Course Descriptions
Learn about our classes 2024-2025:
Elementary Classes
- Apologia Zoology Swimming Creatures
- Early Influential Americans
- STEAM Lab
- ASL 1+
Middle/High School Classes
- IEW
- Current Events
- Spanish 1
Apologia Zoology: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day
4th - 6th Grade
Course description:
During this exciting aquatic animal course, we will dive deeply into God’s amazing creation! We will honor Him by exploring animals of our oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds. We will explore maps, current and tide charts, and conservation efforts.
We will complete a wide variety of experiments using the scientific method process, art activities, and various hands-on activities throughout the course. Students will watch and listen to informative clips, participate in interactive games, and follow along with slideshow presentations.
*No Prerequisite Required
Homework expectations:
20 – 30 minutes reading each week
Occasionally a step to an activity may need to be completed during the week if class time does not allow.
An end of the year project will be assigned and will take the place of aforementioned homework activities.
Class materials:
Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day
Link to text book (but it can be found at a variety of bookshops online):
https://www.apologia.com/product/zoology-2-swimming-creatures-textbook/
Most supplies will be provided at the Materials Exchange Day. You will need to provide a pencil, eraser, and scissors.
Materials fee (per year): $30
Class fees for the full year ($320* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $350 after June 15.
Optional: $20 for packaging/mailing of science materials (2x per year) for those who live out of area or unable to attend Materials Exchange Day; must be paid along with the materials fee and tuition
Early Influential Americans
3rd - 5th Grade
Course description:
The story of our nation includes many influential Americans including explorers, colonists, patriots, inventors, government officials, industrialists, and pioneers who made important contributions to creating America. In this class, early American history will come to life as students go on a journey to learn about the fascinating lives of many early Americans who played an important part in the amazing events that shaped America’s story. From explorers to pioneers to presidents to generals to inventors to authors, we will examine American history and the influential people who lived it from the pending Revolution to the birth of a new nation through to the Reconstruction after the Civil War up to the beginnings of industrialization and reform that held a promising future for the United States. This will be accomplished through engaging discussions, fun activities, visuals, and more!
Homework expectations: Homework will consist of completing an activity page regarding the lesson on the highlighted individual(s).
Materials fee (per year): TBD (no more than $10)
Class fees for the full year ($320* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $350 after June 15.
Optional: $10 for packaging/mailing of Early Influential Americans materials (1x per year) for those who live out of area or unable to attend Materials Exchange Day; must be paid along with the materials fee and tuition. Instead, you may request a free pdf of the materials pack that you would print for your student.
STEAM Lab
4th - 6th Grade
Course description:
This exciting lab class will include hands-on activities each week that emphasize both the order and detail God used during Creation and the application of scientific concepts as we experience them in our daily lives. The class will spark imagination, creativity through science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Topics covered will include gravity, force, weather, engineering, endothermic and exothermic reactions, electricity, coding, and so much more.
Each week the students will be presented with a short slide show presentation, video clips, and a challenge. The students will use the supplies provided on Materials Exchange Day to complete the challenge during class time. Problem solving skills will be taught while allowing for plenty of creativity, team work, and fun.
Homework expectations:
Occasional need to complete a step of a challenge if time does not allow during class. Extensions will be provided each week if the student desires to dive into a specific challenge.
Class materials:
Most materials will be provided during Materials Exchange Day.
Additional supplies you will need most weeks: scissors, pencil, ruler, and eraser. There are several weeks that the students will also need cardboard from the recycling bin. The specific classes will be noted on the syllabus as well as parent/student reminders sent the week before.
Materials fee (per year): $45
Class fees for the full year ($320* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $350 after June 15.
Optional: $30 for packaging/mailing of STEAM materials (1x per year) for those who live out of area or unable to attend Materials Exchange Day; must be paid along with the materials fee and tuition
ASL 1+
4th - 6th Grade
Course description:
Join us for ASL 1+! Whether your student has prior experience with American Sign Language or is new, this class is going to be fun and hands on! Haha; get it!?
Students will learn all about American Sign Language: alphabet, fingerspelling, everyday vocabulary words, sentence building, and how to have simple conversations. Approximately 15% of Americans are Hard-of-Hearing or Deaf. Knowledge of ASL is a caring and helpful skill to have!
