Foundations of Faith

The Foundations of Faith course is specifically designed to develop an understanding of the Bible’s revelation of God the Father’s character, God the Son’s humanity and divinity, the Holy Spirit’s Person and work in the world, and the establishment of the body of Christ (the Church) for a multicultural setting. Students will read and study both the Old and New Testaments to learn how to recognize, interpret, and apply each of the things they discover about God in their personal and public lives.

Old Testament Survey

Old Testament Survey is designed to help students in a multicultural classroom setting to develop an understanding of what the Bible reveals as God’s civil, sacrificial, ceremonial, and moral laws; affirm how God worked throughout history and the nation of Israel to bring about the Messiah; recognize the wisdom God provides; and witness God’s merciful judgment He gives to mankind through the writings of the prophets. Students will read through the entire Old Testament to understand all thirty-nine books as a cohesive revelation of God written through the inspiration of God’s Spirit.

Apologetics

This course is designed to help students in a multicultural classroom setting recognize the uniqueness and truth of Christianity and provide a world view that is consistent with reality. It includes a review of world religions and will help students to respectfully share Christ with individuals of faiths contrary to Christianity through conversations and in relationship with them. This study will ground students in a biblical world view that empowers them to be believers who will promote and serve Christ through attitude, conduct and speech.

English 9

English 9 strives to help students to become more familiar with literary and non-literary texts and to become familiar with steps in the writing process. The citation style students will use is MLA. In addition, students will learn how to use in-text citations to support their analysis. Students will be learning how to create drafts and outlines, make revisions, and create final drafts. In addition to writing essays, students will formulate dialectal journals, journal entries, and do oral presentations.

English 10

This course will build on the critical reading and writing fundamentals established in English 9. Students will read a variety of fiction and non-fiction. They will be challenged in the areas of comprehension and analysis. They will also work to develop their skills at identifying and supporting claims in an argument. To this aim, they will work to develop media literacy skills.

English 11

This course will demand that students are able to write several analytical essays on a wide range of topics in complete MLA format. Students are expected to be able to properly structure their essays. They are expected to have a more nuanced understanding of grammar. An analysis essay will have multiple sources and a complete works cited page. Material covered will broaden to include the visual arts, classical and contemporary literature, and current events.

Honors English 11

This course will demand that students are able to write several analytical essays on a wide range of topics in both MLA and APA format. Students are expected to be able to properly structure their essays. They are expected to have a more nuanced understanding of grammar. An analysis essay will have multiple sources and a complete works cited page. Material covered will broaden to include the visual arts, classical and contemporary literature, and current events.

AP English Literature and Composition

Honors/AP English Literature and Composition is an introductory college-level literary analysis course. Students cultivate their understanding of literature through reading and analyzing texts as they explore concepts like character, setting, structure, perspective, figurative language, and literary analysis in the context of literary works. Many Christian authors are read in the first half of the course, to develop a Biblically cultural framework for students as they read a wide variety of authors in the second half of the course.

Introduction to Writing Studies:

Introduction to Writing Studies is a course that familiarizes students with essay-writing and gives them a tremendous amount of practice. Students will read many expository texts and focus on analytical writing, which is a necessary skill to succeed in college. The types of essays that are focused in this class are persuasive essays, expository essays, rhetorical analysis essays, critical analysis essays, and composing a mini 5-6-page research paper.

Creative Writing 1 & 2

Creative Writing 1 and 2 are writing courses designed for upperclassmen who have completed their required English courses, excepting AP English. Admission to the course requires approval of the English faculty. It is presumed students are competent in the mechanics of writing, including reasonable spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure, punctuation, logical organization of paragraphs, and introduction and resolution of themes. It is additionally presumed that students are good writers in their native languages, but may occasionally stumble in English, and will therefore benefit from extensive practice writing in English. Therefore, the goal of the course is to require writing in a variety of styles, which include biography, persuasive essay, descriptive essay, sonnet, blank verse, technical writing, dialogue, and short story, with peer review, instructor review, rewriting, and finally presentation to the class. One paper is This course will prepare each student for college-level reading and writing. They will learn to apply analytical and argumentative skills, practiced in writing, discussion and debate, to real-life scenarios. They will examine classical and contemporary literature and philosophy.

