American History
Time: 2:00-3:00 PMInstructor: Mrs. Phyllis Bird
Cost: $150
Syllabus: AmericanHistorySyllabus.doc
Required Text: The Story of US Vol. 3-8 Joy Hakim
Description: American history is full of amazing events. One event doesn't just happen but influences a series of other events. Who really started the civil war -does it depend on which side you were on, Yankee or Confederate or is there really someone to blame? Lincoln said to Jefferson Davis " heads I win, tails you lose" with regard to Fort Sumter. What did he mean? The Southern newspapers called the Northerners "bigots". History is full of surprises.
This class will cover from the Revolutionary War to WWI. We will not just cover the wars but how the people reacted and many times rejoiced over the wars. Some mention will be to compare current events with historical event, but this not be a primary focus. We will look at how political messages were sent to persuade the people of the times. Such as Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre. Another component of this class will be to look at how history changes. Again using Paul Revere how he changed from an American Hero to a war hungry maniac during the Vietnam war. Next year's this class will continue, covering from after WWI to the present
Projects, tests and papers will be required unless otherwise requested by the parent. It is anticipated the class will be augmented by guest speakers and/or field trips, with many of these events taking place on Thursdays (i.e. outside of the normal class schedule) in order to provide enough time to get the maximum benefit from them. Other family members may participate.
American Sign Language
Time: 2:00-3:00 PMInstructor: Mrs. Jodie Binkley
Cost: $150
Required Text: Master ASL! Level 1 www.masterasl.com Please note that used copies of this curriculum are available, but each student needs all three components (text, companion and DVD) and finding them used could cost you more if you are not careful.
Description: From the Master ASL! Website:
Master ASL! is an American Sign Language curriculum suitable for high school and college courses. Grounded in contemporary second language theories that balance grammar instruction and conversational skills, with ample exercises to develop language proficiency, Master ASL! is the only ASL textbook series that meets state and national standards for foreign language learning.
Several features unique to Master ASL! include:
* prosodic language development via expressive narratives
* exercises designed to reach multiple learning styles
* scope and sequence of topics mimic natural conversation
Master ASL! is designed with the hearing student in mind by focusing attention on traditional trouble areas, highlighting differences between ASL and English, and making the cultural and linguistic uniqueness of the Deaf World accessible.
Practicing at home and doing assigned homework will be crucial to moving through this course at the desired pace. We will not only be focusing on the language, but the deaf culture as well. Guest signers have been lined up and at least one class field trip to Gallaudet can be expected. Homework will include practice exercises, assignments in book, DVD viewing and projects related to Deaf Culture.
Biology
Time: 9:30-11:00Instructor: Mrs. Kelly Vogelpohl
Cost: $195
Lab Fee: $50
Syllabus: BiologySyllabus.doc
Required Text: Exploring Creation with Biology, 2nd ed., Dr. Jay Wile
ISBN: 9781932012545
Description: As stated by Apologia Educational Ministries, this course is designed to be the student' first high school science course and is a college-prep biology course that provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general biology. Heavily emphasizing the vocabulary of biology, it provides the student with a strong background in the scientific method, the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and Mendelian genetics, evolution, dissection, and ecosystems. It also provides a complete survey of the five kingdoms in Creation. Students who take and understand this course will be very well-prepared for a tough university biology course.
Calculus
Time: 1:00-2:30Instructor: Mrs. Beth Kiesel
Cost: $195
Syllabus: CalculusSyllabus.doc
Room: 10
Prerequisites: Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, and Trigonometry
Required Text: Calculus of a Single Variable, 8th edition by Ron Larson (note: loaner copies of 6th ed. available from teacher)
ISBN: 978-0618503032
Other Required Supplies: Scientific calculator--graphing preferable, such as TI-89. If you do not wish to purchase a graphing calculator, you will need to find software online to do the graphing.
Description: Calculus is the crown jewel of mathematics, and the gateway to higher math. Don't be scared by it! Calculus is really just higher-level algebra and geometry. Sir Isaac Newton invented Calculus during an 18-month period while he was tending his parents' farm during an outbreak of the plague at his university. (In that same period he also came up with the binomial theorem, his laws of physics and universal gravitation, and performed his famous experiments with prisms to understand light and color. Kinda makes you want to get up off the couch, doesn't it?!)
To put it simply, Calculus is the study of change. It uses ordinary rules of algebra and geometry and applies them to evolving problems in science, engineering, and economics. What's really cool is that in calculus, the change goes on to infinity.
Notes: This course will prepare students for the AP Calculus AB exam, held in May. Note that graphing calculators are required to take the AP exam. Note about the text: the text has lots of online support, including answers to the odd numbered problems.
Chemistry
Time: 9:30-11:00Instructor: Mrs. Deanna Williston
Cost: $195
Lab Fee: $50
Syllabus: ChemistrySyllabus.doc
Required Text: Exploring Creation with Chemistry by Dr. Jay Wile (2nd edition)
ISBN: 978-1932012262
Other Required Supplies: Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker
The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday
Description: This Chemistry Course will be your standard Chemistry class, and includes labs and short essays. The text of Exploring Creation with Chemistry by Dr. Jay Wiley (2nd edition) is home-school friendly, but still provides a serious study of chemistry. In addition, the class also covers The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker and The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday; the students will write short essays after reading from these books. This is a 1 year course.
Geometry
Time: 11:00-12:30Instructor: Mrs. Beth Kiesel
Cost: $195
Syllabus: GeometrySyllabus.doc
Room: 10
Prerequisites: Algebra 1
Required Text: Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding, by Harold R. Jacobs
ISBN: 9780716743613
Other Required Supplies: Compass, protractor, ruler, calculator, book "Flatland" by Edwin A. Abbott
Description: Jacobs' Geometry is a friendly, thorough approach to high school geometry that starts with an introduction to deductive reasoning and takes the student through to non-Euclidean and coordinate geometry.
The format is very appealing. The book is divided into chapters covering broad topics like Rays and Angles, Congruent Triangles, and Quadrilaterals. These are subdivided into lessons. Each lesson opens with a cartoon or thought puzzle which draws the student into the topic being discussed. There are three sets of problems in each lesson: the first one usually checks comprehension of concepts and knowledge of theorems, the second set is an application of the lesson to proofs, and the third set, usually a single question, presents a brain-teaser which allows the student to think and ponder creatively.
As Harold Jacobs states in his "Letter to the Student" in the front of the book, "You drink from cans in the shpae of cylinders and eat ice cream from containers in the shape of cones. Geometry is everywhere, and so it is natural for you to take it for granted without ever asking, "Why"...As you pursue your study of geometry, you will encounter not only many familiar ideas but also many ideas new to you that are both beautiful and surprising. As the title of this book suggests, it is about seeing, doing, and understanding...With the exercises comes your chance to do, understand, and consequently, know why. I hope that in using this book you will discover for yourself the wonder and excitement of geometry so that you will find your study of it to be an enjoyable and rewarding endeavor."
Notes: Students will read novella "Flatland" to be discussed in class.