K-12 Classical Curriculum at DVCS

Kindergarten

Classical Cursive Handwriting
Spelling and Phonics – Veritas Press Phonics Museum and Spell to Write and Read
Reading – Reading groups using leveled readers including Bob Books and Veritas Press Phonics Museum readers
Math – Developing Roots
Reading Circle/Story time – Introduction to Children’s Literature
Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), The Jesus Storybook Bible (Lloyd-Jones), Bible Overview, Attributes of God, weekly Bible memory
Memorization of Hymns, Poems, and Scripture
Science – seasonal characteristics and simple weather, five senses, rolling and sliding, floating and sinking, bugs
Geography – continents and beginning map skills, land forms
Poetry – Students learn Poetry as part of regular instruction as well as our Fine Arts training and presentation in winter.
Art – basic concepts and techniques, recognition of major works of western art
Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
Grammar of Music – melodic and rhythmic dictation and pitch matching

1st Grade

Math – Think! Mathematics
Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), The Jesus Storybook Bible (Lloyd-Jones); Bible Overview, books of the Bible, memorization
Science – Insects, Animal Classification, Weather, Matter, Color and Light, Magnets, Solar System, Microscope
Literature and Reading – Reading program includes reading groups using leveled readers including Amelia Bedelia, Bread and Jam for Frances, Curious George, Frog and Toad, Little Bear, Nate the Great, Red Fox and His Canoe, Sarah Plain and Tall
Phonics and Spelling – Spell to Write and Read
Classical Cursive Handwriting
Grammar – Shurley English Level 1
Geography – Seven Continents & Seven Seas, Map Skills for Today Grade 1, Weekly Reader
Scripture Memory Program
Poetry – Students learn Poetry as part of regular instruction as well as our Fine Arts training and presentation in Winter. Poetry is also part of all 1-6 grades Grammar instruction.
Art – Observational Drawing, Art Techniques, Elements of Art, Major Works of Western Art
Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
Grammar of Music – progressive melodic and rhythmic dictation and pitch matching, combined choir

2nd Grade

Math – Think! Mathematics
Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), God’s Great Covenant (Larsen); Old Testament – Genesis to Ruth
Science – Unit studies in Earth, Rocks and Minerals, Habitats, Air and Water, Simple Machines, Science Skills and Tools
Literature and Reading – Reading program includes Charlotte’s Web, Boxcar Children, Aesops Fables, Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Phonics and Spelling – Spell to Write and Read
Classical Cursive Handwriting
Composition and Grammar – Shurley English Level 2
History – Old Testament, Ancient Egypt (Veritas)
Geography – U.S. States, Africa
Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
Poetry – Students learn Poetry as part of regular instruction as well as our Fine Arts training and presentation in winter. Poetry is also part of all 1-6 grades grammar instruction.
Art – observational drawing, art techniques, Mesopotamia and Egyptian art
Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
Grammar of Music – progressive melodic and rhythmic dictation and pitch matching, combined choir

3rd Grade

Math – Think! Mathematics
Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), God’s Great Covenant (Larsen); 1 Samuel to 2 Kings
Science – Unit studies in Five Senses, Plants, Invertebrate, Desert Habitat, Weather Water Chemistry, Astronomy, Experimental Method
Literature and Reading – Reading program includes The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Hundred Dresses, Detectives in Togas, Stuart Little
Phonics and Spelling – Spell to Write and Read
Classical Cursive Handwriting
Composition and Grammar – Shurley English Level 3; Excellence in Writing
History – Ancient Greece and Rome (Veritas)
Geography – Map Skills for Today Grade 3, Weekly Reader
Latin – Picta Dicta Latin Primer 1
Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
Art – observational drawing, art techniques, Mesopotamia and Egyptian Art
Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
Grammar of Music – musical literacy, two-part harmony, combined choir

4th Grade

- Math – Saxon Math 5/4 or 6/5
- Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), God’s Great Covenant (Larsen); Chronicles through Malachi
- Science – Unit studies in Vertebrate Classification, Birds, Human Circulatory and Respiratory System, Geology, Forest Habitat, Sound and Hearing, Science History
- Literature and Reading – Reading program includes Cricket in Times Square, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Little Pilgrim’s Progress
- Phonetic and Spelling – Spell to Write and Read
- Classical Cursive Handwriting
- Grammar & Composition – Shurley English Level 4 and Writing and Rhetoric Book 1: Fables
- History – Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation (Veritas)
- Geography – Legend and Leagues North Workbook and Storybook
- Latin – Picta Dicta Latin Primer 1
- Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
- Poetry – Students learn Poetry as part of regular instruction as well as our Fine Arts training and presentation in Winter. Poetry is also part of all 1-6 grades Grammar instruction.
- Art – observational drawing, art techniques (focus on textiles), Medieval art
- Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
- Grammar of Music – two-part harmony, music literacy and key signatures, Medieval, Renaissance, combined choir

