*Honors Ancient History (Ancient History & Geography - 10 credits or World History, Part 1 - 5 credits, World Geography, Part 1 - 5 credits, Ancient Literature - 10 credits, & Bible - 10 credits) - 7th-12th grade recommended

This course covers World and Biblical History from Creation through the Fall of Rome. Chronologically speaking, it starts with the seven days of Creation, and ends with the demise of the last Western Roman Emperor in AD 476.

On the World History side, we start with the four oldest known civilizations: Egyptian, Sumerian, Harappan and Chinese. Then we flow from there to the great empires of the Ancient Near East—from Egyptian and Akkadian to Assyrian, Babylonian, Hittite, Persian and more. Next come the Greco-Persian Wars, Classical Greece, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Mixed in are empires and cultures from China, India, the Americas, and Africa beyond Egypt.

World History topics include:

• Pyramids and ziggurats

• Hieroglyphics and cuneiform

• The Epic of Gilgamesh

• The Code of Hammurabi

• The Fall of Nineveh and the Battle of Carchemish

• Spartan military schools

• Athenian democracy

• The Greco-Persian Wars

• The rise and fall of Alexander the Great

• The founding of Rome

• The switch from Roman Kingdom to Roman Republic

• The Punic Wars

• The rise and fall of Julius Caesar

• Antony and Cleopatra

• The switch from Roman Republic to Roman Empire

• The Fall of the Western Roman Empire

• and many more!

Since much of Ancient History happens around the Mediterranean Sea, most of our geography also centers on the Mediterranean.

Geography topics include:

• The Nile, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

• The Sea of Galilee, Jordan River and Dead Sea

• Mainland Greece and the Greek islands

• Italy, the Apennines and the Alps

• Iberia and the Pyrenees

• North Africa and the Atlas Mountains

• and many more!

On the Biblical History side, we cover both the Old Testament and the New, since the events in the Bible all happened in ancient times.

Biblical History Topics include:

• The Seven Days of Creation

• The Fall of Mankind

• The Great Flood

• The Tower of Babel

• The three Jewish patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

• Joseph and the Jews’ move to Egypt

• Moses and the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt

• The Conquest of the Promised Land

• The six major Judges: Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson

• Ruth, Naomi and Boaz

• The last judge, Samuel

• The first king, Saul

• The most faithful king, David

• The richest king, Solomon

• The split kingdom under Rehoboam and Jeroboam

• The prophets Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and more

• The Fall of Israel and the Ten Lost Tribes

• The Fall of Judah and the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews

• Esther, Mordecai and Haman

• The birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

• The Acts of Apostles and the first Christian martyrs

• and many more!

Material for Honors Ancient History: (contact Peace Hill to receive 20% discount code for several of the resources below):

• Ancients Remember the Days (7th-8th grades recommended)

• Ancients Consider the Years (9th-12th grades recommended)

• Hands-On Maps for Middles

• Timeline (7th-12th grades)

• Literature book list - coming soon!

*out-of-pocket

Note for 7th and 8th Grade: If your student is with a charter that will not accept the historical era we are in this year, consider using your funds to purchase: World History Studies Weekly - Civilizations (7th grade) for $29.95 or US History Studies Weekly - Growth and Conflict (8th grade) for $29.95, simple, weekly magazine-style curriculums that can be completed at home on the side and will provide many options for samples.

Honors Omnibus Class: America* (American Literature & Composition - 10 credits; American History - 10 credits; Bible/Theology - 10 credits, Government) - 11th-12th grades recommended

Building on the skills learned in the Inklings class, this course provides continued growth in critical thinking, academic writing, and biblical hermeneutics while providing a strong foundation in early American literature, history, and government. Students study the founding documents of the United States along with other literary and theological writings. Authors include John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jonathan Edwards, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson, Frederick Douglass, and others. The students also study law and authority, along with other themes, in the biblical books of Exodus and Amos. We recommend that parents and independent study programs count this class as meeting the requirements for thirty-five high school academic credits: American Literature and Composition (ten credits), American History (ten credits), Bible/Theology (ten credits), and Government (five credits).

Students will analyze and interpret early American literature and biblical books in collaboration with others. Students will

• identify and summarize major arguments in early American nonfiction work and in biblical books

• identify major themes and summarize the plot in works of early American fiction and in biblical books

• identify textual and historical context for a fictional or biblical passage

• support their interpretations of a text with textual citations

• identify and analyze key themes in early American texts

• characterize the different genres of sermon, essay, novel, poem, and short story

• compare and contrast the ideas and writing styles of the various authors studied

• trace the literary development of early American culture and identify key movements

Students will analyze and interpret the early texts of American history in collaboration with others. Students will

• examine and synthesize major historical developments of the United States as expressed in her literature

• identify the ideas that shaped American culture and trace their evolution

• articulate significant historical and cultural ideas in outline and essay form

Students will analyze and interpret the early texts of American government in collaboration with others. Students will

• identify key elements and competing philosophies of government

• articulate the competing ideas and ideologies underscoring the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debates

• identify the philosophies that shaped the U.S. Constitution

• explicate biblical teachings on law, authority, and social justice in Exodus and Amos

• identify the propensities for good and ill in American government and society

• trace and critique the evolution of American philosophies of government

Students will apply knowledge gained from a synthesis of multiple texts and discussions. Students will

• evaluate ideas based on the Bible as the ultimate authority on Truth

• exhibit discernment in moral and ethical issues

• demonstrate a willingness to change beliefs and behaviors due to the insight of others

Students will contribute in intellectual discussion confidently, critically, and charitably. Students will

• ask relevant, critical questions about texts and ideas

• distinguish between good and bad arguments

• recognize, imitate, and produce sound, compelling, and logical arguments

• assess multiple perspectives with fairness and precision in reading, discussion, and writing

• assert opinions and beliefs with courteous and reasonable arguments

Course objectives will be realized through the intensive reading, writing, and discussion required of the students. Discussion and the writing assignments will serve as evaluative tools to assess the student’s progress toward the set objectives. Student notebooks serve as a catalog of the student’s progress through the course of the academic year, and the final term paper is equivalent to a final exam.

