Elementary

Basic and Advanced Steps, grades 6-high school, full year course. This composition course teaches the simple “recipe” for organizing thoughts and writing clear, basic essays.   These will be covered: :  explanatory, contrast, problem solving, literature analysis, research, and exam.  The procedure for learning these essays is so well laid out

Learning Language Arts, grades 3-5, full year course
Students will begin by learning the fundamentals of grammar through interactive lessons.  Next, they will learn to express themselves creatively through poetry.  Students will then learn to organize and write well-structured reports and essays using the Guided Report Writing curriculum and Fundamentals of Writing, the forerunner to the Basic and Advanced Steps curriculum.  Weekly dictation exercises will be given to make this a well-rounded language arts course.

Middle School

Middle School Study Skills, grades 5-8, full year
Middle schoolers will learn to develop the skills necessary to become successful students.  Topics covered include:  listening and observing skills, note taking, outlining, test taking, problem solving , following directions, organizing time, study space, and materials, and more.

High School

 Speech, grades 8-12
This year-long course is designed to teach basic principles of speaking through a variety of speeches and related exercises.  Students will develop the necessary skills to  articulate thoughts clearly, concisely, and with confidence.  Through monologues, extemporaneous, impromptu, expository, persuasive, poems, debate, parliamentary procedure, and stories, students will learn to enjoy interpretive speaking while developing poise and delivery.

Excellent Writing, high school
This classical education approach to writing uses the Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum.  Starting with very short pieces and building to full fiction and non-fiction sources, students learn to outline information and present it in their own words.  Style techniques, strong word choices, grammar and punctuation are also included.
      
Shakespeare Literature, high school, 3rd and 4th quarters
Students will read and study 6-8 of Shakespeare’s plays, covering all the                         
genres of his work:  tragedy, comedy, and history.  Emphasis will be
placed on style and language, comparison of the different genres, and                                        
stories that influenced his writings.  Movie versions of some of the plays
will be watched in order to understand the plays more fully.  

Mystery Literature, high school, 1st quarter
In this course, students will be reading short stories and watching the movie versions.  Students will work in groups to solve “crimes,” learn about styles of detective writing, and develop an appreciation for the attention to detail good mystery writers must develop.

Science Fiction as Literature, high school,  2nd  quarter
In this course, students will be informed of the predictive peculiarities of science fiction.  The literature studied will include part of the 19th and 20th century, and the three narrative forms from which science fiction borrows:  the myth or historical event, fantasy or science, and utopia.  Students will compare and contrast novels, short stories, and movies that have developed from science fiction genre.  As students explore these options, they will have the opportunity to discuss, extrapolate, and critique a variety of themes, ethics, and concepts.

Elementary

Middle School

Math Tutoring, grades 5 and up
This class is designed for the student who needs to check in weekly with a math teacher while completing a textbook at home, or for a student who would like another hour during the week to ask questions or work with supervision.  Students bring their own textbook to class, ask questions, work through issues, and receive assignments to complete at home each week.

Math Detectives, grades 5-8
This class will help students master the concepts that are necessary in every math class.  Through games and real life applications, fractions and decimals will come to life.   Most lessons will be in-class activities with worksheet homework for reinforcement.

HighSchool

Pre-algebra Uses Teaching Textbook

Algebra I, high school (or by permission)  Uses Teaching Textbook

Algebra 2, high school, prerequisite:   Algebra 1 This course  uses Teaching Textbooks.

Elementary

Character Studies through History and Nature, ages 8-10
This course will feature high activity studies of character traits such as attentiveness, obedience, truthfulness, gratefulness, generosity, orderliness, forgiveness, sincerity, virtue, responsibility, patience, initiative, self-control, punctuality, discretion, and creativity.  Studies will be supplemented at home through a recommended reading list that parents can read and discuss with their children.  Team taught with Becky Meinzinger.

Science Simulation, grades 2-5, full year course
Through various activities, students will learn about nature, space, volcanoes, and weather.  In the fall they will create a simulated “campground” and plan “excursions” designed to motivate them to learn about the world around them and the importance of preserving it.  The winter months will be spent studying space as the students divide up into “space exploration teams.”  Acting as “certified expert volcanologists” in the spring, students will “travel” to Hawaii to study Pele’s Peak.  They will build model volcanoes and erupt them at the culminating “luau.”   If time permits, students will finish up the year as “weather detectives,” and using the scientific method, will conduct experiments and build model weather instruments to gain knowledge about suspects in an imaginary crime case.  All of the activities in this year long simulation class are designed to build critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Zoo Simulation, 1st semester, grades 3-5
In this interactive class students try to save the local zoo from destruction.  The zoo is outdated and unsafe, so the mayor                   intends to sell the animals and lease the land to a frozen vegetable factory.  With the help of the zoo keeper, students learn to care for zoo animals, remodel their cages and raise money by completing lessons about food, habitat, animal classifications, etc., while at the same time making sure that the city’s mayor and his spies don’t cause any problems for the new zoo keepers.

 Pet First Aid, all ages, 2nd semester
This course will teach about pet health care, including emergencies for dogs, cats, and other companion animals.  Students will learn how to examine their pet, recognize problems, and practice first aid for various conditions.  Also included will be choosing the right pet, maintaining pet health, providing daily care, and traveling with a pet.

Middle School

Middle School Science, grades 6-8
The HomeLink middle school science is offered in a two year rotation.
 This year students will be studying astronomy, earth sciences, and introduction to chemistry.

