Liberal Arts Level 2: Early Chapter Books
Ongoing Enrollment
While our courses are no longer available for purchase on the website, St. Raphael School is open to inquiries about enrolling in courses at any time during the year. If you wish to enroll in a Yearlong course for the 2020-2021 school year after the official add/drop deadline (September 21), you will need to contact us directly. We will consider each request on a case-by-case basis after considering several factors, including size of the class, the preparedness of the student, the willingness of the instructor to accommodate a late addition to the class, and the content of the course. If you would like to submit a request for enrollment in an ongoing course, please visit our Contact Us page.
Two-Year Rotation: Click for Details
Our Liberal Arts Curriculum is designed to offer the heart of a classic literature–based education integrated into a single course. Taught in the spirit of Orthodox Christianity through a restful (scholé) pedagogy, the courses span 7 levels on a 2-year rotation, plus Level 7 and Level 8, for a total of 14 years of unique material. Class sizes are limited so that interactions within the classroom are personal and cultivate depth of learning.
Book lists for both Rotation A and Rotation B are listed under the Course Materials tab. For the 2023–2024 school year, you only need to purchase the books for Rotation B.
The Liberal Arts Level 2: Early Chapter Books course is designed to build on skills and love of learning built in our Level 1 course. Like Level 2, this course encourages love of learning via stories, the natural world, and the rhythms of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith. The curriculum is built around a wonderful and engaging selection of early chapter books and collections of short stories that will capture the interest and imagination of students. The class will meet twice a week, with one day for students and the instructor to meet, discuss, and share work. As young learners work and interact at home and in class, they will build the skills they need to become attentive students, supportive and respectful classmates, curious learners, and independent critical thinkers. Students will begin to build writing skills via creative assignments and writing tasks, including writing poems, personal letters, stories, and practicing renarration strategies. This class is intended to create a strong foundation of curiosity and confidence for future learning.
Prerequisites
Students who enroll in this class should be able to do the following:
• Read at a beginner level (books that are too challenging for the student may be read with or aloud by the parent)
• Show an understanding a story by asking and answering questions about it
• Converse with and listen to others, including asking questions and waiting their turn to respond
• Be responsible for completing and turning in assignments with the help of a parent
• Parent presence is required on the second class of each week
View Liberal Arts Curriculum Map
Syllabus
Required Materials*
Poetry/Hymnography:
Provided monthly by instructor
Hagiography:
101 Orthodox Saints by Sarah Wright and Alexandra Schmalzbach
Short Stories:
Provided by instructor
Picture Books:
Maybe Something Beautiful by Isabelle Campoy and Theresa Howell
Short Novels:
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Shepherding Sam by Melinda Johnson
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Other Resources will be shared by the instructors throughout the
academic year.
Any edition of the above texts is acceptable!
*Required materials are not included in the purchase of the course. We have supplied links to Amazon for convenience, but any edition of the book is acceptable.
Printable Reading List
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Open in new tab NOTE: The books listed above are for the upcoming 2022–2023 school year and are required texts. The books listed below are for the next rotation of this class, which will run in the 2023–2024 school year. The Rotation B texts below are listed for reference only and will not be used in the upcoming 2022–2023 school year.
2021–2022: Rotation B
Poetry/Hymnography:
- A Family of Poems, compiled by Caroline Kennedy
- Our Hymn to the Mother of God, All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery (to be shared in class, not required to have at home)
Scripture:
- Children’s Bible Reader, published by the Greek Bible Society
Short stories and Saint’s Lives:
- James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
- A Child’s Paradise of Saints, Nun Nectaria McLees
- Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow, Eric A. Kimmel (to be shared in class – not required to have at home)
Short novels
- The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner
- A Lion to Guard Us, Clyde Robert Bulla
- The Chalk Box Kid, Clyde Robert Bulla
- The Courage of Sarah Noble, Alice Dalgliesh
- Spyridon’s Shoes, Christine Rogers
- A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
- The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
- Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne
Additional texts and materials will be provided by the instructor.
Presvytera Jennifer Moore was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa. The youngest of four children, she became an aunt at the age of five and thus began her career as an educator. Presvytera Jennifer attended Indiana Wesleyan University, completing coursework and practicums for both Children’s Ministry and Secondary English Education, eventually graduating with a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Southern New Hampshire University. She has a passion for education, especially language, writing, literature, and faith studies. Presvytera Jennifer has volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, worked as an ESL teacher on an international platform, and created and implemented a multi-generational Orthodox family education program in her previous parish. She married her high school sweetheart in 2003. Father Matthew was ordained in 2014 and currently serves Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Steubenville, Ohio. They have three daughters, Adeline, Katherine, and Beatrice, all of whom Presvytera Jennifer has home-educated over the past ten years. Their family has multiple bonus features, such as ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, asynchrony, and sensory issues. Presvytera Jennifer believes in the potential of every child, and it is her great joy and privilege to help facilitate their growth and achievement. She is an insatiable reader of anything she can get her hands on and a writer of creative nonfiction and poetry in her free time. She also volunteers as a social media manager for a local philanthropic organization and enjoys time with her incredible family and friends. Presvytera Jennifer believes that both literature and Orthodoxy Christianity can change the world. j.mooreraphaelschool@gmail.com
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 a much better solution, as such devices 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.
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.
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:
- Visit zoom.us/download.
- Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
- Open and run the installer on your computer.
- In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.
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This registration will be finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.