*out-of-pocket

^NOTE: If this is your first Omnibus class, you must also concurrently take Inkwell. This live, online Writing Seminar meets once per week to help prepare students for the writing coursework. A skilled writing mentor will guide students through the basics of crafting weekly assignments, formatting, and term paper development while providing time for students to ask questions and get feedback. (Live sessions will be recorded for students who cannot attend.) Brief supplemental assignments will aid students in their Omnibus class coursework. Inkwell supplements the composition component of the Omnibus class and does not count for class credit on its own.

Materials for Omnibus: America

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature - 8th Ed., Vol. A & B

• Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

• Second Treatise of Government by John Locke

• The Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Montesquieu

• A Jonathan Edwards Reader by Jonathan Edwards

• John Wesley by John Wesley

• The Essential Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers by Hamilton, Madison, Jay, etc.

• U.S. Founding Documents

• Exodus - English Standard Version (any publisher)

• The Portal Edmund Burke by Edmund Burke

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• The Portable Thoreau by Henry David Thoreau

• Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

• Selected Speeches and Writings by Abraham Lincoln

• A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Honors Omnibus Class: Apostles*^ (World History - 10 credits; World Literature & Composition - 10 credits; Bible/Theology - 10 credits) - 11th-12th grades recommended

This course provides a rich foundation in medieval and Renaissance literature, Church history, and theology. Students study the letters, histories, poems, narratives, and theology produced by the Church and society from the New Testament through the Reformation. Authors include Athanasius, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Geoffrey Chaucer, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others. Selected creeds, the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, and the epistles to the Galatians and Ephesians will also be discussed and studied.

Students will analyze and interpret Medieval and Renaissance literature. Students will

• synopsize the major argument or theme of a written work in five sentences

• explicate the key themes of particular literary works

• support their interpretations of a text with textual citations

• research and present the background, historical context, and authorial information for a particular text

• analyze and articulate key themes and ideas in medieval and Renaissance literature

• characterize the different genres of allegory, epic poem, essay, and homily

• compare and contrast the ideas and writing styles of the various authors studied

• trace the literary development of early Medieval and Renaissance culture and identify key movements

Students will analyze and interpret the texts of world/Church history, including biblical texts. Students will

• trace major historical developments of the Medieval and Renaissance West as expressed in literature

• identify the ideas that shaped Medieval and Renaissance culture and trace their evolution

• analyze the historical development of the Christian Church from the time of Christ through

  the sixteenth century

• articulate the interrelationship of the Christian Church and the medieval and Renaissance West

Students will apply knowledge gained from a synthesis of multiple texts and discussions. Students will

• evaluate ideas based on the Bible as the ultimate authority on Truth

• synthesize the relationship between Christian faith, the life of the mind, and daily living

• exhibit discernment in moral and ethical issues

• demonstrate a willingness to change beliefs and behaviors due to the insight of others

• apply a historical perspective to Christianity, Christian doctrine, and the contemporary church

Students will contribute in intellectual discussion confidently, critically, and charitably. Students will

• ask relevant, critical questions about texts and ideas

• distinguish between good and bad arguments

• recognize, imitate, and produce sound, compelling, and logical arguments

• assess multiple perspectives with fairness and precision in reading, discussion, and writing

• articulate significant historical and cultural theses via formal outline and oral presentation

• assert opinions and beliefs about history and culture of Western civilization with courteous and reasonable arguments

• respond to opposition to opinions and beliefs with courteous and reasonable rebuttals

Course objectives will be realized through the intensive reading, writing, discussion, research, and oral presentation required of the students. Oral presentations, discussions, and writing assignments will serve as evaluative tools to assess the student’s progress toward set objectives. Student notebooks serve as a catalog of the student’s progress through the course of the academic year, and the final term paper is equivalent to a final exam.

*out-of-pocket

^NOTE: If this is your first Omnibus class, you must also concurrently take Inkwell. This live, online Writing Seminar meets once per week to help prepare students for the writing coursework. A skilled writing mentor will guide students through the basics of crafting weekly assignments, formatting, and term paper development while providing time for students to ask questions and get feedback. (Live sessions will be recorded for students who cannot attend.) Brief supplemental assignments will aid students in their Omnibus class coursework. Inkwell supplements the composition component of the Omnibus class and does not count for class credit on its own.

Materials for Omnibus: Apostles

• Luke & Acts (English Standard Version)

• Galatians & Ephesians (English Standard Version)

• The Apostolic Fathers by Rick Brannan (translated)

• Creeds of the Churches by Leith, Ed.

• The History of the Church by Eusebius

• On the Incarnation by Athanasius

• Confessions by Augustine

• The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

• The Confession of St. Patrick by Patrick

• The Song of Roland by Dorothy L. Sayers (translated)

• Treatise on Happiness by Thomas Aquinas

• The Divine Comedy: Inferno by Dante (translated by Esolen)

• The Divine Comedy: Purgatory by Dante (translated by Esolen)

• The Divine Comedy: Paradise by Dante (translated by Esolen)

• The Poetry of Petrarch by Petrarch

• Pearl by Tolkien (translated)

• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

• Selections from His Writings by Martin Luther

• Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

• Edmund Spenser’s Poetry by Edmund Spenser