COURSE DESCRIPTORS

Accounting - 1 credit

Equivalent to an introductory college accounting course, students learn how to manually set up and maintain financial records for proprietorships and merchandising businesses using the complete accounting cycle. Students will investigate the role accounting plays in businesses of today and tackle both payroll and basic income tax preparation.

Computer Aide - 1/2 credit

Working with the technology teachers to help troubleshoot issues with the Wi-Fi, desktops, laptops, and Chromebooks, computer aides must have experience with downloading software and a basic understanding of computer systems and management. They must also have basic troubleshooting experience. The computer aides will also help install software when instructed by the technology teachers, help troubleshoot network issues, and perform basic computer and technology maintenance.

Technology - 1/2 credit

This semester course offers students basic computer skills such as document design, file management, and troubleshooting through project-based learning. Students will be exposed to many desktop and online apps or programs that will enhance their learning experience. Projects may include poster design, 3D rendering, basic animation, presentations, ad and logo design, wiring electronic components, and basic web design.

Web Design - 1/2 credit

This course is a workshop-based course that explores the world of web design. Students will create a four-page website using desktop and/or online web development tools. Web Design allows students to plan and create a website while learning design skills and basic content writing.

Mechanical Drawing - 1 credit

This course introduces students to the basics of mechanical drawing and drafting. During the first semester, students will learn how to represent a three-dimensional object in two-dimensions. They will learn about scales, line types, careers, and how to read technical drawings. Students will also draw their dream house using proper techniques. During the second semester, students will take their knowledge and apply it to the most recent addition of AutoCAD. They will draft their dream house design on AutoCAD. This is a great course if you are thinking of a career in construction, architecture, engineering, or if you just want to improve your spatial reasoning skills.

Speech & Drama - 1 credit

n the first semester, the emphasis in upon reading, writing, and giving speeches. The goal is to be able to present all of the various kinds of speeches with clarity and preciseness. Students finish the semester with confidence in making presentations to any audience. In the second semester, the emphasis is upon developing an acquaintance with and skills relating to stage acting. Each student also writes and performs his own dramatic presentation. The activities encompassed not only encourage participation in theater, but also enhance any public performance.

Yearbook - 1 credit

​Students will document the school year through photography and text. Students will produce high-quality yearbook pages using online software. Students will acquire basic business skills by planning, budgeting, and advertising for yearbook sales and distribution.

Art I - 1 credit

This is a basic course designed to bring out the creativity in all students. Students will take a closer, hands-on look at visual expression through the four fine arts: drawing, printmaking, painting, and sculpture. Students will keep an art journal in which problem solving, discoveries, and a plan of action are documented weekly. The end-of-the-year project will be student selected, directed, and reflective of what was learned throughout the year.

Art II - 1 credit

This course is designed to allow students to continue their pursuit in visual expression through the four fine arts.  Different media and techniques are explored. Students will keep a weekly journal and finish the year with a student selected and directed project reflecting their learning.

Prerequisite:  Art I

Independent Art - 1 credit

This is a course for the serious pursuit of excellence in visual expression. Some expectations of the course include weekly journal reflection, ongoing planning, and teacher-student conferences pertaining to student interest/pursuit.

Prerequisites:  Art I & II and recommendation of teacher

Theater Arts - 1 credit

This is a service course designed to introduce students to things related to a stage production including backdrops, set, stage make-up, and more. Students will be required to assist outside of class time with at least one production by the Heartland Theatrical Society.

Prerequisite:  Art I

Band - 1 credit

The secondary band will include students in grades 7-12 for the 2017-2018 school year and will meet 5 days per week.  This course is open to students who participated in band during the 2016-2017 school year.  All other students should see Mr. Kane before registering to ensure student success.  The course will cover proper music reading and performance strategies culminating in Christmas and Spring performances.

Choir - 1 credit

For the 2017-2018 school year, the secondary choir will include students in grades 7-12. This choir will consist of 2 distinct choirs. The 7-12 Choir will meet Mondays and Fridays to work on singing techniques and performance strategies and will consist of all students enrolled in grades 7-12 choir. In addition to Mondays and Fridays, the Concert Choir will meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to work on more intricate music. Both groups will perform for the Christmas and Spring performances.

