Frequently Asked Questions?

1. Can my child take ½ year of art and ½ year of drama? Yes, Drama, Musical Drama, Art, AIMS, and Home Economics are classes in which a student may sign up for 1 semester. You can start in the beginning of the year or in the middle of the year for any of these classes.

2. Why is Koinonia switching from Saxon to McDougal Littel math curriculums? Koinonia has loved working with the Saxon math books over the years. Although we believe they are great texts, we believe we have found a better math text for students who desire to be thoroughly prepared for college mathematics courses. The McDougal Littel curriculum offers 3 levels of problems: easy, moderate and challenging. This will be extremely beneficial to all levels of students in Koinonia’s math classes. Tutors will now be able to assign problems according to the child’s abilities and future plans. Also, Koinonia believes that McDougal Littel is a better text for requiring students to think on their own. The McDougal Littel books are also colorful and more pleasing to the eye than the Saxon books.

3. Where can I purchase the McDougal Littel math books? New and used McDougal Littel math texts can be purchased at Amazon.com for a better price than from the publisher. The solutions manuals can be purchased cheapest through the publisher. Unfortunately only a certified teacher can make a purchase from McDougal Littel. Therefore, Koinonia will be making one large purchase on August 15^th. Place your order of McDougal Littel math products through your tutor by August 15, 2007.

4. Should my child take a Geometry course? Although students are introduced to Geometry in other math books, the full year Geometry course is still a necessity. Proofs are only taught in a full year Geometry course and they are important building blocks for logical & critical thinking. Many careers require logical and critical thinking. Geometry is a great course in which to learn those skills.

5. What English class should my child take at Koinonia?

If your child is 11 - 13 years of age and:

needs a foundational English class, consider enrolling your student in Writing and Grammar Basics. This is an outstanding opportunity for your student to ease into writing and build strong grammar skills at the same time.

If your child is 12-14 years of age and:

a) is ready for a challenging English class but has never had any experience with the Institute for Excellence in Writing program, you should consider enrolling your student in the Intermediate English I class. ( or if you took Janette Decker’s class Writing and Grammar Basics last year, you could take this class or Intermediate English II.)

b) has experience with IEW in the past, you should enroll your student in the Intermediate English II class.

If your child is 14 – 18 years of age and:

a) has never taken a class in which the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) curriculum was used OR if your student really struggled with an IEW class in the past and needs to strengthen his/her knowledge of grammar, you should consider enrolling your student in English I.

b) has a strong foundation in IEW and grammar, then your students should consider taking English II.

c) has a strong foundation in IEW and grammar and is ready to tackle a challenging year learning about literature, then your student should consider taking English III.