COURSE DESCRIPTIONS ART ACROSS THE WORLD Tanya Groff Students will read & learn about the art history from Africa, Italy, Japan, India, Mexico, and China! Students will discover common art elements and themes from each location along with famous artworks through history. Fun art projects featuring common elements and themes from each location are taught weekly. AUTHOR ADVENTURES Monica Clifton/Tracy Boyer This will be a fun class exploring a diverse group of well known children s authors, illustrators and their lives. We will read and discuss multiple books by each author we study and participate in activities to collaborate what we've learned. BEGINNING BAND BEGINNING WOODSHOP Joy Hoover CAREER EXPLORATIONS Kati Montgomery This one-year course meeting once a week is designed for any middle school and high school student who desires to develop the ability to play a wind, brass, or percussion instrument. The course involves applying the basic fundamentals of music reading to the particular technique of the instrument being studied. This course may be repeated and is considered a preparatory course for progression into Concert Band. *Year long course Outside commitment: moderate (Practice 5x a week, 20 minutes a session- this includes practicing using Smart Music and submitting assignments online. Participation in Royal Presentation on 5/17/18 In beginner wood shop, students will learn essential skills of gluing, sanding, staining, and painting, and basic wood assembly with nails and screws. They will learn about all minor tool usage: screwdrivers, hammer, level, measure tape, square, socket wrench, drill, and the difference between nails and screws. Other tools may be demonstrated just by the teacher such as a circular saw, jigsaw, and mitre saw." Outside commitment: Minimal How do you become who God created you to be? This semester we will be investigating different career fields to help us explore the career related talents God has given each of us. We will be learning through projects, role-playing, and guest speakers. Outside commitment: Minimal
CODING Timmy Clifton Learn how to code by creating 2D games using a game engine. Students will learn concepts that will allow them to create their own games to share with friends. Materials Required: Laptops, earbuds or headphones, pencil/pen and paper. (Projects will be assigned throughout the semester). CONCERT BAND This one year course is designed for students who have achieved beyond the beginning band level. It includes guidance and direction in solving psychomotor problems relating to instruments and the techniques for producing and evaluating pitch, tone, rhythmic patterns, and dynamic levels within a variety of musical styles. The importance of sustained effort and practice is stressed for technical proficiency. This course may be repeated. *Year long class Students in Concert Band Fall semester will automatically be enrolled for the winter semester Outside commitment: moderate (5x a week, 25 min a session-this includes using Smart Music and submitting online assignments.) COOKING Kasey Greely Students will learn how to make some of their favorite dishes, proper nutrition, how to follow a recipe, and many other kitchen skills for lifelong learning. Basic and advanced kitchen skills will be taught based upon age. *DIGITAL PRESENTATIONS (online only) Ruth Taylor CHESS Christian School's Digital Presentation course will start with internet safety and cover what makes a visual presentation hold attention and effectively communicate. Students will practice using online/offline programs to complete visually appealing presentations. Students will learn about layout, color, building surveys, sharing survey results, Power Point slides that wont bore, timelines, and more! This course offering will help students not only know more about internet safety but increase their search power for relevant information, communicate clearly, and increase the speed that they can put together presentations. This course will use Online Canvas platform for course completion Outside commitment: Moderate
*FINANCIAL PLANNING Tanya Casey Introduction to personal financial independence. Students will be exposed to information about saving, banking, utilizing various payment types, credit scores, paying for higher education, renting versus owning, taxes and insurance, consumer protection and investing. Student will also receive introductory information in business planning and entrepreneurship as they create their own personal business snapshot. Students who successfully complete the course will receive an EverFi - Financial Literacy certificate. The goal is to increase each student's financial capability beyond the walls of CHESS. Outside commitment: moderate (Graduation requirement) GUIDED STUDY Various teachers Students who attend CHESS full time are encouraged to take at a minimum of two Guided Studies to complete work from core classes. A teacher is available during the study time to answer questions and make sure students are staying on task. *HEALTH (at CHESS) Nicole Dunham *HEALTH (online only) Nicole Dunham J2DANCE Judd & Joanie Gibbs This class will provide a basic overview of health, wellness, and safety, with a Biblical view of how we should treat our bodies. Topics to be discussed include communicable disease and how do I protect myself, nutrition, healthy relationships, substance abuse, mental health, holistic medicine, etc. Outside commitment: moderate (Graduation requirement) This class will provide a basic overview of health, wellness, and safety, with a Biblical view of how we should treat our bodies. Topics to be discussed include communicable disease and how do I protect myself, nutrition, healthy relationships, substance abuse, mental health, holistic medicine, etc. Outside commitment: moderate (Graduation requirement) Dancers develop technique in classical, contemporary and modern dance set to worship music. Technique meets art and creativity as the dancers use their talents as an expression of worship through individual and group choreography. This course is taught by Judd and Joanie Gibbs owners of J2SquareDance Co. (Participation in Royal Presentation Program 5/17/18 is required.) KNITTING/CROCHETING Monica Clifton Learning the basics of knitting/crocheting is easier than students might think! Students will find themselves creating beautiful projects in no time. Basic techniques will be taught and easily built on as students progress at their own pace. (Complete projects at home.)
MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER Our music and movement class is designed to help the student develop aesthetic sensitivity, value the contribution of each individual, model cooperation, foster emotional intelligence, and provide students with alternative modes of expression. Influenced significantly by the Orff-Schulwerk philosophy of music education, our curriculum addresses many of the National and State standards in dance by integrating folk dance and creative movement into daily activities in the classroom. The movement component opens up a secondary venue for student creativity, grounds students understanding of beat, phrasing and other musical concepts kinesthetically, exposes students to the possibilities of another major performance art, and is a lot of fun! MARTIAL ARTS Ryan Coble Students will learn body movement and control involving the skilled application of punches, kicks, blocks and dodges with the hands and feet. (Practicing moves at home.) MUSIC & MOVEMENT Our music and movement class is designed to help the student develop aesthetic sensitivity, value the contribution of each individual, model cooperation, foster emotional intelligence, and provide students with alternative modes of expression This class designed to provide joyful experiences for the children, while helping them to develop skills and intellectual processes that will not only provide for success in the music classroom, but will also carry over into other academic and nonacademic areas. Outside commitment: Performance in Royal Presentation ORFFESTRA SING AND MOVE Orffestra is a class that uses the Orff Schulwerk method of music education. In an Orff Schulwerk class, children learn the fundamentals of musicianship through singing, dancing, and playing with child-friendly instruments such as glockenspiels, metallophones, wood blocks, and recorders. Using the Orff approach, students learn about rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, form and other elements of music. Students learn these concepts by speaking, chanting, singing, dancing, movement, acting and playing instruments. Thus, the name "Orffestra" as we will be building a fun classroom orchestra. These learned concepts become springboards for further creative pursuits such as improvisation, composition, and joining advanced classes that involve note reading like band or choir. Outside commitment: Performance in Royal Presentation (5/17/18) Students will need to purchase a recorder.
PE Monica Clifton Jess Hecker Nicole Dunham PINT- SIZED FOOD PREP Monica Clifton Students are introduced to fun, physical activities to promote health and wellness through a variety of organized games. In this class students will make a snack corresponding to a weekly theme. Books, videos, and a variety of activities will be used for teaching. Students will learn simple kitchen skills such as, measuring, mixing, prepping, clean-up, and following directions. POTTERY Tanya Groff This course introduces pottery as an art form and explores the basics of forming and shaping clay. Beginning and advanced techniques are taught. READY, SET, FLY! Kasey Greely Students will learn basic skills needed for the rest of their lives. Students will be exposed to life tasks through the lens of creation, the core identity given to us by God as well as the responsibilities. Lessons will include financial literacy, cooking and health, manners, housekeeping, and empathy. Ready, Set, Fly into more responsibility, knowledge, and love for God!! SEWING Joy Hoover A variety of basic and advanced sewing techniques will be taught. Students will complete various sewing projects. SPANISH 1 Esther Wende Students begin their introduction to Spanish with fundamental building blocks in four key areas of language study: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Through the extensive use of authentic materials (video, audio, images and texts) allows for a contextualized and interactive presentation of the vocabulary and linguistic structures. This course is a complete high school credit that fulfills the foreign language requirement for CHESS graduation. *Year long course. Outside commitment: moderate/high (Daily assignments must be completed each week.)
SPANISH 2 Esther Wende Students continue learning Spanish in Spanish II by building on and expanding their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Frequent use of authentic videos, images, audio and text provide greater contextualization of key learning concepts and cultural information relevant to Hispanic countries and communities. This course is a complete high school credit that fulfills the foreign language requirement for CHESS graduation. *Year long course. Outside commitment: moderate/high (Daily assignments must be completed each week.) STEAM Nicole Ely Science & Technology, interpreted through Engineering & the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements. This course offers instruction through planned thematic units that everyone contributes to in projects related to concepts and skills. Topics such as Power & Energy, Elements & Processes, Life & Movement, Transportation, Communication, Music, and Inventions will be explored. STEM Jeremy & Dawn Taylor A class which educates students in the four disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The interdisciplinary approach integrates all subjects into one cohesive learning program based on real-world applications. STRENGTH AND STRETCH Jess Hecker Students will learn range of motion, gentle stretches, and how simple movements can help our bodies relax. VOCAL WORKSHOP Christin Rondeau Through learning traditional and contemporary choral works, students will learn fundamentals of vocal health, anatomy, and function, in addition to foundational concepts of singing such as breathing, tone production, and diction. Students will also learn sight-reading/ear-training techniques and will learn to sing with proper phrasing, dynamics, and artistry. Outside commitment: moderate (Practicing Smart Music and submitting assignments at home.)
WORSHIP BAND Mark Peebles Students will have the opportunity to explore different roles and responsibilities of a worship band based on their abilities (guitar, drums, piano, bass, etc). Students will lead worship during chapel on Wednesday and perform at local churches several times during the year. Students must already possess knowledge on vocals and instruments (not taught in course). If students were not enrolled in this course the previous semester, a tryout must take place. *Year long class Outside commitment: moderate (Vocal and instrument practice outside of class.) TBA performances YEAR BOOK Abby Smith This course is designed to teach the skills necessary to produce the school yearbook. This course provides the study of and practice in gathering and analyzing information, interviewing, note taking and photography. Students will learn strategies of planning, marketing (ad sales) and distribution of the yearbook. *Year long course Outside commitment: moderate (Students will be designing and building assigned pages on the yearbook website. They may also be asked to attend school events to take pictures and interviews.)