KONOS Juniors (Grades 7-8)

An excellent environment in which to grow, develop, and prepare

Using the KONOS 5 D’s — Do, Dramatize, Discover, Dialogue, and Drill — students participate in the learning environment while becoming confident in their strengths as they move toward high school.

Students attend the one-day program on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday and are immersed in learning about continents and cultures. They integrate the history, culture, and literature of each country. Speech and writing assignments are related to each country or continent.

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Our daughter has significantly furthered important skills such as critical thinking, persuasive expression, and research…We’ve enjoyed consistent and thorough communication with her teachers and have appreciated the God-honoring environment in all their activities.

–J.L., KONOS Juniors mother

YEAR A & B PROGRAM OF STUDY

This program can be described as “classical plus.” Tiffany McBryde and Tiffany Horton teach students who are ready for a more rigorous, structured program.

The focus in this program is learning how to be successful students. They practice self-management skills, writing skills, and reasoning skills which will prepare them for KONOS Academy high school. The academic focus is world cultures — the history, art, geography, religion, traditions, and daily life. Within each culture, students read related literature, participate in hands-on activities, and work together on challenging projects. Vocabulary, grammar, and critical thinking lessons support the students’ reasoning and writing skills.

Year A (2024-25)

 

  • World Geography and Cultures
    – North America – includes emphasis on US government
    – Australia
    – Europe
    – Africa
  • English
    – Writing – learning a variety of academic formats and creating an adventure story set in Europe
    – Grammar – Daily Grammar Practice; The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need
    – Vocabulary – mastery and application of 100 Greek and Latin roots
    – Literature – novels set in geographical regions of study: Counting on Grace, The Captain’s Dog: My Journey with Lewis and Clark, Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition, Braver: A Wombat’s Tale, The Second Mrs. Giaconda, A Father’s Promise, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and A Long Walk to Water
  • Informal Logic – The Fallacy Detective
  • Drama

 

Year B (2025-26)

 

  • World Geography and Cultures
    – Russia
    – Middle East
    – Japan
    – India
    – China
    – Antarctica
    – South America
    – World Religions
  • English
    – Writing – Olympic Writing by Carole Thaxton
    – Literature – The Endless Steppe, Angel on the Square, Mud City, The Master Puppeteer, poems by Rudyard Kipling, Red Scarf Girl, Shackleton’s Stowaway, and Bruchko
    – Grammar – Easy Grammar Plus
    – Vocabulary – Wordly Wise 3000 Book 8
  • Drama

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

World Cultures (history and geography)
The focus during the middle school years is exploring different cultures around the world from a biblical perspective. During this two-year cycle, students learn about both the physical and human geography of selected regions, countries, and continents. Each unit of study centers around a unifying question that focuses our learning. Team competitions, individual and group projects, presentations, map work, research and writing work together to expose students to key elements of culture, history, religion, and the physical world. By reading literature pertaining to the same geographic region being studied, students are immersed in that culture for a time. This appreciation of physical and human geography provides a solid foundation for the deeper study of world history and governments in the high school years.
Literature
Good literature should enhance our view of the world around us. It reveals patterns we see in the world and shows us important truths about ourselves. By encouraging an understanding of these truths and patterns in the light of the character of God and His Word, we learn tools for discerning what we read. For each work of literature we seek to identify story elements such as plot, character, setting, theme, and style, and we look at how the author uses figurative language and other literary devices to tell his story.
Grammar
We study grammar to understand how language functions and how it affects our communication. Our objective is to teach the parts of speech and their functions in sentences, different types of phrases and clauses, punctuation, and mechanics. We seek to apply these skills to the writing assignments so that our students will ultimately be able to use them within the context of becoming more proficient writers. Students practice the concepts through workbook exercises, class discussion and games.
Writing
Composition involves both the mechanical and creative aspects of writing. It is important to be sensitive to the personal aspect of writing while encouraging an understanding of the elements involved in composition. Class time is spent developing organizational skills, topic sentences, supporting details, etc. Assignments include short stories, narratives, outlines, note taking, essays, and poetry. Writing compositions are carefully graded with notations, and the students learn the editing process for improving their writing.
Vocabulary
We seek to increase the students’ knowledge and use of grade-level vocabulary words and Greek and Latin roots. The students are encouraged to apply their newfound vocabulary words through their writing and speaking and to look for them in books and news articles.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking skills are an invaluable tool for our children as they prepare to engage with the world and defend their beliefs in the context of a Christian worldview. The students will learn to discern logical fallacies and assumptions and apply the concepts to real-life situations.
Speech and Drama

KONOS students participate in a variety of public speaking activities during the year including speeches, presentations, and drama. Each year KONOS students perform a musical or play directed by Joanne Lee. Past productions have included Aladdin, Willy Wonka, Seussical, and A Christmas Carol.

Supplement the Juniors' program with additional classes

KONOS Plus Courses