Liberal Arts Level 3: Advanced 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 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
Syllabus
Course Materials:
Required Texts for 2023-24
A Door in the Wall, Marguerite de Angeli
Kite Fighters, Linda Sue Park
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Robert C. O’Brien
Mr. Bach Comes to Call, Classical Kids
Perrault’s Fairy Tales, Charles Perrault
The Wright Brothers, Quentin Reynolds
The Story of My Life, Helen Keller
The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
Love that Dog, Sharon Creech
Grammarland, M.L. Nesbitt
Elder Cleopa stories, varied volumes
(to be shared together in class – not required to have at home)
Dr. Erin Moulton has a deep love for education and has been teaching in some capacity for over two decades. She holds a PhD in Slavic linguistics from the University of Kansas and has also studied at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, and in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In the past, she served as an instructor of Russian language, literature, and culture at University of Kansas. She has worked professionally as an editor, copywriter, and project manager in the fields of international compliance and revenue operations. She also serves as youth communications liaison for the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the Midwest and as board president of the Orthodox Christian Translation Society. Erin and her husband, Christian, are parishioners at Holy Trinity Church in Overland Park, Kansas, where she teaches church school and assists in creating a multiyear cycle of curriculum for the parish. Erin and Christian have four children, all of whom she has educated at home over the past 15 years. moultonstraphael@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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Explore our courses!
First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.
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Read the Student-Parent Handbook.
Please take careful note of our teaching philosophy, our technology requirements, our school policies, the parent agreement, and the distinctions between our grade levels.
Double-check the course section dates and times.
Make sure they don’t conflict with other activities in your schedule or other courses you are purchasing. Our system will not catch double-bookings!
You’re ready to add course selections to your cart!
Our Assistant to the Principal will be in touch with you after your enrollment to help you with next steps, including any placement evaluations that may be required for your course selections.
This registration will be finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.