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Religion 12
Seniors at Queen of Heaven Academy develop a mature understanding of the Church and Her role in guiding our lives toward heaven. Such maturity is essential for students who are growing toward their own vocations. This course develops their understanding of the origins of the Church and Her authority, old heresies and their modern equivalents, and the help that students can rely upon when the world presses upon them. Additionally, the students will develop their understanding of the whole Church and their own role in it as part of the Body of Christ. This study will be accompanied by a mature study of prayer as a relationship with God through reading Fulfillment of All Desire. This book is a presentation of the call to holiness through the writings of the Doctors of the Church: Saint Augustine, Saint Bernard, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Therese Lisieux.
Prerequisites: None
Apologetics
Apologetics is the science concerned with the defense of the Catholic religion. Its aim is to prove from reason, the Divine Authority of the Catholic Church. Advancing through a series of connected truths, it concludes that the one and only guide of faith on earth is the Catholic Church, Holy and Infallible. Catholic Apologetics, therefore, is not a mere appeal for the acceptance of Catholicism or a plea for its toleration, but a solid demonstration that it is the one and only true religion.
This course will utilize the text Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine, Part 1: Apologetics by Archbishop Michael Sheehan, D.D. as revised and edited by Fr. Denis Bouchard, FSSP.
As Catholics, we should familiarize ourselves with the whole network of argument by which our faith is defended. The age in which we live is hostile to God, to Christ, and to His Church; it is our duty, therefore, to master the proofs set forth in Apologetics, so that we may have a fuller vision of the reasonableness of our faith, of the enormous strength of its defenses, and of the weakness of the objections alleged against the Faith. It is our duty to remove temptation from our path, and to fortify ourselves against the spirit of infidelity that infects the very air we breathe. It is our duty to acquire sufficient knowledge to enable us, at need, to answer the questions that may be addressed to us by the honest inquirer. The exhortation of St. Peter to the early Christians to be “ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you,” (1 Peter 3:15) is as applicable to us as it was to them. Besides bringing the reward of a duty fulfilled, the study of Apologetics is in itself a valuable mental discipline: it stimulates and develops our reasoning powers by setting them to work at problems of profound importance and of unfailing interest.Prerequisites: None
Religion 9 - 12th: Mary, the Fairest Lady and the World's First Love
De Maria numquam satis: “Of Mary, there is never enough.” She is the cause of our joy, “our life, our sweetness, and our hope,” and the one “solitary boast” of mankind. She is the golden thread that runs through Scripture from beginning to end, and Jesus is for eternity intimately and totally united to her. Who is this Woman? What is her role in Salvation History, in our own lives, and in the world? Who is she to God? What is our relationship with her, and what should our relationship with her be like in practice? Why do we need to be intimately united to her? This course will be a sort of portrait of Our Lady, so that we may come to know her better, and more fully belong to her like Jesus Himself does.
This course will include: a foundational understanding of Mary in the Old and New Testaments; Mary in the Sacred Tradition of the Church (particularly the 4 Marian Dogmas and the Doctrine of Mary as CoRedemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate); Mary as our Mother, and as Queen; Mary in the lives and writings of the Fathers and Saints of the Church; St. Joseph in the life of Mary; Mary in art and poetry; in her apparitions (those approved by the Church); and the crucially important realm of Marian consecration. Open to all 9th-12th-grade students, as well as mature 8th-grade students.
Prerequisites: None
Honors Latin 4 with AP Option
In this course, students will continue reading continuous selections from two seminal Classical Latin authors: Julius Caesar (de Bello Gallico) and Vergil (Aeneid). By the end of this course, students will be able to recognize literary figures of speech and rhetorical devices, to discuss themes in these works, to recognize meters of Latin poetry, and have a solid understanding of the cultural importance of these works in Ancient Rome and throughout Western Civilization.
Students will be required to submit translations of texts twice weekly, answer questions based on the readings, take frequent (weekly/nearly weekly) quizzes, and quarterly exams.
AP Option
For those who are considering this option, please review this page:
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-latin?course=ap-latin
Those seeking AP designation will need to pay their own AP fees and arrange for taking the tests. Upon passing the AP exam with a 3 or above, the Honors Latin 4 course will be designated as AP Latin on the student's transcript.
In addition to the above requirements, one AP session will be arranged with the instructor the month prior to taking the exam to help prepare the student for the exam. Separate weekly assignments will be assigned as well. Additional cost for AP Option is $250.
Prerequisites: Latin 3 or cleared by the instructor
Precalculus
Precalculus is an advanced math course that will dive deeper into the algebra and geometry topics studied to date. The purpose of the precalculus course is to solidify algebraic knowledge of number theory, function theory, and ensure students have the skills and maturity necessary to be properly prepared for calculus.
