Junior Year Parent Meeting (9/5/25)

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, intellectually, morally, and aesthetically alive human beings—by directing them in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty through the Socratic investigation of the great works of Western literature, history, and philosophy.
Literature invites students to reflect on the human heart through the experiences of characters and furnishes the imagination with words, phrases, stories, images, and paradigms that help express truth more fully. Likewise, history provides an opportunity to contemplate the nature of human choices and consequences, as well as to admire and assess the rhetorical skill employed by 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). Literature, history, and philosophy are each essential to a liberal arts education.

While eleventh-grade Humane Letters continues to train students in the arts of reading, listening, speaking, and writing, this course differs from ninth- and tenth-grade Humane Letters in that history is taught through classical and primary source texts such as Herodotus and Thucydides. Furthermore, although the eleventh-grade course gives particular attention to ancient literature and philosophy, it is not a survey course on ancient thought; rather, it is a seminar-centered course concerned with the art of thinking well.

Of the three ancient cities celebrated in the Great Hearts curriculum, the eleventh-grade Humane Letters course focuses on the unique significance of Athens and Jerusalem. From Athens we receive a rich heritage in philosophy, science, and democracy, while Jerusalem represents the religious tradition of monotheism and a personal God—both of which have shaped and influenced Western thinkers. Just as the literature and philosophy examined in tenth grade further illuminate the readings of ninth grade, the texts of eleventh grade direct students further back by presenting the origins of Western thought. As students read the poetry of Homer, the philosophy of Plato, and the dramas of Sophocles, they are initiated into the great conversation of the Western classical tradition.

Physics I

In Physics I, we study the fundamentals of mechanics by investigating what motion is and what causes motion. This course favors depth over breadth while addressing the main topics (e.g., kinematics, energy, momentum) in order to give students an understanding more profound than simply memorizing formulas or practicing mathematical procedures. Instead, we focus on how science is done from the point of view of physics, which can be understood as the development of mathematical models that describe how nature fundamentally behaves.

Our approach to each topic begins with an experiment or demonstration from which students derive mathematical models to describe each phenomenon. These models are then applied in practical situations, from word problems to practica. In Physics I, we study the fundamentals of mechanics, including kinematics (motion at constant velocity and constant acceleration, both linear and rotational) and dynamics (Newton’s laws of motion and the conservation of momentum and energy). These topics are supported by basic concepts—systems of units, scientific notation, dimensional analysis—which are introduced as needed. Additional topics may be covered or expanded upon if time permits, including but not limited to statics, gravitation, relative motion, and the history of mechanics and its connection to calculus.

Calculus I

Calculus (from the Latin calculus, literally “small pebble used for counting”) is the mathematical study of continuous change. It is the foundation of modern mathematics and, more generally, of modern science. This rigorous subject uses a collection of techniques—recognized to some extent in ancient times but developed and refined in the 17th century by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz—to solve problems involving continuous change and the computation of areas and volumes.

During the first semester, students study algebraic and trigonometric functions before beginning an in-depth, formal study of the two key concepts of calculus: limits and derivatives. By the end of the year, students will have developed the ability to differentiate polynomial, trigonometric, logarithmic, exponential, rational, radical, and many other types of functions. They will also explore several mathematical, business, and scientific applications of differential calculus, while gaining proficiency in proving key concepts.

Drama I

The 11th-grade Drama course introduces students to the elements of theater as a fine-arts discipline, specifically within the liberal arts tradition. In this course, students learn to think about theater as both an art and a craft through the plays of Shakespeare. Students grow in confidence on stage while gaining an understanding of the creative and technical aspects of theatre, allowing them to experience drama with a fuller appreciation of the work involved.

Spanish III

In the Spanish III course, students engage in a substantial study of authentic literary texts in the target language, along with a brief review and expansion of grammar and vocabulary relevant to the literature.

At this level, students write five-paragraph essays about the literature they read; these essays are typically two to four pages in length. Classes are conducted entirely in Spanish and almost entirely in seminar style. The study of literary texts helps students develop reading techniques in the target language and understand literary conventions. Students are given the opportunity to discuss and write about the themes and ideas in the texts through class discussions, homework assignments, and essays.

Because developing writing skills is an important aspect of the course, students are expected to complete at least one major essay per quarter. They should use the five-paragraph essay format taught in Humane Letters, and essays at this level should be one to two pages in length.

Greek I

Greek I at Cicero Preparatory Academy is designed to introduce students to the Greek language and to place them as soon as possible in proximity to level-appropriate authentic ancient texts such as Homer’s Iliad, Euripides’ Medea, Plato’s Republic, and the Bible. These encounters with ancient authors provide consistent encouragement for students to continue developing their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary.

We work from the textbook/workbook Learn to Read Greek, edited by Keller and Russell and published by Yale University. Many universities, as well as other Great Hearts schools, use these books for their combination of modern scholarly tools and classical sources. In addition to reading ancient Greek texts, students will also have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of Greek history, art, and culture.

Studio Art

Within the three transcendentals—Truth, Goodness, and Beauty—the fine arts fall primarily under Beauty. The fine arts are regarded as an essential human experience and a key part of the liberal arts. They are taught in an experiential, rather than professional, manner: all students are to participate in the fine arts, not only those pursuing professional mastery.

At Great Hearts, we study fine arts to experience beauty—to participate in it. We help students both create and encounter beauty by teaching the requisite skills of the discipline and by pointing them to the aesthetic order around them and to what is depicted in the works of the masters.

Grade 11 marks a special stage in the formation of a Great Hearts student. Humane Letters this year addresses the history of Western philosophy, with time spent on Plato, Aristotle, and Herodotus. Philosophy and traditional logic are cornerstones of the students’ academic experience. The Grade 11 Studio Art course is designed with this in mind and rests on the principle that drawing is a medium of thought, much like writing and philosophy. The course systematically lays out an order and sequence beginning with point and line and quickly progressing to the properties of fabric and organizational drawing principles, ultimately preparing students to draw the human figure in future study.

The goal of this course is to give students intermediate-to-advanced drawing skills in charcoal. They spend much of their time building analytical and observational drawing skills through studio exercises and projects, delving into advanced topics of modeling and rendering form. Much of the second half of the course centers on portraiture, incorporating the tradition of analytical master studies and plaster-cast studies.

Throughout the Upper School Studio Art courses, students are introduced to concepts and works of art that illustrate the principles behind composing beautiful pictures. Masterpieces are presented in class so that students may experience awe and wonder in seeing how drawings and paintings from the past connect to the tradition of picture-making. Great works of art from history serve as launching points and are analyzed for the techniques and principles employed by artists across centuries. Inspired by this connection to the past, students create their own studies, observational drawings, and paintings.