Algebra 1

Instructor: Tahla Stephens

Course Description: Algebra 1 covers all topics in a first-year algebra course, from algebraic expressions, signed numbers, exponents, inequalities, probability to linear and quadratic equations.  We also cover algebra-based real-world problems through out. With Saxon, a basic overview of geometry concepts of area, volume, angles, and Pythagorean Theorem are developed and practiced as well. With Algebra 1, students begin developing the understanding required for entrance into Algebra 2 or Geometry courses.

Curriculum used:  Algebra 1, Saxon, Third Edition

Brief description of Class plans: Students will generally have to complete one lesson each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for a total of four lessons per week. Parent monitored take-home test on Wednesday. Students will also need to use the accompanying Solutions Manual to check daily homework.  Students will need to redo all of the problems that they miss. 

Homework:  Students can expect between 6-8 hours of homework each week.

Tests/Papers/Presentations: Students will take regular tests.  There will not be any papers or presentations.

Grading: 50% homework, 50% tests.  Tests can be retaken.

American Government

Instructor:  Melanie Hockley

Course description: American Government will be taught to better understand America’s foundational governmental virtues as well as its challenges, and will enable the student to better view their own citizenry.  The student should gain a clearer comprehension of the meaning of citizenship to our United States and the purposes of the governmental structures.  There is hope that experiencing the TeenPact event the student will gain a better personal perspective of the legislative process.

Curriculum used: Bob Jones University (BJU) American Government 2^nd Edition and accompanying Student Activity Manual.  The student will also be reading Christianity and the Constitution by John Eidsmoe and using materials from TeenPact. 

Brief description of class plans: Reading the required reading and dialogue for comprehension.  View a few tapes from the American Heritage Series from Wallbuilders.  Four essays will be required throughout the school year as well as tests to determine comprehension and grade. In addition to regular class plans we plan to attend the TeenPact event held in February.  

Homework: Between 5 - 7 hours per week. There will be a lot of reading and in conjunction with this there will be quarterly tests to verify that students have a thorough understanding of their reading. Students will write a three-four page research paper on any of the material covered per quarter. In addition to this the student will complete the required assignments for attendance to Teen Pact.

Tests/Papers/Presentations: There will be regular tests for students as well as a final. There will be regular papers. There will be no presentations required for this class unless the student would like to do this for extra credit.

Grading Scale: Tests (3) 25%, Final Test 20%, Research Papers 25%, Final Research Paper 20%, Participation 10%.

Anatomy/Physiology

Instructor:  Danielle Carr

(Class description coming soon.)

Biology

Instructor:  Adrienne Hanagan

Course description: This high school Biology class will cover the chemical basis of life from the building blocks of matter (elements and molecules) to DNA and proteins. Cellular architecture will be studied as will cellular reproduction, and Mendelian genetics. Our studies will include the simplest forms of life (bacteria, protists, and fungi), invertebrate forms of life (arthropods and insects) and  the vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals).  Photosynthesis, plant anatomy, classification, physiology, and reproduction will be studied as will ecology.  The problems presented by evolution, intelligent design, and creation will also be discussed; I will not be presenting the theory of evolution as fact.

Curriculum used:  Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd edition, Apologia

Description of class plans:  We will be reading the biology text outside of  class and I strongly recommend students prepare 5X8 cards for memory work.  Homework and lab worksheets will be assigned and graded.  Tests can be taken at home as take home exams or in class.  I am very flexible in my willingness to work with learning disabled students or with students who have test anxiety.  In the first semester, we will be doing a lot of work with the microscope.  If the students have a microscope, they will be encouraged to bring it with them.  We will be doing biology labs perhaps once a week, as needed.  Biology related field trips may replace some labs, especially when we will be studying reptiles.  We will be following Wile's text fairly closely in terms of the lab schedule.  In the second semester, we will be doing dissections of squid, crayfish or crab, perch or other available fish, shark, and fetal pig.

Homework:  6 to 8 hours per week.  Completion of lab worksheets, active participation in all the labs, and completion of all take-home and in-class exams will also be required.  Weekly reading of texts and printed lectures (provided by instructor), and lab procedures will be required.   In Wile's text, there are 16 modules, which amounts to a module exam every two to three weeks.  Students can expect to get a take home or in class test once each module is complete.  I may choose to administer a final, if it will be helpful to the students.

