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

Faith ~ Excellence ~ Passion

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Online 2016 Summer Classes for Middle and High School


We are very excited to let you know we have scheduled several great courses for the summer semester. 
  • Professor Joseph Pearce will introduce high school students to G. K. Chesterton's Everlasting Man
  • Kevin O'Brien will teach two courses. First up will be a high school course on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Second will be a middle school drama / acting course. 
  • To help you keep your children up on their math and ready for the next fall, Emily Nardozzi will teach a Math Boot Camp for middle school students. 
  • Dr. Christine Hamilton will repeat her ever-popular Nutrition Science course this summer. Just for fun, she'll also teach an Entomology (Bugs!!!) course for the middle-school set.
  • We are again offering our free study skills course. It's already filling up, but the good news is that we'll add more dates and time for the fall and spring. 
  • Finally, Professor Erin Brown Conroy has three writing courses for you. First is Writing the Short Story, second is a camp for budding authors on how to get published, and third is an upper-level Punctuation and Grammar course to give students a hand up for the fall.
This is going to be one fun summer!

Register on or before March 15 to receive an Early Enrollment Discount. Discounted price is automatic (no need to remember coupon codes!) Here are all of the course details ... 

TO REGISTER: Homeschool Connections Registration Page for Live, Interactive Courses
Click on Summer 2016 Semester and click on Search


FICTION (CREATIVE) WRITING: WRITING THE SHORT STORY 
Total classes: 4
Class dates: Thursdays, April 14 to May 5, 2016
Starting time: 10:30 AM Eastern (9:30 Central; 8:30 Mountain; 7:30 Pacific)
Duration:  50 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: 1/3 semester Creative Writing or English. Add other writing or literature courses for a full semester credit.
Fee:  $89 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $99 after March 15 for all 4 classes
Instructor: Erin Brown Conroy, MA, MFA
Course description: Have you ever wanted to write (and publish) a short story? This course will cover just that -- how to write a dynamic, publishable short story -- including fleshing out ideas for your short stories, the similarities and differences between short stories and full-length book writing, and marketing your short stories to publications.
Course outline:
Class 1: Defining short stories: micro fiction, flash fiction, short stories, novelettes, and novellas
Class 2: Characteristics of dynamic, saleable short stories
Class 3: Brainstorming, outlining, and forming your short story
Class 4: Short story markets and sales
Course materials: All course materials will be provided.
Homework: Estimated one to three hours of homework outside of class time per class, depending on the student’s ability.

AUTHORING A BOOK II: PERFECTING YOUR QUERY LETTER AND SYNOPSIS WORKSHOP 
Total classes: 4
Class dates: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, May 2, 3, 4, and 5, 2016
Starting time: 11:30 AM Eastern (10:30 Central; 9:30 Mountain; 8:30 Pacific)
Duration:  50 minutes
Prerequisite: Authoring a Book I (Live, interactive course or Unlimited Access recorded course)
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: 1/3 semester Creative Writing or English. Add other writing or literature courses for a full semester credit.
Fee:  $89 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $99 after March 15 for all 4 classes
Instructor: Erin Brown Conroy, MA, MFA
Course description: During this course, each student will receive feedback on their own query letter and synopsis – two components necessary for submitting your work to an agent and/or publisher. The class will have both instructor feedback and workshopping together, and students should leave the course with documents that have been edited and polished.
Course outline:
Class 1: Analyzing excellent query letters
Class 2: Workshopping query letters
Class 3: Analyzing excellent synopses
Class 4: Workshopping synopses
Course materials: All course materials will be provided free by the instructor.
Homework: Estimated one to three hours of homework outside of class time per class, depending on the student’s ability.

