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CURRICULUM - 2024/2025

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” - 1 Sam. 16:7

As our students develop into young men and women, we parents slowly lose the reins of our control and allow them to make increasingly difficult and consequential decisions. For better or for worse, these decisions are often directed by the attitude and bearing of their hearts. This year’s history, literature, theology, and even science curricula focus on the unseen world of our student’s hearts, addressing themes like sloth, frivolity, courage, unseen pride, civic responsibility, self-indulgence, sacrifice, greed, hubris, and how seemingly innocuous decisions can shape and even destroy our destiny.

** NOTE: There may be small changes to the following list of curricula. **

MATHEMATICS

from pre-algebra to pre-calculus

TEXTBOOK: N/A

Semester: First & Second

This class has been transformational for TELOS students. Many have said things like, “I used to hate math, but now that I understand it, I love it!” Difficulty in mathematics is typically because a student has missed a foundational concept or principle which makes more advanced concepts difficult or impossible to master. With decades of experience, Mr. Guzman’s specialty is seeing and filling in those gaps, setting them up for future success in mathematics and science. (This class is two semesters.)

Instructor: Robert Guzman

SCIENCES

Option 1: BIOLOGY

Textbook: TBD

Semester: First & Second

Description coming soon…

Instructor: Bethany Mende

Option 3: Physics

Textbook: Exploring Creation with Physics ( LINK )

Semester: First & Second

Apologia's Exploring Creation with Physics is a college-prep physics course designed for students who have completed algebra and have had an introduction to the definitions of sine, cosine, and tangent. It provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general physics. Heavily emphasizing vector analysis, this text is ideal preparation for a university-level physics course. It provides the student with a strong background in one-dimensional and two-dimensional motion, Newton's laws and their application, gravity, work and energy, momentum, periodic motion, waves, optics, electrostatics, electrodynamics, electrical circuits, and magnetism.

Instructor: Robert Guzman

HISTORY

OPTION 1: Western Civilization

textbook 1: HOw Then Shall We Live? ( n/a )

Semester: First & Second

As one of the foremost evangelical thinkers of the twentieth century, Francis Schaeffer long pondered the fate of declining Western culture. In this video series, he analyzed the reasons for modern society's state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God's revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible's morals, values, and meaning.

Instructor: Jared Mende

textbook 2: The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great ( LINK )

Semester: First & Second

In 2016, Ben Shapiro spoke at UC Berkeley. Hundreds of police officers were required to protect his speech, which was - ironically - about the necessity for free speech and rational debate! We are in the process of abandoning Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law and we are watching civilization collapse into tribalism, hedonism, and moral subjectivism. We can’t. Too many of us have lost sight of the moral purpose that drives us, and our sacred duty to work together for the greater good. A stark warning, and a call to spiritual arms. The ideas in this book are a vital step in getting civilization back on track.

OPTION 2: Government and Economics

textbook: TBD

Semester: First & Second

Instructor: Amy Norris

LITERATURE

WHAT MAKES LITERATURE GREAT?

At Telos we study Beauty. Why? Because the world is itself ordered by and to Beauty— Divine Beauty. In order to truly understand this divine Beauty of God, we must examine the relationship of good and evil, tragedy and triumph, joy and despair, and that’s something we take into consideration as we select Literature for our students.

Semester: First & Second

Reading list

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Till We Have Faces - CS Lewis

A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor

The Gift of the Magi - O'Henry

Macbeth - Shakespeare

Confessions of Saint Augustine

The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom

The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien

Instructor: Jared Mende

THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN LIVING

APOLOGETICS AND EVANGELISM

TEXTBOOK: rEACHING A lOST wORLD (Provided for a nominal fee)

Semester: First

What would you say to a Muslim friend who says Jesus was just a prophet or cults that say the Bible is corrupt? Can you defend the doctrine of the Trinity and the integrity of the Bible? This 12-week course will challenge you to dig deeply into the Word of God for answers to these questions and many more. It will train you to be a more effective witness for the Lord, more confident in talking to people of different faiths, and equip you to stand up for the truth.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND LIVING FOR GOD

TEXTBOOK: tbd (BASED ON NEEDS, AND PARENT / STUDENT FEEDBACK)

Semester: Second

SPEECH AND DEBATE

Textbook: n/a

Semester: First & Second

Whether your student is terrified of public speaking or a confident debater, this year will provide opportunities for your student to acquire the tools and experience needed to communicate clearly with clarity and precision. Using the five canons of rhetoric, students will practice listening well, understanding multiple perspectives, detecting fallacies, applying sound logic, disagreeing respectfully, and responding under pressure with civility and grace.

