This course will provide an overview of the arts of the historical time period covered in this year's History class. It will explore the stylistic character, interrelationship and cultural significance of music, painting, sculpture and architecture from a Christian perspective. In addition to studying the lives and works of important figures of each period, the course will offer the opportunity to discover how the music and art reflect the current events and philosophies of the time. In this way, the Aesthetics course will walk hand in hand with the History and Literature courses.
Art
This course desires to show students the accessibility of art and how art reflects God’s character.
Bible
Over the course of three years, students will study major stories, people, and themes in the Old Testament and New Testament.
History & Literature
In the upcoming school year, we will study the history of America from its founding to the present (including worldview and geography), literature, and aesthetics classes. Dialectic students will strengthen and solidify their learning through Socratic discussion.
Latin
Intro to Latin will be offered for incoming students with no Latin experience. Students will use the Lively Latin Big Book 1.
Lively Latin for 6th through 8th grades will use Big Book 2.
Math
We fully acknowledge that GCT-Logic is not intended to replace all home instruction for your student. You, as the parent, are the primary teacher of your homeschooled student. This is particularly true for mathematics, where it is difficult to teach a higher-level math class with only two sessions per week. The limitations of our model require that students (and/or their parents) be highly motivated and able to navigate the textbook largely on their own in order to excel in the course.
Our math labs offer the advantages of having a face-to-face teacher twice a week to answer questions, being able to gauge one's progress compared to that of peers, and being held accountable for covering a set portion of the textbook and number of drills each week.
The intent of all classes is to well prepare our students for a rigorous Algebra I class in 9th grade. Our experience has convinced us that for most students, the transition from arithmetic to algebra is quite challenging and best prepared for by: (a) ensuring mastery of arithmetic fundamentals and (b) allowing sufficient development of the logic-stage skills required by the abstract thinking of algebra. With that background, our math texts for the year are as follows: Sixth and Seventh Grade: Math Mammoth
Eighth Grade: Text: Algebra I, McDougal Littel
Music
Science
During the fall semester, sixth and seventh grades will study physics on an age-appropriate level. During the spring semester, they will cover an introduction to chemistry.
Text: Real Science 4 Kids Middle School
The 8th grade will be studying Life Science this year. Students will study cell biology, genetics, the history of life, microbiology, botany, zoology, ecology, and human anatomy and physiology, all within a biblical framework. Text: BJU Life Science, 4th edition
Writing
Sixth Grade: Description: Writing with a grammar and diagramming component Primary text: Shurley Grammar
Seventh Grade: Description: Literary analysis with a grammar component Primary text: IEW Windows to the World
Eighth Grade: Description: History-based writing program with a grammar component; writing topics and class discussions will be taken from the history class. Primary text: Lost Tools of Learning I