Secondary School History Course Descriptions
8th Grade World History starts at the beginning of recorded history and continues to the Renaissance Era. The course goes through individual civilizations and compares some of the earlier civilizations with the time periods of the Bible. The class is taught in lecture form with discussions and any outside material that can be used to help students understand. There is also a paper or project due every 9 weeks about an historical idea related to a topic in the course material.
9th Grade World History is a continuation of Eighth Grade World History covering the time period from the Italian Renaissance to the present. Class consists of lectures and discussions accompanied by references to maps, charts, and illustrations in the book and those brought by the teacher to support the lesson. Relevance to current events is emphasized, and an effort is made to present viewpoints other than the publishers on characters and events covered. Students write a research paper on a topic selected in cooperation with the English teacher. Each student will also be given a special report assignment in which he or she will be expected to do extra research and present findings to the class about a person, book, event, or idea covered in the text.
U.S. History I (tenth grade) is the first part of a two-year study of American History covering the period from the Age of Discovery through Reconstruction. Class consists of lectures and discussions accompanied by references to maps, charts, and illustrations in the book and those brought by the teacher to support the lesson. Relevance to current events is emphasized, and an effort is made to present viewpoints other than the publishers on characters and events covered. In an election year, students will be assigned to do five (5) hours of volunteer work for a political campaign. This may be for any candidate, state or local, of the student's choosing. The only requirement is that the student turn in a letter signed by a responsible party in the candidate's official campaign stating the time volunteered and a brief description of the work done.
U.S. History II (11th Grade) is a continuation of U.S. History I, starting at the time of the Spanish-American War and continuing to present day times. The course focuses on different events of American History and compares them to today’s current events. This class is taught in lecture form with class discussions and any outside material that can be used to help students understand the different concepts.
Government (12th grade) is a one-semester course covering the forms, functions, and underlying principles of American government from a Christian perspective. This class is normally taken by seniors during the first semester, and is required for graduation. The purpose of this course is to expand each student's knowledge and appreciation of the basic governing principles and practices of this country and to encourage participation by informed citizens in the governing process. Class consists of lectures and discussions accompanied by references to maps, charts, and illustrations in the book and those brought by the teacher to support the lesson. Relevance to current events is emphasized, and an effort is made to present viewpoints other than the publishers on characters and events covered. In an election year, students will be assigned to do five (5) hours of volunteer work for a political campaign. This may be for any candidate, state or local, of the student's choosing. The only requirement is that the student turn in a letter signed by a responsible party in the candidate's official campaign stating the time volunteered and a brief description of the work done.
Economics (12th grade) is a one-semester course covering general microeconomic and macroeconomic principles from a Christian perspective. Discussions are accompanied by references to charts, and illustrations in the book and those brought by the teacher to support the lesson. Some lessons are reinforced by coins, paper money, newspapers, and other materials. Relevance to current events is emphasized, and an effort is made to present viewpoints other than the publishers. Students write a research paper on a topic in economics of interest to the student and approved by the teacher.
Advanced Placement United States History is taught with the goal of helping the student reach his or her maximum potential on the College Board's United States History Advanced Placement exam and to help the student to acquire college level skills in American history. Taught on a college level, it requires a large measure of student responsibility, maturity, and initiative. It emphasizes reading and analyzing documents in American history, higher order thinking skills, and writing thoughtful essays well-supported by facts. It surveys the entirety of United States history from just before Columbus to the present. As in college classes, there are fewer tests than a typical eleventh grade history class, but each one covers larger amounts of material. Students are required to take the College Board exam the first week of May.