ABOUT US
Sacred Heart Co-op is rooted in truth, beauty, and goodness. We aim to continue to grow our children’s sense of wonder and joy through faith, study, friendship, and physical challenges.
The co-op teachers are parents with advanced degrees; some are even University professors. We work to engage the great books, learn about the natural world, develop clear thinking and writing, and deepen the students’ faith all without being excessively rigorous during sensitive years of social and physical growth.
Sacred Heart Co-op provides a nurturing, yet challenging, environment. Students learn to treat each other and their teachers with respect all while engaging in lively discussions of their work.
CURRICULUM
mathematics
6th Grade math: Saxon 65, 2nd. Edition.
This class is for 6th graders, and 7th graders not ready for pre-algebra. This course will focus on solidifying math facts and operations, specifically operations with fractions, decimals and percents.
Pre-algebra: Preparing to Use Algebra Laidlaw 4th edition (1986).
This class reviews the basic operations of arithmetic using integers, rational, and irrational numbers in the context of algebra. We will practice operations with fractions, decimals, percents, negative numbers, exponents and square roots. We will solve for variables in a variety of different types of equations.
Algebra 1: Algebra Structure and Method Book 1 Houghton Mifflin (1992)
This is a rigorous introduction to algebra. Topics include: operations with polynomials, algebraic fractions, functions (including quadratic functions), linear equations, systems of equations, and irrational numbers
HUMANITIES
Year A: Ancient History (2023-2024)
Year B: Medieval and Renaissance Humanities (2024-2025)
Year C: The Founding of America and the Modern World (2025-2026)
Texts used during Year B
History textbook: Story of Civilization Vol II, Medieval, and the Renaissance chapters from Vol III, to which I add biographies, additional lectures, primary sources like the Magna Carta, etc.
Literature:
-
Beowulf (adapted; some students also read Heaney’s translation)
-
The Ballad of the White Horse by GK Chesterton
-
The Hidden Treasure of Glaston (Arthurian historical fiction, Newberry Medal book)
-
The Canterbury Tales, full prologue and carefully selected tales in a literal verse translation
-
Macbeth
-
The Trumpeter of Krakow (historical fiction, Newberry Medal)
-
Possibly: Thomas More unit
-
At least two chapter books chosen from the class library of historical fiction
-
Seminars: daily, lively discussion, written responses and a seminar about each literary work.
-
Writing: two research projects/presentations, two book reports, some writing coordinated with the IEW curriculum, Chaucerian verse imitation.
-
Timeline & map work: each student makes a detailed timeline.
-
Special events: field trip to the Battle of Pavia tapestry exhibit at the Kimbell, potluck medieval feast.
-
Memory work: first 11 lines of Beowulf in Old English, excerpt from Ballad of the White Horse, “I sing of a maiden,” Macbeth speech, other lyric poetry
-
Commonplace book with short quotations
WRITING
Students follow the IEW “Structure and Style” curriculum at their level to strengthen their writing skills. The primary focus is on the writing process: reading, understanding, taking notes, making an outline, writing, editing and rewriting. They turn in a written piece every week, and it is graded promptly for their progress.
​
Students also work on grammar with the IEW “Fix it” series, which focuses on editing skills as they learn new grammar and vocabulary.
SCIENCE
Middle School Science aims to spark students’ curiosity about the natural world by increasing students’ scientific vocabulary, engaging in hands-on activities, and helping students see connections and trends across topics and fields of science.
​
All 6-8th grade Sacred Heart students take science together as one group, so each year is dedicated to a different field of science: Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science.
​
In Earth Science students study the rock cycle; Earth’s structure and composition: geological processes such as plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes; Earth’s water cycle and atmosphere; Earth’s wind and ocean currents; and an introduction to Astronomy.
​
In Life Science, students study taxonomy, types of cells, human organ systems, ecosystems, and an introduction to genetics.
​
In Physical Science, students study matter and its properties (solids, liquids, gases); chemical reactions and changes; Newtown’s Laws; motion (position, velocity, and acceleration); momentum, and simple machines.
ART
Art will use the Catholic Schoolhouse of Catholic Heritage Curricula course work to expose the students to beautiful art, teach art history, and develop their artistic skills.
This past year the students learned shading, cross hatching, stippling, light source, and perspective. 1, 2, and 3 vantage points, color wheel and how to mix the colors to make 24 colors from 3 (red, yellow, blue). They did projects with monochromatic landscapes, church architecture and styles, different point of views of the trees and leaves outside, an introduction to watercolors, starry night, opaque vs transparent, Christmas postcards, faces and emotions, self portraits using mirrors, and Edvard Munch’s the scream and painters of that time. The students did an extensive mysteries of the rosary project with oil paints. They worked on motion sketches of each other learning how to pose and sketch. They finished the year with lessons on Renaissance art and all the themes like symbolism, realism, light source, perspective, and detail with artists of the time and their work, with a heavy focus on Da Vinci's last supper.
RELIGION
Fall Semester focused on Salvation History with a close look at the Old Testament. Students studied in depth the covenants made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets.
​
Spring Semester focused on the life of Christ beginning with his birth and culminating with the early Church. Attention was particularly given to Jesus as the fulfillment of the covenants studied in the fall semester.
​
Class time involved a deep dive into scripture. We read and discussed the scriptures in each class. Students gained familiarity with using the Bible and grew comfortable in both reading and analyzing scripture. The primary text used for these lessons was The Catholic Teen Bible. References for the teacher were Into the Deep Level 3 religion curriculum, Bible Basics, The Life of Grace from the Faith and Life Series (grade 7), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
ATHLETICS
sacred heart running club
Coach: Annie Draughon
Assistant Coach: Betsy Purke