Writers in Residence

TeenCoder: Windows Programming is the first semester course in the TeenCoder C# series, and introduces 9th-12th grade students to the C# programming language, which is commonly used in business, academic, and industrial settings. Students will learn to create graphical Windows applications (and a chess game!) using object-oriented design concepts.

Each chapter explains a programming concept in detail with corresponding sample code. Activities at the end of each chapter prompt the student to write their own program based on the material learned in the chapter; students are encouraged to be creative and personalize their programming projects as they learn to create applications.

One Semester. Grades 9-12. 252 pages, softcover. CD included. 3rd Edition.

Science in the Beginning is an engaging, exciting, hands-on, multilevel elementary resource that is the first in a planned series of books by Dr. Jay Wile.

Introducing scientific concepts in the context of history, the days of creation are used as a structure through which a wide variety of scientific topics are introduced, including: light, energy conservation, air & water, botany, the solar system, zoology, and some aspects of human anatomy and physiology.

A total of 90 lessons are included; 15 for every creative day in the Genesis account. The first 12 are “normal” lessons and the last 3 are challenge lessons. Depending on how much science you wish to teach in your homeschool, there are enough lessons to cover every other day for the length of a school year, or, you can finish the book by only doing two lessons a week (and skipping the challenge lessons).

Uncle Sam and You will immerse students in a full year of learning about civics and government. Designed for students in grades 5-8, lessons focus on America’s founding documents, branches of government, patriotic symbols, voting, the election process, Washington, D.C., the presidency, how Congress works, American holidays, and aspects of federal, state, and local government. Each full-color lesson includes a short chapter to read that explains the topic to the student; chapters feature both modern and historical photographs and illustrations. Lessons conclude with a variety of subject-based activity ideas that relate to Biblical studies, literature, creative writing, art, vocabulary, reading assignments, and notes for the sold-separately (and optional) student workbook/lesson review. A weekly family activity that involves crafts, meals, and other multi-age activities is also provided. Fifteen units are included each text, with four lessons in each unit. Depending on how many activities are assigned, students will need 45-90 minutes per lesson. However, the back of each book includes fifteen optional lessons on America’s patriotic holidays. If five lessons per week are desired, the holiday lessons can be used as a fifth lesson or for other occasions. A total of 150 lessons/30 weeks of lessons are provided.

Discover the world through art! Many different features will highlight the various features of countries around the world through sketching, artist profiles, culture connection boxes, internet resources, recipes, maps, and leveled projects for multi-age use. More than 100 art projects touch on 27 countries, including Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, China, India, Japan, Russia, England, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Brazil and others. Notes on the country, step-by-step instructions, photographs or illustrations, needed materials and other information are included. 189 pages, indexed, softcover. Reproducibles included.

This course, designed for high school students, studies the 15 basic components of cultures from 5000 BC through 2011 AD: Agriculture, Architecture, Communication, Discoveries, Dominant Personalities, Education, Families, Food, Government, Industry, Energy, Military, Religion, Sports, and Transportation. Chapter one begins with evidence of civilization in the Fertile Crescent, and expands to the major continents of the world. A conversational narrative style is designed to engages students. Selected vocabulary words are highlighted and defined to help enrich the students’ understanding of the English language. Illustrations and maps are sprinkled through each chapter to create mental images that solidify comprehension of the People, Places, & Events of World History. Character principles are added to each lesson to prompt students to consider how their world view of life is being shaped. This course consists of six chapters. This course is designed for one transcript credit.

No more hours of boring, endless repetition – your kids will actually thank you for this interactive math curriculum! Each level has two student workbooks, but the teacher handbook is the main component of the program. All instruction is provided through one-on-one teacher instruction, which is the biggest difference between Horizons and the self-guided Lifepacs.

Another big focus in Horizons is hands-on learning using a variety of manipulatives, which can mostly be found around the house: pencils, pipe cleaners, play or real money, thread, a timer, clock, yardstick, etc.

Novice home-educators should not be intimidated by the amount of teacher involvement as it is carefully layed out in the beginning of each year’s teacher handbook. The teacher handbook also provides a variety of teaching suggestions and supplemental activities for additional practice.

For grades K – 8 (Algebra I)