Liberal Arts Level 3: Advanced Chapter Books

The Liberal Arts Level 3: Advanced Chapter Books course is designed to provide students with an overview of literary genres. Reading selections give students the opportunity to foster an enthusiasm for reading and establish strong connections with books. Through classroom discussions, students increase verbal communication skills and develop listening skills. The course focuses on retelling narratives; answering questions leading to definitions, examples, and comparisons; and identifying themes. Reading assignments are given on a daily basis. In class readings and discussions follow the liturgical and festal cycle of the Orthodox Church.

Writing assignments include personal letters, narratives, essays, creative pieces, and journal writing. Vocabulary, spelling, and grammar are an important part of this course and are reinforced holistically through each composition piece. As a community of learners, we work together as a class to build the shared learning experiences as well as to encourage and nurture disciplines and virtues.

Each unit begins with study of a specific form of poetry, both through reading and creative composition of our own poems. Each unit also includes relevant science, nature, geography, music, or visual art studies and culminates with a creative project.

View Liberal Arts Curriculum Map

• Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.
• High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.
• Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)
• Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm
• Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:
  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.
• Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.