Below the classes for the 2011-12 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.
Advanced Biology – This course is an in-depth look at the 11 major body systems, how those systems exhibit efficiency, and how they integrate perfectly with one another. The human body is the Lord's ultimate design achievement! In our labs we will do experiments to demonstrate various aspects of anatomy and physiology use the microscope to study tissue samples, and dissect a cow's eye, a cow's heart, and a fetal pig.
Prerequisites: Biology I and Chemistry
Materials Needed: Advanced Biology Slide Set (16 slides) with blood typing kit included. Students will either have to spend significant time outside the class at SCA to use the microscopes or consider purchasing their own. (Similar in quality to #131 from Nature's Workshop-high school quality)
Text: The Human Body: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Dr. Jay L. Wile and Marilyn M. Shannon, M.A. ISBN: 1-932012-09-5 (1st edition published 2001, reprinted 2002 with no changes) The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M. Elson
Advanced Composition – This course is designed for mature writers who wish to sharpen their skills in effective writing and critical reading and to prepare for college writing. Students will practice writing through essays including researched essay and timed writings. The course will also include the reading and analysis of literature with a special emphasis on nonfiction.
Instead of having families buy an expensive anthology for this class, each student will be required to purchase an SCA-determined bound collection of essays. The cost will be determined soon. Textbooks: The Elegant Essay: Building Blocks for Analytical Writing by Lesha Meyers available from Institute for Excellence in Writing; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass; Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America by Francis Bok and Edward Tivnan; bound collection of essays.
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 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; 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 Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Algebra I – Students will study the relationships of numbers in the abstract by performing calculations involving letters and symbols and will gain a concrete appreciation for the orderly world in which we live. Textbook: Elementary Algebra, Harold Jacobs, ISBN: 0716710471. Students will also need a scientific calculator.
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.
Christian Worldview – Using Summit Ministries curriculum, students will understand how the Christian faith applies to all areas of life as well as seeing its superiority over, and eventual conquest of all other worldviews. Textbook:Understanding the Times Textbook SKU UTT402-605 and Understanding the Times Student Manual SKU UTT401-605.
Geometry – Seeing the orderliness of the shapes and relationships around us and learning the skills of analytical thinking and congruency are important to living in God’s world. Textbook: Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding, Harold Jacobs, W. H. Freeman; 3rd edition, 2003, ISBN: 978-0716743613
Intro to Composition – This course is an introduction to high-school level composition to prepare for college-level writing. Students will study the modes of writing including exposition, description, and argument-persuasion. Students will also refine paragraph-writing and grammatical/ mechanical skills and will practice developing academic essays. Students will also study non-fiction works of literature including autobiography, essay, and speech.
Instead of having families buy an expensive anthology for this class, each student will be required to purchase an SCA-determined bound collection of essays. The cost will be determined soon. Textbooks: The Elegant Essay: Building Blocks for Analytical Writing by Lesha Meyers available from Institute for Excellence in Writing; Having Our Say by Sarah L. Delaney and A. Elizabeth Delaney with Amy Hill Hearth; bound collection of essays.
Latin Grammar II – Students will continue to learn the Latin language by building on the structure and grammar they learned from the Latin Primer classes. They will continue to learn more vocabulary, more Roman history, culture and mythology. Students will use the second half of the textbook used last year. Textbooks: Ecce Romani II, 4th edition (Hardcover); copyright 2009. ISBN: 9780133610918 * THIS BOOK COVERS 2 YEARS OF SCA HIGH SCHOOL LATIN CLASSES A good place to buy it is from the Pearson Publisher at www.pearsonschool.com; and A Comprehensive Guide to Wheelock’s Latin, by Dale A. Grote, ISBN-10: 086516486X
N.T. Survey – This course will survey the twenty-seven books of the N.T. and learn about their authors, setting, etc. Textbook: The Bible. Students will be required to read the entire New Testament through the 2011-2012 academic year.
Physical Science – A study of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, weather, and structure of the earth, all to the Glory of God using Jay Wile’s Textbook: Exploring Creation with Physical Science 1st Edition.
Trigonometry/Advanced - This course is designed for those who have completed Algebra II and are ready to confront Trigonometry: periodic functions, their graphing properties, and triangles. This course also covers studies of: advanced quadratic equations; conic sections; higher degree functions (of those encountered in Algebra); sequences; series; probability and statistics. If time permits there will be a review for the (P)SAT math section. Prerequisite: Algebra II
Textbook: Algebra and Trigonometry Functions and Applications by Paul A. Foerster; 1994; Addison-Wesley; ISBN: 0-201-32460-1
U.S. History – This U.S. History course will cover our nation's history from colonial times up to the present with a focus on God's providence and America's "Christian heritage." Textbook: United States History Student Text, Bob Jones University Press (Third Edition) ISBN-13: 9781591664246
*Service Learning – Student’s are eligible to receive credit for applying the teaching of our Lord Jesus: “But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” By tutoring a neighborhood child once a week and doing projects around the school, students will learn to serve others.
JUNIOR HIGH CLASSES
Beginning Greek II – Just by virtue of knowing English, you know more Greek than you may think! This class uses a workbook to gently introduce students to Greek, helping them to recognize its influence on our language and then using that foundation to introduce them to Biblical Greek. Textbook: Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day (New Testament Greek Workbook for Laymen), by James Found. ISBN: 0871232855. Depending on our progress, in a later quarter we may order a more systematized book.
Church History Influential Characters – Whether you have studied church history before or not, this class is great way to become inspired by those who came before us in the faith. Textbook: Portraits of Faithful Saints by Hanko, Herman ISBN: 0916206602
English Grammar II – This is a continuation of last year’s SCA junior high grammar- although it is not a prerequisite. The students will build upon previously learned English Grammar and study more advanced grammar aspects. These principles will be applied and reinforced in the writing assignments. Also, this class will practice extensive editing from Editor In Chief handouts to familiarize the students with common problem areas in writing. Textbook: Shurley Grammar Student Textbook 1st Edition (not the workbook) ISBN: 978-1-58561-104-1
Latin Primer II – Students will continue to learn the ancient Latin language- its basic structure and grammar and a limited Latin vocabulary. Students will also continue to 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. Students will use the second half of the textbook used last year. Textbook: Ecce Romani I, 4th edition (Hardcover); copyright 2009. ISBN: 0131163701 * THIS BOOK COVERS 2 YEARS OF SCA MIDDLE SCHOOL LATIN CLASSES A good place to buy it is from the Pearson Publisher at www.pearsonschool.com
Pre-Algebra – This course is designed for those who have finished elementary math and are making the transition to algebra and geometry. We will cover topics such as scientific notation, converting between measurement systems, order of operations, uses of variables, problem-solving strategies, basic geometry concepts, graphing, and probability, further use of negative numbers and fractions, and proportions. Textbook: Transition Math by Usiskin et al. and published by Scott Foresman. 1995. ISBN:0673457451. These can be found used for a very reasonable price. The students will also need a scientific calculator.
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