Photography I - 1 credit

This course will help the students become well rounded in the fundamentals of digital photography. Three areas of instruction will be emphasized: how composition works, how lighting works, and how to use photo editing software. Students will, generally, receive basic instruction, demonstration, and see samples of the desired outcomes, at the beginning of each project. They will be allowed to go outside to shoot assignments, based on what they are learning. Peer reviews will be an important part of the learning process as students encourage each other with constructive feedback on completed projects. This is a very interactive classroom setting where student participation helps all students to grow in their God given talents. 

Prerequisite:  A willing attitude to develop your “photographic eye” 

Photography II - 1 credit

In this course, students will improve their skills and use advanced techniques to produce both artistic and commercial quality photographs with digital DSLR cameras and equipment. This course will utilize the manual settings on the camera to further explore photographic techniques.  Students will also expand their ability to use more advanced features of digital photo editing software. Students will transfer the knowledge of still photography, editing, and lighting methods into the realm of videography. Photography II utilizes many group projects where student participation, interaction, and collaboration are critical to the successful completion of assignments.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Photography I  

Supplies needed:  1) Digital Single Lens Reflex camera (DSLR) that has full manual capability (must be able to manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings); 2) memory card and battery specific to your camera requirements 3) method to transfer images from your camera to computer (card reader or USB cord) and 4) a tripod is helpful for many projects but not mandatory.

German I - 1 credit

This introductory course interweaves language and culture so that the students can communicate and interact with students in German-speaking countries. The text used for this class is Komm mit! (Chapters 1-6) and includes a textbook, workbook, listening exercises, and online links. Students might like to take German to learn more about their own ancestors (about 20% of the population trace their roots back to Germany, Switzerland, or Austria) or because knowing the German language may also play an important role in the student’s career someday. Germany has a strong economy and world presence; many employers see the knowledge of German as an asset of their employees.

German II - 1 credit

This class builds on German I and continues in the same textbook, Komm mit! (Chapters 7-12). The students will expand their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, and learn about activities German students who are their own age might enjoy. Again, this class combines language and culture.

German III - 1 credit

Students will continue in the Komm mit! series and continue their formal study of grammar. In addition, the students will also read additional texts and watch one or two movies to enhance their understanding of the German language. The goal of this class is to be able to communicate more fluently in spoken and written form.

Spanish I - 1 credit

This first year of Spanish is an introduction to the language. Emphasis is placed upon building and learning vocabulary. Everything is kept in the present tense. In addition, students will learn about Spanish culture.

Spanish II - 1 credit

While increasing knowledge of the language, students will begin to learn different verb tenses such as present progressive, present perfect, preterite, and imperfect. Students will also learn commands and study Mexican culture.

​Spanish III - 1 credit

​In this course, students begin to read and write Spanish. Students will also finish the verb tenses with the subjective tenses. Spanish art and literature will all be studied.

Basic English - 1 credit

​This course is designed for students in grades 9-12 who may lack the foundation or skills necessary to be a part of the regular, grade level courses for high school English. Topics covered include expository writing, persuasive writing, creative writing, communication through speaking, grammar, vocabulary, and literary analysis of novels, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction works. While students are working to master the same skills as their counterparts in other, more advance English classes, they are able to do so with more teacher support, differentiated lessons, adjusted pacing, and ability-appropriate content.  Students can be a part of this class for all four years of high school or may be placed in the course if teachers or parents at any point detect a need for it.

English 9 - 1 credit

This foundational course is designed to build language skills in writing, speaking, and listening, with attention given to vocabulary, grammar, and usage development. Students will read a variety of literary texts, including novels, plays, short stories, poetry, as well as informational texts. Students learn the formal research process and produce a final research paper after completing preliminary research, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing stages.

English 10 - 1 credit

This course builds upon foundational language skills in writing, speaking, listening, vocabulary, grammar, and usage learned in English 9. Students will read a variety of literary texts, including novels, plays, short stories, and poetry, as well as informational texts. Students will study various writing genres and complete a research-based creative writing project.

