Distance Education Course Content

Course Content:

Grades 1-6

Liahona Distance Elementary includes 5 live classes: Reading, Writing, History, Science and Math. Most of these classes are taught daily, for one half hour a day, four days a week. The focus of the program is mastery of key skills needed for success in junior high, high school and college. These include clear and organized writing, effective note-taking on lectures and textbooks, reading comprehension, memorization, deeper thinking and problem solving skills. Reading, History, and Science are designed to be taught family style daily with every student in grades 1-6 participating in the half hour classes together. Writing and Math classes are level-based to provide students with the instruction they need to improve in their math and writing skills at each stage. All of our classes are engaging and fun. You will be amazed to see your student’s love of learning blossom this year.

Starting this year, everything is taught out of an amazing new curriculum that is centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and follows the amazing Roots of Knowledge stained glass windows created by artist Tom Holdman. We can't wait for you to see and learn from this beautiful curriculum!

Course Content:Grades 7-12

NOTE: Difficulty and content increases as students move through one four year rotation to the next. For example: the subject for a student's 7th grade History class may be the same as their 11th grade year but the content and difficulty will be completely different.

(We are currently in year four 2023-2024)

Science

The study of science should lead us to a greater reverence and testimony of God's handiwork. “All things testify of me... ,” said Moses (6:63) and science is not exempt from this declaration. Our approach prepares students for the theories of the world but examines them through the lens of revealed knowledge

Year One - Life Science Category

PHYSICS: (9 - 12 grades) The study of matter, energy, and their interaction.

EARTH SCIENCE: (7 - 8 grades) Students will discuss the atmosphere, hydrosphere, weather, the structure of the Earth, the physics of motion, Newton's Laws, gravity, Astrophysics, and much more. There are many hands-on experiments to do, which all use household chemicals.

Year Two - Life Science Category

BIOLOGY: (9 - 12 grades) This branch of science investigates the study of life: plants, animals, and God's greatest creation - humans. Students will study the characteristics, classifications, and behaviors of organisms. They will also study the needs and functional processes common to all living organisms and discuss the interactions species have with each other and the environment. The Word of Wisdom and our stewardship over God's creations are discussed.

LIFE SCIENCE: (7 -8 grades) Students alternate between a physical science and a life science each year. The Life Sciences comprise the scientific study of living organisms, such as plants, animals, and human beings.

Year Three - Physical Science Category

HIGH SCHOOL ASTRONOMY: (9 - 12 grades)

JR. HIGH ASTRONOMY: (7 - 8 grades)

Year Four - Physical Science Category

CHEMISTRY: (9 -12 grades) This class covers the basic principles of Chemistry, such as atoms and atomic structure, how elements bond together, chemicals, the Periodic Table, and the development of organized problem-solving. This class also highlights how Divine Law and organization are discoverable by scientific inquiry. Classes will have regular experiments to recreate discoveries both simple and complex.

Language Arts

Our classical, skills-based approach to Language Arts for 7 - 12 grade students concentrates on critical thinking in reading and writing, as well as grammar and writing skills to prepare a student to read, critique, and respond to any type of literature. The result is they will be prepared to read any text they encounter, analyze it, and then write about it. Students will also learn to read and understand how the scriptures are written and what they mean in terms of literature and history. During the four year rotation, students will look at the four basic ways to critique a text. They will study genres, themes and symbols, rhetoric, and the history of English. Students write an average of four portfolio-quality papers per year and participate in brain-storming, thought questions, note-taking, vocabulary building, grammar modeling, short answer, in-class essay writing, and speech related exercises. Students will read an average of six classic texts a year, including the scriptures. Our grammar series is written in an LDS context and provides a foundation for successful writing in all academic subjects or professional circumstances, especially for taking the ACT exam. Our 7 - 8 grade students alternate between years one and two.

Year One - Genre Studies / Liahona Grammar Vol. 1

Students study different types of literature, which have been historically important such as the difference between fiction and biography, essay and discourse, and narrative versus expository writing. Using Formalism, Comparative Literature, and other appropriate literary theories, students will consider how a text is written and how its form contributes to the overall meaning of the text. This study will help students discern and select uplifting and wholesome literature and better understand the scriptures. This will also prepare them for writing and reading in college.

