Liberty Christian School

Bible Department

Electives

*Please note that not all Electives are offered every year.  This is a sampling of what we've offered in the past.

Art

This is a one-year elective course for students in grades nine through twelve. This course explores the materials and methods of art and serves as a foundation for other art classes. Students learn about the elements and principles of art and design and how to manipulate and organize these factors creatively using a variety of media, materials, and techniques. The class includes assignments in: drawing, painting, design schemes, dimension work, lettering and its theory, design and perception, perspective, photorealism, abstraction, surrealism, shadows, value, and color.  Students work with materials such as pencil, paint, pen, and ink.  Students also learn about art history and how it has influenced our lives. At the high school levels, this course may be used to fulfill the one-year visual and performing arts requirement.

Drama

This semester long elective course elective begins as an introduction to the world of theatre. Improvisation, dramatic readings, and small skits pave the way to confidence and growth of each individual’s talents. Stage presence and cues, voice control (enunciation, projections, and accents), and body movement are the key components in helping a student excel in his or her acting ability.  Once these skills have matured, a theatrical production is performed in front of an audience. 

Journalism

This semester long elective is designed to introduce students to all facets of the journalist's craft:  principles of gathering, writing, reporting, and editing the news. Students are trained to be consumers of media and to understand news and proper journalistic skills.  Emphasis is placed on accuracy, brevity, clarity, interest, and reportorial responsibility. Students taking this class must be self-motivated, organized, responsible, and have high interest and standards of achievement.  With these skills, students produce articles of news for Liberty Christian’s website and monthly newsletters.

The main emphasis of this semester long elective is the teaching of the general skills needed to produce a quality yearbook. The skills of planning, layout, copy, and basic photography are included. This course includes basic computer skills and the use of Photoshop and Microsoft word. Teamwork is key to yearbook. This course also includes the practice of correct English grammar and spelling, as well as the process of working to meet deadlines.  At the end of the year the yearbook staff is responsible for the unveiling and distribution of the yearbook to the school.

Foreign Language Department

English Department

In English 9, students pursue a balanced literacy program with an emphasis on writing. Writing activities will be based on literature and non-fiction to provide a highly motivated curriculum. Students will receive instruction in the conventions of standard edited English and research techniques. Students will demonstrate the writing process, applying the process to composing texts in various genres including narrative/autobiographical, literary analysis, expository, and persuasive. Additionally, students will read and respond to literature from various genres including poetry, short stories, drama (Romeo and Juliet), and the novel (To Kill a Mockingbird). Students will also build upon vocabulary using the Wordly Wise series, grammar, literary analysis, and both formal and informal public speaking. In addition to assigned readings from the Prentice Hall textbook, students also read three fulllength books from the approved high school reading list and complete a literary analysis book report on two of the literary elements (setting, conflict, character, symbolism, point of view, theme) as an assessment for their independent reading assignments. One of the three book reports will be an alternate book report on a work by a minority author. In addition, each student is required to write a 4-6 page expository research paper about a controversial issue

during the second quarter.

In English 10, students pursue a balanced, integrated literacy program of literature and language study. In literature, students develop strategies to construct meaning and interact thoughtfully with all genres of literature and nonfiction texts. Writing activities are extensions of experiences developed through reading literary and nonfiction works. Students will engage in a variety of expository and creative writing tasks which connect literature and their life experiences. Students will use writing process activities in a variety of genres including persuasive, expository, narrative, and literary analysis of texts. Students also receive instruction in the conventions of written language, effective oral communication, and research techniques. More specifically, students will read and respond to literature from various genres including poetry, short stories, drama (Julius Caesar), and the novel (A Separate Peace). Students will also build upon vocabulary using the Wordly Wise series, grammar, literary analysis, and both formal and informal public speaking. In addition to assigned readings from the Prentice Hall textbook, students also read three fulllength books from the approved high school reading list and complete a literary analysis book report on one of the literary elements (setting, conflict, character, symbolism, point of view, theme) as an assessment for their independent reading assignments. One of the three book reports will be an alternate book report on a non-fiction text. In addition, each student is required to write a 6-8 page expository research paper in conjunction with their biology class.

Please note: Summer reading required for this course- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and a second book of choice.  Please click HERE for more information on the Required Summer Reading Program.

