Contact:

Katie Mefferd, Pentathlon Program Director

[email protected]

* Parent/Guardian attendance required. On-site, paid childcare is available for younger siblings.

Days: Mondays, 28 weeks

Required Curriculum:

Cycle 2 Memory Work Guide, Claritas

Cycle 2 Memory Work Audio CD or Downloads

Other Cycle 2 recommended helps available on Claritas website and Cross Seven.

Latin/Greek Adapted from English from the Roots Up, Vol. 2 (provided)

(Compass community discount available for Claritas curriculum.)

Pentathlon is our main elementary community day for PK-4th grade that provides fun, memory-based learning and activities across several subject areas - Scripture, Science, History, Geography, Timeline, Math, English Grammar, Latin & Greek Roots, and Hymns. This memory work is meant to be a supplemental help to the basics of at-home learning in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Each week, students engage in casual speeches, exploratory projects and experiments, fine arts creation and expression, games and activity -- all engaging the senses and solidifying learning alongside friends! We celebrate birthdays, accomplishments, and go on field trips together through the year. Parents are required to be in class/community with their students, engaging and providing help where needed.

Tutor: Abby Anderson

Required Curriculum:

Science in the Ancienct World, Berean Builders

Our goal is to ease students into middle school level work with fun, engaging experiments alongside concepts and notetaking in class. There is so much to learn from God’s creation, and we will have a fun year exploring it together through science!

From Berean Builders:The course covers the scientific work of natural philosophers who lived from about 600 BC to the early AD 1500s. It concentrates mostly on what these ancient scientists got right, but it does spend some time discussing what they got wrong, because even the mistakes that scientists make can sometimes advance our understanding of the natural world. Of course, when the students are taught something that is now known to be incorrect, they are made aware of this fact!

Because the course covers science as it was developed, it covers a wide range of topics including human anatomy, medicine, optics, heliocentrism, geocentrism, sound, music, magnets, how steam is used to generate power, the motion of objects through a medium, combustion, levers, pulleys, plant growth, plant anatomy, tree ring dating, the atmosphere, astronomy, the basics of graphing, plastics, density, water flow, friction, and erosion. Throughout the course, students learn that most of the great scientists who lived from AD 500 to the end of this time period were devout Christians who did science because they thought they could learn more about God by studying His handiwork.

Tutor: Ally Harmon

*Class is a Monday combo of two classes -- Writing 8:30-9:30 and Logic at 11-noon. Please sign up for both when registering.

Required Curriculum:

The Art of Argument Revised Student Edition, by Classical Academic Press

Lost Tools of Writing Level 1 Complete Set (Teacher Edition, Student Workbook, w/Instructional Videos)

Additional literature book list TBD

Lost Tools of Writing

From CiRCE Institute:

Teaching students to think and to communicate ideas--it's a large goal and a worthy one. It's also the classical way of approaching the skills of rhetoric to focus on the thinking that leads to good writing. Lost Tools of Writing provides a thorough breakdown of skills, tools and basic principles to learn and use in the step-by-step process of developing the art of communication. After all, (in their words) "writing on paper, parchment, or a screen is only a record of something that has previously happened in the mind. "Students and teachers have typically struggled with some universal writing challenges: coming up with ideas, putting ideas in order, and expressing ideas appropriately. Classical rhetoric consists of five Canons (principles/laws). The first three of these define the writing process, providing solutions to these three universal writing challenges: Invention (ideas), Arrangement (ordering of ideas), and Elocution (expression of ideas) are explained and then incorporated into lesson exercises and assignments.

The Art of Argument - (Intro to Informal Logic)

The goal of this class is for students to learn to be truth seekers who approach disagreement, debate, and argument from a point of humility by seeking what is true without being distracted by the desire to be right. Students will be provided opportunities to practice the virtue of prudence as they build the tools necessary to learn how to reason well. They will learn to detect 28 logical fallacies in their own statements, the arguments of others and identify the flawed arguments found so frequently in commercials, articles, books, movies, songs, TV shows, everyday discussions, and other media.

