Class Descriptions Fall 2022
Core Classes
Preschool-Kindergarten
Letter of the Week, all year (parents do not need to buy this) Through various activities, students will focus on letter recognition, sounds, number recognition, counting, basic math skills, pre-writing practice, and fine-motor skills.
See Peaceful Preschool website.
Anatomy, all year
Using the Sassafras Adventures book (Volume 2: Anatomy), students will ‘travel’ through each of the body’s systems, diagramming and recording into their books the important aspects of each one, while also recognizing the important relevance to the entire body. Students will participate on many hands-on activities in class.
My Body book by Patty Carratello
Literature
Winnie the Pooh, 1st semester
Reading Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh and doing related activities.
Early Elementary 1st-3rd:
Anatomy and Health, all year
1st - 2nd Grades
Using the Sassafras Adventures book, students will ‘travel’ through each of the body’s systems, diagramming and recording into their books the important aspects of each one, while also recognizing the important relevance to the entire body. Students will participate on many hands-on activities in class.
My Body book by Patty Carratello
3rd Grade
We will use the Apologia’s Exploring Creation: Anatomy book to study the vital aspects of the human body and each of its systems.
Literature
Winnie the Pooh, 1st semester
Reading Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh and doing related activities.
Geography
The 50 States, all year Through a variety of living books and hands-on activities, students will learn fascinating facts about each of the 50 states, as well as placement on the map. Students will identify capitals, landforms, bodies of water and other points of interest.
Upper Elementary 4th-6th:
American History and Literature, all year
Description and book list coming soon.
Anatomy and Health, all year
We will use the Apologia’s Exploring Creation: Anatomy book to study the vital aspects of the human body and each of its systems.
USA Geography:
Students will learn to draw each state and its location on a map grid of the United States. In addition, this class will include memorization of state capitals, mapping features such as mountain ranges and major lakes and rivers, geography vocabulary, and fun facts. Students who would like to learn to draw the United States from memory should plan to complete the drawing practice assignments at home throughout the week.
Required: Drawing Around the World: USA (consumable; 1 per student)
Recommended: Children’s Atlas of the U.S.A.
Other supplies: pencils, hand held pencil eraser, colored pencils, index cards.
Middle School 7th-8th:
American History and Literature, all year
Description and book list coming soon.
Anatomy, all year
Using Jay Wile’s Science in the Atomic Age, students will learn the structure and function of the human body and the relation that each system plays within the entire body.
USA Geography:
Students will learn to draw each state and its location on a map grid of the United States. In addition, this class will include memorization of state capitals, mapping features such as mountain ranges and major lakes and rivers, geography vocabulary, and fun facts. Students who would like to learn to draw the United States from memory should plan to complete the drawing practice assignments at home throughout the week.
Required: Drawing Around the World: USA (consumable; each student needs a text)
Recommended: Children’s Atlas of the U.S.A
Other supplies: pencils, hand held pencil eraser, colored pencils, index cards.
High School 9th-12th:
Biology, all year
Using Apologia’s 2nd edition, students will learn the scientific method, the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and Mendelian genetics, evolution, dissection, and ecosystems. (This is an older version of the textbook. Many can be found second hand. Check Thriftbooks, Ebay, AbeBooks, etc. make sure 2nd Edition!)
Anatomy, all year
Designed to prepare students for college, this advanced high school course will cover each of the body’s systems, beginning with cellular structure and body chemistry. This is a lab based course.
Anatomy Text Required, High School
Language/Character
Simply Charlotte Mason resources that combine some of Charlotte Mason's book
Self-knowledge including short readings on character, have prompts for narration and discussion, and work from these resources for sentence and language skills. Will work alongside English from the Roots up and Diagramming the Scriptures. Don't need to purchase these yet. We are trying to figure out what will be required. But the Self-Knowledge book will be required!
Self-Knowledge from Simply Charlotte Mason
BULK BUY!! Katie Thacker has offered to coordinate ordering these books in bulk to save on shipping. Click for the google form after your schedule is confirmed to show interest in buying.
Teacher will use the following. Students do NOT need to purchase: Diagramming Scripture and English from the Roots Up
Also we will watch World Watch News
American History and Literature, all year
Description and book list coming soon.
USA Geography and Current Events:
Students will learn to draw each state and its location on a map grid of the United States. Students who would like to learn to draw the United States from memory should plan to complete the drawing practice assignments at home throughout the week.
World Watch - World News Group's news for students.
Geography/Missions:
The goal of this class is to help students understand how the geography of a place affects its politics, culture, and people using the book, Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall. We will also explore and discuss specific cultures around the world using various pieces of literature as our basis.
