All Courses
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
Tacitus said it was “worth a conquest;” Chamberlain called it “the darkest land;” Shakespeare named it a “precious stone set in the silver sea.” Who would have thought a small northern island would be the scene of the one of the most dramatic tales in history - one that would span empires and ages? Students will embark on a journey through the wars, loves, and adventures of England’s history, and Socratically challenge the concepts that wove its rich tapestry. The course will begin with the first century before Christ, when Rome famously “turned its gaze upon Britain,” and continue through to the sweeping changes of the Victorian empire.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
No era has been so darkened and mythologized in the modern eye as the Medieval Age. Shatter the misconceptions about this daring and adventurous epoch by diving into eyewitness accounts to history and rock-solid scholarship! Use Socratic discussion to explore history's most sweeping saga of dauntless martyrs, brilliant scientists and scholars, scheming overlords, and ordinary men and women living through extraordinary times. From the perilous days when barbarian hordes sacked Europe to the age of explorers pushing open the world's boundaries, this course will form students in critical thinking, discussion skills, and knowledge of history.
Intermediate Course (12 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course (includes private tutorial time) – Prerequisite: Advanced Grammar Placement Assessment (supplied by the program manager)
[Upon registration, the program manager will send you the placement assessment for completion. If the student struggles with a significant portion of these concepts, we will advise taking Foundational Grammar first or completing additional grammar study in their home program.]
This course is a bridge between Foundational Grammar and Intro to High School Writing, for students who are familiar with grammar basics but not quite ready for high school essays. It focuses on the more complex rules of grammar, covering clauses, phrases, and sentence structure and includes an introduction to the world of paragraph writing. Students will develop strong writing basics that will help them when they enter the high school stage of composition. This course does build upon the concepts of WISDOM's Foundational Grammar course, but it is not essential that Foundational Grammar is taken first if students already have a sufficient grasp of the basic parts of speech and their usage.
Intermediate Course (12 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course (includes private tutorial time) – No Prerequisite
This course covers basic grammatical knowledge, with the final end of helping students to write well and avoid improper sentence structure - namely, fragments, run-on sentences, and poor punctuation. Each week, students will learn about a new grammatical concept (parts of speech, mechanics, and usage), always referring back to the previous lessons so that there is a synthesis of all the material.
To ensure that each student understands the course as it progresses, student and tutor will meet privately once a week to review assignments together and clear up any questions the student might have. Each week there is a reading element, a new grammar concept, and a series of exercises and sentence writing components to solidify understanding. A large part of absorbing and understanding grammatical concepts comes from seeing those concepts in action, through reading good literature, and then executing them in one's own writing. Students will read Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt and other pertinent excerpts from literature.
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course– Prerequisite: sufficient experience in English grammar to understand proper sentence structure and grammatical concepts (parts of speech, mechanics, and usage). Samples may be requested.
In this high school level writing course, students will read pertinent selections from classic literature and discuss one each week in conjunction with receiving instruction in a particular writing focus. They will submit a related writing assignment to their tutor weekly to learn and practice the fundamentals and techniques of good writing. This course includes private tutorial time. Students must have high-school level grasp of formal grammar and sentence structure, and a strong commitment to this course.
Intermediate Course (13 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course– Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
This high school level writing course endeavours to give students the ability to use their imaginations in expressing themselves through story, and to cultivate their writing abilities through studying the basics of story composition. Students will learn to brainstorm ideas, create characters, develop plot, write description and dialogue, proofread and edit, and "show, not tell." To assist with this thought and process development, students will read selections from classic literature and discuss them each week. At the culmination of the course, students will have written a short story (10-15 pages), with different elements being covered in each week's assignment. This course includes a weekly private tutorial time.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
(Extra Evaluation Version available - see below)
Sharpen the sword of your thought and make it clear, strategic, and effective! Writing an essay is so much more than cover pages and footnotes – it's the process of bringing truth to life in ink on the page! This hands-on course demystifies the essay-writing process, walking students through the mechanics of writing argumentative, research, personal, and literary essays in a practical way. Students complete a writing assignment every week and study stellar examples of great writing to inspire their own work. They meet in class with other students to discuss the writing process, and receive a short private tutorial time weekly with the tutor. This is WISDOM's most challenging writing course, and students will gain valuable writing skills if they are strongly committed to the process of their study.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
Hone your ability to read and understand great works of literature! This class will take the mystery out of formal literary analysis and give students the skills they need for upper level and collegiate literature classes. We will study different kinds of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction and master the technical vocabulary and skills necessary to discuss and write about literature in an academic setting. Students will complete a pre-reading assignment to discuss during each class and complete a follow-up writing assignment, including several long essays. They will also be able to discuss the writing assignments each week with the tutor in a private fifteen-minute tutorial. While this course is not specifically directed to the Alberta diploma exam, students will find that the course content will provide them with skills and experience to poise them for success in the exam. This is a challenging, upper-level course aimed towards future academic study—and a life-long love of reading!
This course is fairly time intensive, so students and parents should plan accordingly for their schedule throughout the term. Students should expect to spend approximately 6-8 hours each week on homework.
Senior Course (14 yrs and up), $335, 14 week course – Prerequisite: Intro to High School Writing
(If an interested student can demonstrate sufficient writing ability at a high school level, they can contact Nicole Noster, nicole@wisdomhomeschooling.com, for a possible exemption from the prerequisite.)
This course is a sequel to the prerequisite courses. Like Intro to High School Writing and Mastering the Essay, it is a practical course designed to help the students improve their writing skills by expanding their writing experience through a diverse collection of styles. Students will delve deeper into specific writing genres, such as critique, allegory, persuasion, and tragedy, and continue to hone their writing abilities in preparation for any post-secondary choices. In this high school level writing course, the writing study will be enriched by pertinent selections for discussion from classic literature. This course includes a weekly private tutorial time in addition to the weekly assignment.
Intermediate Course (12 yrs and up), $195, 14 week course – No Prerequisite
It has been said beauty is the greatest doorway to truth; it's time to fling the doors wide open. Bring your curiosity and sense of wonder, and prepare to revel in a festival of some of greatest masterworks of art ever created. Trace the story of art and the men and women who chiseled, daubed, moulded, and breathed life into it through the ages. Train your eye for art and your reason at the same time. Guided by weekly readings, students will examine featured paintings each week, and explore the great ideas hidden in them by means of Socratic discussion. This course will broadly cover the past millennium of art, studying the various eras, styles, methods and history of the great artists. Can a picture really speak a thousand words - can a few brush strokes really have so much to say about truth? Come and find out for yourself.
Interested students should view the sample lesson below to determine if the course readings will be a good fit.