BTB 7th-12 grade COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 2014-15
CLASS
General
Science Lab
TEXTBOOK
TIME
COMMITMENT
FEE
Apologia
Exploring Creation
with General
Science 2nd
edition
1 hour/day
$25 / student
DESCRIPTION
This hands-on LAB will cover experiment component of
all 16 modules; approximately 1 module every 2 weeks;
homework assigned. May need to purchase laboratory
notebook as requested by teacher. The course covers
such topics as the scientific method, designing
experiments, simple machines, archaeology, geology,
paleontology, biology, and human anatomy and
physiology. Its scope, therefore, is quite wide. There are
many hands-on experiments to do, and they all use
household items.
Students will be expected to keep a lab notebook(spiral
or three ring binder) and most of our class time will be
spent writing up, conducting, and drawing conclusions
about experiments. Supplemental videos, fun review
games, and additional relevant activities will fill any time
not used on labs.
It is important that students complete all reading and
homework assignments outside of class. Module
reviews and tests should be conducted at home.
Physical
Science Lab
Apologia
This hands-on LAB will cover experiment component of
Exploring Creation all 16 modules; approximately 1 module every 2 weeks;
with Physical
homework assigned. May need to purchase laboratory
nd
Science, 2
notebook as requested by teacher. The course discusses
edition
such topics as the atmosphere, the hydrosphere,
weather, the structure of the earth, environmentalism,
1 hour / day
the physics of motion, Newton's Laws, gravity, and
astrophysics.
$25 / student
Students will be expected to keep a lab notebook(spiral
or three ring binder) and most of our class time will be
spent writing up, conducting, and drawing conclusions
about experiments. Supplemental videos, fun review
games, and additional relevant activities will fill any time
not used on labs.
It is important that students complete all reading and
homework assignments outside of class. Module
reviews and tests should be conducted at home.
Chemistry Lab
Apologia
Exploring Creation
This lab is designed to be a first-year high school
with Chemistry
chemistry course giving students a rigorous foundation
2nd edition
in chemistry, in order to prepare them for a college-level
course. Topics covered include: significant figures, units,
1 hour/day
classification, the mole concept, stoichiometry,
thermochemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics, acids and
$25/student
bases, redox reactions, solutions, atomic structure,
Lewis structures, molecular geometry, the gas laws, and
equilibrium.
Prerequisite:
Algebra I
This course will focus on completing the hands-on lab
experiments for all 16 modules presented in the text. As
class time allows, lab write-ups will be started, and
important concepts reinforced with short videos, games,
and activities. Some homework sheets will be assigned
and graded by the instructor. Students must have a solid
foundation in mathematics and the completion of
algebra 1 is a prerequisite.
Outside of class, students will be responsible for
spending 1 or more hours/day reading the text
assignment and completing the “On Your Own”
questions, practice problems and end of module
reviews. Lab write-ups (1/module recommended),
module tests, and quarterly tests are to be completed at
home and graded by the parents.
Physics Lab
Apologia
Exploring
Creation with
Physics 2nd Ed.
1 hour/day
This college-prep physics course is designed for the
student who has completed algebra and has had an
introduction to the definitions of sine, cosine, and
tangent. It provides a detailed introduction to the
methods and concepts of general physics, heavily
emphasizing vector analysis; this text is ideal
preparation for a university-level physics course (taken
from the Apologia website).
This class will focus mainly on the labs/experiments in
the book. It is your/your student’s responsibility to read
$25/student
the material assigned for the week, answer questions
and take tests at home. If the student has a question
about the mathematics involved in a section or the
Prerequisite:
material that has been assigned for reading, we will
Algebra I and II (in discuss in class as we can. If the experiment and write
general Biology
up does not take the entire class time, we will look at
and Chemistry are other experiments I bring, watch a video relevant to the
taken before
lesson, review physics problems from the chapter and
physics)
then review material from the chapter.
In addition to reading, etc., at home, your student
should also finish writing up any of the lab that he/she
did not finish in class. I will not grade the labs unless
you request that I do. I will give them a couple of
samples of how to write up the labs on the first day of
class.
Amount of time outside of class is dependent upon how
quickly your child reads and comprehends the math
problems. He/she should read and do all of the ‘On
Your Own’ questions in each section, then complete the
chapter review problems at the end of each chapter. I
would approximate an hour a day of time for the
average student.
