Curriculum Overview

GRADE LEVEL

THE ANGELICUM ACADEMY:

A VERY BRIEF COURSE OVERVIEW

(Please use the scroll bars to view entire chart)

PRINCIPAL COURSES AVAILABLE

ADDITIONAL COURSES AVAILABLE

Literature ("Good" & Great Books)

Language Arts
&
Foreign Language

Music

Fine Arts

Religion

Socratic Discussion Group

Math

Science

Philosophy for Children

History

Geography

Cartography

NURSERY

Nursery Rhymes, Fairy Tales
7 books

Introduction to the ABC's

Classical Baby Cassette/CD

Simple Art Projects for Children

Children's Bible Stories

N/A

Introduction to
Numbers One to Ten

N/A

PRESCHOOL

Rhymes, Fairy Tales and Stories
9 books

Learning and writing the ABC's

Mozart Makes You Smarter Cassette/CD

Appreciation and Production

Religious Stories, Poems and Projects

N/A

Numbers One to Ten

N/A

KINDERGARTEN

Fairy Tales, Rhymes & Stories
10 books

Learning to read and write simple words

The Mozart Connection Cassette/CD

Appreciation and Production

Religious Stories, Poems and Projects

N/A

Numbers and Concepts 1-100

N/A

Reasoning about Thinking
&
Language

N/A

1st GRADE

Fairy Tales, Adventures and Stories
10 books

Grammar, Phonics, Writing Foreign Language

Learning the Recorder Book & Recorder

Appreciation, History and Production

Vol. 1
Mother & Father on Earth and in Heaven

N/A

Addition and Subtraction Story Problems

Stars, Seasons, Animal Habits, Earth & Moon

Reasoning about Thinking
&
Language

N/A

Maps, Globes Oceans & Continents

2nd GRADE

Little House books, Fairy Tales and Stories
12 books

Grammar, Phonics, Writing Foreign Language

Rhythm & Melody &
7 CDs & Practice/Play

Appreciation, History and Production

Vol. 2
Jesus Our Life
Holy Communion

N/A

Multiplication & Division Story Problems

Animals, Life, Earth, Solar System

Reasoning about Thinking
&
Language

Old Testament

N/A

States, Compass,
Map Grid

3rd GRADE

Adventure, Tales, Poetry, Fiction
12 books

Grammar, Writing, Foreign Language

Classical Kids, Gregorian Chant
5 CD/Cassettes
& Practice/Play.

