Educating the heart, mind, and soul in the Catholic tradition with online classes

Faith ~ Excellence ~ Passion

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Online Class: Writing for High School


Update: This live course has concluded and is currently available as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Online Classes

To learn about our many other writing courses, visit out website: Homeschool Connections Online Classes.


Writing: Writing for High School

(click on title to register)

Session dates: Tuesdays, September 6 to October 25, 2011
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 3:00 pm Eastern (2:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $130 if you register on or before August 1, 2011. $180 after August 1 for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
Prerequisite: none
Suggested grade level: 9th – 10th grade
High school credit: 2/3 semester
Course description: This course is designed to help the student develop the skills and habits that make for good writing at the high school level. The emphasis will be on creating good paragraphs, introductions and conclusions, organizing the paragraphs, and outlining.
Course outline:
Class 1: The essentials of good writing
Class 2: The paragraph
Class 3: The introduction
Class 4: The conclusion
Class 5: The argument
Class 6:The outline
Class 7: The five-paragraph essay
Class 8: Wrap-up and final assignment
Course materials: TBA
Homework: Weekly writing assignments. Final 3-5 page paper on topic of student’s choice. Graded by Dr. Gotcher.

Equipment requirements:
Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Dr. Gotcher will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.


(click on title to register)

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Middle & High School Literature and Writing: King Arthur

Update: This live course has concluded and is available now as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Catholic Online Classes


(click on course title to register)

Class dates: Saturdays, September 10 to December 3, 2011 (plus two weeks for paper turn around)
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 11 am Eastern (10 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisite: The ability and willingness to read approximately 10-15 pages per day; write 2 page papers every 3 weeks; a fair to ample interest in fantasy or medieval romance; and a love for things knightly!
Suggested grade level: 7th to 9th grade
High school credit: 1 full semester credit for English (9th grade)
Fee: $150 for all 12 classes.
Instructor: Dayspring Brock
Course description: This course is for those who have heard of King Arthur and are intrigued by the twisting, winding tales that surround his legend. Our theme for the course will be “The Heroic.” These stories often show how the hero or the knight finds his way through a maze of temptation to find the good. The medieval times were complex and shifting times. A hero who was capable of facing the unknown and finding courage and hope through the aid of faith in God presented hope for mankind. Sound familiar? We will explore what medieval heroes do that made them heroic and what happens when heroes lose their footing.
Course outline:
Class 1: Arthur in Latin, Welsh, and British Traditions
Classes 2 to 4: The Once and Future King
Class 5: Chretien De Troyes: Lancelot or The Knight of the Cart (PDF)
Classes 6 to 8: Tristan and Iseult
Class 9 to 10: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Class 11: excerpts from Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King
Class 12: Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte DAathur (PDF)
Course materials:
1. The Once and Future King by Terence Hanbury White, ISBN 978-0441003839;
2. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult (Dover Books ) J. Bedier (Adapter), Hilaire Belloc, ISBN 978-0486440194;
3. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearl; [and] Sir Orfeo by J.R.R. Tolkien, ISBN 978-0345277602;
4. Idylls of the King and a New Selection of Poems (Signet Classics) Alfred Tennyson, ISBN 978-0451528759.
It’s best if you use the same publications as listed here. There will be a couple of readings that are excerpts from texts. The instructor will provide them free as PDF files.
Homework: Once-a-week quizzes. Papers due weeks every 2 to 3 weeks. Graded work will be returned before December 16.

Equipment requirements:
Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Miss Brock will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

(click on course title to register)

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Online Math: Pre-Algebra (Saxon)

Update: This live course has concluded and is available now as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Catholic Online Classes


(click on the course title to register)

Note: This is Part One of a two-part course. Part Two is scheduled for Spring starting in January, 2012.

Class dates: Tuesdays, September 13 to December 13, 2011, No class November 21 or December 8
Total classes: 13
Starting time: 4:00 pm Eastern (3:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Prerequisite: Basic math skills, Saxon 7/8 preferred
Suggested grade level: 7th to 9th grade
Fee: $160 if you register on or before August 1, 2011. $185 after Aug. 1 for all 13 classes
Instructor: Jean Hoeft
Course description: Students will begin the skills needed for Algebra I. These include but are not limited to: writing equations, slope of a line, solving simple equations, numbers and their operations, linear functions, and operations with integers.
Course materials: Saxon Algebra ½ Homeschool Kit
Homework: Students will be assigned 4-5 homework assignments per week with testing done on Fridays. Students will be required to take a placement test before entering the class to tailor studies to the individual needs of the students. Parents are asked to grade homework and tests and to send results to the instructor. The course instructor will then use these results to tailor lessons. The first 15 minutes of class will involve answering questions and doing practice problems to help the learners understand and improve on homework mistakes.

