Description of Subjects

Glory Academy's Senior Class subjects are as follows:

Devotional:

Each day we will open with a devotional where we read from the Book of Mormon, discuss with the group what we're learning and are taught by the devotional leader. 

Each student will have the opportunity to be the devotional leader who is put in charge of a particular devotional and is the one  who will read a section out of the scriptures, teach about it and lead the devotional discussion for that day. 

At the end of each devotional (or during it), if a student feels the need to bear their testimony they are welcome to do so. 

Having a devotional first thing that day before we jump into our subjects, opens the school day with the spirit, allowing hearts to be set in the right place which, in turn, allows learning to take place at a more rapid pace.


Philosophy:


Although there will be one particular time period where we "do" philosophy (which is where we ask questions about and discuss simple and thought provoking questions such as, "What makes something you say true?", "What makes someone a real hero?", "What makes a person beautiful/handsome?", "How do you know who your friends are?" and other questions) most of the other subjects we'll be learning include philosophy to some extent as well. 

The word philosophy means "lover of wisdom". Philosophers investigate life, ask questions and search for answers. It is our desire to create individual philosopher's as the year progresses. We believe that as we incorporate philosophy into each subject there will be given new meaning to seemingly ordinary things. 



Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe:


Each student will have the opportunity to discuss universal mathematical truths and concepts based on Michael Schneider's teachings. Together students will learn how beautiful math concepts take place in nature, art and human physiology. 

They will work together to solidify their ideas and begin to understand, to a small extent, how God created the Universe.

Students will learn and do the workbook activities from the book The Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe written by Michael Schneider.




Debate:

Good debate skills in good people are essential to the survival of freedom. Without that element, the unstudied people eventually side with the logic of evil and freedom slowly collapses. Good people with good debate skills don’t just win arguments, they help people see truth and expose folly for what it is. We need so much more of this today and we believe it is among this group that many of these heroes will arise. 

To promote good in government, communities, and society, we need good people who are also good debaters and this subject will help to develop just that. Debate skills will be taught and the students will be provided with the opportunity to take part in their own mini-debate tournaments. 


Science:

Students will get the chance to delve into deep scientific topics and discuss each principle with those around them to a deeper understanding of the workings of science.

These science classes will be based on the lessons from Joy Hakim's book, The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way.

Her lessons will give students a historical background on the evolution of scientific thought, introduce them to the scientists and their contributions to science today, and challenge their reasoning skills. Fun stuff indeed!





Self Challenge Sharing Time:

Self Challenge sharing time will give each student the opportunity to share something that they been working in front of the other students. 

Whether it's art, poetry, a story, a piece of music, a speech or telling about a service project all students are welcomed to share that special something that they've been working on. 

This opportunity will not only inspire them to work harder on things (as they see what others are accomplishing) but will leave each student feeling a sense of accomplishment and will increase their belief in themselves and what they're capable of accomplishing.


Famous Speeches:

There are many amazing famous speeches given by people ranging from Martin Luther King to George Washington to Susan B. Anthony to Abraham Lincoln that affected people to the core and helped to change history.

This subject will provide the opportunity for its students to listen to, pick apart and discuss in depth these most memorable and breath taking famous speeches.







World History:

Every country has a story and every story is worth hearing about and learning from. George Santayana's famous quote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." applies beautifully to how we feel about the importance of learning world history. 

Each country overcame serious challenges but how did they overcome them? Were they successful in their methods? What could they have or should they have done differently? How do the things we learn from other countries apply to America today?

Questions like these are discussed as we learn about each country.



Written Communication:

In order to be able to help make changes in our society or successfully fulfill our duties in life, our ability to communicate solidified thoughts and ideas is an important skill to have in order to accomplish those feats. 

We feel that written communication is just as important. Handwriting, writing, grammar skills, and touch typing are skills that will be focused on throughout the year to help the students acquire good written communication skills.




Recitation:

The idea for a class on recitation came to us as we read from Anne of Green Gables. One of Anne's subjects in school happened to be recitation - where she'd memorize special pieces of literature. 

Recitation is simply the act of reciting something from memory. Our brains are amazing mechanisms that help us interact with the world around us. It's been said that you cannot draw out of a child, or anyone else, what is not there to begin with. 

So by memorizing pieces of literature we are filling our mind with rich language and bits and pieces of wisdom therefore having something with which to draw out. Something we can use to make good decisions, strengthen us in times of weakness and be better able to improve the world around us.

Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change."

Although there is a power in the truth of the scriptures which cannot compare to any other literature we cannot help but feel that Elder Scott's quote can apply to any edifying or inspirational written thought or piece of literature. 