Tutor: Jaqui Beecroft, Faith Blake (Roots)

CLASS FULL. PLEASE CONTACT DIRECTOR TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.

*Parent/Guardian on-site attendance required

Required Curriculum:

Story of the World Vol 2 Student Text, Susan Wise Bauer

Memory Guide Cycle 2, Claritas Publishing

English from the Roots up Vol 2 (provided)

Additional Helps:

Memory Guide Audio CDs Cycle 2, Claritas Publishing

Cycle 2 Map Booklet, Claritas Publishing

This class will join with Pentathlon for the morning meeting and then will move into their own classroom to cover all Claritas memory work except science and English grammar, which will be covered in other 5th grade classes.

Students will also read through, discuss and do activities with the corresponding chapters of the Story of the World, Volume 2, and play games for fun review. For Latin & Greek, students will cover 100 roots words based on English from the Roots Up, Volume 2.

On specific weeks, 5th-grade students will have opportunities in the morning to complete art projects that mirror Pentathlon, or to work through robotics lessons using LEGO education kits. Organized P.E. breaks will also be included.

Lead: Denise Smith

High school homeroom will be open Mon/Wed mornings as the community study room where our older students can bring their work to do independently and quietly (and still have celebrations and community). Whether or not the member student is taking Compass classes, they can still come do their schoolwork in homeroom amongst their peers. Please note that this is not a drop off high school day care, and your help in making sure our students are safe and accounted for is appreciated.

The homeroom will be supervised, with desks positioned to allow for use of computers and headphones to work on schoolwork (no games or unrelated internet browsing). Agreements with parent and student signatures for this will be mandatory for participation. Students will be required to bring actual school work to do in class, but there may be a random game now and then for fun brain breaks!

Like a library, students will be free to join on either or both days, go out and play ball, leave for class, or hang out together for study breaks. Parents are responsible for the amount of work that they accomplish in class, and whoever is supervising the room is not responsible for keeping students in class or the quality of their work. But of course, where reasonable, we will help with questions!

Tutor: Destiny Molatore

Required Curriculum:

Lost Tools of Writing Level 1 Complete Set. CiRCE (Teacher Edition, Student Workbook, w/Instructional Videos) OR if you already have the Teacher Edition but need a new Student Workbook

Various Literature TBD

This course is designed to reinforce and practice the ideas covered during the 7th Grade Lost Tools of Writing class from the 2025/26 school year. Students will read an assortment of novels as a basis for writing. While this is not a literature class, additional time will be allowed to analyze and discuss the reading since most of the Lost Tools concepts should be familiar.

From CiRCE Institute:Teaching students to think and to communicate ideas--it's a large goal and a worthy one. It's also the classical way of approaching the skills of rhetoric to focus on the thinking that leads to good writing. Lost Tools of Writing provides a thorough breakdown of skills, tools and basic principles to learn and use in the step-by-step process of developing the art of communication. After all, (in their words) "writing on paper, parchment, or a screen is only a record of something that has previously happened in the mind." Students and teachers have typically struggled with some universal writing challenges: coming up with ideas, putting ideas in order, and expressing ideas appropriately. Classical rhetoric consists of five Canons (principles/laws). The first three of these define the writing process, providing solutions to these three universal writing challenges: Invention (ideas), Arrangement (ordering of ideas), and Elocution (expression of ideas) are explained and then incorporated into lesson exercises and assignments.

Tutor: Ally Harmon

In Chorus, middle and high school (6th-12th grade) students will joyfully develop their skill in singing through a variety of music, games, and activities with a focus on songs that reflect the truth of God’s word and character. They will grow in singing tunefully, training their ears, and sight singing.  

