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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 / Curriculum: provided

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 / Curriculum: ( LINK )

Semester: First & Second

Apologia's Exploring Creation with Biology 3rd Edition has been redesigned to better illustrate the beauty of life that surrounds us all! This edition also includes full-page infographics that help illuminate concepts from the text. This college-prep biology course is designed to be the student's first high school science course, and provides students with a thorough understanding of the relevance of scientific inquiry. Textbook readings are backed by hands-on experiments that take students' book knowledge and bring it into real-world applications. After completing this course, students will be able to understand the vocabulary of biology and gain a strong understanding of the scientific method that will equip them to analyze data across other disciplines. Modules cover atoms, chemical structures, ecosystems, biomes, ecological communities, cell structure and function, cellular energy, DNA, proteins, cell cycles, and genetics (including inheritance, disorders, and technology). Students will also learn about prokaryotes, viruses, protists, fungi, and the fascinating worlds of plants and animals. 716 pages, softcover. 3rd Edition. For Grade 9. Can also be used in Grade 8 for advanced science students or Grade 10 if a student is not college-bound for the sciences.

Instructor: Bethany Mende

Option 3: Physics

Textbook / Curriculum: provided

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

** This class is open to the public **

the story of Western Civilization

textbook / Curriculum: Provided

Semester: First & Second

The Story of Western Civilization is the narrative of our culture’s past: the philosophy of ancient Greece, the politics of ancient Rome, the morality of ancient Israel, and the religion of Christianity. There are many different narratives told in today’s world about Western civilization: that it is evil, that it is oppressive, or that it is tainted by a narrow-minded Christian worldview. In this class, we will deconstruct these false narratives and answer the question: What is Western civilization, exactly?

There is no textbook to buy for this course: readings will be provided to the students each week via Trello. We will look at primary sources from different periods in history—the Old and New Testaments, Plato’s Republic, Virgil’s Aeneid, St. Augustine’s Confessions, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, and many others—as well as secondary sources from trusted scholars and modern-day thinkers, including but not limited to C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, Francis Schaefer’s How Should We Then Live?, and Ben Shapiro’s The Right Side of History.

While the story of Western civilization is fascinating in itself, the goal of the class is for students to understand how that story fits into the eternal story of God’s redemptive plan for humanity.

Instructor: Jared Mende

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMICS

GOVERNMENT

TEXTBOOK / CURRICULUM: understanding the U.S. Constitution ( link )

Semester: First

Using a variety of impactful public records and literary works, students will explore the structure and history of the U.S. Constitution. Students will develop an understanding of how the Constitution is continually being interpreted, challenged, and defended and their rights and responsibilities as citizens. 

Instructor: Amy Norris

economics

TEXTBOOK / CURRICULUM: Economics for Everybody ( link )

Semester: Second

Using scripture, short videos, classroom discussions, accessible study materials, and engaging activities, students will examine the philosophy of economics, various economic systems, and God’s design for stewardship.  

* NOTE: The Study Guide is the only required textbook. You do not need the video series.

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

• To Kill a Mockingbird (link)

• Macbeth (link)

• Short stories unit:

  • Gift of the Magi (link)

  • The Raven (link)

• Little Women (link)

• Till We Have Faces (link)

• The Hobbit (link)

Instructor: Jared Mende

THEOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN LIVING

APOLOGETICS AND EVANGELISM

TEXTBOOK / Curriculum: rEACHING A lOST wORLD (Provided for $15)

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

Semester: Second

Instructor: Michael Kolesar

SPEECH AND DEBATE

Textbook / Curriculum: provided

Semester: 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: Amy Norris

COMPOSITION & CREATIVE WRITING

COMPOSITION

textbook / Curriculum: The Radically Easy Way to Learn to Write by Ear ( provided )

Semester: First

Imagine what happens when all the issues get out of the way...the issues of grammar, punctuation, creative ideas, interestingness, wording, focus, etc. Everything changes once you learn how to write by ear (like Shakespeare and the writers of the King James Bible). Some of the material covered is “Kinds of Writing,” “Don’t Start With Great,” “Grammar / Punctuation,” “Good Spellers vs. Bad Spellers,” “You are You,” “You Just Make It Up,” “Practicing Tension-Resolution,” “Your Own Voice,” and “Help on Getting Help.”

Teaching grammar and writing is frequently dry, repetitive, and exceedingly boring. Unfortunately, this can kill a potentially great writer's desire to write anything! This class will remove many of the traditional pain points in learning to write well and give your student a new joy and confidence in their ability to write with excellence.

Instructor: Lucas Kolesar

CREATIVE WRITING

textbook / Curriculum: provided

Semester: 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 class, students will understand creative writing tools, complete their own full-length story, and understand the first steps to getting published.

Instructor: Lucas Kolesar

LOGIC

Textbook / Curriculum: PROVIDED

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 / Curriculum:

• 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 / Curriculum: TBD

Semester: First & Second

Instructor: Cheryl Kolesar

ELECTIVES

culinary arts

textbook / Curriculum: provided

FEE: The Monthly meal ticket ($8 per plate)

Semester: First & Second

** This class is taught every third week **

In Culinary Arts, we will explore 6 distinct regions/cultures of American food and then celebrate these traditions by preparing a monthly dinner inspired by each region!

In class, we will look at the history of different dietary staples, how they became the building blocks for a region/culture, how their history influences the way food is grown, prepared, and shared today, and we will look at the similarities and differences between these regional dishes and their cultures.

Additionally, we will take a historical look at how prosperity, depression, religion, war, and peace have affected our food and culture over the years.

Instructor: Lisa Vandermullen

pHYSICAL EDUCATION

Textbook / Curriculum: none

FEE: $0

Semester: First & Second

Instructor: Hiram Samaniego

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

textbook / Curriculum: (provided: $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 including 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 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