American Sign
Language
Photography
15 minutes/day
This course will focus on common signs and appropriate
grammatical syntax needed for general conversation
using ASL. Since this is a short course, outside practice
will enhance your student’s learning. Sheets
demonstrating the signs will be given out each week.
Class will be mainly spent learning new signs, reviewing
signs and then conversing with each other using sign.
We will also spend approximately 10 minutes each class
period discussing a topic from the Deaf culture.
Students should spend approximately 15 minutes each
day practicing their signs. Repetition is the key to
learning ASL.
This beginning level photography class will help you
learn how to take a better photo. (or take a good one if
you have never tried at all!) We’ll study the basics of
digital photography including: your camera’s options,
working with different lighting conditions,
composition, taking photos of children and groups, and
a bit of photo editing. Students will need access to at
least a decent point-and-shoot digital camera. There
may be a small amount of money spent on developing
photos throughout the course of this class. A photo
editing program would also be helpful for the student to
have access to, but is not absolutely necessary. This
class will benefit any student wishing to take better
pictures, but I will also offer extra help with those
students who are already more advanced in their
knowledge of photography (or who own a digital SLR).
The class will end with a question and answer session,
and possibly a photography showcase.
College Prep
101
1-2 hours per
week at home to
compete
assignments
In this fun and interactive class, students will learn skills
that will aid in college admission and overall academic
success. Topics that will be covered include the
following:
1. The college admission process, types of colleges,
majors
2. Creating a personal resume’ and developing a
college “hook”
3. Study skills and time management
4. The college application essay
5. PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation
6. Preparing for college and job interviews
7. Mock interviews with community professionals
Class Requirements:
Students are expected to actively participate in all class
activities. Assignments include a brief class presentation
of a college of interest and a prospective major, a
personal resume’ and job application for the mock
interviews, a first draft of a college essay, and mock
interviews. Business attire is required for the mock
interviews. While most assignments will be started in
class, students will need to commit 1-2 hours per week
at home to compete them.
Backyard
Ballistics
$20 / student
Have a blast building a potato gun and marshmallow
gun! Several other hands-on woodworking projects
included.
Health
$5-10 / student
In this fast- paced, interactive class students will learn
about a multitude of common health issues and first aid
procedures as they “travel” to various locations
including the beach, the woods, the open road,
grandparents’ houses, the gym, the kitchen, and the
mission field. For example, at the beach students will
learn how to assess and provide emergency treatment
for jellyfish stings, sunburn, and heat exhaustion. In the
woods they will learn how to safely remove a tick and
wrap a sprained ankle. By the end of the course
students will have practiced many skills including taking
a pulse, assessing level of consciousness, adjusting
crutches, and applying ice. During the final class period
students will review all the information they have
learned as they become Center for Disease Control
agents coordinating emergency services during a zombie
pandemic! Students will also have an opportunity to
become CPR certified. This optional certification will be
scheduled outside the normal BTB timeframe with a
small additional fee.
Some outside
research
Career
Development
Moderate weekly
reading
Class Requirements:
All students will need to actively participate! Each
should bring pencil, paper, and a 3-ring binder to class.
Skills will need to be practiced on willing family
members outside of class, but otherwise, little to no
homework will be assigned. It is hoped that the
students will be excited about the material learned in
class and will do supplemental research at home.
It’s never too early to start thinking and praying about a
vocation. First, we will analyze student personalities
and giftings through several surveys and tests. Then we
will explore a wide variety of occupations by inviting 21
guest professionals (such as doctors, lawyers,
community service workers…among many others!) to
speak to our students about the nuts and bolts of their
jobs. We will look at job descriptions, salary ranges, and
Literature 7-9
Required Text:
Treasure Island
30 mins – 1 hr/
day
Literature
(American) 1012
Required Texts:
Uncle Tom’s
Cabin
“The Crucible”
Kettle Bottom
Under the Feet of
Jesus
occupational outlooks of particular jobs as well as the
advanced study requirements, if any, for those careers.
There will be a bit of online homework—each student
will research his top 3 career choices and present to the
class the profile for each career. Students will also begin
the important task of composing or updating their
resumes. I would like to have all students fill out real
job applications, say from the service industry, and
maybe even undergo a short interview—just for fun!
This course will give the student a taste of novels,
poems, and short stories. These will be used as
springboards for writing about literature. The first 3
weeks will be devoted to study of Treasure Island; the
middle 3 weeks will be the study of poetry and poetic
terms; the last 2 weeks we will study short stories. Most
homework will be reading, but there will also be writing
rough drafts or final copies as well as studying terms
used in literature.