Equipment requirements:
Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Mrs. Hoeft will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

(click on the course title to register)

Monday, March 28, 2011

Theology: Ecclesiology & Sacramental Theology—How Shall I Glorify God?

Update: This live course has concluded and is available now as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Catholic Online Classes


(click on course title to register)

Class dates: Tuesdays, October 25 thru December 13, 2011
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 1:00 pm Eastern (12 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Instructor: Monica Ashour, MTS; M Hum
Fee: $90 if you register on or before August 1, 2011. $120 after August 1, 2011 for all 8 classes.
Prerequisite: None.
Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th
High school credit: 1/2 semester credit in theology. For a full semester credit, you may precede with Theology of the Body or other theology course.
Course description: The students in this course will study the nature of the Church, that is, how She is in the “nature of a sacrament” (Lumen Gentium), along with all of her other aspects. Jesus Christ as the Bridegroom of His Bride, the Church, extends Himself through time via the Church who holds the “Deposit of Truth and the Deposit of Grace” through the Liturgy and the Sacraments and the Teaching Office. Such topics serve as a great segue into Mariology, a study of the Mother and Paradigm of the Church. Indeed, Pope John Paul II, whose motto “Totus Tuus” is directed toward Our Lady, continues to lead the Church into the “threshold of hope” for the new millennium; therefore, we will do a careful study of his thought in much of the corpus of his writing. Finally, we will examine the thoughts of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who has written extensively on the Church and on the Liturgy.
Course goal: The final goal of this course is for each student to glorify the Father as a person “fully alive” (Ireneas) growing in intimacy with Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church and His Body, the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit—the Soul of the Church.
Course Outline: TBA
Homework: Weekly quizzes, major project, & final exam: To be graded by parents. (Answer key provided, with reference to Power Point.)
Course reading: The reading (excerpts) will assist the student in delving into a deep understanding of the nature of the Church and of the Sacraments. Many of these readings are available free online or used (click on the hyperlinks).
1. A Catholic Bible 2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church; 3. The Documents of Vatican II; 4. Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Pope John Paul’s encyclical on the Eucharist and Its relationship to the Church.) 5. Peter Kreeft’s Catholic Christianity, Ignatius Press 6. The Weight of Glory and Man or Rabbit, both by CS Lewis; 8. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict)’s The Spirit of the Liturgy, Ignatius; 9. Dr. Joyce Little’s The Catholic Church and the Culture War: Secular Anarchy or Sacred Order (out of print from Ignatius but find on Amazon,etc.), C.R. Publications, Inc. 10. Fr. Godfrey Diekmann’s “Two Approaches to Understanding the Sacraments” (provided free by instructor).
Optional reading: For those who want more of a challenge/more credit earned: Hans Urs von Balthasar and Pope Benedict (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s) Mary: The Church at the Source, Ignatius. Even deeper challenge: Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s Truth and Tolerance: Christian Beliefs and World Religions, Ignatius.
Future reading: Also recommended to form the imagination in ecclesial thought: Dante’s Paradiso, Dostoevsky’s The Brother’s Karamazov, and Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Instructor's biography: Having had 20 years of experience in the classroom, 3 years of experience working at St. Mary’s Catholic Church at Texas A&M University as one of the Campus Ministers, and Master Degrees in Humanities and Theological Studies from the University of Dallas, Monica Ashour comes to us with a breadth and depth of vision that will solidify and electrify high school students. Orthodox, passionate, and pedagogically adept, Miss Ashour reaches youth especially in the areas of Christian Anthropology, Moral Theology, and Social Ethics. Her former students come to her often with gratitude in preparing them for the various experiences that they faced in college. She is also a gifted speaker for the Theology of the Body Institute.