Year Two - Themes and Symbols / Liahona Grammar Vol. 2

Looking at archetypes, themes, and symbols, students will better understand the scriptures and classical literature. The Old Testament, classic novels, epic poems, and dramas are used to familiarize students with themes and symbols, such as the heroic cycle, freedom, the plan of salvation, etc. Students will compare and analyze repeating patterns of symbols and themes throughout literature. Again, this study will help students discern and select uplifting and wholesome literature and better understand the scriptures. This will also prepare them for writing and reading in college.

Year Three - Argument and Rhetorical Techniques / Liahona Grammar Vol. 3

Students will consider how writing is constructed to be interesting and persuasive. This will also help students discern truth from error in arguments, so they will not easily be deceived. The Book of Mormon, speeches, essays, and novella-length works are used to develop critical thinking and rhetorical writing skills. Student will polish their own writing to be clear, precise, and effective.

Year Four - History of Language and Literature / Liahona Grammar Vol. 4

This course of study analyzes the history and events which have shaped literature. The New Testament and interesting novels and poems are used to illustrate how language has changed. Students will discover why there are so many exceptions to grammar rules and how to use language to effectively develop their own ideas. This helps students recognize patterns and learn from past events and literature.

History

The goal of our history class is for students to understand D&C 101: 77-80: God suffered this land and our Constitution to be established and it should be maintained for the rights and privileges of all flesh, according to just and holy principles.

Year One - American Government and Civics

The divine origin of our Constitution, the government it established, and the privileges it guarantees will be studied. Original source documents such as those from Wycliffe, Knox and Huss of the Reformation to Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin of the American Revolution are analyzed. Comments from prophets and apostles regarding historical events and figures are included. Students discover how to be one of the "threads" that upholds the U.S. Constitution, as referred to by Joseph Smith.

Year Two - American History I - Pre-Discovery to 1865

Using original documents, the personalities and events which created and shaped a new nation and then preserved the union are interwoven. Students will watch the hand of Providence unfold as they study the Native Americans, Viking discoveries, the establishment of colonies, Lexington, the great explorations of the West, and the Civil War. Latter-day Saint church history is woven into the course of events.

Year Three - American History II - 1860 to Present

Students will examine the opportunities and challenges faced by our country during the 19th to 21st centuries, such as the Civil War, World War I and II, the Great Depression, Korea, Vietnam, and 9/11. The year ends with scriptural prophecies about the last days. Latter-day Saint church history, prophecies and comments by prophets and apostles, and are woven into the course of latter-day events.

Year Four - World Civilizations/Geography

Students will study from ancient Israel up to Europe and the Reformation. Subjects include: the Roman and Byzantine empires, the Crusades, the Middle Ages, a study of Islam, breaking the bands of Catholicism and the steps needed for the Restoration of the Gospel. Students will explore the cause and effect of European influences upon the writings of the founding fathers, including Jefferson, Adams, and Wythe.

Course Content:Math

Liahona uses an incremental math curriculum called Saxon Math. Within the incremental curriculum, topics are developed in small steps spread over time. One facet of a concept is taught and practiced before the next facet is introduced. Both facets are then practiced together until it is time for the third to be introduced. Instead of being organized into chapters that rapidly develop a topic and then move on to the next strand, Saxon Math is organized into a series of lessons that gradually develop concepts. This approach gives students the time to develop a deeper understanding of concepts and how to apply them. Through continual review, previously presented concepts are practiced frequently and extensively throughout the year. Saxon’s cumulative daily practice strengthens students’ grasp of concepts and improves their long-term retention of concepts.

Liahona students are not placed in math classes based on their age, but according to concept mastery of the prior curriculum. Sometimes it is necessary for students to repeat a course in order to demonstrate an 80% or higher mastery level. Below is the Saxon math curriculum offered at the Academy and to Distance Education students.

Math 6/5
Math 7/6
Math 8/7
Pre-Algebra
Algebra 1
Algebra 2
Geometry
Pre-Calculus

*Additional levels may be offered on campus at the Academy.

Liahona's Math department believes that math plays a vital role in fostering student's understanding of problem-solving and critical thinking. These 2 attributes are life-long skills. "The glory of God is intelligence or, in other words, light and truth." D & C 93:36 "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us the resurrection. " D & C 130:18