family Trees?

Genealogy for Kids and Other Beginners

by Ira Wolfman

from Workman Publishing

in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)

$2.00 (1 in stock)

Don't Make Me Think

A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

by Steve Krug

2^nd edition from New Riders

for 9th-Adult

in Career Planning (Location: HSR-CAR)

$27.00

Down & Dirty

43 Fun & Funky First-Time Projects & Activities to Get You Gardening

by Ellen Zachos

1^st edition from Storey Publishing

for 7th-Adult

in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)

$19.95

English Garden

by Laurence Fleming & Alan Gore

1980 2nd Printing from Mermaid Books

for Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

Failure to Connect

How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds—and What We Can Do About It

by Jane M. Healy

1^st edition from Simon and Schuster

for Adult

in Brain Development & Learning Styles (Location: HSR-BRAIN)

$17.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)

Family/Consumer Sciences - Full Set (old)

1^st edition from A Beka Books

for 11th-12th grade

in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)

$35.00 (2 in stock)

Family/Consumer Sciences - Lab Manual with Recipes (old)

from A Beka Books

for 11th-12th grade

in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)

Family/Consumer Sciences - Quiz/Test Key (old)

from A Beka Books

for 11th-12th

in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)

$2.00 (2 in stock)

Family/Consumer Sciences - Student Book (old)

1^st edition from A Beka Books

for 11th-12th grade

in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)

Family/Consumer Sciences - Student Set (old)

1^st edition from A Beka Books

for 11th-12th grade

in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)

$22.00 (4 in stock)

Family/Consumer Sciences - Teacher Edition (old)

Home Economics

from A Beka Books

for 11th-12th grade

in Old Edition Curricula (Location: CLE-CURR)

Favorite Roses - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Ilil Arbel

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

$4.99

Favorite Wildflowers - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Ilil Arbel

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

$4.99

Five in a Row Cookbook

by Becky Jane Lambert

2^nd edition from Five in a Row

for 2nd-6th grade

in Five in a Row (Location: LITCUR-FIAR)

Floral Bouquets - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Charlene Tarbox

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

$3.99

Flower Garden - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Ruth Soffer

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

Four-Season Harvest

from Chelsea Green Publishing

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

Fruits & Berries of the Pacific Northwest

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$7.00 (1 in stock)

Garden Almanac

A Month-By-Month Guide

by Penelope O'Sullivan

from Hearst Books

for Adult

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$6.00 (1 in stock)

Garden Flowers - Coloring Book

Dover Coloring Books

by Stefen Bernath

from Dover Publications

for 2nd-6th grade

in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)

$5.99

Garden in the City

by Gerda Muller

from Dutton Children's Books

for Kindergarten-3rd grade

in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)

Gardener

by Sarah Stewart & David Small

from Sunburst Book

Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade

1998 Caldecott Honor Book

in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)

$8.99

Gardening With Children

from Brooklyn Botanic Garden

for 3rd-8th grade

in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)

$6.00 (1 in stock)

Give Me a Hand! History Skits 1942-1945

Little-Known Episodes from World War II

by Rebecca Locklear

for 8th-12th grade

in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)

$12.00

God of the Garden

Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom

by Andrew Peterson

from B&H Books

for 10th-Adult

in Creating Culture (Location: XCU-CRE)

$17.99

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

Voices from a Medieval Village

by Laura Amy Schlitz

from Candlewick Press

for 5th-9th grade

2008 Newbery Medal Winner

in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)

$12.99

Green Thumbs

A Kid's Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening

by Laurie Carlson

from Chicago Review Press

for Preschool-3rd grade

in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)

$10.00 (2 in stock)

Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades

in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)

$4.00 (2 in stock)

Hollywood Worldviews

Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment

by Brian Godawa

from InterVarsity Press

for 11th-Adult

in Culture & Discernment (Location: XCU-DIS)

Home Economics 1 - LightUnit 101

Introduction to the Kitchen

Sunrise Edition from Christian Light Education

for 9th-12th grade