To this end, several function classes including linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions are studied. Within each function class characteristics of the function are emphasized including their basic form, graph, associated equations and inequalities, as well as their applications. We will complete the course with a study of matrix algebra, and if time permits we will cover conic sections, sequences and series and an introduction to calculus.Throughout the course, both algebraic and graphical techniques will be used. As such, a graphing calculator is required. The TI-83+, TI-84+, or TI-Nspire CX are recommended.
Access is provided to an interactive website for stepwise help and automatic feedback for individual problem-solving. Cumulative review work is encouraged by means of a personalized study plan.
Students will be required to:
- Attend live classes and participate in classroom discussion.
- Study class text.
- Submit online homework, weekly quizzes and chapter tests.
- Complete study plan assignments generated by each quiz and test.
- Complete cumulative quarterly examinations and study personal feedback.
- Do the work above in a timely manner as a condition of admission to live classes and continuation in the course.
- Workload for the course is on average an hour (up to 1.5 hours for some students on some topics as this is an advanced math course) per day of work or study.
Monday - Thursday live classes will focus on presentation of material, interactive problem solving and will address difficulties of student work. Students will be expected to come to class prepared by reading and study of text material and by attempting example problems for the assigned material.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the QHA Algebra 1, and Geometry, Algebra 2 or equivalent. Note: An entrance exam will be available if a parent is in doubt as to student's ability, but it is not required with proper prerequisites. Diagnostic tests are made available June 1st.
Precalculus (Honors) Option
The honors math program allows students to earn the honors designation on their transcript by doing additional work beyond the regular classwork and exploring additional concepts not covered in the class. Honor students attend regular classes throughout the week (Monday-Thursday), doing homework and taking quizzes and tests according to the class requirements. In addition, students will be assigned work in IXL Math to be completed each week. At the end of the year the honors grade will be combined with the grade from the regular class for the final grade on the transcript with the honors designation (80% regular class grade/ 20% honors grade). Each week there will be a 1-hour peer-assisted study session (Fridays 12 Eastern Standard Time) in which students can work together on any of the concepts covered that week (the teacher will be present, but the session is run by the students). Attendance at the study session is not required.
Prerequisite: Students must have earned an A or B in their previous math class.
Calculus
Calculus is an AP (Advanced Placement) level math course that covers all the material required for the Calculus AB exam. Time permitting, material from the Calculus BC exam is covered as well. All material is covered from graphical, numerical and algebraic perspectives.
The first half of the course covers the concepts of Differential Calculus. Starting with the study of limits and continuity, students are introduced to the concepts of rates of change and eventually derivatives. Many differentiation rules and techniques are investigated including the Chain Rule and Implicit Differentiation. Finally, differentiation concepts are applied to real-world problems in the areas of modeling and optimization as well as related rates.
The second half of the course covers the concepts of Integral Calculus. Starting with the study of the Definite Integral, students are introduced to the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Many antidifferentiation rules and techniques are explored including Antidifferentiation by Substitution and by Parts. Finally, integration concepts will be applied to real-world problems by looking at the integral as net change, areas in the plane, volumes, lengths of curves as well as applications from science and statistics.
If time permits, more advanced topics such as Sequences, Series, L'Hopitals Rule, Improper Integrals as well as Parametric Vector and Polar Functions will be covered.
Access is provided to an interactive website for stepwise help and automatic feedback for individual problem-solving. Cumulative review work is encouraged by means of a personalized study plan.
Students will be required to:
- Attend live classes and participate in classroom discussion.
- Study class text.
- Submit online homework, weekly quizzes and chapter tests.
- Complete study plan assignments generated by each quiz and test.
- Complete cumulative quarterly examinations and study personal feedback.
- Do the work above in a timely manner as a condition of admission to live classes and continuation in the course.
- Workload for the course is on average an hour (up to 1.5 hours for some students on some topics as this is an advanced math course) per day of work or study.
- Live classes will focus on presentation of material, interactive problem solving and will address difficulties of student work. Students will be expected to come to class prepared by reading and study of text material and by attempting example problems for the assigned material.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of the QHA Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 and Precalculus or equivalent.
Note: An entrance exam will be available if a parent is in doubt as to student's ability. Diagnostic tests are made available June 1st.
US Government
This course will survey the history of government in America from European colonial settlement through the present day. The writing of the Constitution will be examined as well as how the federal system is supposed to work and the actualities of modern politics and government. Upon completion of the course, students should be well-prepared to take the CLEP and AP exams in U.S. Government.
