Local Homeschool Classes

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Updated on September 7, 2009.

Courses for Fall, 2009--Spring, 2010                

The following courses will meet once a week in Cashmere and at the Columbia Christian Co-op (as well as others online) and will require approximately 3-5 hours of homework per week, per class.  The fee for each class in Cashmere is  $205 per semester.  The fee for classes at the Co-op is $105 per quarter.    Payment for Fall Semester Cashmere classes is due the second week of class (September 17th, 2009).  Payment for Spring semester is due the first week of February.  Payment for Co-op classes must be made through the Co-op registration process. The fee for online classes is $235 per semester (since they are longer classes). 

To register for Leavenworth classes or an online class you may use my e-mail address tutor.alexandria@gmail.com and include the following:

Re: "Registration for [name of class]"

Name, Parents' Names, Address, Age, Year in School, phone number,  Background in Writing, and (if your student is new to my classes) an attached sample of a past essay.   Placement will be based on a first-come, first-served basis. 

To register for Columbia Christian Homeschool Co-op classes, one must contact Sheryl at the Co-op ( cchc@ncwhn.net).

Sets of books for some of these classes will likely be available at Hastings in Wenatchee.   With the generous discount available to home educators,   it can be a very wise way to purchase your texts.

 Class Schedule in Cashmere on Wednesdays ( schedule subject to change)

12:00 p.m.   Intermediate English III

1:00 p.m.     Latin III

2:00 p.m.     Intermediate English V

 We will convene classes at a location to be announced in Cashmere.   Many of these classes will also be offered at the Columbia Christian Homeschool Co-op in Wenatchee as well.  Class descriptions are below.

Class Schedule at Columbia Christian Homeschool Co-op on Wednesdays  (schedule subject to change)

8:00 a.m.   Great Books II

9:15 a.m.     Latin III

10:15 a.m.    Intermediate English III

Online Class Schedule  

Please note: Online classes are open to any local homeschool families who would like to take courses from Mr. Turnbull in this format. Classes are held weekly and the advantage is that class time is one-half hour longer than local classes.  In addition, these classes use the state-of -the-art Webex Conferencing server and incorporate real-time audio, whiteboard and document sharing.  Participation in online classes is quite feasible and downloading the Webex software is quick, simple and free.  To familiarize local families with this format of class, we will have an introductory session sometime in May or June. 

To view a full description of each online class, please click on the class title.  To see the descriptions of local classes, see below. 

Mondays, 8:00 to 9:45 a.m.   Great Books II

Tuesdays 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.  Advanced Essay-Writing

Tuesdays 9:45 to 11:15 a.m.      History of Christianity

Thursdays, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 to 11:15 a.m.  (two sections)   Writing the Essay

Fridays, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m  Big Books and Big Papers

Mr. Turnbull's Handy, Weekly Schedule-at-a-Glance  

 Intermediate English III

(Ages 10 and above)

The purpose of this course is to provide young students with an introduction to three key facets of English: reading and understanding literature; creative writing; and construction of an essay.  Students will have opportunity to enjoy, appreciate and discuss classic examples of fiction, poetry, plays and essays. For example, we will introduce younger students to classics of literature and to the wonders of poetry.  As we read short stories, students will have the opportunity to create one of their own and focus on such key elements as character development and plot.  Finally, the course will introduce the building blocks essential to crafting a persuasive essay.  All along the way we will be working on writing style and creating sentences that are interesting.

COURSE TEXTS

Huckleberry Finn,  Twain    ISBN:  0486280616

The Pilgrim's Progress,  Bunyan    ISBN:  0486426750

Robinson Crusoe,  Defoe    ISBN:  978-0486404271

The Hobbit,  Tolkien    ISBN:  0345339681

Little Women,  Alcott    ISBN:  0192834347

 Sense and Sensibility,  Austen    ISBN:  0486290492

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood,  Pyle    ISBN:  0486220435

Songs for the Open Road: Poems of Travel and Adventure,  selected    ISBN:  0486406466

 Click on the titles of the books to go to the page for purchasing them or consider purchasing them at a discount at Hastings in Wenatchee.  These are the specific versions that will be used in the class.  Please purchase the versions recommended as it allows for ease and saves time in class discussions. 

Great Books II

(Age: High School)

PURPOSE

This marks the second year of a  four-year sequence in which the great works of Western Culture are intently examined.  The purpose for such an endeavor rests on the assumption that history has a flow to it, that God is captain of the Story of the World, and that a solid grasp of this flow—or “Great Conversation”—is a vital part of what it means for a young man or woman to gain an education.   Investigating the great works is, in large part, what is meant by the phrase "classical education" today.  By studying some of the most pivotal literature produced by the important thinkers and writers of Western Civilization, students will become acquainted with some of the crucial, early chapters in the Great Conversation.  Since this class is a tutorial, the student is the one pursuing the education and performing the majority of the mental labor.  The tutor guides as the student investigates.  The readings will be challenging but class discussions will be designed to aid in understanding essential segments of the texts.  There will also be an emphasis in learning to write essays according the models used by the Greeks and Romans.   