Creative Crafts

Creative Crafts is a hands-on course designed to give students opportunities to develop skills in a variety of craft techniques. The course delves into the history of each craft, terminology and its application to today’s society. In using a variety of media, students will express creativity while also addressing the utilitarian function and aesthetic qualities of their creations using design elements. Some examples of the skills that may be developed include; calligraphy, paper mache, mandalas, quilling, and basket weaving. An art fee is required.

Introduction to Visual Arts

Intro to Visual Arts is designed for students who are enrolling in a high school art course for the first time. It will use problem-solving through the use of the elements of art and principles of design in art activities and projects. The focus will be mostly in exploring art elements working with a variety of mediums. Students will learn about the history, analysis, and terminology of art in addition to presenting their works to the class and displayed in school. An art fee is required.

Art Techniques

Art Techniques – This is the first course in building an art track. In Art Techniques, emphasis is placed on understanding the Elements of Art and Principles of Design as a basis for composition. The focus will be mostly in drawing skills (“how to’s”), although color through pencils and paint will be taught some. Student artwork will reflect aesthetics & cultural and historical contexts. This will be a challenging course in drawing foundations so that you will really know how to produce foundational art. Willingness to get involved in the creative process is a more important requirement than the student’s talent or previous experience. An art fee is required. 

Graphic Design (Prerequisite: Art Techniques)

In Graphic Design is a 2nd level art track class and introduces students to the principles of graphic design and visual communication. Emphasis will be placed on the design-process using methods, strategies, and techniques to create original student artwork. Students will apply their knowledge of the elements and principles of design in order to strengthen their ability to visually communicate ideas. Students will build upon the skills foundation established in Art Techniques and add computer generated designs/images as our school technology allows. Students will be exposed to a variety of disciplines within the Graphic Design field, which include but are not limited to logo design, poster design, typography, photo editing and illustration. An art fee is required.

AP Studio Arts (Prerequisite: Studio Art, Graphic Design, and 1 additional art course)

This course is offered to the advanced art student in the senior year. It is the equivalent to a one-semester college course in art, and culminates in the CEEB (College Entrance Examinations Board) Advanced Placement Examination. Depending on student’s performance on this exam and on college’s policies, advance placement college credit may be received. An additional College Board processing fee is required from applicants. A well-presented portfolio (20 works) and slides of student work are required for submission. An art fee is required plus the fee for the AP exam and materials for submission.

Geometry

Geometry is an early branch of mathematics which introduces the properties of two and three-dimensional planes. The students will be exposed to key concepts and operations of Euclidean Geometry, in which they will learn the language (points, lines, planes, and angles), figures (two and three-dimensional), and transformations. By the end of this course, the students will be able to utilize algebra, reasons, and operations.

Algebra 2

Algebra 2 focuses on the study of nonlinear functions: polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, radical, and rational. The course also extends the study of algebra from real numbers to the complex number system. Emphasis is placed on understanding the behavior and characteristics of functions numerically, analytically, and graphically. Applications are made through word problems and will integrate algebra skills and geometric concepts. Algebra 2 Honors challenges the students in-depth with their comprehension of each topic and widens the scope to understand the topic much more.

Precalculus

This course provides necessary mathematics knowledge for students interested in continuing mathematical studies in college. The curriculum extends the study of linear and nonlinear functions. Also, students will study trigonometry in depth. Other topics include conic sections, matrices, discrete mathematics, and limits. Real-life applications are integrated throughout the year. Precalculus Honors challenges the students in-depth with their comprehension of each topic and widens the scope to understand the topic much more.

Statistics

Statistics is a course that provides the basic understandings of data and its properties. The students will be taught methods of collecting, organizing, and interpreting meaningful data. Throughout this course, the students will be able to utilize their knowledge and make clear analysis and predictions of given information.

AP Calculus BC

AP Calculus BC is roughly equivalent to a second-semester college calculus courses and extends the content learned in AB to different types of equations and introduces the topic of sequences and series. The AP course covers topics in differential and integral calculus, including concepts and skills of limits, derivatives, definite integrals, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, and series. The course teaches students to approach calculus concepts and problems when they are represented graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally, and to make connections amongst these representations. Students learn how to use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and support conclusions.

AP Statistics

AP Statistics is a college-level math course that exposes students to major concepts of statistics. The key concepts of AP Statistics include methods of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data, which the students will learn through observations and experimentations. The students will be taught essential knowledge to succeed in the AP Statistics exam. By the end of this course, the students will be able to apply the concepts outside of classroom environment.