Over eight weeks, we will explore four American literary
classics, their authors, and the social milieus that
influenced them. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Harriet Beecher
Stowe), “The Crucible” (Arthur Miller), Kettle Bottom
(Diane Gilliam Fisher), and Under the Feet of Jesus
(Helena Maria Viramontes) stand as pinnacles in
American literature, focusing on social injustice
throughout our country’s history.
I positively love reading and writing – and I am hoping to
transfer my enthusiasm to my students as well! In
1 hour day
addition to having a lot of fun, this will be an in-depth
reading plus some
course with rigorous reading assignments, written
time for writing
responses, and in-class work designed to prepare
assignments
students for the requirements of college-level English
courses. Students will be expected to spend
approximately an hour per day reading, as well as
additional time working on written responses to the
reading. Every student will need to bring a copy of the
text to class with them, as these will be relied upon for
class discussion. They will also need a three-ring binder
for handouts/homework assignments and notepaper on
which they will be expected to take detailed class notes.
All homework, class participation, and any quizzes/tests
will be assessed and returned to the students. In
addition, they will receive an overall recommended
grade for the course at the end of the eight weeks.
Music Jam
Session
Bring your own
instruments
Essay Writing
(7-9 and 10-12)
Materials
needed:
•
3-ring
binder with
pockets
•
loose-leaf
paper
•
pencil
•
thesaurus
Government
Class Fee: $3.00
per student
Students will gather for open musical jam sessions.
Great opportunity to develop new skills and techniques
in this small group format.
Learning to write well is one of the most challenging
tasks for anyone, regardless of age. It takes time,
practice, and lots of encouragement. Parents and
teachers can help children develop their skills and,
equally important, a love for words and writing. This
class will teach students how to write a 5-paragraph
essay. Students will write a class essay together and a
personal essay outside of class. Olders will also respond
to an ACT prompt during an in-class essay. Students
struggling in writing technique or students that just love
writing are welcome in this class. Goals: To use the
writing process well; To use strong verbs, quality
adjectives and adverbs, and very short sentences; To
recognize and construct topic and clincher sentences; To
use funnel/inverted funnel method well in introduction;
To transition well between paragraphs
This course will include class discussions, activities, and
games. In addition to class participation, students will be
required to complete a minimal amount of work at
home each week to prepare for class the following
30-60 minutes per week. Also, students will need to bring folder (provided
week
by teacher) to class each week. We will cover the
following government topics: The Declaration of
Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of
Rights, the three levels of government, the three
branches of government, patriotic symbols, voting, and
elections.
Critical
Thinking
Outside work will
be minimal.
Should we pay for other’s stupidity? Is the government
always right? Critical thinking aims to deepen our skills
and reasoning on everyday issues we encounter. How
can we distinguish between solid arguments and flawed
Group
Outside work
Presentations
required.
& Collaboration
(all levels)
Spanish
Picturing
American Art
ones? How can we determine the value of claims based
on evidence presented to us, whether by the media,
politicians, businesses, etc.? Using video clips on various
topics, students will engage in debates and activities to
help stimulate their critical thinking skills. Students may
need to research opposing views or formulate their own
and then defend them. Students will be encouraged to
evaluate information, develop problem solving skills,
and resolve controversies and dilemmas through
discussion, debate, and essays. Examples of video clips
might include topics such as: Food Nannies: Who
Decides What you Eat?, Lemonade Stand, and
Professional Panhandling.
This class will require 2-3 meetings outside of BTB class
time, because the groups will need extra time together
before presenting their material. There will also be 2
meetings with Mr. Tim Cornett before I begin any
sessions. Mr. Tim will be instructing students on how to
use Power Point in their presentations. I plan to give
guidance on how students can work together, present
material well and clearly, and use creativity to help the
audience remember specific points.
This class will depend on students “carrying their own
weight” in the group they work within.
Fun, interactive class. Goal: vocabulary acquisition for
intro Spanish (days, months, seasons, numbers,
greetings, colors, etc.)
American Art & History with a twist. This class will be a
hands-on look at some of America's greatest artwork.
We will be using the Picturing America art prints to
actively help us experience the humanity of history and
to understand America's past. Class participation will
strive to show history is not a boring, stuffy subject, but
something to be enjoyed and immersed in.