THE SCIENCE OF BUGS! (ENTOMOLOGY) 
Total classes: 8
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 6, 2016 - June 16, 2016 June 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Starting time: 10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central; 8:00 Mountain; 7:00 Pacific)
Duration: 45 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade
Suggested credit: ½ semester Entomology or Science
Fee: $70 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $80 if you register after Mar. 15 for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Christine Hamilton, Ph.D.
Course description: Fun lighthearted study of the insect world.  We will learn about insect type, habitat, sounds and some yummy recipes (really!). Pests, workers, artists—the intrepid insects of the world fascinate, annoy, and benefit humankind. From butterflies to bees to the lowly cockroach, insects are an integral part of the natural environment, making their mark on culture through rhyme and lore. What causes fireflies to blink? Did you ever wonder about the origin of "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite?" Let's delve into the insect world and see what we can learn.
Course outline:
1. Fastest
2. Largest
3. Longest
4. Most Numerous
5. Most Spectacular
6. Smallest
7. Misc. (Bioluminescence, loudest, most toxic)
8. Recipes (crunchy, chewy)
Course materials: TBA
Homework:  Research insect of your choice for report at the end of the course.

INTERNET ACTING CAMP
Total classes: 10

Class dates: Daily, Monday through Friday, June 6 through June 17
Starting time:  1:00 PM Eastern (Noon Central; 11:00 AM Mountain; 10:00 AM Pacific)
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 7th to 8th grade
Suggested credit: ½ semester Drama
Fee: $130 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $150 after Mar. 15th
Instructor: Kevin O’Brien
Course description: Can a group of homeschoolers put together a one-act play in two weeks, even if they’re separated by thousands of miles and acting for their webcams?  We’ll find out in this fun, challenging, inspiring and kind of crazy Internet Acting Camp!  The final production will either be recorded as an Adobe Connect session, or (if we can manage it technically) edited and uploaded as a video for family and friends to watch!
Course outline

Day 1 - Introduction and overview - Mr. O'Brien talks about show business and about St. Genesius, patron saint of actors.
Day 2 - Short scenes from various plays will be read, acting tips will be given.
Day 3 - We will begin to formulate a plot and characters for our play.
Day 4 - Plot and character outlines will be written as a final outline.
Day 5 - Provisional scenes will be read and / or improvised.  We will come up with a few dialogue scenes that are fun and that we're proud of.  (Between the two weeks, Mr. O'Brien will write the play whose plot and characters the students have outlined into a final form, with scenes, dialogue, etc.)
Day 6 - The play is read in class.  Acting coaching is provided.
Day 7 - Rehearsal
Day 8 - Rehearsal
Day 9 - Rehearsal
Day 10 - Final performance!
Course materials: Provided free as PDF files by the instructor.
Homework: Writing scenes, learning lines, practicing on your own.  About 5 hours per week minimum, but each student may do more if his or her heart is in it!

MATH FOUNDATION BOOT CAMP FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS 
Total classes: 8
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 13 to June 23, 2016
Starting time: 11:30 AM Eastern (10:30 Central; 9:30 Mountain; 8:30 Pacific)
Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisite: Completion of at least one middle school level math course
Suggested grade level: Geared toward 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. However, 9th graders are welcomed who would like to strengthen their math foundation.
Suggested credit: 1/2 semester Math
Fee: $95 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $110 after March 15th.
Instructor: Emily Nardozzi
Course description: The focus of this course will be to strengthen students' skills in working with fractions, decimals, and percents. Fractions are the most misunderstood concept in all of mathematics and many students cringe when they come across them in a math problem. The goal of this course is to make sure that students are able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, decimals, and percents with ease and confidence.
Course outline:
Mon., June 13: Identify, compare, order, and demonstrate equivalent relationships between integers, rational numbers in decimal, fraction, and percent notation
Tues., June 14: Represent, order, and compare integers and describe their absolute value
Wed., June 15: Identify, compare, and perform the four basic operations relating to rational numbers in fraction, decimal, and percent notation.
Thurs., June 16: Identify, compare, and perform the four basic operations relating to rational numbers in fraction, decimal, and percent notation.
Mon., June 20: Evaluate expressions using order of operations
Tues., June 21: Evaluate expressions using order of operations
Wed., June 22: Solve equations and inequalities
Thurs., June 23: Review
Course materials: None, all materials will be provided FREE by the instructor.
Homework: 1 quiz per day will be given with approximately 5-10 problems, these should take around 10-15 minutes


