Our 2016-2017 Class Offerings
High School
Level 4 Beginning Rhetoric - 9th and 10th grade
Level 4 Continuing Rhetoric - 11th and 12th grade
It is our desire that our high school classes offer our students the ability to continue with the co-op through the completion of 12th grade. We hope in offering this level we can help families stay together throughout their homeschool journey and foster lifelong friendships that carry them through graduation and beyond.
Our high school classes are geared towards providing quality academic courses while offering a Christian worldview and perspective to the material studied. Our classes not only offer high school credits, but offer our students the opportunity to learn valuable skills that will serve them well into their future. Skills such as time management, meeting deadlines, timed testing environments, accountability for completed work, and study skills are just a few of the valuable tools that our students can acquire.
Our English and history classes are rich and challenging coursework and can receive honors credit upon completion. It is expected therefore, that our students complete their assignments on-time and to the specifications of their instructors.
The goal of our elective classes are for skill-building, enrichment, and rounding out their transcripts with a diversity of classes.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the coursework or expectations for our high school level.
English Literature & Composition & History
Our English and history program is scheduled to follow the 4 year cycle established by the Tapestry of Grace (TOG) program. For the 2016_2017 school year, we will use the TOG Year 4 curriculum which explores the 1900's to the present day. Coursework for this class will revolve around the weekly topics set forth in the Tapestry program.
All families will need to purchase the digital edition of the Tapestry of Grace Year 4 Curriculum and the Year 4 Map Aids supplement.
English Literature & Composition
Classic Literature of the World - options include selections from American and World literature
In Year 4, classic works include titles from 20th century authors such as Hemingway, Steinbeck, Asimov, Miller, Williams and Fitzgerald will be read, analyzed, and studied (final selections will be made by the facilitators - a list of possible books can be found at www.BookshelfCentral.com under TOG Year 4 Rhetoric literature). The class will also examine some shorter works and poetry of the 20th century as well. Besides offering a great introduction to these works and learning to use tools of literary analysis, this course ties into the student’s historical and worldview studies so that both are enhanced.
Parents may elect to choose Beginning Rhetoric for their 9th and 10th grade student or Continuing Rhetoric for their 11th and 12th grade student. Beginning Rhetoric students are ones who are either new to Tapestry or new to high school literary analysis and essay composition. Continuing Rhetoric students are those students who are continuing students who are prepared for higher level analysis skills, ready to be demonstrated in class discussions and literary analysis writing assignments that are more encompassing in scope and time requirements than beginning essays.
Students will earn one full Honors English Literature and Composition credit upon completion of this course.
Curriculum: Tapestry of Grace Year 4 (digital) curriculum; TOG Poetics supplement; a copy of the TOG Writing Aids book (may be required); students will also need to acquire additional literature books per the TOG reading list; TOG Rhetoric evaluations supplement (all of the above items are 1 per family not per student or per class)
Tapestry of Grace History /Geography/Government
Tapestry of Grace Year 4: Western Civilization IV/American History II
From the TOG website: This world history course begins with U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and continues through the most recent president, covering major events of the 1900’s and early 2000’s. Students will focus on and follow developments relating to World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, the rise of Totalitarianism, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam conflict, and the Gulf War. Countries surveyed include Germany, Italy, Japan, Israel, India, China, and Africa. Changes in the family structure, medical advancements, the Space Race, and other revolutionary topics will be explored. Students will earn one full Honors credit upon completion of this course. (Another credit option: ½ credit in U.S. History and ½ credit in World History
Students can also earn a partial geography credit (subsequent years in the program accumulates for a full geography credit); and a partial government credit (subsequent years in the program accumulates for a full government credit)
Curriculum: Tapestry of Grace Year 4 (digital) curriculum; Map Aids supplement; TOG Government supplement; students will also need to acquire additional history books per the TOG reading list; TOG Rhetoric evaluations supplement (all of the above items are 1 per family not per student or per class)
Electives
Our elective classes round out our students' transcripts with a diversity of classes that are intended to build skills, enrich, and equip our students with tools that will prepare them for high school and beyond. Therefore, it is our intent that the classes will challenge our students, but not offer the academic workload of core classes.
Our elective courses are one semester each and will be offered in a block schedule format. The elective classes will not be finalized until registration is complete so that we can determine class need. On the application you will indicate your choice of elective by selecting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th choice next to each class. Classes may be cancelled if not enough students are registered and classes may be only offered once for the same reason.
Proposed classes:
Media Analysis/Current Events:
Our goal is to build student’s knowledge of current events and strengthen their critical thinking skills. This will be accomplished through analyzing current events via various media sources including, but not limited to, print articles, web content, blogs, apps, editorials and political cartoons/satire. Discussion of journalism basics, bias, and ethics will also be covered.
Please note: at this time this class will be offered for our students who are in 10th grade or older
Intro to Economics/Finance:
This class will be an introduction to the basics of economics and finance. We will cover some great books, use projects and real life experiences to understand economic principles and personal money management. Students will engage in a Real World Now project where they will create their own personal finance portfolio over the course of the semester.
Please note: this is a new format and version of this class from our 2014/2015 class and will have a more project and introductory focus
Computers II:
We offered Computers I last year that covered course material typically included in an Intro to Computers class: topics such as hardware, software, typing, Google docs, presentations, spreadsheets, and Internet security. This year, the Computers II class will continue to expand upon and cover programs and topics most needed by today's high school and college students. Computers I is not a prerequisite for Computers II.
Please note: depending on the students registered for this class we may change the topics in the class covered per semester - for instance, one class focused on continuing from last year and another focused on going over the topics from Computers I - or some combination of the two.
Academic Success & Preparation:
Our goal for this class is to introduce students to skills and tools to aid in the academic challenges of high school and college. Potential topics for this class include: notetaking, test taking skills, study skills, time management, organization, communication skills, and presentation skills. The idea would be to use work from the student's other classes to hone in these skills in a very applicable way. Also, covered will be discovering your learning style and basic assessments of career interests.
Please note: we highly recommend this class for all incoming high school students, but the skills taught will benefit any high school student of any grade