High School

Biology, high school
This year-long Apologia course covers organism taxonomy, cellular biology, ecosystems cycles, botany, and introductory organic chemis-try.  Class time is spent covering main concepts and completing labs.

Physical Science, high school
This year-long Apologia course covers the topics of earth science, weather, physics, basic electronics, and nuclear forces.

Dissection Lab, high school, 1st semester
This course enhances the study of biology by dissecting and studying  physiology of several animals.  (prerequisite:  middle school or high school biology)

Edgy Science,  high school, 2nd semester
This course is for the student who has an interest in science and new scientific discoveries and issues.  Through debate and discussion, students will choose topics to further research.  As part of this course, students will be expected to do a lot of public speaking and reports from their research and response  to other’s research.  (prerequisite: either high school biology or physical science)

Physics, high school (prerequisite: algebra 1 & some geometry)                           
This course uses Apologia curriculum that covers work, energy, momentum, periodic motion, electrical currents, etc.  In addition, students will be trained in the proper procedures for lab write-ups. Recommended for college-bound students.

Elementary

Middle School

World Geography, middle school and high school, full year course
Students will learn all the countries and capital of the world, and many of the major geographical features of the continents and regions of the world.  Some cultural content will be covered.

Time Traces , grades 6-8
In this year long course, small teams of students randomly choose an historical era, which remains a mystery to the other teams.  The teamsread historical fiction and conduct research to learn about their time periods.  Teams then create clues and challenge classmates to identify
 the historical eras on Mystery Era  Day.

High School

United States History, high school
 This year long class takes students from the first settlements in North America through current times. Emphasis is given to the spiritual and political foundations of our nation, lived out in the dedication of amazing leaders.  Students will strive to understand the standards and views of the eras studied, and see how actions and attitudes influenced future events.  Graded assignments include essays, worksheets, and class participation.

East Asian Studies, high school
With the rise of China in the global economy, an understanding of the parts of East Asia as well as the whole, is necessary in our world today because of our own interconnectedness with the rest of the world, both positively and negatively.  This course will focus on China in the first semester, Japan and Korea in the second semester.       

German, high school
This year-long course offers an introduction to German that makes language acquisition a natural, personalized, enjoyable, and rewarding experience.  Students will attain an acceptable level of proficiency in four basic skills:  speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Spanish 1, high school
This is an extensive first year high school level course in which students will learn elementary  conversation skills, vocabulary, grammar, usage, verb tenses, history, geography, and cultural tidbits from the Spanish-speaking world.  Students will also learn a proverb and a Bible verse each week.

Spanish 3, high school, prerequisite, Spanish 2
In this course, students will do a grammatical and structural review of the language, a lot of conversation, and literature.  Students will be assigned magazine articles in Spanish which they will summarize in Spanish.  Other activities include reading books in Spanish, watching Spanish language movies, and listening to Spanish radio and watching Spanish television stations in order to increase fluency.

French 2, high school
Continuing with ABEKA Books French 2 curriculum, this year long course will give students a greater knowledge of pronunciation, vocabulary, conversation, grammar, history, and culture.  In addition to the textbook, students will read Le Petit Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupery in the second semester.

Elementary

Drama, a ages

This class will run in two separate semesters; fall semester focuses on a dinner theater in December, followed by fun exercises and analysis of our performance, and spring semester culminates in two performances at the end of the school year.  Graded assignments include character studies, line memorization, effort, and performance skills.  Spring semester in 2012 will feature two separate classes, one for younger students to perform a children’s classic, and one for older students to present  a
dramatic classic.  There is a materials fee to cover the costs of scriptsand royalties.                                   

Drawing, grades 3-8, full year class
Even if you can barely draw a straight line, you will learn step bystep how to draw many types of items showing perspective and dimension.  The skills learned will enable the student to produce work when drawing is necessary…even sciece labs, posters, painting, or doodling.

Photography and Design, Grades 3-7
Student will develop an understanding of the basics of digital photography, in addition to the elements and principles of design.  This class will allow students to develop and communicate visual literacy and formal analysis of art.  Students will receive basic history of  master photographers such as Dorthea Lange, Annie Liebowitz and Ansel Adams and some history of graphic design such as Piet Mondrian and Toulouse-Lautree.  In addition, students will develope understanding of type, graphics, layout, and color.  Projects will focus
on photography and design work.  This year long class will also include media awareness through critical thinking.  Digital camera is required.

Middle School

House Design, grades 6-8
Students in this class will explore the world of architecture as it relates to designing and building homes.  They will be part of a mock architectural office designing homes for specific clients, and will have to investigate the needs of the families, budget constraints, site requirements and personal preferences in order to complete the designs.  Students will also be presenting ideas and projects to the class in a final review at the end of the year, which will include drawings and models of their designs.

High School

Digital Art Studio, grades 8 and up
 Students will use computer programs as well as hands-on art activities to explore basic art concepts, including line, color balance, path and movement, texture, etc.  Students will study artists and their works, practice using the concept studied, and then produce an original piece of art.  Students may earn up to 1 credit high school credit in fine arts, computer, or occupational education.  (A home computer and basic software is required to complete most assignments.)

Art, high school, 1st qt.
Students will learn to make stained glass projects.

Yearbook, high school, 2nd semester
Students will work together to create a memorable yearbook

Elementary

Middle School

High School

Elementary

Middle School

High School

Elementary

Middle School

High School