Grades 3-6
History, Literature and Science for the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Student
General course description: The goal of this class will be to enthusiastically promote and share a passion of lifelong learning through reading and participating in meaningful activities. This class is designed to cover literature, history, science and geography.
This class is not designed to teach all subjects that should be covered with your child. Core areas of education not specifically covered by the class are Bible, grammar, spelling and math.
Prerequisite: The student should have successfully completed the 2nd grade.
History and Literature Instructor: Mrs. Denise Askelson, M.Ed., Ed.S. Mrs. Askelson has 5 years teaching experience in public schools and 14 years home schooling her 4 children. She has a Master's in Early Childhood Education from The University of Montevallo (1989) and an Educational Specialist (2006) degree from UAB. She is an Alabama state certified teacher in the following areas: Reading Specialist (N-12), Early Childhood (P-3), and Elementary (1-6) Education. She and Brian have been married 25 years.
History and Literature Instructor contact info: phone: 205-612-2086
email: baskelson@charter.net
Science and Geography Instructor: Mrs. Laura Shepard graduated from The University of Montevallo in 1988 with majors in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She enjoys teaching history, literature, science and geography and has taught at Shades Mountain Christian, Southern Art Works and Chelsea Tutorials. She and Mark have been married for 23 years and have homeschooled their 3 children for 10 years. Their family has 2 dogs, 2 rabbits and (for a brief time) 50 silkworms!
Science and Geography Instructor contact info: phone: 205- 447-2132
email: lmshepard3@charter.net
Location: Grace Presbyterian Chelsea
Days: Monday & Wednesday
Time: 9:00 - 2:00
History and Literature: History and Literature will be studied using the Sonlight Core 4 - American History Part 2 (1850-Present) curriculum. Areas such as dictation, reading comprehension, and basic composition will also be covered.
Science: In science we will see God's incredibly intricate design as we study elementary chemistry. Using taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing, the students will be introduced to chemistry in a way that will be completely understandable and memorable for younger children. Active involvement in the classroom experiments will teach about matter, measurement, elements, mixtures and compounds, acids and bases, atoms, molecules, chemical reactions and periodic table. Making ice cream, creating marbled paper and writing invisible messages are just a few of the many activities that will be used to explain chemistry. Mini-studies of some of the famous inventions of the 1800's, like electricity and the light bulb, will also be covered throughout the year. All science experiments will be completed in class.
Geography: Geography will consist of the study of the United States, including landforms, famous places, states, lakes, rivers, gulfs and oceans using relief, topographical, agricultural, historical and political maps, literature and frequent taste tests of products produced in each state.
Homework Level: students will be required to complete assigned material based on the Sonlight Core 4 instructor's guide. Generally, this takes 1-2 hours on non-class days. Work required outside of class will primarily be the reading of literature books. Science assignments will require about 30 minutes per week outside of class.
Registration Fee: $50 nonrefundable (applies toward 1st semester tuition)
Tuition: $500 per semester (or $100 per month August - May).
Supply Fee: $50 per semester, due in August and January
Note: Registration and tuition should be made payable to Denise Askelson. Please click here for registration form.
Building Use Fee: The annual building use fee for this class is $50 fee per student, not to exceed $100 per family. This fee is payable to Grace Presbyterian Chelsea on the first day of class.
Class Minimum: A class of 3rd - 4th grade students and a class of 5th - 6th grade students will be formed. Each class will have a minimum of 5 students and a maximum of 12 students. If class minimum is not reached, classes may be combined or cancelled. If classes are cancelled registration fee will be refunded.
Required texts for history and literature: This class will use the Sonlight Core 4 - American History Part 2 (1850-Present) as the structured curriculum of the history and literature component. Each family is required to purchase either the 2009, 2010, or the 2011 edition of the Core 4 instructor guide (available at www.sonlight.com). This class will use all books in the 5-day program. (Parents may choose to purchase books from Sonlight, but it is often more economical to see what books are already owned and purchase what is needed from the thrift store, www.isbn.net, Ebay or Amazon.) Siblings may share books.
Required texts for language arts: Using a portion of the supply fee, the instructor will order the Sonlight language arts student book for each student. If the parent wants to use the language arts curriculum at home, the parent will need to purchase an instructor's guide.
Required text for science: Christian Kids Explore Chemistry by Robert W. Ridlon, Jr. and E. Ridlon. Each student will need his or her own copy. ISBN 978-1892427182.
Required texts for geography: None required.
Please contact the instructors for more information regarding the classroom activities and required materials.