Continuing Students: I am so excited to have you in my class again! We will be refreshing all that we learned last year while also growing our vocabulary and our conversational skills!
New Students: Welcome! I would so love to have you join my class! To take this class, you will be required to watch 2 videos to catch you up on the basics of sign language and the alphabet!
Homework expectations: Students are asked to practice their signs each week.
Materials fee (per year): $0
Class fees for the full year ($320* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $350 after June 15.
IEW
5th - 7th Grade
Course description:
In this class, students are guided through the process of writing a variety of academic and creative essays. This is an excellent course for both natural writers and students who never quite know where to begin. We will work through the IEW Lessons workbook, which starts with the foundation of how to write an outline. From there we move on to IEW's clear, step-by-step instructions on how to turn an outline into a paper. Additionally, students will learn new vocabulary words each week to use in their papers as well as be challenged to integrate different grammatical techniques to make their papers more interesting to read (i.e. who/which clauses, prepositional openers, etc.).
Homework expectations:
We will work together in class on the weekly outlines. Then, outside of class, students can expect roughly 30 minutes of daily homework, where they will use a checklist to write and rewrite papers. All work - both during and outside of class - is expected to be written entirely by the student. However, if it will lessen the frustration, parents are welcome to type the paper while the student dictates his/her words. Final copies are expected to be completed by the following class and will be shared during class time. Parents should also plan to be available at home as a listener and editor. More about the process will be shared before class starts. Students will be asked to keep a notebook of their completed and polished works throughout the year.
Class materials:
Materials fee (per year): $0
Class fees for the full year ($320* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $350 after June 15.
Current Events: Understanding the World Around Us
5th - 7th Grade
Course description:
What in the world is going on? Glad you asked! This course is dedicated to helping youth develop news literacy through a Biblical lens. Helping young students develop news literacy is a necessity and an important life skill! In this class, students will be presented every week with various episodes from World Watch News, which is a news show that is designed to provide global stories, headlines, and news briefs without pushing any kind of agenda and presented with a Christian perspective. Students will be presented with news from around the world regarding science, technology, economics, government, art, world cultures, and more! Upon viewing an episode/news story, students will be encouraged and asked to discuss their observations, pose questions, and contemplate the content presented. This will also encourage and teach critical thinking. This class is a great supplement and building block to other classes - history, civics, geography, and other social studies courses - as it incorporates much of the content taught in those classes and will help students apply that information to the events taking place around the world. Moreover, students will be inspired to recognize and become more aware of the world beyond their community and country. It is the hope that students will grow in their confidence and awareness of current events and what is going on in the world.
Homework expectations: Students will be asked to have a notebook and take notes while they watch the news episodes. Students will be asked to 1. write down questions and observations they had while watching or upon further reflection of the content and 2. write a brief reflection to what they learned and/or are still curious about. This is designed to encourage them to be active listeners and note-takers—who doesn’t need these skills!?
Materials: This course requires families to subscribe to digital World Watch News during the school year (Sept-April)
https://worldwatch.news/
$6.99 per month (Listed rate as of Jan 2023 - prices subject to change)
Material Fees: $12 per year
Class fees for the full year ($320* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $350 after June 15.
Spanish 1
Grades 7th - 10th (6th with approval)
**Please note that this class will meet 2 times per week.
Course description:
This class is designed for students who are new to the study of a language. Level One will introduce students to listening, reading, speaking, and writing as well as the study of Latino culture.
Listening and reading are the language skills that students acquire first, so active participation is essential.
The classroom methodology is based upon the TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling)/CI (Comprehensible Input) method. Each student must have access to a computer at home in order to complete the online assignments. In addition to the class, 2-3 hours of homework will be assigned each week. In class, there will be homework review, presentation of new material, and fun, interactive exercises. Students will read at least one short novel.
Homework expectations:
In the first semester there will be about 1 hour of homework per week. This will increase as students build their skills.
Class materials: There is no textbook, but we will read 1 or 2 novels. Students will order their Spanish novel(s) from Amazon.
Materials fee (per year): $10 per year
Class fees for the full year ($420* + materials fee) are due on June 15. This fee increases to $450 after June 15.