Online Summer School: Apologetics with Gary Michuta

Update: This live course has concluded and is available now 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 Catholic Online Classes

More online summer camps (middle to high school)
(Click on link above for more information)

Famed Catholic apologist Gary Michuta is Homeschool Connections' newest instructor. Mr. Michuta will be teaching a teen apologetics course for the summer semester. We are very excited to bring you and your students this opportunity to learn how to defend the Faith from a respected national speaker and author.

Apologetics Camp

(Click on link above for registration information)

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 7 to 17, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $100 for entire 8-class course.
Instructor: Gary Michuta
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Course description: Some Protestants attack the Faith of Catholics because they believe the Church is a false system leading people away from Christ. This class is a training session to help teens learn, explain, defend, and share their Catholic Faith in a loving and effective way. The students will learn what do say and most of all how to say it. It will include, if the students are willing, mock-dialogues and other exercises so that they can practice putting the lesson plans into action. Students will learn how to engage in dialogues on: Salvation / Eternal Security, Sola Scripture [the Bible Alone], The Papacy, The Eucharist / The Sacrifice of the Mass, and Marian doctrines
Homework: No written homework. Reading assignments will be required for preparing for class.
Course materials: Will be provided free by instructor.
Instructor biography: Gary Michuta is the author of Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger: Did the Catholic Church Add Books to the Bible? (Grotto Press, 2007). Gary’s latest book is How to Wolf-Proof Your Kids: A Practical Guide to Keeping Your Kids Catholic which is scheduled for release soon from Grotto Press. This unique book gives Catholic parents and educators valuable insights into the deceptive tactics used by anti-Catholics and concrete suggestions on how to combat these methods. Mr. Michuta was also the co-host of the radio show Hands on Apologetics Live. He is also a frequent guest on various Catholic radio shows such as Catholic Answers Live (EWTN), Searching the Word (Relevant Radio), and the Son Rise Morning Show (EWTN). He gave his “inversion story” on The Journey Home (EWTN) and he also worked as an uncredited consultant for Steve Ray’s Footsteps of God video series (Ignatius Press). Since 2003, Mr. Michuta has developed apologetic material for the Eastern Church Re-Evangelization Commission (E.C.R.C) to aid the Chaldean Catholic Dioceses. Gary currently offers classes on Apologetics to Catholic parishes around the country.

More online summer camps for Catholic students (middle to high school)

(Click on link above for more information)

Planning the 2010/2011 Homeschool Year

The 2010/2011 Course Catalog is now available for free download. It has just about everything you need to know to plan the next school year with Homeschool Connections. We're adding a couple more literature courses in the upcoming week or two but some of us are already deep into planning so it's available now. The catalog includes dates, times, descriptions, prices, professors' bios, etc. Also, there is a FAQ section. Please leave a comment if there is anything you think we should add.

And don't forget ... we now offer middle school courses too.

Win a Free Book!

I don't know about you, but I love winning free stuff! Maureen Wittmann is offering a free copy of her book, The Catholic Homeschool Companion to a lucky follower. Twitter Follower that is. If you don't yet follow Homeschool Connections on Twitter, it's easy to do.

Go to: Homeschool Connections Twitter

Then tweet:
@homeschoolcnnct New contest for autographed copy The Catholic Homeschool Companion. Follow & retweet to win. 1 entry per day. Ends Apr. 12.


That's all you do! You'll be all entered to win!

Catholic Homeschooling Conference in Dayton

Our own Maureen Wittmann will be speaking at the Dayton, Ohio Catholic homeschooling conference. There are some other fantastic speakers too. This is a conference not to miss! Here is the information below. Make sure to stop at the Homeschool Connections table and tell Maureen hello!


6th Annual Dayton Catholic Homeschool Conference

May 21 & 22, 2010
St. Peter Family Life Center in Huber Heights Ohio.

Join us for encouragement, instruction, inspiration and great shopping!
New this year, Used Book Sale Saturday am only, 8:30am-11:30am.

For convenient, online early bird registration click here.

To view the schedule click here.

Our featured speakers include:

• Danielle Bean, Catholic author of "My Cup of Tea: Musings of a Catholic Mom"
• Regina Doman, Catholic author of "Angel in the Waters" and "Shadow of the Bear"
  
• Maureen Wittmann of Homeschool Connections and author of "For the Love of Literature"
• Fr. Frank Amberger of Remey parish and Knights of Our Lady
• Fr. Stash Dailey, Parochial Vicar at St. Michael, Worthington
• Fr. Frank Sherry, Fathers of Mercy, mission speaker
  
Andrew Schmiedicke, author and editor

To date our 2010 Vendors include:

• Dominion Academy of Dayton
Greathall Productions - The recordings of Jim Weiss
Home School Legal Defence Association
LPH Resource Center
Madonna University
Math U See
Pflaum Publishing Group
Sacred Heart Books and Gifts
• Seton Home Study School
St. George Catholic Books and Gifts
• Teaching Textbooks
• Usborne Books

Suggested early bird donation for attendance Single $15, Couple $20, Teen $10, Family $40

Online Summer Camps: Apologetics, Latin, History, Job Search Skills

All of our summer camps are scheduled and ready for registration. We have classes for middle and high school.