Life Science

Life Science is designed for 7th graders. This course will provide the students the exposure to the study of living things including specific aspect of biology. The students will also learn about environmental and global issues which affect our community.

Biology

Biology is designed for 9th graders and up, which will help students to develop a deeper understanding of human body and nature in macro and micro-level aspects. Covered topics include evolution, cellular processes, energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and interactions. This course will involve experiments, which require general laboratory skills followed by reflections. Students will also become familiar with the scientific root words, prefixes, and suffixes, which will help them to understand the scientific vocabularies better. No prerequisite course.

Chemistry

High school chemistry is designed for tenth graders on up to seniors. The course covers basic general chemistry concepts, structure and properties of atoms, periodic trends, mole, atomic and formula mass, stoichiometry, VSEPR, molecular structure, gas laws, types of reactions, thermodynamics, enthalpy, bond energy, free energy, entropy, heat capacity, acid base chemistry, pH, buffers, equilibria, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry. The course lasts one semester but covers one high school year of material. The course covers most or all topics taught in a college general chemistry course with the possible exception of kinetics, but topics are not taught at the depth they are in college chemistry. The course is designed to give the student a sound foundation in chemistry such that they will be well prepared to take college freshman general chemistry.

AP Chemistry

AP Chemistry is designed for tenth graders on up to seniors. The course covers all college general chemistry concepts in great depth: structure and properties of atoms, mass spectroscopy of elements, isotopes, average atomic mass, trends with the periodic table, electron configuration, mole concept, atomic and formula mass, stoichiometry, types of chemical bonds, Lewis dot, resonance structures, VSEPR theory, molecular structure, intermolecular forces, gas laws, types of reactions, solution and mixtures, titrations, kinetic molecular theory, kinetic theory and reaction rates and orders of reactions, reaction mechanisms, solubility rules, electromagnetic spectrum, spectroscopy, Beer-Lambert Law, thermodynamics, enthalpy, bond enthalpies, enthalpies of formation, Hess’ Law, free energy, entropy, heat capacity, energy of phase changes, acid base chemistry, pH, pOH, buffers, equilibria, calculating and using equilibrium constants (Ka, Kb, Ksp, Kq, Kp, Keq, LeChatelier’s Principle, common ion effect, electrochemistry, Faraday’s Law, galvanic and electrolytic cells, cell potentials, nuclear chemistry, radioisotopes, radioactivity, fission, fusion. The course has multiple hands on laboratory exercises covering most concepts. Labs are conducted two times a week in addition to the regular class schedule. The course lasts one semester but covers one year of honors college chemistry material. The course is designed such that students passing the course with high performance will be able to pass the College Board AP Chemistry exam to receive college credit. The course is taught at the Honors College Chemistry level at an accelerated rate. 

AP Physics

AP Physics 1 is intended to be the most challenging course in high school, designed for seniors pursuing science in college. The required prerequisite is instructor permission and completion or concurrent enrollment in Calculus. AP Chemistry and General Physics are suggested prerequisites. The topics are the same as in General Physics, plus DC electricity and wave motion, but considered in greater depth and at a faster pace. The class meets seven times each week. Students will perform between ten and twelve laboratory experiments, each with a three-page lab report. Problem sets requiring about four hours’ homework will be assigned each week, and students are required to submit all problems, all correctly solved.

Conceptual Physics

Conceptual Physics is a low math survey course intended to expose non-science students to concepts and phenomena in Physics without requiring extensive calculations. It begins with the same topics as the other Physics classes but extends to a broader scope, including properties of materials, simple thermodynamics, light, and sound.

World Geography

In this class, students will learn about the fundamentals of geography, including the physical aspects as well as the human based characteristics (political, cultural, & economic geography), and then spend the remainder of the course going over the different continents/regions of Earth. Much of this course will be focused on projects and group activities. By the end of the semester, students will have more knowledge and a better understanding of other places and of the people we share our planet with, increasingly important in this age of globalization.