5th Grade

- - Math – Saxon Math Course 1
  - Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), God’s Great Covenant (Larsen); Gospels
  - Science – Unit studies in Plants, Animal Life Cycles, Human Nervous System, Ecology, Ocean Habitat, Food Chemistry, Energy, Science in the News
  - Literature and Reading – Reading program includes D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, Anne of Green Gables, Black Ships Before Troy, Heidi, Johnny Tremain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Twenty-One Balloons, The Witch of Blackbird Pond
  - Phonics and Spelling – Spell to Write and Read
  - Classical Cursive Handwriting
  - Composition & Grammar – Shurley English Level 6, The Grammar of Poetry (Whitling), Progymnasmata: Narrative (Selby), The Art of Poetry (Perrin), Composition in the Classical Tradition (D’Angelo)
  - History – Explorers to 1815 (Veritas)
  - Geography – National Geographic Society Kids U.S. Atlas, The United States (Memoria Press)
  - Latin –Picta Dicta Latin Primer 2
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Poetry – Students learn Poetry as part of regular instruction as well as our Fine Arts training and presentation in Winter. Poetry is also part of all 1-6 grades Grammar instruction.
  - Art – observational drawing, print, book and paper making, Renaissance
  - Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
  - Grammar of Music – three-part harmony, ear training, sight singing, romantic and modern, combined choir

6th Grade

- - Math – Saxon Math Course 2
  - Bible – Holy Bible (ESV), God’s Great Covenant (Larsen); the Gospels
  - Science – Unit studies in Cell, Plants and Photosynthesis, Human Digestive System, Pond Habitat, Atoms, Chemical Reactions, Inventions and Technology, Experimental Design
  - Literature and Reading – Reading program includes By the Great Horn Spoon!, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, The Phantom Tollbooth, Call of the Wild, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths
  - Composition & Grammar – Shurley English Level 7, The Grammar of Poetry (Whitling), Progymnasmata: Narrative (Selby), The Art of Poetry (Perrin), Composition in the Classical Tradition (D’Angelo)
  - History – 1815 to Present (Veritas)
  - Geography – Geography I (Middle East, North Africa, and Europe), Geography II (Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas) (Memoria Press)
  - Latin – Picta Dicta Latin Primer 2
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Poetry – Students learn Poetry as part of regular instruction as well as our Fine Arts training and presentation in Winter. Poetry is also part of all 1-6 grades Grammar instruction.
  - Art – observational drawing, painting, color theory, American artists, Late Renaissance and Mannerist Art
  - Physical Education – cardio, coordination, and teamwork/motor skills: passing, dribbling, running
  - Grammar of Music – three-part harmony, ear training, sight singing, romantic and modern, combined choir

7th Grade

- - Composition and Rhetoric – Progymnasmata (Refutation, Confirmation, Commonplace); advanced grammar usage
  - General Science
  - Latin – Lingua Latina per se Illustrata, Ch. 10 – 24; Comprehensible Classics novellas
  - Ancient Literature I – The Iliad; The Odyssey; The Hobbit; The Pilgrim’s Progress; Chicago Manual of Style
  - Vocabulary – Vocabulary from Classical Roots
  - Pre-Algebra – Big Ideas Math: Modeling Real Life – Grade 7 Advanced Student Edition (2019)
  - Bible – The Life of David; World Cultures, Missions, and Geography
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Art – Systematic exploration of the major concepts and techniques in observational drawing
  - Physical Education
  - Music – Choir and Music Theory
  - Electives – Art, Apologetics, Archery, Athletics, Creative Writing, Computers, Drama, Journalism, Mock Trial (9-12), Nutrition, Personal Finance, Russian Literature, Speech/Debate (9-12), and Vocal Ensemble

8th Grade

- - Algebra I – Big Ideas Math: Bridge to Success – Grade 8 Advanced Student Edition (2019)
  - Latin – Lingua Latina per se Illustrata, Ch. 25-28; Comprehensible Classics novellas
  - Logic/Science – Introductory Logic (Nance), Classical Me, Classical Thee (Merkle)/Intellectual Virtue: Virtuous Minds (Dow)
  - Ancient Literature II & Composition – Epic of Gilgamesh; The Aeneid; The Trial of Socrates; Theogony; Works and Days; Metamorphoses; Julius Caesar; Writing assignments in humanities courses including Progymnasmata assignments
  - Vocabulary – Vocabulary from Classical Roots
  - A Biblical-Theological Study of the Old Testament –The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (excerpts)
  - Western Civilization I – The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine; History of the Peloponnesian War;
    Life of Alexander the Great; The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version; A Smaller History of Rome
  - Classical Education & Virtues
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Art – Systematic exploration of the major concepts and techniques in observational drawing
  - Physical Education
  - Music – Choir and Music Theory
  - Electives – Art, Apologetics, Archery, Athletics, Creative Writing, Computers, Drama, Journalism, Mock Trial (9-12), Nutrition, Personal Finance, Russian Literature, Speech/Debate (9-12), and Vocal Ensemble