Learning is a year-round experience and with online classes you can take your learning anywhere! We've had students take classes at the beach on their laptops, on vacation in Peru, at the library in a visiting city, all kind of places!

Simply click on the camp titles below to learn more or to register:

Job Search Skills Camp

Class dates: Monday through Thursday, May 24 to May 27
Total classes: 4
Starting time: 8 pm Eastern (7 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $60 for entire 4-class camp. $20 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Derek Prentice
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 10^th grade to college level

Apologetics Camp

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 7 to 17, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $100 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Gary Michuta
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9^th to 12^th

History Camp: Foundations of Christian Historiography

Class dates: Monday to Thursday, June 14 to June 17
Total classes: 4
Starting time: Noon Eastern (11:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $50 for entire 4-class course. $10 Early Registration Discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Phillip Campbell
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9^th to 12^th

Latin I Camp: Introductory Level

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, June 21 to July 1, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $120 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling and Kenneth Rolling
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 7^th to 12^th

Latin II Camp: Grammar Intensive

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 5 to July 22, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 12-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling
Prerequisite: The student who wishes to enroll in this camp has at least learned the 1^st through 3^rd noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1^st through 4^th conjugations of the present tense. If the student has not learned this, he or she is encouraged to take Latin I Camp or enroll in Latin II camp with the understanding that it will be difficult and fast-paced.
Suggested grade level: 7^th to 12^th

Latin III Camp: Translation Intensive

Class dates: Mondays through Thursdays, July 26 to August 12, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 12-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Instructor: Alecia Rolling
Prerequisite: The student who wishes to enroll in this camp has at least learned the 1^st through 5^th noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1^st through 4^th verb conjugations in all tenses (active and passive) or has successfully completed Latin Camp II.
Suggested grade level: 7^th to 12^th

Life Skills for Teens and Grads: Job Seach Skills

Just in time for summer jobs, we're offering a one week camp for teens on how to find and get a job. Students will meet four days in row. This is the first in a series of courses for older teens to help them prepare for life after school.

Life Skills Camp: Job Search Skills

(Click on title for registration information)

Class dates: Monday through Thursday, May 24 to May 27, 2010
Total classes: 4
Starting time: 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight (7:00 pm Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Instructor: Derek Prentice
Fee: $60 for entire 4-week course. $20 Early Enrollment Discount before April 30, 2010.

Course description:
Be a Beacon of Light in the Workplace!

Obtaining victory in an employment world that is full of Serpents and Traps. Are you prepared for the challenge? Your parents have given you a great education in your homeschool. Some of you may be on your way to college. Are you ready to take your education and skills to the workplace? Join Mr. Prentice and Homeschool Connections to learn how to find and get your dream job.

Have you ever wondered "How in the world did that person get that job?" or "Wow, that is the coolest job in the world. I would have never thought that a person could get paid to do that!" Find out how you can be that person. The mainstream media continues to tell us that the "Sky is Falling!" Well if you like to follow the "Pied Piper" and listen to the symphony of employment destruction ... be my guest. However, if you have the "No Guts, No Glory!" attitude, then read on and seriously consider joining us in this career search course.

In this course you will learn about:
-- Resumes / Electronic resumes
-- Applications (90% are now online)
-- Interview skills (How to become an expert at phone and face to face interviews)
-- Online Job Boards such as Monster, Career Builder, Indeed and many others
-- Social Media and how it can be used for and against you
-- Reputation Management and Networking
-- Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc.
-- Questions potential employers like to ask
-- Confrontational Interviewing and other types of interviews you may encounter
-- Other Grassroots / DYI marketing yourself ideas
-- Creating your own Unique Selling Proposition

Course Outline:
Class 1) Overview of the current market and how it is changing
Class 2) Commonsense and Mistakes that Kill
Class 3) How to create a great marketing blitz – for yourself
Class 4) How to utilize social media and what not to do.

Presenter's biography:
Derek Prentice is a graduate of Hope College with a B/A in Communications, Business and Art. An accomplished and integrity-driven professional with over 14 years of business success with Fortune 500 organizations and start-up companies, specializing in technology, automotive, power sports and consumer electronics.

