10th Grade - 1st Reporting Period

Tenth-Grade, First Six Weeks

August 25 - October 6, 2000

English (World Lit.)          A
Algebra II/Math Computation   A
American Government           A
Chemistry                     A
Spanish                       A
Basketball                    A

English

Writing: Wrote an action episode focusing on reader identification with character, a 150-200 word description choosing the position of the narrative voice (point of view) and various options (person, tense, attitude, involvement, knowledge, and perspective) (Writing Strands), a persuasive letter, two radio dramas, and three pages of a Clue story

World Literature: Continued book by Roehmer and Sleep Thieves, by Cohen; listened to All Creatures Great and Small (sanitized), by James Herriot, Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, and the beginning of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost before seeing a performance of it; analyzed a Whittier poem

Grammar: Identified predicate nominatives and verbal types (infinitives, gerunds, and participles)(Jenson's Grammar, 3)

Algebra II - Solved equations, factored polynomials, and multiplication and division of expressions; multiplied and divided expressions containing exponents, wrote expressions in radical and exponential form (Jacobs Algebra)

Math Computation (taught by Dr. Miles Jones) - Memorized two- and three-digit squares ending in 5, squares of numbers beginning with a 1, and number factoring

American Government - Pre-revolutionary history of the colonies, including the Great Awakening, colonial government, and the issues of rightful rule and government by consent (A Beka World History, 2)

Geography: Learned shapes of New England states in and out of context, labeled 37 rivers in the U.S. (United States, Mark Twain Media)

Chemistry - Measurement, matter, chemical reactions, physical vs. chemical changes of matter, separation of mixtures, classifications of substances (homogeneous mixture, element, or compound); isotope, atomic, and mass number notation (A Beka)

Lab: Test-tube cannon, two methods of chromatography, physical changes of mixtures (NaCl and H2O), chemical reactions, identifying substances (NaCl and CaCl2) by filtering and HCl test (A Beka)

Spanish – Words pertaining to family and furniture, paternal and maternal names, numbers, prepositions, and addresses, possessive nouns and pronouns, speaking and listening skills, conditional and future verb tenses

P.E. (taught by Clay Arnold) - Practiced fitness training (physical conditioning), stance, lay-ups, defensive dribbling, free throws, and jump shots

Other - Learned most of the letters of the Morse code, practiced playing piano with written music

Tenth-Grade,Second Six Weeks

October 9 - November 22, 2000

English (Am. Lit.)            A
Algebra II/Math Computation   A
American Government           A
Philosophy                    A
Chemistry                     A
Spanish                       B
P.E.                          A

English

Writing: Short story with attention to mood, expository paper on computer shortcuts

American Literature: Declaration of Independence in Jefferson's autobiography (Norton's), start of Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Our National Debt, by John Steele Gordon

Grammar: Sentence patterns and punctuation

Algebra - Functions, slope-intercept form of linear two-variable equations

Math Computation - Achieved Grand Facts Master (400 simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems in less than four minutes), learned speed methods for multiplying two-digit numbers and taking cube and square roots, team competition

American Government - Events preceding the Declaration of Independence, the resulting war, and the new government when it was over

Geography: Recognition of state shapes on flash cards (from toy store)

Philosophy - Overview and theology of secular humanism, Marxism/Leninism, cosmic humanism, and Christianity (Understanding the Times, by Noebel)

Chemistry - Naming molecular and ionic compounds

Lab: Observation of physical or chemical changes through heating or combining substances

Spanish - Verb conjugation, Dios Llega al Hombre Biblia, fruits and vegetables

P.E. - Practice basketball skills, rebounding, strategies of playing the game, defensive and offensive (e.g., rotation) maneuvers

Tenth-Grade Academics, Third Six Weeks

November 27, 2000 - January 25, 2001

English (Am. Lit.)            A
Algebra II/Math Computation   A
American Government           A
Philosophy                    A
Chemistry                     A
German                        A
P.E.                          A

English

Writing: Original The New and Improved Miles Standish spoof, and detective short story

American Literature: The Constitution (Preamble, Article I, and part of Article II), samples of Washington Irving (and on cassette), Poe, Hawthorne, Longfellow, Whittier, Emerson

Grammar: Participles, verbals

Algebra - Graphing, linear equations, slope, intercept, and simultaneous equations

Math Computation – Team competition, factoring numbers up to 100, mental multiplication of fractions

American Government - Articles of Confederation,

Constitutional Convention, The Federalist Papers

Geography: Drew the 48 states by memory

Philosophy - Secular humanism, refutation of humanism, Marxism, vocabulary (ontology, epistemology, metaphysics)

Chemistry - Balancing equations, converting moles to grams, gas laws

Lab: Making molar aqueous solutions, combining elements and/or compounds for observation of physical or chemical changes, single displacement reactions

Spanish - Reading drills, adapted dialogs, Alla el Rancho Grande. End of Spanish.