Equipment requirements:
Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Miss Ashour will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

(click on course title to register)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Advanced American Government (Online High School)

Update: This live course has concluded and is available now as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Catholic Online Classes


(click on course title to register)

Class dates: Fridays, September 9 to November 4, 2011
Total classes: 9
Starting time: Noon Eastern (11:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: FREE. Regularly $140 for all 9 classes.
Instructor: Ed Rivet
Prerequisite: Government, Democracy, and Citizenship or other introduction to American government.
Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th
High school credit: 3/4 of a semester credit. To give full credit, add reading assignments from Mr. Rivet's supplemental reading list plus an essay on the book(s).
Course description: Building on the fundamentals from the prerequisite course, this course will delve deeper into political and economic theory. There will be a deeper review of constitutional (common) law developed by our courts and a deeper exploration into the legislative process. There will be more emphasis on class participation each session, with less straight lecturing.
Course outline:
Class 1: The Interrelationship of Legal-Political-Economic Theories
Class 2: Marxism-Communism and Socialism
Class 3: Democracy - Greek, Roman, American, Parliamentary
Class 4: Constitutional Rights Revisited - Due Process of Law
Class 5: Law & Order: Crime, Punishment & Justice
Class 6: Impact of Litigation - Public & Private
Class 7: Legislative Roles and Authorities
Class 8: The Heart of Making Laws
Class 9: Synthesis of Theory & Practice
Homework: Much more essay-based assignments than prerequisite course - analysis and articulation that shows a grasping of the subject matter. Students will study specific pending legislation in detail and propose their own bills.
Course materials: All materials are provided FREE by the instructor.

Equipment requirements:
Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Mr. Rivet will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

(click on course title to register)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Philosophy: Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy (Online High School)

Update: This live course has concluded and is available now as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access! Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows. To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Catholic Online Classes

Philosophy: Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy
(click on course title to register)

Class dates: Thursdays, September 8 to December 1, 2011 (No class on Thanksgiving)
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 4:00 pm Eastern (3:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Instructor: Jean Rioux, Ph.D.
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th
High school credit: 1 full semester of philosophy
Fee: $190 for all 12 classes.
Course description: The Early Modern period of philosophy has had a profound effect upon contemporary thought and life. Beginning with the intensely reflective musings of French mathematician René Descartes, European philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries saw the possibility and scope of human knowledge as the foremost problem facing us: can we know, and, if so, what? On the Continent, the rationalists saw reason itself as the sole judge of truth. They were opposed in turn by the British empiricists, who insisted that sensation is the fundamental criterion for human knowing. This course presents a review of some of the main figures of the period: among the rationalists, Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz, and among the empiricists, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. We will begin with a brief review of the history of philosophy immediately prior to the period, and end with the synthesis of Immanuel Kant and the beginnings of German Idealism.
Course outline:
Class 1: Descartes' Milieu: Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Classes 2 to 3: René Descartes
Class 4: Baruch Spinoza
Classes 5 to 6: Gottfried von Leibniz
Class 7: John Locke
Classes 8 to 9: George Berkeley
Classes 10 to 11: David Hume
Class 12: Immanuel Kant and Beyond
Course materials: Readings for each session will be made available in the form of a pdf file (Free). Students can expect readings to average 15-25 pages for each session.
Homework: Assignments include close readings of portions of the works of the main philosophers studied. All of the readings are of above-average difficulty. Students should expect to set aside two or three hours each week to carefully prepare for class by reading these materials. Students will also respond to one or two questions following each session in the form of brief written essays, which will be graded by Dr. Rioux.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Online Math: Algebra I (Saxon)

(click on title then scroll down to register)

Note: Part Two will take place in the spring

Class dates: Mondays, September 12 to December 12, 2010
Total classes: 14
Starting time: 4:00 pm Eastern (3:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $160 if you enroll on or before August 1, 2011. $185 after August 1 for all 14 classes.
Instructor: Jean Hoeft, MA
Prerequisite: 85% on the Saxon Algebra Placement Test
Suggested grade level: 8th to 12th
High school credit: 1 semester credit for math

Course description: This course involves all concepts needed to fulfill national requirements for Algebra I. The topics to include but not be restricted to, operations with integers, rules of multiplicative identity and additive identity, equation solving, exponential function relations, quadratic function relations and their graphs, Cartesian graphing, polynomial relations and functions, radicals and their properties as well as some work with geometric properties as a background for use in Algebra II.

Course materials: Saxon Algebra I Homeschool Kit, Third Edition which includes the textbook, test booklet, and answer key. (If you shop around, this kit can be found from a variety of sources new or used for a reasonable price.) A different edition could be used if you already own it but it would be more difficult to follow along in class.

