BTB 7th-12 grade COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 2014-15

CLASS / TEXTBOOK
TIME COMMITMENT
FEE / DESCRIPTION
General Science Lab / Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science 2nd edition
1 hour/day
$25 / student / 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 Exploring Creation with Physical Science, 2nd edition
1 hour / day
$25 / student / 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 discusses such topics as the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, weather, the structure of the earth, environmentalism, the physics of motion, Newton's Laws, gravity, and astrophysics.
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 with Chemistry 2nd edition
1 hour/day
$25/student
Prerequisite: Algebra I / This lab is designed to be a first-year high school chemistry course giving students a rigorous foundation in chemistry, in order to prepare them for a college-level course. Topics covered include: significant figures, units, classification, the mole concept, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, thermodynamics, kinetics, acids and bases, redox reactions, solutions, atomic structure, Lewis structures, molecular geometry, the gas laws, and equilibrium.
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
$25/student
Prerequisite: Algebra I and II (in general Biology and Chemistry are taken before physics)
/ 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 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 material that has been assigned for reading, we will discuss in class as we can. If the experiment and write up does not take the entire class time, we will look at other experiments I bring, watch a video relevant to the lesson, review physics problems from the chapter and 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 / 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.
Photography / 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-shootdigital 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
Some outside research / 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.
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.
Career Development / Moderate weekly reading / 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 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!
Literature 7-9 / Required Text:
Treasure Island
30 mins – 1 hr/ day / 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.
Literature (American) 10-12 / Required Texts:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
“The Crucible”
Kettle Bottom
Under the Feet of Jesus
1 hour day reading plus some time for writing assignments / 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 addition to having a lot of fun, this will be an in-depth course with rigorous reading assignments, written responses, and in-class work designed to prepare 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 / Students will gather for open musical jam sessions. Great opportunity to develop new skills and techniques in this small group format.
Essay Writing (7-9 and 10-12) / Materials needed:
•  3-ring binder with pockets
•  loose-leaf paper
•  pencil
•  thesaurus / 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
Government / Class Fee: $3.00 per student
30-60 minutes per week / 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 week. Also, students will need to bring folder (provided 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.