Tutor: Tiffany Fink

BJU Press Heritage Studies 6 focuses on a broad period of history, beginning with Creation and extending to the Middle Ages. It primarily covers ancient world civilizations and cultures, including those in Egypt, Israel, China, Greece, Africa, the Mayas, and Rome. Special emphasis is given to how these civilizations influenced the world today. Students will be introduced to these topics within a biblical worldview and will be encouraged to compare the beliefs of the represented religions with Christianity as well as study to see God working His plan through it all. Open to 6th and 7th graders, at home assignments will include reading, some map work and one larger presentation project per semester.

Geography: Memoria Press 1 Covering the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, students will be learning/researching facts, geography, climate and people in countries around the world, with the goal to be able to identify each country on the map. They will also be doing weekly map sketch work.

Required Curriculum:

Heritage Studies 6, BJU Press

Geography I Student Text, Memoria Press

Geography I Student Workbook, Memoria Press

Tutor: Ally Harmon

* Class is a Monday combo of two classes -- Writing 8:30-9:30 and Logic at 11-noon. Please sign up for both when registering.

Required Curriculum:

The Art of Argument, Revised Student Edition, Classical Academic Press

Lost Tools of Writing Level 1 Complete Set (Teacher Edition, Student Workbook, w/Instructional Videos)

Additional literature book list TBD

Lost Tools of Writing

From CiRCE Institute:

Teaching students to think and to communicate ideas--it's a large goal and a worthy one. It's also the classical way of approaching the skills of rhetoric to focus on the thinking that leads to good writing. Lost Tools of Writing provides a thorough breakdown of skills, tools and basic principles to learn and use in the step-by-step process of developing the art of communication. After all, (in their words) "writing on paper, parchment, or a screen is only a record of something that has previously happened in the mind. "Students and teachers have typically struggled with some universal writing challenges: coming up with ideas, putting ideas in order, and expressing ideas appropriately. Classical rhetoric consists of five Canons (principles/laws). The first three of these define the writing process, providing solutions to these three universal writing challenges: Invention (ideas), Arrangement (ordering of ideas), and Elocution (expression of ideas) are explained and then incorporated into lesson exercises and assignments.

The Art of Argument - (Intro to Informal Logic)

The goal of this class is for students to learn to be truth seekers who approach disagreement, debate, and argument from a point of humility by seeking what is true without being distracted by the desire to be right. Students will be provided opportunities to practice the virtue of prudence as they build the tools necessary to learn how to reason well. They will learn to detect 28 logical fallacies in their own statements, the arguments of others and identify the flawed arguments found so frequently in commercials, articles, books, movies, songs, TV shows, everyday discussions, and other media.

Tutor: Kelsey Gow

*Parent/Guardian on-site attendance required.

CLASS FULL. PLEASE CONTACT DIRECTOR TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.

Required Curriculum:

Cycle 2 Memory Work Guide, Claritas

Cycle 2 Memory Work Audio CD or Downloads

Other Cycle 2 recommended helps available on Claritas website and Cross Seven.

This class will mirror and expand on what Pentathlon science does during the morning, following the science memory work for Claritas Cycle 2 with a focus on Astronomy and Earth Science. Includes: galaxies, stars, and constellations; sun, moon, and planets; Galileo; Copernicus; parts of the earth and atmosphere; natural cycles; biomes; clouds; parts of the ocean. With a full hour for instruction and activity, our maturing 5th-graders will have extra time to understand and enjoy their exploration and discovery of the universe!

Tutor: David Powlison

Worship Arts provides a practical foundation in music theory, group dynamics, and the mechanics of musical collaboration. By exploring music theory foundations, students gain a deeper understanding of music and how its "rules" reflect a broader theological design. Whether participating as a vocalist or an instrumentalist, students will develop the musicianship needed to lead or play within a modern team while exploring the goals of biblical worship.

Format: 30 minutes of classroom instruction followed by a 30-minute collaborative lab. Lab time includes a guided rotation where the instructor provides individual coaching and feedback to each student.

Instruments: While instructional work primarily utilizes the piano, students will use their own instrument or voice during lab time. Please contact the instructor to discuss specific instrument details and availability for your student.