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

2010 Summer Latin Camps!!!

The Summer Latin Camps are scheduled and ready for registration. These are designed for middle school through high school students. For more information, click on the links below:

Latin I Camp: Introductory Level

Latin II Camp: Grammar Intensive

Latin III Camp: Translation Intensive

FAQ: Upcoming Latin Camps and Courses

We've already been getting some questions about Latin Summer Camp. Here a few along with the answers. If you have a question, please feel free to leave it here or email me.

Q: I'm wondering if any of the instruction will be in Latin – if there will be any attempt to discuss readings in Latin – as opposed to speaking in English about the Latin reading. Christendom's Latin immersion summer camp and Wyoming Catholic's Latin program are two examples of schools using this approach.

A: At least this summer, there will not be a strong focus on conversational Latin in the form of class discussions. There will be classroom commands in Latin that the students will have to get used to and be able to respond to. There will be a focus on composition in Levels 2 and 3, which will greatly aid the student who wishes to do conversational Latin as this forces the student to come out of "Translation Mode" and into active production of the language. As with all languages, the passive modes are learned first (naturally): understanding and reading. The active: speaking and writing follow respectively.

For more conversational Latin, I recommend Level 2 or 3 in the fall as there will be question/answer sessions about readings held in Latin. I do plan to offer a conversational Latin course in the spring, but I still have to work out how that approach will work well over the internet as opposed to the classroom. STAY TUNED!

Q: Do you know what books will be used for Latin in the fall? I'm especially interested in Latin III. And when you talk about three levels, would the assumption be that you cover a year's worth of Latin in two 12-week sessions?

A: There will be no books required for Latin in the fall beyond a dictionary. Latin III will be using primary texts for translation, for which I will either upload pdfs or offer weblinks. The composition element will involve the student's production of Latin verse and prose, so again, no book needed.

Yes, a year's worth of Latin will be held in 2 -12 week sessions. Latin I will AT LEAST bring the student through 1-3 noun and adjective declensions and the 1-4 verb conjugations in the present and future tenses. The student will be able to write and translate simple stories in Latin.

Latin II will AT LEAST bring the student through all noun and adjective declensions and all verb tenses/conjugations (active and passive). The student will be able to write and translate histories, stories, poems, and dialogues. The student will understand the grammar presented.

Q: And, one final question, which pronunciation (classical or ecclesiastical) will they be using?

A: Ecclesiastical!!! Ecclesiastical!!! I was trained in a German pronunciation of the Latin, but I am thrilled to teach the ecclesiastical pronunciation of Latin and am preparing for it with vigor!

Latin Summer Camp and More

UPDATE: The summer camps are scheduled and open for registration. Also, the fall and spring courses are also opened for registration.

I am busy this week putting together Online Summer Camps for high school and middle school students. These are going to be fun yet educational courses that meet everyday Monday to Thursday for one to three weeks. I'm planning for Latin, SAT/ACT Prep, history, and apologetics. I'll have the final schedule and registration information finalized and up by Friday.

In the meantime, here is a peek at what to expect:

Latin I Camp – Introductory Level
Class dates: Mondays through Thursday, June 21 to July1, 2010
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $120 for entire 8-class course. $20 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Prerequisite: LEVEL 1 is for the novice, the student who has never looked at Latin and who is thinking about learning Latin, or for the less experienced student. Skills introduced are how to use the Latin-English dictionary, how to talk about Latin (what does declension mean? etc.), how to talk about Latin in terms of English grammar (Can the student diagram an English sentence?), i.e. basic skills for learning a language are the focus.
Course description: This camp serves as a fun introduction to the Latin language through music, poetry, and art. We will also look at the various current uses of the Latin language in scientific identification and in the Church. We will view some examples from ancient and medieval sources to see how the “old ones” used wrote it. There will be singing of chants and reciting of poetry, which will require some memorization. The focus of this course is NOT grammar or linguistics, but the focus will be on a natural and inquisitive investigation of Latin as it was and is used.
The student who takes this camp is encouraged to take Latin I in the fall.
Homework: Homework is estimated to be 1 hour per day.
Course materials: Latin-English dictionary