COURSE TEXTS

Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome   ISBN 9780140440607    This book is to be read during the summer before our first class! 

Virgil, The Aeneid     ISBN 0679729526

Plutarch, The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives      ISBN 0140449345

Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Greeks; Rich Man's Salvation; To the Newly Baptized   ISBN 0674991036 

    (This book is difficult to find for a reasonable price.  There are a few copies available presently (July, 2009) at Amazon for about $20.  If this book is out of stock. there should be more available later.) 

Athanasius, On the Incarnation     ISBN 0913836400

Augustine, The City of God   ISBN 0679600879

Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy     ISBN 0140447806

Howatson, The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature (This is an optional but helpful resource)

Click on the link on each title to go to the page for purchasing the version we will use for the course.  

ASSIGNMENTS

Shorter writing assignments will be assigned at times in order to allow the student to interact with the readings.  Many of these will be read aloud by the student to the class.  Essays will be assigned subsequent to the completion of several of the books.  Using the format employed by classical writers, these essays will provide the opportunity for the student to think and write critically about important issues raised by the readings. 

Click on the titles of the books to go to the ordering pages or consider purchasing them in Wenatchee at Hastings.  These are the specific versions that will be used in the class.  Please purchase the versions recommended as it allows for ease and saves time in class discussions.  Using the ISBN number when ordering assures that you will get the exact version we will be reading. 

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN A GREAT BOOKS “TUTORIAL”

Since this class is a tutorial, the student is the one pursuing the education and performing the majority of the mental labor.  The tutor guides as the student investigates.  In this way, there is a wide difference between a traditional “class” and a tutorial such as this one.  In the traditional classroom, the teacher is often responsible not only for providing the learning environment and the instruction, but also for imparting much of the motivation to learn through the dread of things like grades and tests.  While these can be helpful ingredients to learning and instruction, they are not a part (or at least a big part) of a tutorial.  In a tutorial, whether or not the student  learns is completely his or her decision.  This is one of the primary assumptions behind a tutorial: the student is the scholar; the tutor is the guide.   That means that what a student learns from the Greeks is directly dependent on the student’s approach, persistence and commitment to gain an education.  In a culture such as ours, where people are clamoring for their needs to be met, I challenge you, as a student, to decide, with God’s help, to make your mind grow.  It will require work and labor and perseverance.  But, as is the case with any noble endeavor, all of the sweat and suffering along the way only deepens your satisfaction in the end.    

Intermediate English V

(Ages 12 and above, consult tutor for permission)

The purpose of this course is to provide young students with an introduction to two key facets of English: reading and understanding literature; and construction of an essay.  Students will have opportunity to enjoy, appreciate and discuss classic examples of fiction, poetry, plays and essays. This year our writing curriculum will include exercises from the progymnasmata, an approach to the process of written and spoken persuasion that breaks down that process into its discrete skills.  These exercises are a favorite of my online students. 

COURSE TEXTS

English Romantic Poetry, ed. Stanley Appelbaum      (ISBN: 0486292827)

The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History, ed. John Grafton  (ISBN: 0486411249)

To Kill A Mockingbird,  Harper Lee    (ISBN: 0446310786)

The Life of Alexander the Great,  Plutarch    (ISBN: 0812971337)

The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare  (ISBN: 0486284921)

Uncle Tom's Cabin,  Stowe    (ISBN: 0486440281)

Ivanhoe, Scott      (ISBN:978-0486436777)

Jeeves in the Morning,  P.G. Wodehouse    (ISBN: 0060972823)

 Click on the titles of the books to go to the page for purchasing them or consider purchasing them at a discount at Hastings in Wenatchee.  These are the specific versions that will be used in the class.  Please purchase the versions recommended as it allows for ease and saves time in class discussions. 

Latin III

(Prerequisite: Latin II--Ages 10 through high school)

As an English teacher, I am often asked which grammar curriculum I would recommend.  My answer is Latin.  As anyone who has studied a foreign language knows, the way to learn English and its structure is to study another language.  Because Latin is so logical, orderly, and rule-abiding in its construction, it not only fosters thorough grammatical understanding, but also trains the mind to reason according to principles, much like math.  Aside from these functional benefits, Latin is a majestic doorway into the medieval and classical worlds. 

COURSE TEXTS

Latin for Children, Primer C    Larsen and Perrin

Please consider purchasing the text from Academic Toolbox in Wenatchee.  They have copies at the store and were happy to order them for the class.  (NOTE: You only need to purchase the Primer C student book.  It is not necessary to purchase the teacher's manual unless you would like to use it to help your child with homework during the week. In addition, there are DVD's that accompany this text that are available.) 

2010 Summer Enrichment Classes

Student, Parent, Tutor Agreement Form

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