Tutor: Ally Harmon

In Treble Choir (treble being the upper range of voices, which is common in children), 2nd and 3rd grade students be trained to sing musically through a variety of folk songs, hymns, games, and activities. The goal is for students to joyfully grow as musicians who sing for God’s glory.

Coaches: Abby Anderson, Michelle McGuire

*Team Full. If interested in running a new team for the final competition season of FLL, please contact Compass director.

https://www.firstlegoleague.org/

Tutor: Kayla Kelm

Required Curriculum:

Portraits of the Masters

This course equips students to understand, analyze, and evaluate great works of art through a biblical worldview. Half of the class time will be spent studying how art communicates ideas, reflects belief systems, shapes culture, and how to evaluate those messages in light of God’s Word.The second half of the class time students will get hands on practice creating art. They will expand their skills using the seven elements of art, while observing God’s artwork in nature all around us. A combination of a few different curriculums will be used for this class but the one listed below is the only one parents need to purchase. All other materials will be provided.

This course counts as a full fine arts credit.

Tutor: Ally Harmon

In Treble Choir (treble being the upper range of voices, which is common in children), 4th and 5th grade students be trained to sing musically through a variety of folk songs, hymns, games, and activities. The goal is for students to joyfully grow as musicians who sing for God’s glory.

Tutor: David Powlison

CLASS FULL. PLEASE CONTACT DIRECTOR TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.

Beginner Lego Robotics focuses on the joy of discovery, teaching students how to build and program their own creations using LEGO technology. This class emphasizes problem-solving, teamwork, and the functions of gears, motors, and sensors. By blending digital coding with physical mechanics, students develop critical thinking skills as they bring their ideas to life in a fun, collaborative environment.

Students will work hands-on with LEGO Spike for robotics and coding, alongside LEGO BricQ Motion for exploring the physics of simple machines without the need for electronics.

Tutor: David Powlison

CLASS FULL. PLEASE CONTACT DIRECTOR TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.

Beginner Lego Robotics focuses on the joy of discovery, teaching students how to build and program their own creations using LEGO technology. This class emphasizes problem-solving, teamwork, and the functions of gears, motors, and sensors. By blending digital coding with physical mechanics, students develop critical thinking skills as they bring their ideas to life in a fun, collaborative environment.

Students will work hands-on with LEGO Spike for robotics and coding, alongside LEGO BricQ Motion for exploring the physics of simple machines without the need for electronics.

Coach: Phil Wyatt

Grades: 8-12

Prerequisite: FTC education class, competition team, or equivalent experience, AND coach approval for enrollment. Must be committed to practices, fundraising, and competitions. Contact Compass Director with questions.

https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/ftc/

Lead: Denise Smith

High school homeroom will be open Mon/Wed mornings as the community study room where our older students can bring their work to do independently and quietly (and still have celebrations and community). Whether or not the member student is taking Compass classes, they can still come do their schoolwork in homeroom amongst their peers. Please note that this is not a drop off high school day care, and your help in making sure our students are safe and accounted for is appreciated.

The homeroom will be supervised, with desks positioned to allow for use of computers and headphones to work on schoolwork (no games or unrelated internet browsing). Agreements with parent and student signatures for this will be mandatory for participation. Students will be required to bring actual school work to do in class, but there may be a random game now and then for fun brain breaks!

Like a library, students will be free to join on either or both days, go out and play ball, leave for class, or hang out together for study breaks. Parents are responsible for the amount of work that they accomplish in class, and whoever is supervising the room is not responsible for keeping students in class or the quality of their work. But of course, where reasonable, we will help with questions!

Tutors: Joy Wyatt (Writing), Ally Harmon (Grammar)

*Parent/guardian required to attend with their student.