“I CALL YOU FRIENDS” C. S. LEWIS AND J. R. R. TOLKIEN
Total classes: 8
Class datesMondayTuesdayWednesday, Thursday, June 20 through June 30.
Starting time: 1:00 PM Eastern (Noon Central; 11:00 AM Mountain; 10:00 AM Pacific)
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: ½ semester Literature
Fee: $110 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $125 after Mar. 15th.
Instructor: Kevin O’Brien
Course description: Two of the greatest Christian writers of the 20th century were also close friends - C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien - a friendship that awakened Lewis to the Faith, but that also may have faltered because of the demands of the Faith.  We examine the relationship of these two men, the ups and downs of their friendship, and how they influenced one another’s writings.
Course outline

Class one: Overview of the course and of the setting and times into which Lewis & Tolkien were born.
Class twoSelections from Surprised by Joy, the life of C.S. Lewis
Class three: Selections from Joseph Pearce's biography of J.R.R. Tolkien
Class four: Tolkien's "On Fairy Stories" and the Night Talk that started Lewis' conversion
Class five: Other influences on Lewis' faith: Chesterton and the Inklings.
Class six: The Inklings and the development of the writings of Lewis and Tolkien: how they influenced one another.
Class seven:  Lewis' marriage and Tolkien's reaction to it: trouble in the friendship.
Class eight: We examine the legacy of each author, review what we've learned, and bring the course to a conclusion.
Course materialsSurprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis, Tolkien: Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce should both be purchased by students and at least one of the two books should be read ahead of time, before the first class session. Other material will be brief selections from works and letters of the two authors, and will be provided free by the instructor in class or as PDF files.
Homework: Completing the assigned reading for each class; taking six quizzes and one essay exam. Estimated homework time each week: 4 hours.


HEALTH SCIENCE: NUTRITION
Total classes: 8
Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 11 to July 21 (July 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19. 20, 21)
Starting time:  10:00 AM Eastern (9:00 Central; 8:00 Mountain; 7:00 Pacific)
Duration: 45 minutes
Prerequisite: At least a 9th grade level of understanding of science.
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: ½ semester Health Science
Fee: $70 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $80 if you register after Mar. 15 for all 8 classes.
Instructor: Christine Hamilton, Ph.D.
Course description: Teaches the basic concepts of healthy eating. We will learn what food means to the body and gain a better understanding of its necessity.
Course outline:
1. Healthy Eating - proper nutrition can help prevent a number of health conditions including (but not limited to); Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and obesity. Planning a balanced diet and understanding nutrition labels.
2. Protein - necessary for muscles, skin and hair.
3. Carbohydrates - the body's primary source of energy converted to glucose.
4. Fats - help synthesize fat soluble vitamins (A,E,D,K).
5. Vitamins - Essential vitamins including; A, B, Complex C, D, E, K and folate.
6. Minerals - essential minerals include; calcium, iron, zinc, iodine and chromium.
7. Water - we are 60% H2O, our brain is 70% H2O.
8. Proper Diet - Good nutrition keeps muscles, bones, organs and other body parts strong.
Course materials: Food for Today: Student Activity Paperback by Helen Kowtaluk, ISBN # 0078616468 (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0078616468/catholictreas-20).
Homework: Students will be asked to bring a canned or boxed food item to class with them to learn about label reading and meanings. Students will keep a three-day food journal to track short-term eating habits. Expect daily homework at approximately 30-45 minutes each day.


THE EVERLASTING MAN by G. K. CHESTERTON
Total classes: 6

Class dates: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, August 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18.
Starting time: 1:00 PM Eastern (Noon Central; 11:00 AM Mountain; 10:00 AM Pacific)
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: Complete reading The Everlasting Man by G. K. Chesterton before the first day of class
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested high school credit: ½ semester credit for Literature or English
Fee: $75 if you register on or before March 15, 2016. $90 after Mar. 15th.
Instructor: Joseph Pearce
Course description:  The Everlasting Man is G. K. Chesterton’s classic work of Catholic Apologetics. The book's thesis is ultimately that the Incarnation is central to an understanding of history. Chesterton takes on the claim that man is simply the product of evolution, arguing that Christianity provides the True explanation for the genesis and purpose of human life. Chesterton wrote the book as a rebuttal to popular author H.G. Wells, whose secularist The Outline of History was influential at the time (1920’s). As Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society, says, “Of all of Chesterton’s literary monuments, this is perhaps his greatest, for he eloquently and concisely packs the whole human story between the covers of one book.” In this course, we will unpack that story and study it together over six classes.
Course outline:
Class one: Part I, chapters 1-3
Class two: Part I, chapters 4-6
Class three: Part I, chapters 7-8
Class four: Part II, chapters 1-2
Class five: Part II, chapters 3-4
Class six: Part II, chapters 5-6
Course materials: G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man (Ignatius Press), 978-0-89870-444-0
Homework: Completing the assigned reading for each class; taking six quizzes. Estimated homework time each week: 3 hours.