English 11 - 1 credit

Course description forthcoming

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English 12 - 1 credit

In this course, students demonstrate mastery of language skills learned in previous English courses. Students complete the formal research process, including the pre-writing, researching, outlining, drafting, revising, and final product stages. Students study and use both APA and MLA style for formatting, citations, and reference pages. In addition, students study the basics of argumentation and rhetoric and write a variety of argumentative essays. A survey of British literature, with attention given to historical and cultural context, engages students in the study of works from the Anglo-Saxon period through the twentieth century.

AP English - 1 credit

AP English and Literature is a college-level course offered during high school by the Advanced Placement College Board.  The class is used to demonstrate academic preparedness to college admission officers through the results of a rigorous Advanced Placement exam at the end of the school year. Class time is spent deepening meaning and understanding by engaging in careful reading, critical analysis, and consistent writing opportunities.

Basic Math - 1 credit

This course is a review of basic math skills and includes the fundamental numeral operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. Students will also work with ratios and proportions, percents, systems of measurement, and basic geometric topics.

Consumer Math - 1 credit

Consumer math will cover topics that will prepare students for future math they will use in their regular lives. Such topics include wages, deductions, taxes, insurance, personal finances, checking and savings accounts, loans and buying on credit, and automobile and housing expenses.

Algebra I - 1 credit

This course focuses on understanding, writing, solving, and graphing linear equations, including systems with two linear equations and inequalities with two unknowns.  Students will become proficient with operations on monomial and polynomial expressions. In addition, students are introduced to rational expressions and will use their factoring skills to simplify and compute expressions.

Geometry - 1 credit

This course covers concepts of Euclidean geometry including definitions, postulates, and theorems. Specific areas of study include angles, parallel lines, congruent and similar triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, circles, and the Pythagorean Theorem. Special topics covered include coordinate and spatial geometry, transformations, introductory trigonometry, and constructions and loci. In addition to solving problems which serve to review algebra, the process of “proving” theorems is an integral part of the course.

Algebra II - 1 credit

This course is an extension of the material covered in Algebra I. Topics covered include relations, functions, equations, inequalities, polynomials, algebraic fractions, quadratic equations, radical expressions and imaginary numbers.

Prerequisite:  Algebra I

Trigonometry - ½ credit

This course examines Pythagorean relationships, trigonometric functions and their graphs, angle rotations and radian measures, trigonometric formulas and identities. Students will analytically be able to verify/prove such identities, calculate trigonometric equations, and solve real life problems.

Prerequisite:  Algebra II

Pre-Calculus - ½ credit

This course is a prequel to calculus and covers such topics as absolute value, graphing second degree equations, exponential and logarithmic functions, and an introduction to the concept of limits.

Prerequisite:  Trigonometry

AP Calculus - 1 credit

AP Calculus is a challenging and demanding course designed to cover topics equivalent to what is taught in a first semester college calculus course. Following a comprehensive three week review of high school math topics, the first half of the course is devoted to the development of the derivative while the second half of the course focuses on the integral.

Prerequisite:  Trigonometry

Supplies:  TI-84 Plus CE graphing calculator

Fees:  AP Exam, approximately $90-95

Physical Science - 1 credit

This course introduces the general principles of physics and chemistry. Topics include measurement, motion, Newton's laws of motion, momentum, energy, work, power, heat, thermodynamics, waves, sound, light, electricity, magnetism, and chemical principles. Active student participation is encouraged and expected through class discussions and hands-on investigations. Physical Science lays the foundation for further studies in Chemistry and Physics. 

Biology - 1 credit

The major purpose of this college preparatory course is to provide understanding of the basic biological concepts:  the diversity of organisms; the cell; heredity; matter, energy, and organization of living systems; the theories of evolutions; physiology; the biosphere and interdependence of abiotic and biotic factors; modern techniques and uses of genetic engineering.  Focus is on active student participation in laboratory investigations and the development of critical-thinking skills. Biology lays the foundation for further studies in Human Anatomy & Physiology and Chemistry.

Environmental Science - 1 credit

Course description forthcoming

Chemistry - 1 credit

Chemistry is a laboratory-based college-preparatory course.  Laboratory experiments provide the empirical basis for understanding and confirming concepts. This course emphasizes discussions, activities, and laboratory exercises, which promote the understanding of the behavior of matter at the molecular-atomic levels.  Chemical principles are introduced so that students will be able to explain the composition and chemical behavior of their world. 