In this non-competitive course of study, students will be able to experiment in a fun and encouraging environment where they can focus on the call of Ephesians 4:15 to “speak the truth in love,” instead of focusing on points and winners.

Instructor: TBD

COMPOSITION & CREATIVE WRITING

COMPOSITION

textbook: The Lost Tools of Writing ( link )

Semester: First & Second

This year’s composition course will complement Speech and Debate by focusing on persuasive writing. Using the five canons of rhetoric, The Lost Tools of Writing will guide students to communicate with purpose, clarity, and confidence.

Instructor: Cheryl Kolesar

CREATIVE WRITING

textbook: none

Semester: First & Second

As C. S. Lewis once said, "The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature." In this class, students will acquire tools to create compelling, God-honoring stories that change the reader, and maybe the world. Yes, the world. After all, Jesus, the greatest teacher of all time, frequently used stories as his preferred medium for teaching. The course includes lectures and creative writing exercises. Topics covered will include:

• The Hero’s Journey

• Developing moving plotlines

• Show, don’t tell

• Who’s Mary Sue, and why she should never be in your story

By the end of the school year, students will understand creative writing tools, complete their own full-length story, and know the first steps to getting published.

Instructor: Lucas Kolesar

LOGIC

Textbook: n/a

Semester: First & Second

In this course, we will be learning the basic rules of logic. Logic is the study of argument. In this class specifically, there will be a focus on learning the difference between arguments that sound good (but aren’t) and arguments that are valid and well-reasoned. We will examine concepts such as validity, deduction, induction, formal and informal logic, and common logical fallacies. The ultimate goal of the course is for students to grow in their knowledge of truth, because God is truth.

Instructor: Jared Mende

LANGUAGES

option 1: Latin 1

Textbooks:

• Latin First Year ( link ) / Latin Grammar ( link )

Semester: First & Second

Henle Latin First Year​ gives students a thorough mastery of forms, basic syntax, and simple vocabulary. It covers the declensions, various conjugations, ablative and infinitive constructions, and much more.

Henle Latin Grammar is designed for student use through all four years of Latin study: Part I introduces forms of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, numerals, pronouns, and verbs; Part II covers syntax. 

Humanistic insight and linguistic training are the goals of the Henle Latin Series, an integrated four-year Latin course. Time-tested and teacher-endorsed, this comprehensive program is designed to lead the student systematically through the fundamentals of the language and on to an appreciation of selected classic texts.

Instructor: Jared Mende

option 2: SPANISH

TEXTBOOK: TBD

Semester: First & Second

Instructor: Cheryl Kolesar

ELECTIVES

culinary arts

textbook: On Food and cooking ( link ) ** Students don’t need a copy **

FEE: $0

Semester: First & Second

** This class is taught every third week **

In each session, the students will be taught a foundational principle of cooking or hospitality. They will then make a meal they will serve to themselves and their fathers. The students will be encouraged to prepare the same meal at home for their families.

On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science. Though other books have been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in clarity and thoroughness of its explanations. Although not required for the class, it should be required if you love cooking! :-)

Instructor: Cheryl Kolesar

pHYSICAL EDUCATION

Textbook: n/a

FEE: $0

Semester: First & Second

Instructor: Hiram Samaniego

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

textbook: n/a

FEE: $10

Semester: Second

The class will help prepare your student for the mental and physical challenges when facing an emergency or survival situation. Much of the class will be taught outdoors and will include topics like preparing a “bug out” bag, elements necessary for survival like shelter, clean water, fire and food, traps and tracking, sanitization and wound care, trauma care, tourniquets and splints, edible vegetation and safe food preparation and more. The student will finish the semester with a stocked “bug out” bag and a family emergency binder. The student will be required to supply their own 2 and 3 inch binders, dividers, and all material for their “bug out” bags and “bug in” supplies.

Instructor: Lisa Vandermulen

COLLEGE PREP

STUDY SKILLS & PRODUCTIVITY

textbook: MOMENTUM BOOT-CAMP FOR STUDENTS ( PROVIDED )

** This is an Add-On course with a separate fee. It is a Zoom class and it will be taught second semester. **

Semester: Second

Most students lack the study, organizational, and time-management skills required to thrive in college. Consequently, they learn to plan for projects and manage their daily schedules through frustration, failure, and lower grades. This course starts with organization skills and managing assignments, projects, and deadlines. Once the students are equipped to manage and organize all their “stuff,” the course then moves to practical skills needed to make them more effective students. This practical and hands-on course will teach students how to:

ORGANIZATION

• Use best practices for organization

• Find anything quickly

• Optimize their file and folder structures for school

• Implement the P.A.R.A. Method to organize everything

• Adopt internet and security best practices

• Backup and restore vital files and data

Instructor: Michael Kolesar