Prerequisites: None
English 4
Welcome, parents and students, to English 4(B), a course in literature and composition designed to cultivate the life of the mind by developing the skills of the liberal arts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
The selections in this course represent the classics, what Matthew Arnold called “the best that has been thought and said.” They nourish the mind, lift the spirit, and awaken the imagination. In Dr. Johnson’s words, they teach a person how to enjoy life more and how to endure life better. Not to read these masterpieces is to miss some of life’s most quintessential pleasures. Not to know the classics, as C. S. Lewis observed, is like never having swum in the ocean, never having tasted wine, and never having been in love. They illuminate the meaning of the highest ideals that inspire great art and noble heroism– the True, the Good, and the Beautiful–and they portray “the way things are” (the nature of things) as they truthfully represent the human condition and present the facts about human nature in all its glory and misery. Further, “the weapons of art,” says Fr. William Lynch, in his classic book on literature, Christ and Apollo (a book highly praised by the great Catholic authoress Flannery O'Connor) “are the cognitive allies of the Holy Ghost”.
These classics are “old books”, and, as C.S. Lewis observed in his essay “On the Reading of Old Books,” everyone read should an old book after reading a new one because the old books are like fresh health-giving sea breezes that restore health and clear the mind. Great books cure the biases and narrowness of modern life by providing readers other standards besides fashionable opinion—ideals that allow one to distinguish between the way things are and they way things ought to be.
This course, then, is designed to whet the intellectual appetite to love learning and enjoy reading—the liberal art of loving good things for their own sake. However, the course also cultivates the habit of composition, the art of essay writing: developing a thesis, proving a point, organizing unified, coherent paragraphs, and composing grammatical, lucid sentences. Along with reading and writing, students learn the skills of listening and speaking as they answer questions in class discussions that are structured as dialogues with the teacher leading the student to discover the light of truth that great literature captures and illuminates.
Prerequisites: English 1, English 2, English 3 or demonstrated equivalent
Physics / Philosophy
The course block is comprised of an introductory-level high school physics course and the QHA natural philosophy course. Using a conceptual approach, the physics course follows the topical outline of standard physics courses:
- Newtonian mechanics
- kinematics
- fluid mechanics
- thermodynamics
- electricity and magnetism, etc.
Because the standard physics course limits the study of matter and motion to the study of matter and motion from a strictly empirical-mathematical perspective (the modern understanding of 'science'), it is insufficient for the Catholic, who cannot uncritically accept this approach, which has artificially handicapped and reduced the very concept of "science" and has, as a consequence, removed from science all sense of immaterial being and ultimately has made science the philosophical vehicle for the agnostic and materialist worldview and culture in the Western world. Therefore, we offer the courses within a philosophy block that examines the positivist presuppositions of science (i.e. that whatever is not empirically verifiable is not worthy of being called scientific). Within the block, the empirico-mathematical approach is tempered with the living tradition of Aristotelian-Thomistic thought, i.e. by the speculative science of being that integrates the contemporary standard perspective with a wholesome realist logical-philosophical methodology.
Positivist 'Science' vs. Traditional Science
Undeniably, the reductionistic understanding of 'science' has had some good side-effects, especially the boom in the field of technology since the Industrial Revolution, but among its direct consequences we find the following: it has deprived many a modern scientist of any capacity to think philosophically; it has removed from science all sense of immaterial being (or at least has convinced modern scientists that there cannot be scientific knowledge of the immaterial); it has, in the eyes of too many, invalidated Aristotelian-Thomistic philosophy (and even the Christian religion!); it has resulted in a dehumanizing loss of respect for all life; ultimately, it has been the philosophical vehicle for the creation of an agnostic, materialistic, pragmatic worldview and culture in the Western world. Therefore we require that students who have not taken the QHA Philosophy of nature with their chemistry course, take it concurrently with Physics. In conformity with the nature and scope of the discipline of natural science as it has been practiced by the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition throughout the ages, all conclusions will proceed strictly from empirical evidence and rational inquiry; they will be consonant with, but not based on, Christian revelation, as explained and interpreted by the infallible Magisterium of the Catholic Church.Study Time
Students should plan to spend 1.5 to 2 hours per day on reading and writing assignments outside of class; this is necessary to enable the understanding of presented material. Demonstrated mastery of concepts to the instructor is obtained through homework, exams, and class participation. Work must be submitted on time to receive credit.
