01/02/2005: "An Awesome Liberal Arts Education..."
Several years ago when we were looking for a high school to send our oldest child to, we went through a grueling process. First of all we had to determine what we were looking for? This included the process of scrutinizing our values in the realm of education. What did we like, what did we not like? What were we willing to sacrifice for? Once that was finished we had to attempt to line up our values with a school that also held those values and then one that we could afford. Then we had to verify that that our child could get into the school and that that type of school would just plain fit our family…
We searched high and low, and along the path we came across a school called Trinity School at River Ridge. http://www.trinityschools.org/ Their mission statement is a beautiful thing in itself.. There mission “is to educate students for thoughtful and purposeful adult lives which will contribute to the good of humanity and to the body of Christ. This education involves forming minds in fundamental intellectual habits and skills, teaching basic ordered knowledge, and fostering a love for the true, the good and the beautiful.”
Take a look at their core curriculum… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seventh Grade Art: An introduction concentrating on the student's capacity to see and observe from an aesthetic viewpoint. Basic drawing skills and the proper use of media are emphasized.
Latin I: Beginning Latin: grammar, vocabulary and translation.
Prealgebra: Covers arithmetic operations with whole numbers, decimals and fractions as well as ratios, proportions and percents. Students are also introduced to basic geometric concepts.
Literature/Composition: Composition: Concentrates on the mastery of parts of speech, parts of sentences and those elements necessary to write a well-formed sentence and a coherent paragraph of at least five sentences.
Literature: Readings include Shane, The Wind in the Willows, Johnny Tremain , Tales of the Greek Heroes and poetry.
History: Ancient history, with emphasis on Greek and Roman history.
Music I: An introduction to the fundamentals of music theory, with a focus on notation, rhythm, major scales and the principles of melodic writing, which are applied by learning to play the soprano recorder.
Old Testament: Students are introduced to the establishment of God's covenant with humanity. A reading of the Old Testament which focuses on the main characters and the narrative account.
Life Science: A study of nature and physical reality emphasizing observation and classification.
Eighth Grade Art: The development of the awareness of color harmonies and their proper use in our environment as well as in the world of art.
Latin II: More grammar, vocabulary and translation.
Algebra: A rigorous, comprehensive course in first-year algebra.
Literature/Composition: Composition: Review and continuation of previous course with concentration on phrases, clauses and the formulation of limited, specific and unified topic sentences in paragraph writing.
Literature: Readings include: Beowulf, The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, The Hobbit, The Miracle Worker, A Christmas Carol and poetry.
History: Medieval history from the fall of Rome to, but not including, the Renaissance.
Music II: An application of Music I skills, with a focus on intervals, minor scales, two-part writing and chamber music, through performance in recorder ensembles.
New Testament: A study of God's saving action in Christ and the establishment of the church. A reading of the New Testament focusing on the main characters and the narrative account, including its continuity with the Old Testament.
Science: A continuation of seventh grade science. Observation and pattern determination are stressed.
Ninth Grade Mathematics: Geometry is studied during the first semester, with an emphasis on relationships in geometric figures. During the second semester students begin the study of pre-calculus with a study of various classes of functions.
Biology: The fundamentals of biology are introduced, stressing concepts, organism structure and classification, proper dissecting techniques and ecological principles.
Humane Letters Seminar: U.S. history and literature are studied. Readings include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, The Federalist Papers (selections), The Red Badge of Courage, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, My Antonia, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Old Man and the Sea and poetry. Writing focuses on the five-paragraph example essay.
Music III: An expansion of Music I and II skills, with a focus on triads, traditional harmony, four-part writing and choral ensemble.
Christian Doctrine: Each student studies the doctrinal foundations of his or her church or denomination.
Latin III: Intensive grammar and translation.
Tenth Grade
Mathematics: A continuation of precalculus covering trigonometry, vectors and analytic geometry.
Physics I: A study of the concepts of physics using a modeling approach. Lab work is emphasized.
Humane Letters Seminar: Modern European history and literature are studied. Readings include: A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, On the Origins of Inequality, The Communist Manifesto, Crime and Punishment and poetry. Writing focuses on the analytical essay.
Music IV: An in-depth study of 16th century counterpoint, which students apply by composing and participating in choral ensemble.
Scripture: A seminar on Old Testament texts that reveal the work of God in human history. The texts are considered from a historical, literary and theological point of view.
Latin IV: Students translate Caesar, Cicero and Virgil.
Eleventh Grade Mathematics: Calculus is taught combining graphical, numerical and algebraic viewpoints. Conceptual understanding and the development of basic problem-solving skills are the objectives. Graphics calculators are utilized.
Chemistry: The principles of chemistry are taught, followed by applications in biochemistry. Computer generated molecular models are used extensively to aid the study of large biomolecular structures.
Humane Letters Seminar: Focuses on the Greek, Roman and early Christian period. Authors include: Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides and Augustine. Disciplined writing and rigorous discussion are essential in this course.
Art: Includes both studio art and the history of art from the Prehistoric through Early Christian period.
Drama: A workshop in the basics of acting: voice, movement and interpretation.
Scripture: A continuation of the previous course covering the New Testament.
Foreign Language I: A reading course. Students can select Spanish, French or German.
Twelfth Grade Mathematics: Calculus continues through the first semester. Advanced topics, including group theory, are studied during the second.
Physics II: A study of Newtonian mechanics using calculus. Modern topics in physics are introduced in the second semester.
Humane Letters Seminar: Readings are drawn from the medieval to modern periods in European history and literature. Authors include: Augustine, Dante, Thomas Aquinas, Luther, Montaigne, Descartes, Cervantes, Rousseau, Hegel, Dostoyevsky and others. Disciplined writing and rigorous discussion are essential in this course.
Art: Includes both studio art and the history of art from the Romanesque period to the present
Drama: The students produce a play from the classical repertoire or Shakespeare.
Foreign Language II: A continuation of the previous course. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I found this school, I was almost in heaven. I wished I had gone to this school and I wanted to send my children to this school.
Well, it has not worked out for me to send my children to this school YET, but that does not mean I can not use this school as a basis for the education of both myself my children and you the reader.
So, what I would like to propose is that we open an online school amongst us to use this curriculum to become educated people so that we can be excellent citizens partaking in the democratic process in our communities.
Please feel free to contact me in regard to this issue, and please post comments.