Homework: Students will be assigned 4-5 homework assignments per week with testing done on Fridays. Students will be required to take a placement test before entering the class to tailor studies to the individual needs of the students. Parents are asked to grade homework and tests and to send results to the instructor. The course instructor will then use these results to tailor lessons. The first 15 minutes of class will involve answering questions and doing practice problems to help the learners understand and improve on homework mistakes.

Course rationale: Homework is an integral part of the learning process in math. However, homework will be used to formatively assess students’ learning, not necessarily to grade. Students grades will be determined 20% by homework completion and 80% on test performance. This means that students must know and understand their mistakes on homework in order to succeed on tests. This insures their honesty and willingness to try things on homework of which they have not mastered. This also frees the learner to share their mistakes with others to insure their knowledge of the corrections and to help others in the learning process. Students will be asked to give feedback frequently during the class to continue their involvement and increase their participation with the instructor in their learning.

Instructor's biography: Jean Hoeft has been a math and algebra teacher for 22 years. She has a BA from the University of Michigan and a MA from Marygrove University. Jean has taught the confirmation class at her Catholic parish for 27 years. She loves gardening, sudoku puzzles, raising chickens, reading, knitting, and everything Catholic.

Equipment requirements: Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.
Misc: Mrs. Hoeft will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

Math: Saxon Algebra I; Part One
(click on title then scroll down to register)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Theology: Theology of the Body: “The Best Method of Educating Man” (High School)

Update: This live course has concluded and is currently as a recorded course through our Unlimited Access Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Middle and High School Online Classes

(click on title to register)

Class dates: Tuesdays, August 30 to October 18, 2011
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 1:00 pm Eastern (Noon Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $90 if you register on or before August 1, 2011. $120 after August 1 for entire 8-week course.
Course instructor: Monica Ashour, MTS; M Hum
Prerequisite: None.
Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th
High school credit: 1/2 semester credit in theology

Course description: This 8-week overview of Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body will give a “bird’s eye” perspective of the whole of TOB. Far from relegating TOB to the area of sex and sexuality, TOB provides meaningful tools to see one’s life in the context of Jesus’ love for His Church and the life and love of the Blessed Trinity. A special emphasis will be made regarding the vocational call to the priesthood, religious life, and married life, and how both “celibacy for the Kingdom” (JPII’s words) and marriage mirror and inform each other.

Course rationale: In order to live the “abundant life” that Jesus said He came to bring us, we need to know who we are, made in God’s image and likeness. A new vision of such anthropology has been given to us by God through (soon-to-be) Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). A deep, proper study of this work brings with it a renewal of the person who embraces such teachings. The late Holy Father’s biographer, George Wiegel, called it a “time bomb” set to go off sometime after the Pope’s death. Angelo Cardinal Scola remarks that every area of Catholic thought can be undergirded by the Theology of the Body; thus, this course will not only offer an opportunity for ongoing renewal for the student but also a basis to explore other areas of his/her faith with TOB as a foundation. Pope John Paul himself said that his Theology of the Body is the “best method of educating man.”

Homework: Weekly Quizzes, Major Project, & Final Exam: graded by parent. (Answer key provided, with reference to powerpoint.) All of this is optional, at the discretion of the parent.

Course materials: The reading will assist the student in delving into a deep understanding of the human person, especially in the area of vocational discernment, sexuality, and self-mastery. Most materials (excerpts) are available free online or used inexpensively.
1. A Catholic Bible
4. Vita Consecrata (Pope John Paul’s encyclical on religious life)
5. Familaris Consortio (Pope John Paul’s encyclical on the family);
6. Deus Caritas Est (Pope Benedict’s encyclical on love); Peter Kreeft’s Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing (his best book), Ignatius Press
7. The Weight of Glory and Man or Rabbit, both by CS Lewis;
8. Fr. Basil Maturin’s Christian Self-Mastery, Sophia Institute Press;
9. Assorted audiences from the Theology of the Body (pdf files provided free by instructor).
10. Dr. Michael Waldstein’s Introduction to the Theology of the Body (excerpts provided free by instructor). Dr. Waldstein is the official translator of TOB.
Additional reading (optional): Fr. Michael Scanlon’s What Does God Want: A Practical Guide to Making Decisions, Our Sunday Visitor. For parents: Monica Ashour’s Parent’s Guide to The Theology of the Body for Teens, Ascension Press. To form the imagination regarding body and soul as a composite: Dostoevsky’s The Devils; Flannery O’Connor’s “Parker’s Back.”