Required Curriculum:

IEW Structure & Style, Adventures in Writing

Claritas Fundamental Grammar Guide (One per family. Other grammar curriculums may be used at home, however the scope and sequence of the Claritas Grammar will be the focus of in-class instruction. Compass Community Discount Code available for all Claritas Materials)

Recommended Helps:

Claritas Grammar Mastery Charts (non consumable)

Claritas Fundamental Grammar for the Lower Grammar Stage: Level 1 OR Level 2 Workbook

This class will be an excellent introduction to the writing process and basics of grammar for your advanced 3rd or 4th grade student. The class setting will provide us a safe place to ask questions, share essays, and encourage and motivate one another. Click here to see a sample of the Student Edition and Table of Contents for Adventures in Writing.

Institute for Excellence in Writing will prepare your student to take notes, retell stories, summarize references and expand their vocabulary to create amazing essays. This class will provide clear step-by-step instructions for each lesson provided in the IEW curriculum to be built on at home. 

Although the main focus will be writing, grammar will be another component of this class. During class, your student will review the grammar concepts from Pentathlon and put them to use in their writing and grammar workbooks. We will sing songs/chants, play games and have incentives to keep it fun and memorable!

Tutor: Michelle McGuire

Required Curriculum:

World Studies 5th edition textbook, BJU

Geography II Student Text & Student Workbook, Memoria Press

Class will use BJU World Studies 5th Edition to use as the scope & sequence and main reference for historical events, though for families looking for further research, additional outside sources are encouraged.  

Geography will use Memoria Press Geography II -- Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Oceania, & the Americas. Students will be learning/researching facts, physical geography, climate and people in countries around the world, using their sketchbooks to draw by hand the different continents and learned countried.

About BJU World Studies 5th Edition: Students will learn about key events in history and how events impacted the existing culture and other events and analyze the actions of world societies based on biblical teachings. The Student Edition will engage students with its vivid photography, artwork, maps, charts, and timelines.  Chapters open with an outline and a detailed, personal narrative about an event to capture students’ interest. Important terms are in bold print and Guiding, Reading, and Critical Thinking Questions throughout the chapter check for comprehension. Infographics, biographies, case studies, and Turning Points sidebars provide additional information. Section and chapter reviews challenge students to consider events from a worldview perspective.

Tutor: Laura Harvey

Required Curriculum:

Required Curriculum:Exploring World Geography (Part 1 & Part 2), Notgrass History

(Literature -- See Below)

This curriculum is very customizable, and focused more on human geography than physical geography of the world.  There are three possible high school credits that can be earned depending on what parents choose for at-home assignments: 1. World Geography, 2. English (if you purchase the literature books), 3. Worldview.  This class will cover world geography and literature -- Parents can choose the time length of their student's class depending on whether they would like just geography (1 hr.), just literature (30 min.) or both geography & literature (1 hr., 30 min.).The first hour of the class I will be covering the world geography portion of the curriculum. 

The geography portion includes:

Other than about 30 min of daily reading, there will not be assigned homework so that parents can choose which aspects of the curriculum they would like to use and what works best for their kids.  It will be focused on more of a guided discussion type format that allows kids to share with their peers the topics that interested them that week. I'm hoping to do several in-class only projects over the year, and will be including types of foods from around the world (will work with food allergies).The last half hour of the class will be literature discussion.

The literature portion includes:

Blood Brothers.  This is an autobiography which centers on one boy's experience of growing up during the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

A Long Walk to Water.  This the fictional story of how two children's lives intersect on their journeys in Sudan. (It also includes events in Ethiopia, Kenya & the United States.)

Boys Without Names.  This is a fictional story centered on child labor in India with an emphasis on the importance of relationships.

Revolution is Not a Dinner Party.  This is a semi-autobiography about a young girls' experience of growing up during China's cultural revolution.

Tales from Silver Lands.  This is a collection of folk tales from Central and South America that gives us a window into their culture.

Notgrass has provided a literary analysis for each of these books on their website and can be found here. I do have the books available to look at if you have further questions.

Each week students will be assigned a short summary paragraph to read in class as well as bringing either discussion questions or vocabulary words they found interesting in their reading.  Students will also be assigned 4 short essays to be read in class throughout the year.  There will be no reading assigned on the weeks that the essays are due.

