FAQs, Helps, and Extras

FAQs

What classes should my high school student complete for language arts?

We suggest that high school students complete the following courses for language arts (to be taken in any order):

All Three Classes from the Following List:
• High School Language Arts 1 (1 credit)
• High School Language Arts 2 (1 credit)
• High School Language Arts 3 (1 credit)

Any Two Classes from the Following Electives List:
• British Literature (.5 credits) (future course)
• American Literature (.5 credits) (future course)
• Creative Writing (.5 credits) (future course)
• Editing & Writing for College Prep (.5 credits) (future course)

Please Note: Original plans were to have a High School Language Arts 1, 2, 3, and 4. However, to allow students time to complete language arts elective courses, we have decided to include all needed concepts in just 3 courses, rather than 4. There will no longer be a High School 4 Language Arts course.

Some students will be able to complete the high school courses and complete Honors Book Studies/Literature classes.

Honors

Greenleaf High School Language Arts offers an optional honors track. To complete the honors program, it is recommended that the student fulfill the Suggested Requirements and complete at least 1 book study along with each high school course.

The High School Language Arts Scope and Sequence can be viewed by clicking here.

Will High School 1 Language Arts be changing to a new edition?

No. We do not have any plans to update the units at this time. 

My state has certain requirements. How many credits are the courses?

Each high school language course (1-3) is

• 1 credit of English Literature, Language, and Composition
• ½ credit of art history and art instruction
• ½ credit of geography.

These future release courses are 1/2 credit courses: British Literature, American Literature, Creative Writing, and Editing & Writing for College Prep.

If you are required to keep track of hours and find your student is going through the course too quickly, add more time reading literature from the course reading challenge, or have the student complete High School Honors Book Studies.

How do I know whether the honors path is the right fit or not?

The student chooses a daily amount of time to spend on the course each day and does it consistently.

• If you are doing school four days a week, each unit should be completed in 12 school days, spending 45–60 minutes a day + time spent on reading challenge for a 4-day school week (determined by the student and teacher, usually an average of 15-20 minutes a day)
• If you are doing school five days a week, each unit should be completed in 15 school days, spending 35–50 minutes a day + time spent on reading challenge for a 5-day school week (determined by the student and teacher, usually an average of 10-15 minutes a day)

If the student can finish the units in less time than stated above, the student will have time to complete one or more High School Honors Book Studies and should be advanced enough to complete them. Advanced readers will naturally go through the courses more quickly. Those with a strong background in language arts will naturally go through the courses more quickly because they will complete assignments faster and will not need to watch the many optional videos that give extra help to those who need it.

Are your high school language arts courses accredited?

No. Greenleaf High School is for those who are not seeking accredited classes, and accreditation is not necessary for admittance to most colleges and universities.

Will the course be too easy for my advanced student?

The course is a good combination of review and more complex concepts. Advanced students will move quickly through the review concepts (which is needed for cementing learning) and will also learn more complex concepts. The literature integrated with the course is challenging and of very high literary value. Also, advanced students should feel motivated to complete the course early in order to complete the fun and more challenging Honors Book Studies.

Will the course be too advanced for my student?

The course is designed to be completed very early by advanced students, giving all students without learning disabilities plenty of time to finish the course in one school year. Students should find our optional, easy-to-understand videos very helpful, and they can be re-watched as many times as needed.

Should the high school curriculum be done in a consecutive order, or would it be appropriate for a homeschool co-op to rotate it in a four year cycle?

The high school language arts curriculum is set up in a way that it can work to take the courses in any order. However, not going in consecutive order will occasionally require students to watch videos or study foundational grammar principles upon which other principles are built. In these rare cases, the course will say something like the following sentence: “Foundational Concept Needed: To understand run-on sentences, you must first understand what makes a complete sentence. If needed, watch the video titled ‘A Sentence Needs Three Things’ on www.goodandbeautiful.com/videos before proceeding.” Because review and practice is vital to cementing principles, there is a lot of review in the courses, making it more feasible to take the courses out of order when needed.

My student is starting The Good and the Beautiful High School Language Arts in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade; where should he or she start, and will they be OK to not complete all courses?

If the student is starting 10th grade: It is recommended that the student complete High School Language Arts 1, 2, and 3 and skip the high school language arts electives if they are unable to fit them into their schedule.

If the student is starting 11th grade: It is recommended that the student tries to complete High School 1, 2, and 3 in 11th and 12th grade, if possible, by eliminating the reading challenges and art projects. However, if the three courses cannot be taken, it is recommended that the student take High School 1 and Editing & Writing for College Prep (future course).

If the student is starting 12th grade:  If the student starts our high school courses in 12th grade, it is recommended that the student complete Editing & Writing for College Prep and another language arts course of his or her choice.

How much time does the student need to spend each day completing their High School Language Arts course?

