Reading Courses
Reading Foundations (G3-G4)
In this course, students spend the first 10 classes learning and reviewing phonics and reading strategies to improve their reading abilities. For the second 10 courses, they read two books!
Abel’s Island by William Steig
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Coming of Age Stories (G4-G6)
For this series, students will read and discuss some coming of age stories!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Fantastic Adventures (G6-G8)
For this series, students will read and discuss some classic fantasy stories!
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordian
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Science Fiction (G9-G10)
In this class, students read classic science fiction novels and stories and discuss the ethical challenges we face as technology advances.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Selected Short Stories by Isaac Asimov
Shakespeare (G11-G12)
For this series, students will read, analyze, and discuss the following Shakespeare texts:
Selected Sonnets
As You Like It
Othello
Richard II
Writing Courses
Writing Foundations (G4-G5)
In this course, students will walk through each step of the writing process and explore writing in different genres. Students will learn how to craft a story, how to write a letter/email, how to write a basic essay, and more.
Essay Writing Level 1 (G6-G8)
Opinions and Persuasion
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of argumentation, and how they can defend their positions using evidence and examples. By the end of the course, the students should be able to write a well-structured essay and also should be equipped to defend a formal argument.
Essay Writing Level 2 (G9-G10)
Analytical Writing
In this course, students will learn how to closely analyze evidence and arguments, and how to communicate their analyses with clarity and precision. This course will prepare them for the types of essays they may be expected to write in their High School courses.
Academic and Research Writing (G11-G12)
This course prepares upper level high school students for the rigors of writing University level essays. They will learn how to properly research and cite sources to support more complex arguments. Whether your teen plans on majoring in Business, English, or Engineering, they will need to be able to write at the level demanded by this course.
Grammar
Basic Grammar (G4-G5)
This course provides a foundational familiarity with basic grammatical terms and concepts. After learning about the nine parts of speech, students learn about clauses, sentences, and their subsequent parts. At the end of the course, students will be able to recognize basic grammatical errors in their own writing, and will be able to dissect simple sentences.
Intermediate Grammar (G6-G8)
Intermediate Grammar is designed for middle school students. After a brief review of Basic grammar, it delves more deeply grammatical concepts such as verbal aspect, subordinate clauses, gerunds, etc. This course prepares students for writing more complex sentences and paragraphs, and it can also help them improve their writing style.
Advanced Grammar (G9-G11)
Advanced Grammar prepares students for the rigors of upper level high school, and university writing assignments. After a brief review of parts of speech and other simple matters of grammar, students will begin to analyze excerpts from literature, speeches, and other texts to see how writers and orators use the boundaries and rules of grammar to communicate with precision and clarity. From such analyses, students will be able to apply their knowledge of grammar to their own writing.
Classics (Latin and Greek)
Latin for Children
This course, designed for students between the ages of 9 and 11, provides an introduction into Latin vocabulary and gets younger students excited to learn about Latin and the Ancient Romans, without getting too into grammar. At the end of this course, students will be able to read very simple sentences and paragraphs in Latin and will have become more familiar with the Ancient Romans and their mythological stories.
Latin I, Part 1
This course is an introduction to Latin and can a student’s first exposure to the language. By the end of Latin I, Parts 1 and 2, students will have learned all declensions of nouns and conjugations of verbs, and will be able to read simple Latin texts. Students will also learn about the Ancient Romans, their place in history, their mytholgy, and even what their everyday lives looked like.
Latin II, Part 1
This is the first 20 classes of Latin II, where students will begin learning more advanced grammatical concepts, like the subjunctive mood, sequence of tense, and more functions of the ablative case. Students will also learn more about the Roman Republic, delving into the writings of Roman authors such as Caesar and Cicero.
This course assumes that a student has already laid a foundation with Latin I, or a course like it. Because of this, we require that all students enrolled in this course to have completed Latin I, or passed our Latin I test.
Greek I
Greek is another Ancient language that can enhance your child’s vocabulary and langauge skills. In addition, it can also improve analytical skills in general. On top of learning the alphabet and the fundamentals of Ancient Greek grammar, students will also learn about Ancient Greek culture, philosophy, history, and mythology.
We recommend learning Greek and Latin simultaneously, or taking Latin I, Part 1 first, as the grammatical structure of Greek and Latin are very similar.
