I am looking forward to a wonderful school year! There are so many exciting things planned for the Upper School students but I will begin by sharing my syllabi with each of you for the following classes: morning devotional (for the junior class), rhetoric (for those students signed up for this elective), general science (for all middle school students) and physics (for all ninth thru twelfth grade students). Mrs. Roy
Syllabus for Morning Devotional
Primary Text: The book of Proverbs
Supplemental Text: C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet
Each morning, the junior class gathers together for devotional time. The students begin this time with the recitation of a prayer and then copy a passage from Proverbs into their composition books. The book of Proverbs is one of the books in the Bible referred to as “Wisdom Literature.” In such, the writer discusses the human condition in relationship to moral order achieved only by serving the one true God. It is a relevant study for our juniors as they prepare for their adult life. After the students complete their copywork, we will read a portion of C.S. Lewis' book Out of the Silent Planet. C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) is remembered as a novelist, academic, theologian and Christian apologist who served as a leading mind in the English department of Oxford University. Published in 1938, Out of the Silent Planet is the first book in Lewis' science fiction trilogy. Though it is a fictional work, Lewis retells the story of the struggle between life and death as given by God the Father, Jesus, the angels and Satan. The students will be challenged to understand this eternal struggle through the experiences of the main character Ransom. Each student will be required to give an oral and written narration of the text.
September:
Prayer: St. Augustine's Prayer of the Holy Spirit
Copywork: Title, Prologue and the Discourses through Chapter 4
October:
Prayer: St. Augustine's Lord Jesus, Let Me Know Myself
Copywork: the Discourses, chapters 5-8
November:
Prayer: St. Thomas Aquinas' Prayer for Guidance
Copywork: complete the Discourses and begin Proverbial Sayings through chapter 12
December:
Prayer: a prayer for peace by George Appleton taken from The Oxford Book of Prayer
Copywork: Proverbial Sayings through chapter 14
January:
Prayer: St. Francis of Assisi's Lord Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Copywork: Proverbial Sayings through chapter 18
February:
Prayer: an excerpt from St. Therese's Story of a Soul
Copywork: Proverbial Sayings through chapter 22
March:
Prayer: the Lord's Prayer as given in the Gospel of Matthew
Copywork: All of the “Sayings of the Wise” and Begin the proverbs copied by the men of Hezekiah through chapter 26
April:
Prayer: St. Alphonsus Liguori's Only One Thing is Necessary
Copywork: Complete the proverbs copied by the men of Hezekiah
May:
Prayer: St. Augustine's Ever Ancient, Ever New
Copywork: All of the sayings of King Agur and King Lemuel
Syllabus for Rhetoric
Primary Text: Carol Marr's The Complete Book of Speech Communication
Supplemental Text: Keith and Lundberg's The Essential Guide to Rhetoric
Additional Materials: The Nostalgia Company's The Greatest Speeches of All-Time
The primary text is divided into a nine-week study which includes intrapersonal and interpersonal communication, visual-aid speeches, partner speeches, “methods of delivery” speeches, storytelling, acting and dramatics, research speeches, impromptu speeches and oral reading. During the tenth and last week of the elective period, the students will study and practice the art of debate. Additionally, each Thursday, the students will watch famous speeches given by distinguished historical figures to observe what made their speeches unforgettable.
Week 1:
Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Communication-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as self-esteem and stereotype as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch Franklin D. Roosevelt's State of the Union address following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Week 2:
Visual-Aid Speeches-Along with learning the vocabulary terms such as stage fright and slogan as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch one of Winston Churchill's speeches given during WWII.
Week 3:
Partner Speeches-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as role playing and acceptance speech as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch General Douglas MacArthur's speech given before a joint session of congress.
Week 4:
“Method of Delivery” Speeches-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as inflection and articulation as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch Harry S. Truman's speech full of fiery political rhetoric.
Week 5:
Storytelling-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as dialog and animation as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch John F. Kennedy's well-known inauguration speech.
Week 6:
Acting & Dramatics-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as monolog and pantomime as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch two of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s memorable speeches.
Week 7:
Researched Speeches-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as statistic and narrative as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch Malcolm X's controversial speech given in Harlem.
Week 8:
Impromptu Speeches-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as improvisation and ad-lib as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch Richard M. Nixon's resignation speech.
Week 9:
Oral Reading-Along with learning vocabulary terms such as prose and lyric poetry as well as practicing the skill of rhetoric, the students will watch two speeches given by Ronald Reagan during his presidency.
Week 10
Debate-Using issues from the 2012 presidential election, the students will be divided into teams to defend their position.
Syllabus For General Science
Text: Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science, 2nd Edition
Supplemental Text: John Tiner's Johannes Kepler from the Sower Series
Nature Study Focus: the atmosphere with the help of Peterson's A Field Guide to the Atmosphere
Field Trips: the planetarium at the University of Arlington and Six Flag's Physics Day
Though the text includes 16 modules, this year's study will focus on the first 8 modules of the textbook. The second half of the text is dedicated to human anatomy and physiology which the students will cover in depth in their upper school Biology II class. Our portion of study in Exploring Creation with General Science includes the following topics: the history of science, the scientific method, simple machines, geology and paleontology. Each module includes exciting hands-on experiments such as mapping the paths of the planets and the simulation of multiple pulleys.
September:
Module 1: A Brief History of Science
October:
Module 2: Scientific Inquiry
November:
Module 3: How to Analyze and Interpret Experiments
December:
Module 4: Science, Applied Science, and Technology
January:
Module 5: The History of Life-Archeology, Geology and Paleontology
February:
Module 6: Foundations of Geology
March:
Module 7: The Fossil Recovered
April:
Module 8: Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism
May:
the year in review
Syllabus for Physics
Text: Apologia's Exploring Creation with Physics
Supplemental Text: Einstein and Infeld's The Evolution of Physics
Nature Study Focus: the atmosphere with the help of Peterson's A Field Guide to the Atmosphere
Field Trips: the planetarium at the University of Arlington and Six Flag's Physics Day
The primary text is divided into 16 modules. It begins with the study of the metric system and ends with magnetism. Each module also includes exciting hands-on experiments such as building a sample circuit to turn on a light bulb. Often referred to as the “fundamental science”, this college-preparatory study of physics will help the students to understand how everything in the universe interacts with everything else.
September:
Module 1: Motion in One Direction
Module 2: One-Dimensional Motion Equations and Free Fall
October:
Module 3: Two-Dimensional Vectors
Module 4: Motion In Two Dimensions
November:
Module 5: Newton's Laws
Module 6: Applications of Newton's Second Law
December:
Semester in Review and the Semester I Final Examination
January:
Module 7: Uniform Circular Motion and Gravity
Module 8: Work and Energy
February:
Module 9: Momentum
Module 10: Periodic Motion
March:
Module 11: Waves
Module 12: Geometric Options
Semester II Midterm Examination
April:
Module 13: Coulomb's Law and the Electric Field
Module 14: Electric Potential
Module 15: Electric Circuits
May:
Module 16: Magnetism
Semester in Review and Semester II Final Examination