Grading scale:  Homework 20%, Lab Worksheets 20%, Lab Participation 10%, Module Exams 50% 

British Literature

Instructor:  Melanie Hockley

Course description: We will read and write papers on the books listed below by British authors.We will also read and discuss many poems.  Students will be able to understand and discuss many different literary genres by British writers. Students will grow in their appreciation of literature, increase their vocabularies and be more varied in their writing abilities. Students will also study literary devices.

Curriculum used: There will be no textbooks for this class. Students will be required to purchase the books we study (or get them from the library). These are some of the books that we’ll cover: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (not all), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Pride and Prejudice, The Importance of Being Earnest, Murder on the Orient Express, C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet, and 1984. Also, we will cover poems and prose.

Homework: 5 - 7 hours per week. There will be lots of reading and in conjunction with this there will be comprehension tests to verify that students have completed their reading. After each theme (approximately quarterly), students will write a three to four page paper.  Students will also coordinate with their other team members to prepare for their presentations each semester.

Tests/Papers/Presentations: There will be regular tests for students but there will not be a final. There will be regular papers. Presentations will be a group project per semester.

Grading Scale: Group Projects 25%, Tests 15%, Essays 50%, Participation 10%.

Chinese

Instructor: Lizhi Gao

Course Description:  Beginning level; Pinyin system (Latin script rather than Chinese characters); conversational, reading, and writing; basic topics such as numbers, greetings, family, daily life; Chinese culture

Curriculum used:  Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 1 and additional instructor-created materials

Brief description of class plans:  Classes will consist of teacher instruction and student practice.  Both individual and group work.  Oral and written, role playing, games, worksheets, etc.

Homework:  One hour a week; oral practice (pronunciation) in front of a mirror, practice worksheets, projects

Tests/Papers/Presentations:  One test per week, final test, no papers, 1-2 presentations per month

Grading:  Participation 30%, tests 50%, presentations 20%

Fine Art and Worldview

Instructor: Tahla Stephens

Course description: The purpose of this class is to provide the student with a year long, high school level, Fine Arts experience with an Art History component that uses the understanding of Worldview as a basis for perspective in viewing and discussing works of art from around the world.  In the area of Fine Art skills we will be discovering various art forms, compositions & styles. We will explore Drawing, practice techniques such as shading and value, color theory, along with tools for drawing with Pen & Ink and Watercolor painting. We will experience Sculpture, Fiber Arts with a focus on weaving, and Altered Art. There are a total of six art forms we will explore ‘hands-on’ and each student will submit one ‘project’ from each of these forms, as well as their sketchbook and journal, in lieu of tests. During our Art History emphasis time, the goal is not to memorize who the ‘masters’ are and their associated works.  Instead, I seek to have students gain knowledge of the philosophical forces that have shaped man’s cultural choices as seen in Art History. Armed with the perspective of these worldviews, we as Christians seek to impact and engage our culture in effective discussion and present a persuasive argument (apologetic) for our Christian counter culture. Our main text will be How Should We Then Live? By Francis Schaeffer and is available to view free, on line. Although the majority of the works of art we will view and discuss come from western civilization, a smattering of eastern and indigenous cultures are woven within the scope of our curricula. Access to an email account, computer, printer & internet as well as a camera is necessary for this class.

Curriculum used: Our main text will be How Should We Then Live? By Francis Schaeffer and is available to view free, on line.

Description of class plans:

September:  Drawing with Graphite & Colored Pencil:  Exploring Still Life, Composite, Landscape, Portrait and Free Form through shapes, composition, techniques and tools using value, shading, style.  We will also begin learning color theory. Although emphasized this month, Drawing is practiced all year, and is assigned as homework throughout. (1^st quarter project)

October:  Sculpture--From Statues to Architecture: Exploration of sculpture will be a continuation of our discovery of composition with the emphasis of energy and motion in the Sculpture Form. (The use of a camera will be needed to complete some of the homework assignments this month. Camera phones acceptable, provided images can be downloaded to a computer or printed). (2nd quarter project)

November:  Pen & Ink Techniques and Tools:  Building on drawing skills as well as concepts of composition in Still Life, Composite, Landscape, Portrait and Free Form. Students explore & practice techniques using various quill tips to achieve desired results. (2nd quarter project)