Tutor: Tiffany Fink

Required Curriculum:

The Book of the Ancient Greeks and Student Guide, Memoria Press

The Book of the Ancient Romans and Student Guide, Memoria Press

This class will cover a semester of ancient Greece in the fall and a semester of ancient Rome in the spring. Our ancient Greece study will begin in in Crete and end in the Hellenistic Age, ushered in by Alexander the Great. Students learn about the development of democracy, the primordial defense of democracy in the Persian wars, the heyday of Athens (also known as the Golden Age), and that sad self-destruction known as the Peloponnesian Wars.Our study of ancient Rome will begin with the legendary founders of Rome: Romulus and Remus. The rise and fall of a monarchy, the embrace of a republic with the simultaneous dislike for kings, and finally the rise of the Roman Empire teaches unforgettable principles about human nature and society. It not only addresses the historical events, but includes notes on Roman culture, political system, and religion.Through both studies, we will analyze the culture though a biblical worldview and study to see God working His plan through it all. At home assignments will include reading, comprehension questions, some map work and one larger presentation project per semester. 

Tutor: Anna Drake

Required books:

TBD

A book club for 6th graders who enjoy reading and would like to take it a step further by discussing books with classmates in a relaxed classroom setting. We will be selecting 3-4 books per semester to read. Books will be selected based on IEW recommendations, Historical fiction novels that align with 6th grade Compass history topics, as well as family recommendations. Students will have an opportunity to vote on at least one novel choice per semester. Students will be expected to read several chapters per week on their own and come to class ready to discuss. This is meant to be a fun and relaxed elective choice, but reading outside of class is a MUST to get the most out of our in-class discussion and activity time.

Tutor: Katie Mefferd

Required Curriculum:

Discovering Design with Biology, Berean Builders (option to purchase 1-yr used textbook from Compass)

Streaming Videos, Berean Builders (rent for $99 or purchase for $199 through Vimeo link)

Lab Supplies included in cost

Discovering Design with Biology is a laboratory-based high school biology course is the first biology course a college-bound student should take.  It gives the student an introduction to how living organisms are designed, how they interact with one another, and how they interact with their physical environment.  

Class expectations will include coming to class prepared for in-depth discussion over assigned reading.  Class time will be spent in discussion and up to three labs/experiments with note taking. Following class, students will be expected to view lesson videos at home each lasting approximately 1.5 hours. We will take two weeks to complete one chapter.

From Berean Builders: Discovering Design with Biology is a laboratory-based high school biology course is the first biology course a college-bound student should take.  It gives the student an introduction to how living organisms are designed, how they interact with one another, and how they interact with their physical environment.  Students are taught how biologists classify life, the chemical processes that make life possible, the structures of RNA and DNA, and the designs of the different cells found in living organisms.  Students also learn the means by which photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and cellular reproduction occur. They then learn the current state of biotechnology.  With the molecular and cellular basis of life covered, the students are then given a survey of the different kinds of organisms found in nature: archaea, bacteria, protists, fungi, invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. The students then learn the biogeochemical cycles that keep environments hospitable to life, which leads to a discussion of ecosystems. Throughout the course, students see that life is the result of design and that organisms have been given the ability to adapt to their surroundings. In addition, they learn various problems associated with the modern evolutionary synthesis.

The course consists of 180 hours of instruction, 40 of which involve hands-on experiments.  The experiments include extracting DNA from fruit, examining the effects of temperature and pH on enzymes, exploring osmosis and diffusion, building a pedigree, culturing bacteria, growing and examining fungi, and analyzing the structure of a feather.  In addition, there are several experiments that explore the microscopic world, including identifying the stages of mitosis, studying live bacteria that were cultured by the student, identifying budding in yeast, and analyzing the microscopic structure of plants and animals. There are also four dissection experiments: the earthworm, crayfish, fish, and frog.

There are three types of experiments; household item, dissection, and microscope.  To give a lab credit you must do all the household and either the dissection or microscope experiments.  To give an honors credit you must do all three types of experiments.