In English 12, students explore the British literary canon from the Anglo-Saxon period through the post-colonial period using the Prentice Hall textbook. Students read and respond to historically and/or culturally significant works of British literature tracing the development of British writing. This course focuses on British poetry, novel excerpts, short stories, drama (Hamlet), and the novel (Frankenstein). Students contrast the literary forms, stylistic techniques, and characteristics of the major literary periods. They not only analyze such devices as figurative language, imagery, speaker, and tone, they also relate the literature to the geographical, philosophical, political, religious, cultural, and social influences of those periods. Students will also build upon vocabulary, grammar, writing, literary analysis, and both formal and informal public speaking. In addition to assigned readings from the textbook, students also read three full-length British literary works and complete a literary analysis book report on one  of the literary elements (setting, conflict, character, symbolism, point of view, theme as an assessment for their independent reading assignments. The third reading will be an alternative multimedia book report on a Shakespearean play. In addition, each student is required to write an 8-10 page research paper in conjunction with their government class. Students will also be working on a yearlong senior exit project

AP English Literature and Composition 12 is an alternative to the English 12 class. While both classes prepare students for life after high school, a primary difference between the classes is in the teaching approach. AP English Literature and Composition 12 provides more of a college experience with less emphasis on daily work grades and more emphasis on both analytical papers and analytical discussion. The AP class moves more quickly, reads lengthier works, is responsible for reading the texts outside of class, is expected to participate in analytical discussion during class time, and writes more major papers than students in English 12. Students enrolling in this class should be above average students of English who are self-motivated, serious learners and interested in maximizing their preparation for college. Since they have increased demands in reading and writing, students need to be able to budget their time well and be able to work and think independently. Finally, being an AP (Advanced Placement) course, the student will take the AP exam in May. A high score on this exam will be recognized by many colleges and universities, in that your Freshman English requirement might be waived, you might be allowed to take a more advanced course your freshman year, and you might be given academic credit for the required course. During high school, taking an AP class will higher your GPA.

This yearlong course includes an intensive study of representative works of both British and American writers, as well as works written in several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary time; this includes fictional short stories, poetry, and nonfiction.  In addition, students will read longer fictional works of both novels and plays, such as: Oedipus, Hamlet, The Glass Menagerie, Pride and Prejudice, Of Mice and Men, Heart of Darkness, and Frankenstein. Heavy in both reading and writing, this course will focus upon the process of writing about the reading, including annotation, free writing, journaling, and response papers, as well as the connection between reading and writing.  There will be both peer and teacher feedback on writing assignments both before and after the final work, including areas of: ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency/structure, word choice/diction, and the writing conventions of grammar.  This writing will include formal extended analysis of literature, timed in-class writing responses, and creative writing. The course will also require students to draw upon textual ideas/support which help develop explanation/interpretation of a literary text, and teach students to look for and provide verbal and written responses to literature which consider the following critical lenses of literary criticism: Marxist, Feminist, Deconstruction, Reader Response, Historical/Biographical, Psychoanalytic, Post-Colonial, and New Criticism.  Finally, this class will include a research paper on an interpretation of an author’s style of literature that is based on a careful observation of the work’s textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, symbolism, diction, sentence structure, and tone.  In addition to the AP coursework, there is also a Senior Exit Project for the school that all senior students are required to fulfill before graduation.

Please note: Summer reading required for this course- Wuthering Heights, Into the Wild, and a third book of choice.  Please click HERE for more information on the Required Summer Reading Program.

History Department

Geography (9)

Coming Soon

World History (10)

World History is a course in which students gain an understanding of world events and their global impact, in both ancient and modern contexts.  The purpose of this course is to give students a knowledge and appreciation for important concepts and ideas in history.  Students study the ancient world civilizations in the Middle East, Greece, Rome, Western Europe, India and China.  Students also examine the importance and impact of major modern world movements including: the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the Rise of imperialism and colonialism, World War I, totalitarianism, World War II, and nationalism.  Throughout the course, students will develop a growing understanding of the historic, geographic, political, religious, intellectual, economic, and social consequences of the various historical themes they review. 

U.S. History (11)

The year begins with a review of the settlement of the colonies and the American Revolution, to westward expansion, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.  This course provides the students with a connection to their past learnings.  Students then examine the major turning points in American History from the Industrial Revolution through the twentieth century, and includes all major wars in which America was involved.  Emphasis will be placed on the expanding role of the federal government and the federal courts, the balance of power between the right of the individual and states’ rights, and the continuing struggle between minority rights and majority power.  Importance is also be placed on the emergence of a modern corporate economy, the impact of technology on American society and culture, the movements toward equal rights for racial minorities and women, and the role of the United States as a major world power.

Government (12)

This semester course provides a more detailed study of the history and development of American government from the time of the colonial period up to the present. Students learn about: the background and culture of the times of the founding fathers, leading up to the War for Independence and on to present day. Also examined is the influence of education, Europe, and religion; and the economic and political pressures of the people in the various colonies.  Students also learn about influential thinkers and political figures who played key roles in the development of the new government such as: James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and many more. This course explains the necessity of government, considers the impact of biblical values, notes the differences of major forms of government, explains the process of the creation of the Constitution, discusses the organization of the political party system, defines and describes the three branches of government, and summarizes historical and current foreign policies. Students will further develop a Christian world-view in their understanding and their role in government, in both local and in national issues, politics, and law. This course prepares students to engage and participate in the government of the United States, which is a right and a responsibility.

Economics (12)

Coming Soon