Because the focus, reading speed, and experience of each students is hugely different, the time needed to be spent each day varies widely. The average student will need to spend

• 45–60 minutes a day + time spent on the High School 1 Reading Challenge for a 4-day school week (determined by the student and teacher, usually an average of 15-20 minutes a day)
• 35–50 minutes a day + time spent on the High School 1 Reading Challenge for a 5-day school week (determined by the student and teacher, usually an average of 10-15 minutes a day)

Advanced students should be able to finish the course in less than one school year by spending the times listed above. However, students that are slower but still want to complete Honors Units Studies can simply spend more time each day.

Average advanced students that spend the maximum time listed above are expected to finish High School 1 in 1/2 a school year. Average advanced students that spend the minimum time listed above are expected to finish the course in 2/3 of a school year.

Do I need to purchase the versions of the required reading books published by The Good and the Beautiful Library

We suggest that you purchase all the required reading books from The Good and the Beautiful for these reasons:

1. You will end up with a beautiful, matching set of books (they are all the same size and have the same format on the spines, etc.) for your home library.
2. They are almost always the same price or less than can be found elsewhere if purchasing new.
3. We do not abridge books, but we do remove things such as profanity, taking God’s name in vain, and culturally insensitive comments.

However, you do not need to purchase the versions published by The Good and the Beautiful, unless they are compilations published only by The Good and the Beautiful. Some of the books have Kindle versions, and they will work, but consider #3 above.

Can a student listen to the required reading books instead of reading them?

It is up to the parent. Our suggestion is that students who are slow readers and need to speed up the course listen to every other chapter of a book through Audible, or the student listens to 1-2 of the required reading books for each course and reads the other books.

What ages are recommended? Can a junior high student complete the course?

Greenleaf High School Language Arts is recommended for students in 8th or 9th grade and above. 

Do the subjects of art and geography require supplementation?

Art history and appreciation and geography are thorough and designed to not need supplementation. One art project is included for each unit, for a total of 10 art projects during each course. Students interested in pursuing more than basic skills will likely want to supplement with extra art courses.

What art mediums are taught in each high school level?

Pencil drawing is taught in each level. The other mediums taught for each level are as follows:

High School 1—Watercolor

High School 2—Watercolor Pencils & Charcoal

Sentence diagramming Steps 1-15 are taught in lower level The Good and the Beautiful courses. Do the high school courses teach more steps?

No. The creators of this curriculum see huge benefits in learning to diagram sentences for certain concepts, but not for others. Steps 1-15 cover everything we feel is needed with sentence diagramming. All these steps are reviewed and cemented in the high school courses.

Do all the course components contain faith-based materials?

Yes, even the High School Cards, which contain poetry that is faith-based.

Does Greenleaf High School include doctrines specific to any certain Christian denomination?

No. The goal of The Good and the Beautiful curriculum is not to teach doctrines specific to a particular Christian sect, but to teach general principles of moral character such as honesty and kindness. The King James Version of the Bible is used when quoting Bible verses.

My young child placed at a high level. Is he or she really ready for it?

You will have to use your best judgment, especially taking into consideration the child’s handwriting and writing abilities. The biggest struggle for younger children in higher levels is usually the writing assignments. In addition to this, our placement tests are limited and cannot test all grammar principles; consequently, there may be gaps in learning if younger children start at a high level. It is recommended that you do not start any child more than one level above his or her corresponding grade level (allowing the child to move through the levels as quickly as he or she is able).

Do the Greenleaf High School Language Arts courses follow Common Core standards? How do they compare to public school?

Our curriculum does not follow Common Core standards, but it does match or exceed most national public school standards. The academic spine of our curriculum was developed by compiling national state standards and then determining which ones match Good and Beautiful moral standards and the abilities of our pilot families. We believe that children who work on The Good and the Beautiful curriculum consistently each day will find that they are far above public school standards.

When will students study Shakespeare?

We plan to offer resources in our high school language arts program to study Shakespeare. As this project is still in the development stage, we do not have further details at this time.

I need to purchase the answer key and unit checks. Where can they be found?

Answer Keys and Unit Checks for High School 1, High School 2 and High School 3 can be purchased separately by parents for $0.99. They can be found at the links below. The Answer Key and Unit Checks come free with purchase of either the course set or the unit booklets.

High School 1 Answer Key and Unit Checks

High School 2 Answer Key and Unit Checks

High School 3 Answer Key and Unit Checks

Will there be more High School courses?

All the language arts principles needed for high schoolers (and more!) are covered in our High School 1, 2, and 3 courses. Thus, we will not have a High School 4 course. If children have completed High School 1-3, they can start college courses or take a high school writing course, editing course, or other language arts elective, which we do not have available at this time.

The Good and the Beautiful is working on more high school courses. They are very labor-intensive and expensive and require a lot of expertise. We are making sure to do them correctly and not rush them. We will not be releasing any more high school classes in 2022 or 2023, but after that, you can expect a lot of incredible high school courses coming your way!