Humane Letters:

The Humane Letters course, as the name suggests, aims to cultivate the minds and hearts of students into more humane individuals; that is, more intellectually, morally, and aesthetically alive humans by directing them in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty through Socratic investigation of the great works of Western literature, history, and philosophy.

Literature invites students to reflect upon the human heart through the experiences of characters, and furnishes the imagination with words, phrases, stories, images, and paradigms to express truth more fully. Similarly, history provides an opportunity to contemplate the nature of human choices and consequences as well as admire and assess the rhetorical skill employed by the great leaders of the past. Philosophy, on the other hand, directly examines reality by probing into the nature of things (speculative philosophy) or inquiring into the good and happy life (practical philosophy). 

Tenth grade Humane Letters provides students with the opportunity for prolonged engagement with the history and intellectual heritage of modern Europe, roughly the period from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. Students will read and study philosophy, drama, and novels, addressing — among other issues — the nature of the individual, the relationship between individuals and society, and the proper ordering of the state.

Algebra II & Trigonometry:

This is the fourth year of college preparatory mathematics. The course is essentially a pre-calculus course which concentrates on the study of functions (linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, polynomial, rational, radical, and trigonometric), advanced algebraic techniques, and trigonometry. By the end of the year, students are expected to have become fluent in the management of functions, equations, and inequalities. This fluency includes solving all types of equations and inequalities, graphing all types of functions, and manipulating all types of algebraic expressions with confidence. This course builds on concepts learned in previous algebra and geometry courses. Students will engage in activities and create strategies to examine functions and analyze how we know what we know about them. A deeper appreciation for this subject is achieved among all students in the class by regularly weaving the historical development of mathematics into the course throughout the year with the aid of outside readings. The primary text for the course serves as an excellent student resource while at home, and as a source for most of their home assignments. As additional support, a specially designed course workbook is also used daily throughout the year for in-class experience and to supplement the primary text as needed.

Chemistry:

The Chemistry course at Great Hearts roots students in an historical understanding of the origin and development of its paradigms by deeply engaging students in the scientific process of creating and refining models. The infusion of elements from the ‘Great Conversation’ into a contemporary pedagogical method creates the ideal environment in which a sense of wonder and delight can develop and be nurtured within the student. The historical elements mentioned above are arranged around stories of discovery that dwell comfortably among the many threads which comprise the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the Western tradition. The central narrative theme in this course is the investigation of the nature of matter and how it changes. Storylines follow historical developments in our understanding of atoms, molecules, and the forces that bond them together and break them apart.

The primary literature spans a range of philosophical and empirical ideas about elements and how they combine. Seminars provide opportunities for students to connect their modeling cycles to the humane history of paradigm shifts in physics and chemistry from Democritus to modernity. 

The central pedagogical approach, and the method which structures the majority of the course, follows modeling theory and thus is called “modeling instruction.” Following this method, Chemistry is taught using a progression of models about the nature of matter, each one more complex than the previous and informed by empirical evidence. Each unit begins with a paradigm experiment that brings a phenomenon clearly into view. Students participate in designing the experiment, collecting data, and analyzing the patterns they find in the results. Student senses of wonder and delight are piqued with each experiment as they observe matter interacting in surprising ways.

With the teacher acting as Socratic guide, students are challenged to explain macroscopic phenomena with microscopic inferences. They learn multiple ways (graphical, algebraic, pictorial) to represent the experimental system as it changes. They work in lab groups to develop both conceptual and quantitative models that describe what happened and explain why. In each Chemistry unit students apply and test their models in different contexts through extrapolation and reinforcement, refinement and integration, and lab practica. Thus, each model is developed, deployed, tested, and revised in iterative modeling cycles of inductive and deductive reasoning.

The most important reason for relying on modeling instruction in the classroom is that chemistry, as any science, should be taught as a phenomenological course within the context of historical discoveries and paradigm shifts. Students observe, ask questions, and work their way down to the underlying atomic principles.

Spanish II:

This course consists of a comprehensive review of Spanish grammar as well as an introduction to reading literary texts.  The combination thereof will help students develop communicative language ability while strengthening each of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, along with acquiring cultural knowledge about the Spanish-speaking world.

Latin V:

The goal of Latin V is to gain fluency in reading authentic Latin poetry while learning to identify and enjoy the unique style of each author. We will begin by reading versions of Catullus’ short poems and selections from one of Cicero’s most famous speeches before moving to episodes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses; we will spend all of second semester reading portions of Vergil’s Aeneid (specifically from Books I, II, IV, and VI).  Students will apply all the grammar, syntax, and morphology studied in Latin I-IV to read these texts closely and engage with their themes; we will continue to learn and discuss grammar concepts as new constructions and usages arise. Additionally, we will examine meter, rhetorical and poetic devices, and conventions of Latin poetry as well as discuss historical and literary themes and background of the texts. As Latin V is the culmination of the Latin journey at Cicero, the purpose of this course is to immerse ourselves in Latin poetry and fully enjoy the Latin skills you have spent years cultivating.

Music:

This course aims to further develop an understanding and appreciation for music through building music literacy, exposure to Western classical and folk music, and engagement in the music-making process. Like other arts courses, this includes the opportunity to be involved in the process of creating something truly meaningful and beautiful. This course is divided into three essential components: Music Theory, Music Appreciation, and Music Performance.