German - Question words, colors, and some nouns (Learnables method)

P.E. (Basketball) - Offensive 3 - 2, high-low strategy

Tenth-Grade Academics, Fourth Six Weeks

January 26, 2001 - March 9, 2001

English (Am. Lit.)            A
Algebra II/Math Computation   A
American Government           A
Philosophy                    A
Chemistry                     A
German                        A
P.E.                          A

English

Writing: Sherlock Holmes-type short story

American Literature: Saw Oklahoma musical, Leonard Ross's H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, Hemingway short story, Federalist Paper #10; read about social comment in art and music, Renaissance through 20th century (A Beka World History, 2)

Algebra - Exponents

Math Computation – Numerical factoring for fast fraction manipulation

American Government - Features of the Constitution (A Beka Am. Gov't)

Philosophy - Naturalism vs. Christian worldview, secular humanist ethics

Chemistry - More gas laws, stoichiometry of gases, heat in chemical reactions

Lab: Conservation of mass in double-displacement reaction

German - Numbers, days of the week, vocabulary, and listened to the cassette

P.E. (Basketball) - Fitness, winning

Tenth-Grade Academics, Fifth Six Weeks
March 19 - April 27, 2001

   English (Am. Lit.)
   Algebra II/Math Comp.
   American Government
   Philosophy
   Chemistry
   German
   P.E.

B
B
B
A
A
B
A

English
Writing: Letter to magazine editor, comic strip, radio drama, web page
American Literature: a Booker T. Washington biography, first part of Les Miserables (Hugo), Uncle Tom's Cabin (Young Folks' Edition)

Algebra - Polynomials, factoring, fractions

Math Computation - Mental computation of cube roots of 4-, 5-, and 6-digit cubes, square roots of 4 and 5-digit numbers, squares and cubes of 1 - 9 memorized, Pascal's triangle to expand powers of binomials or give quick answers in probability problems

American Government - Article III, Sections 2 and 3, Articles IV - VII, Amendments I - VI (Understanding U.S. Constitution, Mark Twain Media Publishers)

Philosophy - Read The Cartoon History of Time, by Charlesworth and Gribben, started The Cosmic Code, by Heinz Pagels, read about string theory, anti-particles

Chemistry - Heat and changes of state, entropy, the nature of light
Lab – Demonstration of Charles's Law, tests for household chemicals, and finding the specific heat of a metal

German - Listened to tapes

P.E. (Basketball) - Offensive and defensive skills

Tenth-Grade Academics, Sixth Six Weeks
April 31 - May 30, 2001

English
Algebra II/Math Computation
American Government
Philosophy
Chemistry
German
P.E.

A
B
A
A
A
A
A

English – Wrote mystery story & three web pages

Algebra - Square roots, number sequences, real numbers, and quadratic equations

Math Computation - Practiced working problems with mental factoring

American Government - Amendments VII - XXVII, overview of Constitution

Philosophy - Continued reading The Cosmic Code

Chemistry - Structure of the atom, quantum numbers, electron configurations and chemical properties and periodic table, plot of atomic volumes (data provided) versus atomic numbers
Lab: Flame tests of six elements

German - Finished first set of ten tapes

P.E. (Basketball)

Tenth Grade, Seventh Six Weeks

August 20 - November 2, 2001


English	A
Algebra 2	A
World/American History	A
Economics	A
Chemistry	A
German	A

English (with Robin Kempert) - Compare and contrast, and persuasive papers, research note cards, comic-strip exposition on how to make a mirror, development of personal web page

Algebra 2 - Problem sets A and B and 1 through 7 (Saxon), second- and higher-order determinates to solve linear-equation systems, f(x) terminology, mathematical models; traces, intercepts, and solutions of equations with three or more variables; augmented matrices to solve second- and higher-order systems, linear inequalities, finding optimum points by linear programming (Foerster)

World History - Challenges to European imperialism (Latin American revolts, Monroe Doctrine), rivalry of the nations, the scramble for Africa, social Darwinism, Nietzsche (nihilism), Hegel (dialectics), Kant (humanistic faith), Kierkegaard (existentialism), the rise of cults (Streams of Civilization, Vol. 2)

American History - Bill of Rights through the War of 1812, the nation grows and grows apart, the Civil War (Cimint's Young People's History), read Stephen Vincent Benet's "The Devil and Daniel Webster"

Economics - Definitions, history, Adam Smith, factors of production, laws of supply and demand, factors that can shift demand and supply curves, equilibrium, free market economy; profit, with expense including opportunity cost and wage of management (A Beka)

Chemistry - Nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry; acids, bases, and salts; corrosion of iron, voltaic cells

Lab: Assembly of models of crystal structures, preparation and properties of oxygen, different forms of sulfur, boiling points of solvents and solutions, demonstration of Tyndall effect, verification that temperature and concentration affect reaction rate (summer), demonstration of Le Chatelier's principle, various tests on hydrocarbons and substituted hydrocarbons; pH measurement of different concentrations of a solution by three indicators, hydrolysis of salts, demonstration of a buffer solution, use of buret

German - Second set of tapes and Book 1