9th Grade

- - Physical Science
  - Medieval Literature & Composition – Boethius Consolation of Philosophy; Augustine Confessions; Song of Roland; Dante Inferno; Beowulf; Writing assignments in humanities courses including Progymnasmata assignments – further refutation as well as the encomium
  - Vocabulary – Vocabulary from Classical Roots
  - Geometry – Big Ideas Math: Bridge to Success – Grade 9 Advanced Student Edition (2019)
  - Greek I – Athenaze Introduzione Al Greco Volume 1
  - Western Civilization II – A Short History of Byzantium; European Reformations; Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources; The Scientific Revolution Maximus the Confessor: Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality) – English and Ancient Greek Edition
  - A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Art – Systematic exploration of the major concepts and techniques in observational drawing
  - Physical Education
  - Music – Choir and Music Theory
  - Electives – Art, Apologetics, Archery, Athletics, Creative Writing, Computers, Drama, Journalism, Mock Trial (9-12), Nutrition, Personal Finance, Russian Literature, Speech/Debate (9-12), and Vocal Ensemble

10th Grade

- - Algebra II – Big Ideas Math: Bridge to Success – Grade 7 Advanced Student Edition (2019)
  - American Literature & Composition – The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible; Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass; Moby Dick
  - Biology and Lab – Exploring Creation with Biology
  - Greek II – Athenaze Introduzione Al Greco Volume 1; Greek New Testament
  - Systematic Theology – Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God
  - U.S. History – A Documentary History of the United States: Expanded and Updated; Economics in One Lesson; The American Journey, Combined Volume; The Federalist Papers; City of God
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Art – Systematic exploration of the major concepts and techniques in observational drawing
  - Music – Choir and Music Theory
  - Electives – Art, Apologetics, Archery, Athletics, Creative Writing, Computers, Drama, Journalism, Mock Trial (9-12), Nutrition, Personal Finance, Russian Literature, Speech/Debate (9-12), and Vocal Ensemble

11th Grade

- - Aesthetics and Practice in the Visual Arts – Seeing God in the Arts: Rookmaker, H.R., Modern Art and the Death of Culture; Concerning the Spiritual in Art
  - British Literature & Composition – Pride and Prejudice; Frankenstein; Macbeth, A Tale of Two Cities; Paradise Lost; Sir Gawain and The Green Knight; Canterbury Tales
  - General Chemistry and Lab – Modern Chemistry
  - Precalculus with Trigonometry
  - Civics – The Republic of Plato; The Everything American Government Book: From The Constitution To Present-Day Elections, All You Need To Understand Our Democratic System; Nicomachean Ethics; First and Second Treatises of Government; The Abolition of Man
  - Spanish I – comprehensible input, vocabulary, grammar, Spanish readers
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Studio Art – Designed to enable students to work in the studio on projects that relate to ideas discussed in the Aesthetics course. Concepts include geometry and perspective in art, architecture, cubism, and abstract expressionism.
  - College, Career & Life
  - Music – Choir and Music Theory
  - Electives – Art, Apologetics, Archery, Athletics, Creative Writing, Computers, Drama, Journalism, Mock Trial (9-12), Nutrition, Personal Finance, Russian Literature, Speech/Debate (9-12), and Vocal Ensemble

12th Grade

- - Advanced Literature & Composition – The Tempest; Crime and Punishment; Brave New World; Everything That Rise Must Converge; Othello; Till We Have Faces
  - Calculus or Financial Algebra and Statistics
  - Spanish II and Spanish III (Advanced)
  - Physics
  - Rhetoric & Senior Thesis
  - Natural Theology – Five Proofs for the Existence of God, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Summa Theologica, The Principia, On Free Choice of the Will, Enneads, The Assayer
  - Scripture and Catechism Memory Program
  - Advanced Art or Studio Art Elective – Exploration of color theory and basic painting materials and techniques
  - Music – Choir and Music Theory
  - Electives – Art, Apologetics, Archery, Athletics, Creative Writing, Computers, Drama, Journalism, Mock Trial (9-12), Nutrition, Personal Finance, Russian Literature, Speech/Debate (9-12), and Vocal Ensemble