During the recitation class we will work on memorizing pieces - creating "friends" that will "help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change."


Lunch:

After four hours of working, learning and discussing things together I'm sure the students would agree that a nourishing lunch and some pleasant chatting time would be quite welcomed. A half hour of lunch time will provide just that for the students.

It is our desire that relationships will be strengthened and students will be an inspiration to one another as they grow, learn and set an example of spiritual strength, maturing character and a serviceable spirit toward one another.

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Glory Academy's Junior Class subjects are as follows:

Devotional:

We will begin the day with a mini devotional to help set the right spirit and atmosphere for the day. Students are encouraged to participate in scripture reading discussion and the scripture reading itself. 

Having a devotional first thing before we jump into our subjects for that day, opens the school day with the spirit, allowing hearts to be set in the right place which, in turn, allows learning to take place at a more rapid pace.







Math Basics:

For Math Basics we'll be going over skip counting (counting by 2's, 5's, 10's, etc.), adding and subtracting, carrying numbers, fractions and other math concepts that will naturally fit into the school year or that we've noticed the students need to work on. 








Poetry or Story making:

We're going to have a great time for our Poetry or Storymaking subject! Not only will we work together on writing some pieces of poetry and some stories but we'll illustrate pictures for these pieces and create our own little books for each writing. 

As we do this the students will learn basic poetry and story writing concepts that will give them some skills they can use as they continue writing more pieces on their own!




Reading:

Learning to read opens up a whole new world of learning, exploration and adventure for a child. For this subject we'll be using "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 easy Lessons" and Reading in  a Nutshell's phonics program. 

Taking into account that each child will be at a different reading level, those students who already know how to read will have the opportunity to buddy up with a child that needs their help and through that will be given the opportunity to teach and serve a fellow student.





Character Building through Short Stories:

There are so many wonderful bits and pieces of wisdom that can be learned from great writings from the past. For this subject we'll simply read a carefully selected short story and discuss what we've read. 

Depending on the story and the situation we may even do an activity based on what we've learned from that story.






Team Building Activity -or- Game:

Playing a game with other like minded students is a great way to learn to work together, play together, and learn to work as a team in order to be able to win! 

For this subject we'll be playing  a team building game or activity that will help develop some great communication & problem solving skills.






Nature Stories:

There is so much to be reverent about in nature. There's so much that speaks of God's power, intelligence, and of His love for us. If there's one thing this world is missing its a society that has a deep respect and reverence for the beauties of this earth. 

For this subject we'll be reading and discussing carefully selected nature stories or nature articles. We'll also be keeping a nature journal (which the students can add to at home) and will study nature around us, going for simple nature walks in the open walk way areas behind our house and around our neighborhood and enjoying the outdoors together.



Writing:

There's a lot to learn when one is young once it comes to writing. For this subject we'll be learning how to write our lower case and upper case letters, write neatly, and will be doing some copy work. 

We'll also enjoy doing some writing activities such as writing a letter to someone special, writing advertisements for a product, or writing a newspaper article.







Memorization:

Susan Wise Bauer said that the student "who memorizes poetry will internalize the rhythmic, beautiful patterns" of the English language. These patterns then become "part of the student's language store, those wells that we all use every day in writing and speaking." Without memorization, the student's "language store", Bauer says, will be limited: memorization stocks "the language store with a whole new set of language patterns."

Michael Knox Beran stated that, "In addition, such exercises etch the ideals of their civilization on children's minds and hearts. The memorization and recitation of the classic utterances of poets and statesmen form a part of a tradition of learning that stretches back to classical antiquity, when the Greeks discovered that words and sounds-and the rhythmic patterns by which they were bound together in poetry-awakened the mind and shaped character." 

We wholeheartedly agree with both of their outlooks on the matter and will enjoy helping students to memorize wholesome bits of poetry or other edifying writings.




Biography:

There are so many amazing people from history to learn about. We will we enjoy learning about their fun adventures or their heart wrenching trials and will discuss the things we learn from their stories which will help the students to apply what they're learning from these great people into their own character.







Artistic Endeavors:

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." This quote is something most artists would agree with. For this subject students will have the opportunity to "lose themselves" to a piece of art as they create something deeper within themselves and learn more about who they are, what they like, and how they feel the need to express themselves artistically. 

For this subject we'll enjoy being artistic in several ways whether it be through music (where students will listen to a piece from a particular composer and learn about that composer), art (where the students will learn about a specific artist and art technique and have the opportunity to try that art technique themselves) or theater (where the students will have the opportunity to learn and act out a short play).

We are very excited to start up Glory Academy and look forward to providing opportunities for great educational experiences to take place for each student!