Course outline:
Week 1
• Course Expectations
• Quick overview of Christian Anthropology: Man made in God’s image and likeness before the Fall; Trinitarian Theology (our goal: we are made for union and communion with God which includes others, says Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body, “the most suitable education about man”)
• An overview of TOB and its origin and goal.
• Modernity’s project and JPII’s response.
• The Spirituality of St. John of the Cross.
• The philosophical thought of Francis Bacon, Renee Descartes, and John Calvin (Waldstein’s Intro)
• Utilitarianism and Gnosticism.

Week 2
• The “language of the body”
• Original man (inclusive sense of the word: male and female).
• Original Solitude. Positive light—the individual, capable of self-mastery in all areas of his/her life.
• Self-understanding, self-determination, in the context of being a “body-person.”
• “Jesus reveals man fully to himself and makes clear his exalted vocation.” (GS 22)
• All humans are receptive in relation to God
• The original plan of God for communion—4-fold communion.
• C. S. Lewis’ “Man and Rabbit” and “Weight of Glory”

Week 3
• Original Unity
• The “interior gaze”
• The “spousal meaning of the body”
• “Man can only find himself in a sincere gift of himself” (GS # 24).
• The types of love: Filial, eros, caritas. (Deus Caritas Est)
• “Man is the only creature made for himself” (GS #24) (Even God can’t use us in negative sense of the word).

Week 4
• Fallen man.
• “Doubting the gift”
• The Sacramental View of Reality vs. an Abstract View of Reality, which causes ruptures between God and man, man within himself, man with others, and man with creation.
• We will apply this abstract view to wrongs such as gossip, lying, stealing, abortion, pornography, etc.
• Sin= “splitting oneself”, body from spirit (JPII’s term) ; “un-being” oneself (Pope Benedict’s term)
• The 3-fold concupiscence

Week 5
• Redeemed man.
• We do not remain hopeless since Christ came to heal the rupture.
• The Sacramental/Incarnational View of Reality brings wholeness, healing, forgiveness (comes from same root words).
• Self-mastery (Fr. Maturin’s Christian Self-Mastery)
• The “inner movements of the heart”
• Christ’s invitation, not condemnation
• “Life in the Spirit” as described by JPII in TOB

Week 6
• Eschatological Man.
• “Spiritualized body”
• Divinization
• “Intersubjectivity” and the communion of saints
• Heaven: Our Goal (Kreeft’s Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing)
• “Celibacy for the Kingdom”

Week 7
• Vocational Discernment—Prayer and trust in God.
• Consecrated life, priesthood, and married life—mirror of each other
• The Order of Creation and the Order of Redemption
• The importance of understanding one’s sexuality in either vocation.
• The understanding of the objectively higher calling of religious life but the individual’s subjective call from God.

Week 8
• Recapitulation of Everything
• The theological differences between NFP vs. ABC (Natural Family Planning vs. Artificial Birth Control)
• Piety being the most important virtue for a married couple.
• Review for Exam—Diagrams, short answers, longer answers, major essay
• Final remarks—Telos: The Perichoresis, life and love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Theology of the Body: “The Best Method of Educating Man”
(click on title to register)

Equipment requirements:
Classes are online, live and interactive. Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Miss Ashour will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

2011/2012 Online Courses (Catholic Middle and High School Homeschool)

We have been very busy here at Homeschool Connections coordinating instructors, calendars, courses, and students to come up with a spectacular slate of courses to offer the Catholic homeschooling community.

The 2011/2012 Course Catalog is almost ready and will soon be available for download at the website.

In the meantime you can find most of the 2011/212 courses at the website along with the links to register. We are adding more courses daily.

Each day for the next several weeks, we will feature a different course here at the blog.

Don't hesitate to email us or leave a comment here if you have any questions or suggestions.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Children's Books Translated to Latin

UPDATE: The Hobbit has been released in Latin as of September 2012. It is available in book form as well as for Kindle devices. Click here for information: Hobbitus Ille

Our Latin II summer boot camp will be translating Dr. Seuss's Cat in the Hat into Latin. Yes, Cat in the Hat is a child's book but it's also quite difficult to translate. The course should prove to be challenging while at the same time fun.

One thing I find really interesting is that there are a good number of children's books translated into Latin. Even Harry Potter. No matter your feelings about J. K. Rowling's books, it is something that such a large book can be read completely in Latin.

Here are the books I found on Amazon that are available in Latin. Let us know in the comments of any Latin treasures you've found and we've missed.