Book List: Prisoners of Geography
Writing Electives
IEW, All Things Fun and Fascinating (BEGINNER) <CHANGE>
Humorous characters, cunning creatures, and meritorious men of history will captivate students as they learn to write with structure and style. Moving through 7 units, students will take notes, summarize narrative stories, write from pictures, put together a mini research report, and compose creative essays. Along the way we will incorporate vocabulary, basic grammar, and poetry to help develop language and writing skills.
Additional materials needed: 3 ring binder, notebook paper, pen
IEW, U.S. History-Based Writing (Intermediate)
Students will work through nine units of structure and style. All writing assignments are based on US History. We will also work on vocabulary and grammar!
Student Book required.
Fix it Grammar (optional!) Book 2.
Newspaper & Comic Books
Fun class for exploring writing your own comics and newspaper.
Blank Comic book required.
PE - Physical Education
PE- This class will cover how to play various sports, but also how movement benefits muscles and the body’s overall health.
Afternoon Electives
Remote Control Cars-
PreK-1st, 2nd-5th, Students will build a remote control car, design a race course and practice using their car.
6th and Up- Students will build upon their science and logical thinking skills. They will learn robotics, electronic components assembling, and programming by building a “smart” remote control car.
Paper Crafts
In this class, we will focus on card making and scrapbooking. Card making will consist of (but is not limited to) making cards for various occasions including Christmas cards. We will be making cards ranging from simple to more advanced such as pop-up, tri fold, and never-ending cards. We will be scrapbooking an event, a trip, and/or a cookbook with favorite recipes. Also, we may throw in paper crafting some party decor!
Embroidery (younger and older classes offered)
Olympic Games- From torch relay to bobsledding, students will participate in a variety of olympic games, homeschool style!
Tennis/PickleBall (5th and up)
Students will learn the basics of pickleball and enjoy playing the game each week. It will be helpful if each student brings his/her own pickleball paddle each week.
Advanced Drawing - 7th plus
This is an advanced drawing class. If you are unsure of your student's readiness for the class, please feel free to email katie.thacker@gmail.com with some drawing samples so we can discuss.
Students will be self-led in this course, researching drawing techniques independently outside of co-op time and then bringing techniques and ideas to class to share and practice together. Students will explore various media including pencil, charcoal, pen, india ink, watercolor brush drawing, etc. We may use videos from Brush Drawing from Simply Charlotte Mason or from Creating a Masterpiece, but those will be handled in class and no separate purchases are required. All students should have their own sketch books.
Auto Mechanics - 4 Stroke Engine (6th grade and up)
Four stroke engines power everything from lawn mowers to helicopters and everything in between. The most common application is in the gasoline powered automobile. This class will focus on the basic parts, functions, and theories of a 4 stroke internal combustion engine. Our goal with this class is to allow students to understand how an engine produces power and how energy is converted from a fuel/air mixture.
Minecraft-Oregon Trail- Using a series of books, students will start and complete their journey, picking their paths across unforgiving terrain, from Independence MO to Oregon City, OR. As they choose, they will face many of the same obstacles the original travelers experienced, and build it in Minecraft as they go.
Beautiful Feet Horse Unit
Reading some beautiful horse based literature together and learning about horse anatomy, breeds, sketching horses, charting bloodlines and even studying memory verses regarding horses. This curriculum begins in the 1700s with the Godolphin Arabian and continues through the mid 1900s featuring the award-winning books of Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley's Black Stallion and Anna Sewell's Black Beauty.
Beautiful Feet Horse Pack for the books
Girls Conditioning
We will be doing various cardio and resistance exercises together each week. Students are highly encouraged to bring at least one set of free weights to help with the resistance exercises (two sets at two different weights may be preferred, since certain exercises will do better with heavier weights). We will meet outside when weather permits and students should bring clothes to change into each week!
Boys Conditioning
Cooking through the USA
Every state has its own special recipes and native ingredients. We will cook culturally diverse foods, discussing interesting food facts and have some fun competition through the year! (2nd thru 8th grades)
Choir
Time for Choir! Let’s Sing! Singing is a natural instinct for those who love the Lord and are called for His purposes. Did you know that God commands singing in His Holy Word, the Bible? Do you want to learn how to sing better? With others? Come and join us in our choir program and we will learn to sing with one another using the best instruments He has gifted us with, our voices…. to glorify Him! See Colossians 3:16
(Interesting article "Why singing matters")
Goal setting for our students as they participate in vocal ensembles includes standards from the National Standards for Music Education (1995) and Virginia Standards of Learning for Music Education (2000). With many other goals and techniques throughout the semester! Open to any singing and age level.
Escape Room -7th plus
Collaborate with your friends each week to solve mysteries, perform tasks, complete puzzles, and play games in our “Escape Room.” We’ll even create some Escape Rooms of our own!
Clay and Craft
Clay crafts for K-1st graders
Organized Play for Preschoolers and younger kids who need some relaxed time after lunch.