Tutor: Tiffany Fink

Required Curriculum:

Science in the Atomic Age, Berean Builders (Used copies w/solutions and test manual available for purchase through Compass)

This class is designed to explore God’s creation together through discussion, note-taking, and fun, engaging experiments, all while making us more in awe of Him and His intricate detail and planning in His creation. At home assignments will include reading and a science fair project in the late winter.

From Berean Builders: This laboratory-based, junior high science course covers a wide range of topics that are of interest to modern scientists. It starts by describing our current understanding of atoms, molecules, the chemicals that are necessary for life, DNA, and cells. These topics are all discussed in the context of history, explaining how specific scientific advances led to the scientific explanations that the students are being taught. This allows students to learn not only the current scientific understanding of these topics, but also how scientists reached that understanding.The course then uses what the student has learned to describe the living world. It discusses the levels of organization found in creation and spends time discussing topics at each level. As a result, students learn how cells work together to make tissues, how tissues come together to make organs, how organs form organ systems, how those organ systems produce organisms, and how those organisms relate to one another in populations and communities. The student then learns how those communities interact with the physical environment to form ecosystems, which then form biomes. Along the way, students learn about fascinating new discoveries such as the function of the human appendix, the human microbiome, and soft tissue found in dinosaur fossils. Throughout the course, God’s design in nature is highlighted, and topics in the creation/evolution debate are discussed.

Tutor: Joy Wyatt

Round robin reading of history stories that expand on weekly history memory work from Pentathlon. Class discussion, comprehension questions with games, project/activities from curriculum Activity Guide.

Required Curriculum:

Story of the World, Volume 2 Revised Edition, by Susan Wise Bauer

Tutor: Kirsten Germond

CLASS FULL. PLEASE CONTACT DIRECTOR TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST.

*Parent/Guardian attendance highly recommended for students who are not already proficient with the material, who may need help following along in class, or who need more parent guidance at home. Please contact Compass Director with questions.

Curriculum:

IEW Structure & Style, Investigations in Writing

Claritas Fundamental Grammar Guide (One per family. Other grammar curriculums may be used at home, however the scope and sequence of the Claritas Grammar will be the focus of in-class instruction. Compass Community Discount Code available for all Claritas Materials)

Recommended Helps:

Claritas Grammar Mastery Charts (non consumable)

Cycle 2 FGG Workbook Units I &I II (consumable)

Cycle 2 FGG Workbook Unit III (non consumable)

IEW Structure & Style, Investigations in Writing

From IEW: Examine a wide variety of fascinating subjects in Investigations in Writing! Students write about intriguing topics in science, history, literature and music while they learn to write with the Structure and Style® writing method. Click here to see a Student Edition sample that includes the table of contents and topics from the year's source texts.

Claritas Fundamental Grammar

From Claritas: Our English grammar curriculum, Fundamental Grammar, was designed with various ages and grade levels in mind and will guide your family through many years of English grammar study.  With this curriculum, your student will learn the fundamentals of the structure of the English language. The Fundamental Grammar Guide includes lessons on the parts of speech, how to analyze sentences, composition rules, and sentence diagramming and parsing.  Complementing the Fundamental Grammar Guide are two workbooks available for purchase: one consumable workbook (labelled "Units I and II") and one non-consumable workbook (labelled "Unit III").

Tutor: Abby Anderson

Required Curriculum:

Physical Science textbook, BJU (available 1-yr used books available for purchase from Compass)

Physical Science lab manual, BJU (included in cost)

Physical Science at-home video access, BJU (included in cost)

Physical Science, BJU lab supplies (included in cost)

Co-requisite: Algebra 1

Each student will receive at-home video streaming access in order to watch lesson videos throughout the week. These videos are on average of about 20-30mins long and students are encouraged to take notes. We will meet once a week for discussions and to work on experiments together. 

This class offered to advanced 8th grade through high school.

