Below the classes for the 2009-10 school year are described. Since Sycamore Covenant Academy is a home school cooperative, the books for each class are to be ordered by the parents. We have found that home school parents are resourceful and usually get good deals, find used books, or borrow from a friend much more cheaply than when SCA orders the books for them. Please be sure to order them in time for the first classes. Check our website at www.SycamoreRPC.org/sca for updates.

Algebra II – Students will continue in Algebra learning how to solve equations with higher degrees and fractional expressions, graphing parabolic and higher-degreed functions, and many other wonderful skills. The math classes at SCA are in a workshop format, meaning the students are given basic instruction, quizzes, and tests, but are expected to do much of their work independently or in small groups. For full-time SCA students only. Textbook: Algebra II & Trigonometry by Paul Foerster (this book is also used for Trigonometry at SCA). ISBN: 0201324601

American Literature – This class is fairly summarized in the title of the book, which is Excellence in Literature Content Guides for Self-Directed Study: American Literature by Janice Campbell. You can find this at http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/index.php?q=catalog or http://www.christianbook.com/. In addition, students will need access to library, online, or personal copies of the following classics:
Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Selected Works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Rip VanWinkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

Biology - Students will learn vocabulary and basic information about organisms and their classifications. They will be required to keep a lab manual and participate in labs which include dissections and the use of a microscope. Special attention will be given to presenting this from a creation worldview and avoiding evolutionary assumptions. Textbook: Exploring Creation through Biology, by Jay Wiles (First Edition) ISBN: 0965629473. (Note: The Second Edition can be used but will be different in places. ISBN 1932012575).

Choir – Learning to use our voices in harmonious praise of God is one of the means He has given to glorifying Him. Though many types of music will be sung, special attention will be given to learning how to sing from the Psalter, the hymnbook of the Bible. Some performing will be required. No textbook for this class.

Church History Survey – Helping our children see how the Lord worked in history is essential to building their faith. This class will take two years to survey God’s work from the early church to modern times. Textbook: The Church in History by R.K. Kuiper. ISBN: 0802817777.

Economics - Essential concepts such as competition in the marketplace and private ownership of capital will be discussed from a conservative, Christian perspective. The Biblical views of work, wealth, and stewardship appear throughout the course. Textbook: Economics: Work And Prosperity, by Russell Kirk. The text is written in a clear, light style that makes the concepts thoroughly understandable for secondary level students. Textbook: ASIN: B0006ESR96 in Christian Perspective, 2nd Edition. Published by A Beka Book (1999).

Electronics – This course will cover basic electronic principles with plenty of hands-on (soldering, creating projects, taking apart and understanding existing electronic devices) and computer aided design (simulation of designs). Textbook: Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest M. Mims III. ISBN: 0945053282.

English Writing – Building on the grammar base that has been laid, students will apply that grammar by working on further comprehension and editing skills. Some group poetry and literature reading will be incorporated in order to start learning how to write response papers. Textbooks: The Stewart English Program: Book 2 Grammar Plus... by Donald S. Stewart, ISBN 0838823467; Essays of E. B. White (Perennial Classics) by E.B. White; ISBN 9780060932237; A Writer's Guide to Transitional Words and Phrases by Victor C. Pellegrino: ISBN 0945045026; On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (30th Anniversary Edition - May 9, 2006) by William Zinsser; ISBN 0060891548.

Geography - Learn not only place names but their importance from a Biblical worldview. Textbook: World Geography in Christian Perspective, by Brian Ashbaugh and Julie Lostroh (the paperback textbook, not the map studies workbook), which is an A Beka Book with the publisher listed as Pensacola Christian College. Copyright 1998. ASIN: B0006FCAIY

Greek Reading – Students who have had at least a year of Greek will be assigned readings to prepare, review grammar and vocabulary, and will enjoy studying the New Testament in its original language. Textbook: Greek New Testament published by the UBS (Fourth Edition).

Latin Primer II – Students will be introduced to the ancient Latin language- its basic structure and grammar and a limited Latin vocabulary. Also, become familiar with many of the most scholarly English derivatives that come from Latin which make up over 50% of the English language. The students will also study the rich Roman history, culture and mythology which permeate the literature of Western civilization. Textbook: Either Ecce Romani Level I, 3rd Edition (Hardcover – includes Level I A and I B); copyright 2005 Prentice Hall Publishing ISBN: 0131163701 or Ecce Romani Level I B (Softcover – for second year only); ISBN: 0131163728. Since this book can sometimes be difficult to find, you might check http://www.pearsonschool.com.

Logic – This is the art of reasoning well and of learning to think God’s thoughts after Him. This class will train students in the crucial skills of defining terms, recognizing basic types of statements, arguing with syllogisms, arguing in ordinary language, and identifying informal fallacies. Textbook: Introductory Logic: Student 2006 by Douglas Wilson & James Nance (Edition: 4th Edition), ISBN: 1591280338.

Speech – Learn the different types of speeches and effective forms of communication by an expert in the field. From short, humorous anecdotes to longer discourses, students will progressively learn how to communicate in a bold manner befitting their God-given personality. Great preparation for our children in the art of public speaking. No textbook for this class.