HIGH SCHOOLWRITING ESSENTIALS 5: PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR II
Fully Understanding Punctuation & Grammar
Total classes: 6
Starting time: 11:30 AM Eastern (10:30 Central; 9:30 Mountain; 8:30 Pacific)
Class dates: Week One: Monday through Thursday. Week Two: Monday and Tuesday. August 22, 23, 24, 25: 29, 30; 2016
Duration:  55 minutes
Prerequisite: HIGH SCHOOL WRITING ESSENTIALS 1: Essential Punctuation and Grammar I
 and HIGH SCHOOL SIMPLIFIED WRITING 1: All-Encompassing Foundational High School Writing Skills (Live, interactive courses or Unlimited Access recorded courses)
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: 1/2 semester Writing or English
Fee: $99 if you register on or before March 15, 2016; $119 after Mar. 15 for all 6 classes.
Instructor: Erin Brown Conroy, MA, MFA
Course description:  This course continues your student’s punctuation and grammar instruction and exercises, taking your student to college-level understanding. Students will move beyond common understanding to mastering the skills. If you want your teen to never struggle with punctuation and grammar and be able to be skillful in upper-level, college-prep punctuation and grammar, this is the course for you.
Course outline:
Class 1: The power of punctuation; what punctuation does (and doesn’t do) for your writing, and how you can harness that power
Class 2: Complete comma understanding and practice: identification of commas with multiple clause sentences (the sentence/non-sentence trick)
Class 3: Complete comma understanding and practice: typical comma errors and editors’ choices with commas
Class 4: Common, unusual, and rare comma placement in common, unusual, and rare places
Class 5: Semicolons, colons, and commas used together correctly
Class 6: End punctuation issues, quotation mark errors, and quotes within quotes issues
Class 7: Citations, references, footnotes, and research-centric punctuation
Class 8: Mastering punctuation in the SAT and ACT
Course materials: TBA, ordering information forthcoming. Word 2007 or later version or the ability to convert documents to Word-compatible documents.
Homework: Daily quizzes, with an estimated two to three hours per week for homework outside of class time. Quizzes are graded automatically by the computer for instant feedback. Course includes skill-building sheets with corrections guide. Personalized question time will be offered in class to insure a strong understanding of concepts.


ADDENDUM: All Summer Excellent Student courses are full and closed. Seats are still available for the upcoming fall and spring semesters. Also available through Unlimited Access.HOW TO BE AN EXCELLENT STUDENT: NOTE TAKING, TEST TAKING, AND HOW TO GET AN A
Homeschool Connections offers this course free throughout the school year. How to Be an Excellent Student lays a foundation of study skills to help students be successful in all of their other courses. Get ready for the school year now and register for this short, but vital, course. If this course fills up, we will add new dates and times in the fall and spring semesters.
Total classes: 4
Class dates: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, August 22 to 25
Time: 1: 00 PM Eastern (Noon Central; 11:00 Mountain; 10:00 Pacific)
Duration: 55 minutes per class
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 7th to 10th grade
Fee: FREE
Instructor: Erin Brown Conroy, MA, MFA
Course description: This course is designed to help your student become strong, confident, and able to study for any high school level course with success.
Course outline:
Class 1: Active listening and how to take notes effectively
Class 2: Active reading and how to study effectively
Class 3: Critical reading skills for comprehension
Class 4: Test-taking in a timed setting
Course materials: All materials provided FREE from the instructor.
Homework: This is a lecture course with approximately 2 hours of work per class (reading and automated quizzes).

We hope that this selection of summer online classes will be helpful to you and your family. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com. You can visit us online at www.homeschoolconnections.com

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