High School

English 9 reviews the eight parts of speech, five basic sentence patterns, usage, and mechanics. The 9th-grade English educational materials introduces relative pronouns, pronoun reference problems, and indicative/imperative mood. Dictionary skills, library skills, study skills, and the writing process are exercised and implemented throughout the course. Writing projects include a comparison/contrast paragraph, a personal narrative, a research essay, a personal response to literature.

.English 10 broadens students' understand of literature by focusing on advanced literary concepts.  Students will learn the method and the importance of literary analysis by studying pieces fro several genres and interpreting them in light of Bible truth.  Additionally, students will review the basic grammar skills needed to write and communicate effectively while building and enhancing their personal vocabulary.

English 11 introduces  students  to authors in a study that connects the author's lives and beliefs, as revealed in their writings, with the corresponding literary periods.  Students will learn to evaluate themes and cultural issues from a Biblical worldview.  Additionally, students will review the basic grammar skills needed to write and communicate effectively while building and enhancing their personal vocabulary.

English 12 discusses literature selections and cultural issues from eight literary periods in British Literature.  Students will learn to evaluate themes and cultural issues from a Biblical worldview.  Additionally, students will review the basic grammar skills needed to write and communicate effectively while building and enhancing their personal vocabulary.

Honors English 9 is a rigorous, demanding course designed to follow the English 9 curriculum with additional readings and accelerated writing projects. Ninth grade is an important year for establishing a foundation of skills that you will build upon throughout high school. We will be working all year to develop critical thinking skills and close reading strategies as you analyze literature from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. This course will also place emphasis on developing and strengthening your writing skills - you will gain experience with the writing process through a variety of writing exercises, both formal (paragraphs, essays, reading responses, research projects) and informal (creative writing, journals, blogs). Finally, you will be expected to participate in class discussions and collaborate with your peers to provide feedback on each other’s writing and to share various perspectives on the literature that we study.
 

Honors English 10 is devoted to students studying literature from around the world and is designed to prepare students for the accelerated coursework in Advanced Placement English:  Literature and Composition, and Advanced Placement English: Language and Composition. Students will engage in work specifically oriented toward the AP program and will incorporate enriching experiences in English Language Arts standards.  The scope of this course will encompass selections in all genres along with extensive reading and writing opportunities. This course will provide strong preparation for upper level, college preparatory coursework and will build upon the previous Honors coursework.

An AP English Language and Composition course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations.

 AP English Literature and Composition course allows  students to devote themselves to the study of literary works written in—or translated into—English. Careful reading and critical analysis of such works of fiction, drama, and poetry, selected locally by responsible educators, provide rich opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of ways literature reflects and comments on a range of experiences, institutions, and social structures. Students will examine the choices literary writers make and the techniques they utilize to achieve purposes and generate meanings.

Algebra I is designed to emphasize the study of multiple representations of linear and non-linear functions.  It includes mathematical concepts for working with rational numbers, various expressions, analyzing and solving linear equations & inequalities, data analysis, probability, statistics, and polynomials.  Students will use hands-on materials, calculators and technology to support them in solving problems and applying algebraic concepts.

Algebra II  is designed to build on algebraic and geometric concepts.  It develops advanced algebra skills such as systems of equations, advanced polynomials, imaginary and complex numbers, quadratics, and concepts and includes the study of trigonometric functions.  It also introduces matrices and their properties.  The content of this course are important for students’ success on both the ACT and college mathematics entrance exams. 

Geometry is designed to emphasize the study of the properties and applications of common geometric figures in two and three dimensions.  It includes the study of transformations and right triangle trigonometry.  Inductive and deductive thinking skills are used in problem solving situations, and applications to the real world are stressed.  It also emphasizes writing proofs to solve (prove) properties of geometric figures. 

Advanced Functions and Modeling incorporates functions, statistics and probability as students synthesize their prior knowledge and solve challenging real-world problems. Students learn through discovery and application, developing the skills they need to break down complex challenges and demonstrate their knowledge in new situations.

PreCalculus is designed to cover topics in Algebra ranging from polynomial, rational, and exponential functions to conic sections.  Trigonometry concepts such as Law of Sines and Cosines will be introduced.  Students will then begin analytic geometry and calculus concepts such as limits, derivatives, and integrals. 

AP Calculus AB is the study of limits, derivatives, definite and indefinite integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus . Consistent with AP philosophy, concepts will be expressed and analyzed geometrically, numerically, analytically, and verbally.

AP Calculus BC is an introductory college-level calculus course. Students cultivate their understanding of differential and integral calculus through engaging with real-world problems represented graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally and using definitions and theorems to build arguments and justify conclusions as they explore concepts like change, limits, and the analysis of functions.

