Government and Economics:
note: This class is also offered as an Honors class

This course is designed to have a conservative, Christian perspective. Students need the firm foundation this course provides to become informed, responsible citizens and voters in today's world. This course will promote patriotism by opening with an inspiring look at the blessings we enjoy and the symbols we hold dear as American citizens. This course centers on the Constitution because at the core of the text is a fascinating study of the Constitution, the government it established, and the rights and privileges it guarantees the American people. This course will also challenge students to get involved because after studying the Constitution and the national government, students learn about federalism and government at the state and local levels. The text concludes with a chapter on the opportunities and responsibilities of American citizens to get involved in their unique political system.

The semester on Economics covers essential concepts such as competition in the marketplace and private ownership of capital, which are discussed from a conservative perspective. The Biblical views of work, wealth, and stewardship appear throughout the book.

 

Anatomy and Physiology:
note: This class is also offered as an Honors class

Anatomy and Physology will cover the basic systems of the human body. Topics covered include:
Histology, the study of tissues
Skin and bones, the integumentary and skeletal systems
Skeletal system histology and movement
Muscle histology and physiology
TheSkeletal Muscle System
The Nervous System, neurons and neuroglia
The Central Nervous System
The Peripheral Nervous System
The Endocrine System
The Circulatory System
The Lymphatic System
The Digestive System
The Respiratory System
The Urinary System
The Reproductive System

Mathematics:

Pre-Calculus (Traditional Track):
note: This class is also offered as an Honors class

Pre-Calculus is a year-long, academically rigorous course, with one semester a continuation of the Algebra curriculum, and the other semester covering trigonometry. The fundamental objectives are to help students truly understand the fundamental concepts of algebra, trigonometry, and analytical geometry, and to foreshadow important ideas of calculus. The use of technology will be strongly emphasized, as will standard analytical techniques. The course will use graphical, numerical, and algebraic modeling of functions.

Advanced Placement Calculus AB:

AP Calculus AB is a course designed by the College Board. The College Board defines AP Calculus AB as a full high school academic year of work and is comparable to calculus courses in colleges and universities. Students at GCA who take AP Calculus will be expected to take the AP Exam in May. The purpose of taking the AP Exam is to attempt to gain college credit, placement, or both. Students can expect a short time of review of materials covered in pre-calculus, however the majority of the year will be spent on differential and integral calculus.
From the College Board Website:

Calculus AB [is] primarily concerned with developing the students' understanding of the concepts of calculus and providing experience with its methods and applications. The course emphasizes a multirepresentational approach to calculus, with concepts, results, and problems being expressed graphically, numerically, analytically, and verbally. Broad concepts and widely applicable methods are emphasized. The focus of the course is neither manipulation nor memorization of an extensive taxonomy of functions, curves, theorems, or problem types. Thus, although facility with manipulation and computational competence are important outcomes, they are not the core of [the] course. Technology should be used regularly by students and teachers to reinforce the relationships among the multiple representations of functions, to confirm written work, to implement experimentation, and to assist in interpreting results. Through the use of the unifying themes of derivatives, integrals, limits, approximation, and applications and modeling, the course becomes a cohesive whole rather than a collection of unrelated topics. Goals: Students should be able to work with functions represented in a variety of ways: graphical, numerical, analytical, or verbal. They should understand the connections among these representations. Students should understand the meaning of the derivative in terms of a rate of change and local linear approximation and should be able to use derivatives to solve a variety of problems. Students should understand the meaning of the definite integral both as a limit of Riemann sums and as the net accumulation of change and should be able to use integrals to solve a variety of problems. Students should be able to understand the relationship between the derivative and the definite integral as expressed in both parts of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Students should be able to communicate mathematics and explain solutions to problems both verbally and in written sentences. Students should be able to model a written description of a physical situation with a function, a differential equation, or an integral. Students should be able to use technology to help solve problems, experiment, interpret results, and support conclusions. Students should be able to determine the reasonableness of solutions, including sign, size, relative accuracy, and units of measurement. Students should develop an appreciation of calculus as a coherent body of knowledge and as a human accomplishment.

 

 

Bible:

Worldviews and Apologetics:

Worldviews (first semester):

During this course, the student will simplify his or her thinking concerning the many competing philosophies in the pluralistic age in which we live.
This will be done by analyzing how the three basic worldviews (theism, atheism & pantheism) and their variations answer the basic philosophical questions of origin, meaning, morality and destiny. In addition to these, we will also cover postmodernism, which is a worldview that does not fit neatly into any of these categories, but currently pervades our culture nonetheless. The overall course is designed to give the student confidence in the Christian worldview and their ability to competently defend the Christian worldview. Special emphasis is placed on actively implementing the Christian worldview in both the private and public spheres in order to bring about revival and reformation in the lives of individuals and in society.

• Unit 1: Introduction to Worldviews
• Unit 2: Theism (Christian Theism, Deism, Theistic Existentialism)
• Unit 3: Atheism (Naturalism, Secular Humanism, Marxism, Nihilism, Atheistic Existentialism)
• Unit 4: Pantheism (Eastern Pantheistic Monism, The New Age)
• Unit 5: Postmodernism

Apologetics (second semester):

During this course, the student will learn how to defend the truth of Christianity against the many competing philosophies in the pluralistic age in which we live. The student will learn how to humbly argue for absolute truth, God’s existence, creation, possible answers to the problem of evil, miracles, various models of divine sovereignty and human freedom, Christ’s divinity and resurrection, the Bible as the inerrant word of God, the existence of heaven and hell, and finally, the exclusive nature of Christianity. The overall course is designed to give the student confidence in their ability to competently defend the Christian worldview. Special emphasis is placed on actively implementing apologetics in both the private and public spheres in order to bring about revival and reformation in the lives of individuals and in society.

• Unit 1: Introduction to Apologetics (Definition, Rationale, History)
• Unit 2: Truth, Knowledge & Belief (Absolutes & Relativism, Methodology, Reformed Epistemology)
• Unit 3: God (Arguments for God’s Existence, The Problem of God-Talk)
• Unit 4: Creation (Evolution, Various Creation Views, Intelligent Design Movement)
• Unit 5: Evil (Definition, Types of Evil, Non-Christian & Christian Approaches)
• Unit 6: Miracles (Definition & Purpose, Presuppositions)
• Unit 7: Providence & Freedom (Various Approaches)
• Unit 8: Christ’s Divinity & Resurrection (Literary, Cultural & Historical Evidence)
• Unit 9: Divine Revelation (Objections & Answers to the Reliability of Scripture)
• Unit 10: Salvation, Heaven & Hell (Who Goes Where & Why, What About Other Religions?)

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