By Dr. Seuss:
By A. A. Milne:
Other:
There is even this: Easy Latin Crossword Puzzles

Harry Potter:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harrius Potter et Camera Secretorum)

I never knew there were so many! I encourage you to check your library as a few are quite expensive. If you have trouble finding any at the library then put in a purchase request. It's usually quite easy to do and can be done at the library's website.

Have fun exploring kid lit in Latin!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Summer Boot Camp: Latin II; Cattus Petasatus

UpdateThis live course has concluded and is now available as a recorded course through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Adult and High School Online Classes


Latin II/III Boot Camp: Cattus Petasatus
(click on title to register)

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 20 to June 30, 2011
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 2:00 pm Eastern (1:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisite: Latin I or equivalent.
Suggested grade level: 8th to 12th
High school credit: 2/3 semester
Fee: $90 if you register on or before April 1, 2011. $100 after April 1 for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Catherine Alvis
Course description: Together we will work through translating familiar fables in Latin including Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. We will work our way through a couple of other well-known stories, learn vocabulary, and explore some history of Rome.
Course materials: Cassel's Latin-English Dictionary. However, it is not required if you already have a Latin-English dictionary. Other materials will be provided free by the instructor.
Optional: Cattus Petasatus by Dr. Suess (Cat in the Hat translated to Latin).
Homework: Up to 30 minutes a day.

Instructor's biography: Catherine Alvis is a graduate of the University of Dallas with a BA in Politics and is currently obtaining her Masters in Humanities from UD as well. She has been teaching English and Latin for 5 years at a home school co-op in Dallas, TX and has tutored various levels of Latin throughout her teaching career. Mis Alvis enjoys reading, tennis, spending time with her family, volunteering at various events with her Thomas Aquinas parish, organizing events with Young Catholic Professionals of Dallas and playing fetch with her boarder collie.

Equipment requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Miss Alvis will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Summer School: Latin I Boot Camp

Update: This live course has concluded and is now available as a recorded course through our Subscription Service. This is a great way to learn at your own pace when your schedule allows.To subscribe or learn more: Adult and High School Online Classes

Latin I Boot Camp: Introduction to Latin
(click on title to register)

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 6 to June 16, 2011
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 2:00 pm Eastern (1:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 7th to 12th
High school credit: 2/3 semester
Fee: $90 if you register on or before April 1, 2011. $100 after April 1, 2011 for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Catherine Alvis
Course description: Students new to Latin will be introduced to the fundamental forms of Latin, beginning with 1st and 2nd declension, and also present, imperfect and future tenses of verbs. We will explore Roman Culture, English derivatives of Latin and famous Romans in addition to developing a solid foundation for students looking to enter Latin I in the fall.
Course materials: Cassel's Latin-English Dictionary. However, it is not required if you already have a Latin-English dictionary.
Homework: Up to 30 minutes a day.

Instructor's biography: Catherine Alvis is a graduate of the University of Dallas with a BA in Politics and is currently obtaining her Masters in Humanities from UD as well. She has been teaching English and Latin for 5 years at a home school co-op in Dallas, TX and has tutored various levels of Latin throughout her teaching career. Mis Alvis enjoys reading, tennis, spending time with her family, volunteering at various events with her Thomas Aquinas parish, organizing events with Young Catholic Professionals of Dallas and playing fetch with her boarder collie.

Equipment requirements:
Students are required to have high-speed internet and a headset with microphone.

Misc:
Miss Alvis will be available via email in between classes for questions and comments.
Recordings of classes are provided to students within 24 hours and available for 6 months.
Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping services.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Online Summer School: Math, Latin, History & Personal Finance

I am very excited to tell you about our upcoming Summer Boot Camps. All of our camps offer generous Early Enrollment Discounts. Register on or before April 1st to save up to $$.

Click on the titles of following camps for more information or to register:
All you need is high speed internet (not dial up) and a headset (easily available and inexpensive). The classes are live and interactive. It's all user friendly and fun too. The greatest advantage of these courses is that you and your child have access to some of the best teachers in the country.

We also offer recorded courses which includes past summer boot camps. This way you have many options if you like to keep learning year round, even if on a much lighter schedule. Recorded summer courses include:
  • Literature: MacBeth (Catholic Shakespeare series)
  • Literature: Beowulf and Christ
  • Catholic Apologetics with Gary Michuta
  • SAT / ACT Preparation and Practice
  • Foundations of Christian Historiography
  • Latin I
  • Latin II
  • Life Skills: Job Search Skills