From BJU Website:“Physical Science Student Edition, 6th ed.The student edition is divided into four units—two for chemistry and two for physics. The chemistry units move the student from matter and what it is made of to how matter interacts in chemical reactions, nuclear changes, solutions, and acids and bases. In the physics units, students learn about how matter and energy move and why they move; they study the many forms of energy and how energy moves throughout the world.”

Coaches: Abby Anderson, Michelle McGuire

* Team Full. If interested in running a new team for the final competition season of FLL, please contact Compass director.

https://www.firstlegoleague.org/

Tutor: Megan Vanderpool

Required Book:

The Consequences of Ideas, R.C. Sproul

This 15-week discussion-based class for 10th-12th grade students introduces the major ideas that have shaped Western civilization through R.C. Sproul’s engaging book The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts That Shaped Our World.

Students will examine how philosophical thought—from ancient Greece to the modern era—has influenced culture, ethics, politics, science, theology, and everyday life. The central theme is Sproul’s core conviction: ideas have consequences. What we believe about reality, truth, knowledge, God, and human nature matters deeply and ripples through history and into our present world.

The class emphasizes lively, Socratic-style discussions rather than lectures. Students will read assigned chapters weekly, prepare thoughts and questions, and actively participate in exploring big ideas. We will connect ancient philosophies to contemporary issues, encouraging students to think critically, articulate their views respectfully, and evaluate ideas from a thoughtful Christian perspective. 

Tutor: Megan Barrows

*Parent/Guardian on-site attendance required

Required Curriculum:

Science in the Beginning, Berean Builders

This class is geared towards 4th and 5th graders, and provides more science-filled learning and hands-on activities in addition to the primary science covered in Claritas. We will cover concepts from Science in the Beginning and engage in fun hands-on activities/experiments to further our exploration of God's creation.

From Berean Builders:

The beginning of history is given in the Bible’s creation account, and this book uses the days of creation as a way of introducing a wide range of scientific concepts including the nature of light, energy conservation, the properties of air and water, introductory botany, our solar system, basic zoology, and some aspects of human anatomy and physiology. As the students learn about these scientific concepts, they are constantly reminded of the Creator who fashioned the marvels they are studying.

Tutor: Megan Vanderpool

Required Curriculum:

Everyday Debate & Discussion Student Edition, Classical Academic Press

What would you do if you were having a conversation with a friend and realized that you completely disagreed with her point of view? What if your friend wanted to debate you about this issue? Would you welcome such a challenge as an adventure, or would you shrink from it as a threat? If you are one who feels fearful about—or even repelled by—debate or disagreement, Everyday Debate & Discussion may change your mind. This book will give you debating confidence and open your eyes to the benefit of debate, disagreement, and discussion in your day-to-day life or in a formal debate setting.

Everyday Debate & Discussion: A Guide to Socratic Conversation, Informal Discussion, and Formal Debate (Student Edition) not only shows students how to conduct informal and formal debates, but also how to develop good arguments by using solid logic and the resources available in their own thinking as well as the world around them. Students will employ the techniques of logic and rhetoric, such as the common topics of definition, comparison, relationship, circumstance, and testimony. Additional study of ethos, pathos, and style is also included, as well as a study of debate arrangement.

Tutor: Kayla Kelm

CLASS FULL. PLEASE ASK DIRECTOR TO BE ADDED TO WAITLIST.

*Class may be open to mature 4th and 5th graders who have a keen interest in art. Please contact Compass Director with questions.

In this course, students will be introduced to a variety techniques some of which include pinch pots, building with coils, slabs, adding texture, and more. Each student will have 6 (possibly more)take-home projects. There will be various activities, and assignments to help students grasp the three-dimensional concepts for using clay. All materials will be provided. 

Coach: Phil Wyatt

Grades: 8-12

Prerequisite: FTC education class, competition team, or equivalent experience, AND coach approval for enrollment. Must be committed to practices, fundraising, and competitions. Contact Compass Director with questions.

https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/ftc/