Pre-AP Physics (with option of Honors designation)
Assignments for Pre-AP Physics are intended to challenge students who want a thorough preparation for a science or pre-professional major in college by developing their inquiry, analytical, and reasoning skills. Pre-AP students are required to complete the basic coursework described in the General Physics option. In addition, they will also be required to complete additional weekly homework assignments, making the workload college-level. There is an extra fee for the Pre-AP course which will cover developing and grading the additional homework assignments. Pre-AP students will have enhanced versions of tests and exams, with additional challenging essay and quantitative questions. Acceptance to Pre-AP Physics will be determined during the first quarter of school and is solely at the discretion of the instructor. A student must demonstrate active class participation, consistently score well on quizzes, lab worksheets, tests, and the first exam, and do well on several enhanced questions for on chapter tests. (For an honors designation they will be expected to achieve a specified score on the AP test. Since the course textbook is NOT a college text, it is important to study for the AP test with an AP specified study guide for Physics. Most of the topics needed to be successful on the Physics AP exam are covered in the Pre-AP course of study. To see the AP physics requirements, go to apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_ Those seeking an honors designation will need to pay their own AP fees and arrange for taking the tests.) Students will be required to:corner/2119.html.
- Complete bi-weekly textbook assignments
- Participate in the live class discussions
- Complete weekly homework assignments, including extra questions specific to the Pre-AP course.
- Submit objective quizzes, and chapter tests over the fundamental conceptual and quantitative material
- Complete examinations (chapter tests and exams include quantitative and essay questions that require advanced analytical and reasoning skills)
- Complete simple labs using the physics kit and household materials to complete lab reports
- Do all the work above in a timely manner
Physics students in both options attend the same class sessions.
Prerequisites
Completion of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II (It is assumed that one or two chapters of in-depth study in basic trigonometric functions have been studied in a previous geometry course. Recommended: completion of the RCA course in logic.
History Writing Seminar
The history writing seminar is designed to teach students how to write a historical research paper. The student will write two 2,500 - 3,000 word papers with emphasis on the art of research and special attention given to noting and bibliography. The first paper will be prepared for submission to the National History Day Competition which is held on the regional and state levels annually and with the finals at the University of Maryland in June. In the past, we have had several students awarded at the state level and others who have competed in the national finals. The paper will be written in accordance with the NHD rules and theme. (visit www.nhd.org for more details)
The second paper will be written with the same care to detail but on a subject chosen by the student and approved by the instructor.
The course will be conducted as an online seminar in which the students and the instructor will meet periodically (usually twice a month) and a suitable day and time will be determined after the school year begins. Most of the work will be done independently and the student will need to submit work nearly every week directly to the instructor.
This is open to juniors and seniors and only to those who are self-motivated, serious about learning to research and write, and capable of meeting deadlines.Prerequisites: Instructor Approval
Required Texts: None Required
Composition Assistance
CA is for students enrolled in QHA English or history, which require students to
write bimonthly essays. CA provides one-on-one instruction on each writing assignment.
Starting a month prior to the due date, the student prepares and submits a series of drafts to
the CA instructor for review, up to four total following a structured schedule:- Week 1: the student brainstorms the essay topic and creates a structured outline.
- Week 2: the student writes a first draft of the essay, focusing on a sound thesis statement and 3-4 body paragraphs led by strong topic sentences.
- Week 3: the student continues to refine the body of the essay as well as the introduction, conclusion, and “Works Cited” section.
- Week 4: the student polishes the essay for one last examination by the CA instructor.
The CA instructor reviews each submission and provides feedback to the student in the form
of written comments and edits that guide him to strengthen the essay. Instruction focuses on
key elements of composition including thesis development, argumentation, evidence, flow,
grammar, and syntax. The teacher responds to the student within 48 hours (excluding
weekends and holidays) using the QHA course management system. CA is appropriate for
high school students of all ages and skill levels.Prerequisites: None
Required Texts:
- None mandated, but the course does have optional enhancement lessons
that use two workbooks ($48). These lessons consist of weekly reading and exercises that
teach grammar, self-editing, and other concepts of good writing. They take the student about
an hour per week to complete and are a highly recommended supplement to the CA course.
Math and Latin Tutoring
Math and Latin assistance is a once a week, one hour a week, individual tutoring session. Students will log into Adobe Connect each week and spend the hour one-on-one with the teacher working through homework problems, preparing for upcoming tests or quizzes or reviewing math concepts covered in class. Assistance can also be used for those students seeking more challenging work than what in covered in the classroom. The student will use a microphone and webcam, as well as write on the “whiteboard.”
At the start of the school year, the student and teacher will agree upon a time and day of the week for the tutoring sessions which will cover all 36 weeks of the Queen of Heaven Academy academic year.
Math and Latin assistance are available for all grades and all levels.
Prerequisites: None
Required Texts:
- None Required.