Latin II Camp: Grammar Intensive
Class dates: Mondays through Thursday, July 5 to July 22, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 8-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Prerequisite: LEVEL 2 assumes the student has at LEAST learned the 1st-3rd noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1st-4th verb conjugations in the Present Tense. In other words, can the student (from memory) decline a noun into all its cases and conjugate a verb into all persons of the present tense? If the student can NOT do this, he or she should not take Level 2 UNLESS he or she is up for the difficulty and work that will be involved. This will be a fast-paced camp, requiring out-of-class memorization and translation. The skill set of greatest concern here is grammar and understanding how each word in a Latin sentence functions grammatically, so the student can translate correctly later.
Course description: This camp serves as an intensive review of grammar for the student who has already had a couple of years of Latin or as an intensive introduction to the student who wishes to dive in. There will be much emphasis on the memorization of grammar rules and grammar charts as well as vocabulary, but mnemonic devices will be established during the course sessions and repeated each session to aid the student in memorization, i.e. the student will not be left alone to memorize or flounder!
As a backbone for this course, we will memorize a speech by Julius Caesar and the Creed. We will analyze the grammar of both the speech and the Creed so as to understand completely the grammar used in each. This approach will serve as a great foundation for the student wishing to continue learning Latin.
The student who takes this camp is encouraged to take Latin II in the fall.
Homework: Homework is estimated to be 1 hour per day.
Course materials: Latin-English dictionary

Latin III Camp: Translation Intensive
Class dates: Mondays through Thursday, July 26 to August 12, 2010
Total classes: 12
Starting time: 10:00 am Eastern (9:00 am Central)
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Fee: $180 for entire 8-class course. $30 early registration discount before April 30, 2010
Prerequisite: LEVEL 3 assumes the student has at LEAST learned the 1st-5th noun and adjective declensions as well as the 1st-4th verb conjugations in ALL Tenses (active and passive) or has completed LEVEL 2 Summer camp. Can the student (from memory) decline all nouns and conjugate all verb forms correctly? Can the student describe a given noun or verb correctly? The skill focus in this camp is translation and composition. Can the student correctly translate sentences? Can the student correctly compose sentences? It will be fast-paced with translation and composition expected outside of class.
Course description: This camp offers three weeks of translation. The student should have a good understanding of Latin grammar and have studied Latin for a couple of years (or been enrolled in Latin Camp II). We will translate a minimum of 15 lines of Latin per hour course, and the student will be expected to translate these by the end of the course as a final exam. There will be some discussion of grammar as it is needed to understand the texts, but the key in this camp is to understanding the meaning of actual Latin texts, such as ancient poetry and prose as well as Church music and documents.
The student who takes this camp is encouraged to take Latin III in the fall.
Homework: Homework is estimated to be 1 hour per day.
Course materials: Latin-English dictionary

PS The picture is of St. Jerome, Patron Saint of Latinists.

Come Visit Us in Person

Homeschool Connections will be represented at the following conferences:

2010 Catholic Homeschool Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, from March 26-27 with Maureen Wittmann, President of Homeschool Connections, as the keynote speaker.

ARCH-Apostolate of Roman Catholic Homeschoolers Conference in Houston, Texas from April 16-17 as a vendor

Dayton Homeschool Conference in Dayton, Ohio, from May 21-22 with Maureen Wittmann, President of Homeschool Connections, as a speaker

Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, from May 28-29 with Maureen Wittmann, President of Homeschool Connections, as a speaker

Sacred Heart Homeschooling Convention in Orange, NJ, on June 19 with Maureen Wittmann, President of Homeschool Connections, as a speaker

We may be adding a few others as vendors. We'll keep you up to date as we schedule other conferences.

Homeschool Documentary Winner

Recently, one of our students created a documentary on the 2010 March for Life. He took that documentary and entered a teen film contest. We are so very proud of 16-year old Sam Klee and his 1st place finish in the 2010 Kent District Library Teen Film Contest. Please join us in a round of applause for Sam!

Upcoming Recorded Courses

As Live Courses are completed they become available to Subscribers as Recorded Courses, two to six weeks after completion. Recorded courses are then available indefinitely.

In addition to our currently available Recorded Courses, look for these in the near future:

Available in March

Literature: Homer's Odyssey: The Soul of Pre-Socratic Wisdom with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
Logic: Introduction to Formal Logic with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
Science: Immunity in Sickness and in Health with Kris Correira, PA

Available in April

Literature: Chesterton; Man of Letters with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
History: Roots of the Revolt (1417-1560) with Phillip Campbell

Available in May

Philosophy: Fallacies and Paradoxes with Jean Rioux, Ph.D.
Literature: Virgil's Aeneid: The Founding of Nations in the Will of God with Henry Russell, Ph.D.
Theology: Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body with Monica Ashour, MTS

Available in June

How to Write a Research Paper (Preparing for College) with Robert Gotcher, Ph.D.
History: The Age of the Religious Wars (1560-1648) with Phillip Campbell

All this for only $1 for the first 7 days and $30 per month thereafter. There is no long-term commitment. You can keep the service for as long or as short as you need.