December/January:  Fiber Art with an emphasis on weaving: We will explore further the concept of  composition within free form while learning the basics of loom weaving: warping, weft fiber choices, patterns, weaving on a loom. Students will create a Fiber Art sculpture that is a composite of various samples of this art form as well as mixed media of the student’s choice. (Because we have only one loom, this project is considered a 4th quarter project)

February: Watercolor Introduction:  Building on ‘Line Drawing’ style watercolor, students will continue studying composition in Still Life, Landscape, Composite and Portrait formats, while learning painting techniques and tools for the watercolorist.  We will dive into color theory again with the extensive use of a color wheel.  Students will be able to experience hot and cold press watercolor paper choices from 70 lbs to 140 lbs, as well as watercolor canvas.  (3^rd quarter project)

March:  Altered Art, a form of mixed media, is an emerging art form of the present culture and an excellent example of the worldview of relativism. Students will be challenged to transfer a distinct title to their piece by giving it to the viewer in visual clues only.  (4^th quarter project)

April/May:  Students will finish up their Fiber Art project as well as their Altered Art project. We will enjoy together an end of year Art Gallery & Dessert Night (Student participation is required.)

Grading Art Projects: At the time each Fine Art Skill is introduced in class and the associated project is discussed, a handout will be given outlining the requirements for grading that project. 

OPTION 1:  Earn 1.5 Semester Credits 

Basic Requirements:  Attend and participate in all scheduled ‘on campus’ Art & Worldview classes on Mondays and Thursdays, as well as our ‘End of Year Project Gallery and Dessert’ evening. Our on campus class is scheduled for a 1.5 hour duration.  Off campus school work, referred to as ‘homework’, is designed to encompass 1.5 hours each of the other 3 days students are off campus studying. (This reflects a total of 7.5 hours for on and off campus class work combined per week.) In addition to attendance and class participation, students must complete and submit weekly, assignments in their sketchbook and journal.  And at the end of each quarter for grading all 8 fine arts projects as per assignment each quarter. These projects are in lieu of tests.

At the end of the year we will host an “End of Year Project Gallery and Dessert Night”.

It might be possible to offer to students who intend to pursue a college degree in Fine Arts, the following course work option as they seek to put together a portfolio for entrance in an Art School:

OPTION 2:  Earn 2 Semester Credits

Basic Requirements:  Do all of Option 1 requirements. In addition, your schoolwork done off campus, referred to as ‘homework’, for this course should reflect that you are devoting 2 hours per day, 5 days a week to this course.  (This reflects a total of 10 hours for on and off campus class work per week. You will need to keep a log of your hours.)  You will also be required to pick a ‘Main Theme’ for your eight “Experience Fine-Arts” projects, to have each of those projects reflect. Some examples of a ‘Main Theme’: Cultural-- Native American, Asian, etc.  Religious--Christian Counterculture, Underground Church in Iran, Persecuted Church, Creation, etc.  General--Industrial, Space Art, Children’s Literature, Fashion, etc. Historical--Prehistoric, Medieval, Modern, Generation X, etc.  These are just sample ideas.  Students, please discuss specifics with your parents and Mrs. Stephens. You may combine themes to create yours such as “Industrial Modern Art,”  “Native American Fashion,” “New World Space Art” etc. You will need to provide a written commentary on each of your projects, when you submit them for grading, that explains how it is part of your main theme.

At the beginning of the year students and their parents will need to communicate with Mrs. Stephens the credit option they are pursuing, and sign the appropriate commitment form.

Grading: Class participation 25%, Weekly Sketchbook homework assignments 25%, Weekly Journal homework assignments 25%, Fine Arts Projects 25%. In lieu of a final test, students will present all 8 projects in our class's “End of Year Project Gallery and dessert night."

French 1/2/3

Instructor:  Sandy Edwards

Course description:  Each family will need to purchase Rosetta Stone’s French program for $159 (equivalent to $18/month in place of instructor, materials, or textbook fees).  Students will work one hour a day according to the program’s 36-week schedule, M/Th in class, and T/W/F at home.

The program includes pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and a cultural activity each quarter. Printable worksheets, quizzes and tests will be completed, graded and discussed.  Each student will prepare a short, cultural presentation each semester.