AP Statistics is an introductory college-level statistics course that introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students cultivate their understanding of statistics using technology, investigations, problem solving, and writing as they explore concepts like variation and distribution; patterns and uncertainty; and data-based predictions, decisions, and conclusions.AP Statistics

Physical Science is a full-year course that investigates the fundamentals of Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, and Earth Science. Math skills will be called upon as force, motion, and energy are investigated. The properties of matter, atomic structure, and chemical reactions allow the student to acquire an understanding of the world around them at a microscopic level. Electricity, magnetism, and waves will be discussed as the student learns how these are formed and the features that characterize them. The class also incorporates topics concerning the physical processes on earth, and the motions, characteristics, and forces in space.

This course is an introduction to the study of life sciences with an emphasis on emergent properties of life from atoms to cells to organisms. Topics include: evolution, Creation, diversity of life and taxonomy, molecular structure, cells and energetics, genetics, and plant and animal structure and function. Students are required to participate in dissections and other topic-related laboratory activities as well as quarterly projects. Laboratory and instructional activities are a component of the course with occasional lab reports as well as other research projects throughout the year.

This course is an introduction to the study of Chemistry. This course offers a solid understanding of the fundamentals concepts of chemistry. Problem solving is presented logically one step at a time, with sample solutions to all types of chemistry based interactions and problems. This approach will prepare students for authentic (lab based) chemistry.

Students will gain knowledge in student-directed laboratory investigations throughout the course for a minimum of 25% of instructional time.  Labs will emphasize development and testing of the hypothesis, collection, analysis and presentation of data, as well as discussion of results to discover unanswered questions about the particular topics addressed.  Students are required to report on all laboratory investigations in their laboratory notebooks. 

This course is designed to offer a lab-based science course either as an alternative for 11th grade General Chemistry and/or a fourth science for juniors or seniors. The course will cover the major themes in environmental science including but not limited to: Earth’s Environmental Systems, Population Ecology, Economics and Environmental Policy, Biodiversity and Conservation, Global Climate Change and Renewal Energy Resources. There will be an emphasis on current events as seen from a Biblical perspective of stewardship and conservancy

Students taking AP Chemistry will be prepared for undergraduate exemption from a standard Introductory Chemistry class at most major colleges and universities commensurate with an approved score on the National AP Exam. Topics include: atomic theory, formulas and nomenclature, chemical reactions, periodicity, states of matter, solution chemistry, kinetics, thermo chemistry, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, and some organic chemistry. There are AP/College Board approved laboratory exercises that are mandatory for course preparation. Extensive laboratory experience and scientific methodology and reporting will be expected. Students should carefully consider their level of commitment to the course of study prior to enrollment. This class requires extensive independent reading and laboratory reporting. There will be required summer review exercises with a quiz the first week of school. Students will be required to take the AP Final Exam in May. 

AP^© Physics 1 is organized around six big ideas that bring the fundamental science principle and theories of general physics.  The students will participate in inquiry-based exploration of these topics to gain a more conceptual understanding of these physics concepts. Students will spend less of their time in traditional formula-based learning and more of their effort will be directed to developing critical thinking and reasoning skills

American Government prepares students to be informed and empowered citizens who have a biblical perspective of government. It teaches students about our nation, its development over the last four centuries, and its system of government. Students will have the opportunity to examine primary sources that are foundational to understanding how the US government should operate.

World History guides students through the story of history, starting with creation and continuing to the present. Students will analyze five key themes throughout history from a biblical perspective: justice, power, citizenship, environment, and world religions. They will also do specific studies on Africa, the East, Asia, pre-colonization Americas, and empires in Africa, India, and Asia. As they trace the major patterns in world history, they will see how those themes point more and more clearly to the triumph of the kingdom of God.

Uncover the history of our nation through this comprehensive survey rich in Christian insight As students examine each era of history, they will analyze primary sources and carefully research events to gain a clearer understanding of the factors that have shaped U.S. history. In early units, students will assess the foundations of U.S. democracy while examining crucial documents. In later units, students will examine the effects of territorial expansion, the Civil War, and the rise of industrialization. they will also assess the outcomes of economic trends and the connections between culture and government. As the course draws to a close, students will focus on the causes of cultural and political change in the modern age. 

As students examine each era of history, they will analyze primary sources and carefully research events to gain a clearer understanding of the factors that have shaped U.S. history. In early units, students will assess the foundations of U.S. democracy while examining crucial documents. In later units, students will examine the effects of territorial expansion, the Civil War, and the rise of industrialization. they will also assess the outcomes of economic trends and the connections between culture and government. As the course draws to a close, students will focus on the causes of cultural and political change in the modern age. Throughout the course, students will learn the importance of cultural diversity while examining history from different perspectives.

In AP U.S. History, students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in nine historical periods from approximately 1491 to the present. Students develop and use the same skills and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical connections; and utilizing reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change. The course also provides eight themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: American and national identity; work, exchange, and technology; geography and the environment; migration and settlement; politics and power; America in the world; American and regional culture; and social structures