CCA Tenth Grade Curriculum

Classical Rhetoric
Theme/Master Question:
How can the art of speaking be used to the glory of God?
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Themes
Virtue, change and progress, duty, faith, fate, government, happiness, immortality, liberty and slavery, justice, love, punishment, revolution, and truth.

Description:
Speaking persuasively is the focus of this class. Students gain intensive practice in the last two of the five canons of rhetoric—memory and delivery. They focus on the three elements of persuasive appeal outlined by Aristotle—ethos, pathos, and logos—and apply the three branches of oratory—judicial, deliberative, and epideictic.

This is done through:
• speech topics should be integrated with other 10th grade courses as is appropriate and should be coordinated with other 10th grade assignments via an internal assignment calendar
• as often as possible, students should see and discuss a model of the type of speech assigned before composing their own
• students should be given a rubric for each assignment highlighting the teacher’s expectations; each assignment should focus on a limited number of new skills
• teachers should limit feedback on each assignment to what a student can apply in his or her next assignment
• usually, feedback should highlight one strength and three items on the rubric for the student to continue to improve

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Humane Letters III (history, Bible, literature)
Theme Question:
Reformation to Present Worldview Humanities

Identity:
Who are we, and who should we be? What makes us the people we are?

Description:
Covering c. 1650 to present, this is the final course in the “logic” phase of our worldview humanities (WVH) track. During the logic phase of WVH, students study the who, what, when, where, and why of history. They discuss the important events of history and seek to clearly understand the reasons behind historical circumstances and events. This course uses primary sources to understand the culture and thinking of the people who have lived in the latest eras of Western civilization, with particular emphasis on the United States and national identity.

This is done through:
• primarily discussion-oriented, based on individual or in-class readings using Socratic Discussion Rubric as a methodological guide
• aim for at least 50% discussion
• classes and units should be built around Key Questions which build to higher Major and Master Questions for each work, unit, semester, and course
• debates, recitations, and student presentations
• lecture and discussion, particularly as introductory material or historical framework requires
• viewing and discussing pertinent works of art, literature, music, and poetry
• class should begin each day with a brief activity, questions to consider, or written response designed to focus the class discussion and prepare students for the lesson.

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Algebra II
Theme/Master Question:
How does one solve for the unknown? How do equations reflect the order of Creation?

Description:
Latin instruction should follow comprehensive input methods as much as possible; the teacher will speak slowly, engage in an unceasing repetition of structures, and keep speech at a level where students comprehend what is said;introduce new Latin structures using conversational topics anyone might want to use in a language: hopes for the future, what students enjoy doing, daily routines, etc.;students develop scripts that are used to learn and repeatedly practice grammatical structures;employ spaced repetition of grammatical structures and phrases by practicing a structure every day for two weeks, every other day for two weeks, once a week, then once a month until students have become fluent in using the structure;use circling to give students the repeated practice they need to learn a target concept (usually 70-150 repetitions are necessary);begin naming grammatical concepts only after students have gained familiarity with those concepts through repeated use;use of vocabulary posters on walls to aid students in understanding;use of games and Latin phrase chants;regular use of exit quizzes will guide teacher instruction;homework will include rereading of stories, computer quizzes on in class instruction and memorization, and memorization of vocabulary and Latin phrases;

Chemistry
Theme/Master Question:
Why is chemistry considered the “central science?”

Description:
This college preparatory course in general chemistry challenges students as they investigate historical concepts (how Dalton came up with his atomic postulates) and discuss current controversies (whether or not entropy is truly a disorder). Students will develop their skills in the laboratory through hands-on experience and will learn proper lab techniques. Topics covered include dimensional analysis, atomic theory and structure, periodic trends, nomenclature, stoichiometry, molecular structure and geometry, acid-base chemistry, gas laws, thermodynamics, and kinetics.This is done through:teaching is primarily lecture and discussion, during which the instructor introduces or reviews concepts from student readings and students respond;class should begin each day with a brief activity, questions to consider, or written response designed to focus the class discussion and prepare students for the lesson;laboratory work and experimentation are key parts of this class, both individually and in groups;group projects and in-class problem solving;
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