Curriculum used: Rosetta Stone French Homeschool Edition

Homework: Students can be expected to do between 2 - 4 hours of homework per week.

Description of Homework: Students will spend 1 hour every weekday on the curriculum described above.

Tests/Papers/Presentations: This program provides for continual testing, writing, and speaking assignments.

Grading: Completing program module 50%, worksheets/quizzes/tests 45%, presentations 5%.

Personal Finance/Economics

Instructor:  Evelyn Baker

This is a one semester class.

Curriculum:  Foundations in Personal Finance. Includes lesson plans, assessments, case studies and activities.  Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey teaches the course on DVD.  Both engaging and entertaining, Mr. Ramsey walks students through the steps to financial peace, helping them prepare for the ups and downs of money before they enter adulthood. Students will see an immediate impact on their knowledge of personal finance.

Foundations in Personal Finance can fulfill requirements in mathematics, economics, family consumer science, business mathematics and personal finance. There are 12 formal, classroom-style lessons on DVD, taught by Mr. Ramsey, covering four distinct units (Unit 1: Saving and Investing, Unit 2: Credit and Debt, Unit 3: Financial Responsibility and Money Management, Unit 4: Insurance/Risk Management and Income/Careers). Students will then complete the workbook at home. Total student time will be 50 min a day, 5 days a week.

The students will buy the Dave Ramsey homeschool personal finance workbook from his website.

Physical Education (PE)

Instructor:  Melanie Hockley

Course description: Class is meant to teach the different types of fitness, how to apply them, and what they can do themselves to be fit.  Students will have learned how to be physically fit, and be in better physical shape than when the class started.  Each class will consist of stretching, a warm up, a workout, and a game.

Curriculum used: There will be no textbooks for this class.

Homework: Run 1 mile per week and record your time.

Tests/Papers/Presentations: There will be four tests and the last test will be a final. The tests will check for improvement in physical performance.

Grading Scale:  Classroom participation 50%, tests 25%, final test 25%.

Physics

Instructor:  Sandy Edwards

Course description:  The purpose of the chosen curriculum is to make physics understandable.  Wherever possible, the principles of physics are illustrated by everyday experience and practical devices.  The student is shown how the many kinds of technology, from the camera to the car, actually function.  Numerous illustrative problems are solved in detail. The harmony between scientific knowledge and Christian belief will be shown.  The text is firmly grounded on the view that we live in a God-created world governed by laws discoverable by reverent scientific inquiry.  Interspersed throughout the text are biographies of great physicists who were also Bible-believing Christians.

Curriculum used:  Abeka’s Physics: the Foundational Science – New Edition.  Students must purchase the textbook and the lab manual.

Homework:  3-5 hours per week; reading, answering chapter questions, take-home quizzes.

Tests/Papers/Presentations:  Tests according to the curriculum, no papers, no presentations.  The lab manual will be filled in as labs are performed.

Grading:  Homework 40%, Class Participation 20%, Tests 20%, Labs 20%.

Pre-Algebra

Instructor:  Tahla Stephens

(Class description coming soon.)

Speech

Instructor:  Hilary Osborne

Course description: Sound Speech introduces the methods and techniques of effective public speaking to inform or persuade. Students will learn about audience analysis, the communication process, and public speaking guidelines. The speech curriculum includes many speaking projects from demonstrations to devotionals, interviews to informative speeches.

Curriculum used: Sound Speech – BJU Press

Description of what students will have learned when class is complete: The students will have completed discussions of the communication process, audience analysis, and public speaking guidelines. It involves topic choice, research, organization, and effective communication. Speaking projects include introductions, interviews, demonstration speeches, declamations, informative speeches, devotional speeches, and persuasive speeches. Each of these will be completed by each student.  Each student will have practiced the art of constructive, godly criticism in a way that builds one another up.

Brief description of Class plans: One chapter will be covered every two weeks, which will include lectures on each lesson, review of concepts, and student speeches and evaluations when applicable. 

Homework: 4-5 hours each week.  Read chapter text covered in class along with chapter review, concepts, and terminology.  Students will prepare speeches as assigned throughout the year.

Tests/Papers/Presentations:  Three tests averaging one every 9 weeks.  No papers.  Roughly 4 presentations per semester.

Grading:  Presentations 50%, Tests 50%