AP Human Geography

“AP Human Geography introduces high school students to college-level introductory human geography or cultural geography. The content is presented thematically rather than regionally and is organized around the discipline’s main subfields: economic geography, cultural geography, political geography, and urban geography. The approach is spatial and problem oriented. Case studies are drawn from all world regions, with an emphasis on understanding the world in which we live today. Historical information serves to enrich analysis of the impacts of phenomena such as globalization, colonialism, and human–environment relationships on places, regions, cultural landscapes, and patterns of interaction…[t]he goal for the course is for students to become more geo-literate, more engaged in contemporary global issues, and more informed about multicultural viewpoints.” (College Board).

AP World History

This course examines the major trends and developments in the world from the late middle ages to the present. Specifically, it explores how the world is increasingly interconnected in terms of economics, culture, and politics. Major topics include the development of the Silk Roads, the rise of Europe, world revolutions, European imperialism, conflicts of the 20th century, and globalization. As an AP course, it will also heavily focus on historical skills such as evaluating primary and secondary sources, continuity and change, contextualization, and writing historical, argumentative essays.

US History

This is a survey course that investigates the major trends in US history from a chronological perspective. The aim of the source is to contextualize the development of American democracy and its impact on the world. Beginning with Native American cultures, the course focuses on the arrival of Europeans and the development of what will become the United States. A focus is given to the development of American democratic processes. Major topics include the English colonies, the American Revolution, Westward Expansion, The Civil War and Reconstruction, The Progressive era and American Imperialism, and the two World Wars. This course also includes some historical skills such as analyzing primary and secondary sources, compare and contrast, and cause and effect.

Government and Civics

This course will teach students the fundamentals of the American Government and prepare those who are or will become citizens on their duties and rights when participating in American democracy. Through the use of primary source analysis, formal writing, class debate, and projects, students will learn about the foundations of American government, the creation of the Constitution, the roles and duties of the three branches of government, the importance of states and the media, and what rights and roles ordinary citizens possess.

AP US Government and Politics

The course focuses on the key concepts and institutions of the political system of the United States. It is equivalent to a one semester introductory college course in U.S. government. Skills learned include connecting political concepts to real-life situations; explaining the impact of U.S. Supreme court decisions; analyzing data to find patterns and trends; drawing conclusions, reading and analyzing text and visual sources; completing an applied civics project; and developing a thesis and supporting it in writing.

Spanish 1

Spanish 1 is a broad-based course designed to introduce the student to all aspects of foreign language study. Grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills are included. Cultural information is provided and taught throughout the duration of the course. This is achieved by working in groups, partners, and individual practice depending on the subject. Students will show their comprehension of the subject by participating in class. Emphasis is placed on conversation, vocabulary, and correct usage of the language. Correct pronunciation and oral proficiency are primary goals. This requires a daily emphasis on listening and speaking. The classroom experience will provide an appreciation and development of cultural awareness through various readings, media resources, and authentic materials.

Spanish 2

Spanish 2 builds upon knowledge gained in Spanish 1. This course will also reinforce the skills learned in Spanish 1: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Cultural information continues to be provided and taught throughout the duration of the course. Students will show their comprehension of the subject by participating in class. Students start to express themselves more meaningfully in both speaking and writing. Correct pronunciation, mastery of the basic grammatical structures, and increased communicative proficiency continue to be primary goals. This requires a daily emphasis on listening and speaking. The classroom experience will provide an appreciation and development of cultural awareness through various readings, media resources, and authentic materials.

AP Spanish

This course will cover a review of advanced grammar and a continued emphasis on building vocabulary through the use of authentic materials including modern Spanish short stories, newspapers, magazine, films and the internet. This will be done through working with grammar in spelling and writing, reading literature, and examining media resources.

One-on-one conversation

One on one conversation is not a specific course for credit at GVCS. It is a program used within the Grace Program with Middle School students. The purpose of one-on-one conversation is for new Middle School students to meet with an English speaking teacher for a short period of conversation in the English language. This is designed to help assist the student to grow their “prose,” this is their individual speaking skills in the English language. Students will meet with the teacher once a week for the duration of the semester in an effort to help the student grow and develop their English speaking skills.

English as a Secondary Language

English as a Second Language is a short remedial course to help assist students are need extra assistance with reading and writing skills. Students are tested at GVCSPA campus using the Cambridge Assessment Test. If a student tests in the A! or A2 level, they are referred to the program to help them to become more fluent in English in two areas, reading and writing. Students will attend ESL classes after school, for a period until they have the confidence and skills to be more successful in their current courses. Each period, students will be challenged with both reading and writing assignments that will help to transform their skills in all subject contents.