Physics - 1 credit

In this course, students demonstrate mastery This course uses Algebra and Trigonometry based mathematical models to introduce the fundamental concepts that describe the physical world.  Topics include units and measurement, vectors, linear kinematics and dynamics, energy, power, momentum, simple machines, and pendulums. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the principles involved and display analytical problem-solving ability for the topics covered.  Laboratory experiments consolidate the basic principles discussed in lectures.

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Anatomy & Physiology - 1 credit

Anatomy & Physiology is a course that will enable students to develop an understanding of the relationships between the structures and functions of the human body.  Students will also learn the mechanisms for maintaining homeostasis within the human body. This course will involve laboratory activities, projects, dissections, textbook material, diagrams, and clinical studies.

World History - 1 credit

Beginning at In the beginning, we progress from the origin of the universe through the reestablishment of Scripture as the authoritative foundation of the Christian life in the Reformation.  Along the way, we learn to appreciate how the history of the Bible integrates with secular sources throughout Ancient History (discovering how Bible characters influenced the ancient world), and how God orchestrated the events of history to culminate in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Then we see how the Church was established, progressed, dealt with heresies and difficulties, expanded, degenerated, and reformed, all in conjunction with the political and social activities of each era.

U.S. History - 1 credit

Beginning with the pre-Columbian state of the Americas, we proceed through the history of our great land, emphasizing the Christian faith of many of our forebears and the Biblical foundations of our country. Students will apprehend the philosophies and perspectives of the participants in the establishment and progression of the United States, and will learn to appreciate the oversight of God’s Providence as we focus on the people, events, and writings of those who were used by God to accomplish His purpose.

Psychology - 1 credit

Using a college textbook, students delve into the world of the brain, behavior, life development from child to adult, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, conditioning and learning, memory, intelligence, personality, and mental illness, all from a decidedly Christian viewpoint.

Then we examine the Christian outlook on psychology and counseling, using Christian authors, analyzing psycho-therapeutic methodologies and Biblical perspectives and procedures.

Civics - ½ credit

Civics is an upper-level, semester class designed for juniors and seniors. Students will study the Constitution, political behaviors and beliefs, the institutions and structure of national government, public policy, and civil rights and liberties. Students will develop higher-level thinking skills by analyzing important documents, including the Biblical background of “government” as prescribed according to Scripture and God.  The American republic will be compared and contrasted with the “ISMS” (Communism, Socialism, Marxism, and Capitalism). The course culminates with the reading of Lord of the Flies where students are given the opportunity to demonstrate college-level understandings and achievement. Students will use course learning and understandings to apply higher-level thinking that demonstrates Biblical Worldview.

Economics/Financial Literacy - ½ credit          

Designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the principles of economics, this course encourages students to think like economists – to question and evaluate costs and benefits, to explore the many ways that one economic action will cause secondary actions. Economics will also examine the fundamental principles which govern economic activities of the individual, businesses and market place, at national and international economic levels. This course addresses the central topics of economics including: micro and macro- economics, supply and demand, perfect and imperfect competition, the role of factors of production in free, mixed and command economies, the role of government, measuring the national economy, fiscal and monetary policy as well as international trade. A major emphasis of this course will be on the development of critical thinking skills and the application of economic principles and problem solving that incorporates a Biblical Worldview.

Understanding the Times - 1 credit

A battle is being waged for the hearts and minds of students—and the classroom is the battlefield!  As never before in the history of our culture, the challenge before us is that of thinking clearly and Biblically in a world of media-pandered political correctness and ethical doublespeak.  But how can Christian young people and educators learn to see through today’s counterfeit “truth” and expose the error of a naturalistic worldview?

A quantum leap in the right direction, this course is designed to train students not only in recognizing and confronting the worldview bias around them, but also in formulating Biblical answers—answers to the arguments forced on them by Secular Humanism, Marxism/Leninism, and New Age philosophy in the areas of theology, biology, psychology, sociology, law, ethics, economics, and history. This is an essential course for any student who desires to make an impact for Christ in the culture around them!