Ancient Egypt
Arts and Crafts

Vol. 3
God's Truths Help Us Live

Classics text & Discussion 30 min.
Biweekly

Multiplication & Division Story Problems

Life, Earth and Physical Sciences

Wonder at the World, Make-believe & Reality

Ancient Egypt

Geography of Ancient Egypt

Hemisphere, Scale, Grid, Map Facts

4th GRADE

Adventure, Tales, Travel, Fiction
12 books

Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Foreign Language

Meet the Great Composers
2 CDs & Practice/Play

Ancient Greece
Arts and Crafts

Vol. 4
The Vine & The Branches;
Bible History

Classics text & Discussion 30 min.
Biweekly

Computation, Fractions, Problem Solving

Life, Earth and Physical Sciences

Wonder at the World, Make-believe/ Reality

Ancient Greece

Geography of Ancient Persia & Greece

Satellite Images, Scale, Time Zones

5th GRADE

Tarzan, Fiction, Westerns, Henty
18 books

Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Foreign Language

Famous Composers
11 Cassettes & Practice/Play

Ancient Rome
Arts and Crafts

Vol. 5
Living Like Christ, in Christ; Bible

Classics text & Discussion 45 min.
Biweekly

Ratios, Square Roots, Geometric Formulas

Life, Earth and Physical Sciences

Basic Reasoning
&
Ethics

Ancient Rome

Geography of Ancient Rome

Tropics, Arctic, Circles, Adv. Map Skills

6th GRADE

Dickens, Henty Alcott, Cooper, Irving
22 books

Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Foreign Language

World's Greatest Composers
8 CDs

Art History, Skills and Appreciation

Vol. 6
Our Faith: God's Gift;
Bible

Classics text & Discussion 45 min.
Biweekly

Ratios, Percents Problem Solving

Life, Earth and Physical Sciences

Basic Reasoning
&
Ethics

World History
The Middle Ages to 1492

Europe & Byzantium
Middle Ages

Ocean Maps, Weather, Cartograms

7th GRADE

Stevenson, Shakespeare, Kipling
22 books

Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Foreign Language

Enjoyment of Music
4 Cassettes & Practice/Play

Art History, Skills and Appreciation

Vol. 7
Christ in Our Life;
Bible

Classics text & Discussion 60 min.
Biweekly

Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1/2

Life Science

Basic Logic I

World History
1492 to Present

Europe, Discoverers, New World

N/A

8th GRADE

Twain, Dickens, Verne, Henty, Doyle
23 books

Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Foreign Language

Enjoyment of Music
4 Cassettes & Practice/Play

Art History, Skills and Appreciation

Vol. 8
To Live is Christ

Classics text & Discussion 60 min.
Biweekly

Algebra I

Earth Science

Basic Logic II

U.S. History

Geography of the United States

N/A

FRESHMAN YEAR
9th GRADE

Great Books
Ancient Greeks

N/A

Vol. 1
Our Goal and Our Guides

Great Books
Ancient Greeks
2 Hours
Weekly

Geometry or Algebra II

Physical Science

Included in Great Books

SOPHOMORE YEAR
10th GRADE

Great Books
Ancient Romans

N/A

Vol. 2
Through Christ Our Lord

Great Books
Ancient Romans
2 Hours
Weekly

Algebra II & Trigonometry

Biology

Included in Great Books

JUNIOR YEAR
11th GRADE

Great Books
Medievals

N/A

Vol. 3
The Ark and the Dove

Great Books Medievals
2 Hours
Weekly

The Calculus

Chemistry

Included in Great Books

SENIOR YEAR
12th GRADE

Great Books
Moderns

N/A

Vol. 4
Towards the Eternal Commencement

Great Books Moderns
2 Hours
Weekly

Mathematics - A Human Endeavor

Physics

Included in Great Books

NOTES

Literature

Language Arts

Music

Fine Arts

Religion

Socratic

Math

Science

Philosophy

History

Geography

Cartography

N/A = Not available for this grade level. Note: If this course was not completed in prior grades, it may be done now.

The elementary (N-8th grade) Literature Program is taken entirely from the "Good Books" list compiled by Dr. John Senior. The 9th-12th grade program consists of selections of the Great Books, selected principally by Dr. Mortimer J. Adler with additions for the Medievals by Drs. Quinn, Senior, Nelick.

We recommend the study to fluency in a foreign language, beginning in 1st grade (especially the ancient inflected languages -Greek and Latin). Our diploma requires proficiency in any one foreign language.

Music, drama and dance can be characterized as the fine symbolic arts, because they consist variously of notes, words and figures. Music, drama and dance (or some form of gymnastics) classes may easily be found in most locales, and are encouraged. We recommend that students learn to play at least one musical instrument reasonably well, for recreation, self-expression, and to learn control of the emotions and passions.

Drawing, painting, sculpture (or modeling), and crafts may be characterized as fine material arts, meaning that what is required is to make or transform some material thing.

All of our religion texts have been given an Imprimatur by the competent Catholic Church authority. The Great Books readings also include many Catholic works, including selections from the Old and New Testaments, The Confessions of St. Augustine, History of the English Church by Ven. Bede, The Summa by St. Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Chaucer, Cervantes, etc., presented in the Socratic mode by Catholic moderators.

The Socratic Discussion Groups are not sequential prior to 9th grade, and may be begun profitably at any year or time. From 9th-12th grades, they are sequential and students need to begin at the beginning, with the 9th grade readings only, regardless of their grade levels in other subjects.

Mathematics at the elementary level should be taught with many connections with the real world and real human problems, not as a purely abstract set of formulae. Most textbooks, including those we selected (for want of any better) insufficiently connect math to reality for youngsters.

We do not recommend science as a separate subject before 4th (or even 7th grade). Prior to that time a few "wonders" might be demonstrated, such as the constellations and resonance in music, but only phenomena which are simple should be considered. Field trips, simple experiments and stories of early discoveries and scientists should begin to be read and reenacted in these years. This is the age of wonder and contact with the beauties of nature, not excessive analysis. Our texts selected for this year are largely selected due to their beautiful images, interesting presentations, and for such simple projects which are described therein. But we encourage an even more "poetic" approach to science at the early grades.

This course is age appropriate and a wonderful training in the liberal art of thinking. Dr. Peter Redpath, the Chairman of the Angelicum Academy, taught this course for years and highly recommends it. The Great Books course in grades 9-12 integrates education in reasoning, logic, rhetoric and ethics.

This course follows the chronological order of history, beginning with Creation and Adam and Eve. The early grades are largely stories, heavily illustrated to help provide a sense of time. In the early grades literature often teaches history best. Grade 6 includes a more mature, though brief recapitulation of ancient history. The Great Books include much history, integrated into the readings, beginning with the Greek historian, Herodotus.

Our Geography course is based on National Geographic's 100+ years of issues, indexed and on CDs, with Lesson Plans developed by the Academy to run parallel with the history course grades. Geography gives us the setting of human events all over the planet and their relatedness to nature, the environment, weather, scarce resources and the common struggles of mankind, engendering a mutual respect. It may be studied profitably even in the earliest grades. Unlike social studies, it is not an attempt to abolish history, but compliments it.

Like our Geography course, our Cartography (Map skills) course is a National Geographic product of the finest quality, (copyrighted 2000 A.D.). It therefore ties in well with the Geography and history courses.