Middle School (5th-8th)

This course trains students in composition and rhetoric using the tried and true method of the progymnasmata. The progymnasmata are a series of exercises that were developed in ancient Greece and have trained great writers and orators for centuries. Students are trained in progressive steps to imitate masterful writers in narrative, expository, and argumentative writing, and apply the skills they learn to all forms of writing and speaking. Alongside composition, English grammar and syntax will be taught and practiced, including parts of speech, usage and mechanics, and conventions. 

T/Th 8:30am to 9:45am ◆ 2 days a week 1 hr 15 min ◆ $200 per quarter or $750 per year

The Person and work of Christ is the heart of the Christian faith. This course will focus on the Person of Christ and His Incarnation through the lens of the New Testament and Church Fathers, including the great Ecumenical Councils of the early Church, and the battles against major Christological heresies. This course will be supplemented by Byzantine chant instruction and instruction from clergy/ministerial staff courtesy of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church.

M/W/F 1:15pm to 2:15pm ◆ 3 days a week 1 hour ◆ $200 per quarter or $750 per year

Humans interpret our experience of our lives and the world through stories. For a story to be remembered and passed on, it must touch on common threads of human experience, while also preserving the richly unique cultural worldview of its authors. This discussion-based course will delve into that experience by taking medieval stories and literature as its starting point. Traditional fairy tales will be a focus, alongside enduring ancient staples of the great literary canon, and some more recent works that are thematically related to the medieval world.

Required reading may include (subject to change):

• Traditional fairy tales of Europe
• Norse myths and tales
• Beowulf*
• The Divine Comedy*
• 1001 Nights*
• Legends of King Arthur and Charlemagne
• C.S. Lewis: The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian
• Shakespeare: Macbeth/Hamlet

* These works may be read in a version adapted to middle school readers.

MWF 12:30pm to 1:15pm ◆ 3 days a week 45 min ◆ $200 per quarter or $750 per year

History is the grand story of humanity, containing multitudes of smaller stories of joy, triumph, beauty, tragedy, and loss. These stories shape our understanding of the world and ourselves, and broaden our perspective beyond the limitations of our own time and place. This course will approach history chronologically–with a focus on the medieval period starting from Caesar Augustus and the birth of Christ, and proceeding up to the Fall of Constantinople–to provide students with an outline of that grand story. Along the way, we will spend time with the Roman/Byzantine Empire, western Europe through the Middle Ages, Russia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Japan, China, India, the Islamic caliphates, and others. This course also includes world geography.

M/W/F 10:15am to 11:30am ◆ 3 days a week 1 hr 15 min ◆ $275 per quarter or $1000 per year

One of the great languages of culture and learning in the Western world for centuries and especially through the medieval era, Latin is also one of the major languages of the early Church. This course is suitable as an introduction to the language, combining grammar instruction with authentic reading and conversation.

T/Th 12:30pm to 1:15pm ◆ 2 days a week 45 min ◆ $150 per quarter or $550 per year 

Logic is the art of thinking well and arguing clearly in pursuit of truth. This course is a gentle introduction to logic through an investigation of common fallacies. Don’t be surprised if your student is able to catch you using one after a few lessons!

T/Th 1:15pm to 2:00pm ◆ 2 days a week 45 min ◆ $150 per quarter or $550 per year

Math is a window on the beauty and order inherent in the Cosmos. This course will open that window through differentiated, small group and individual instruction that allows students to learn according to their own ability and pace. Students working on arithmetic operations through algebra are welcome.

M/W/F 8:30am to 9:45am ◆ 3 days per week 1 hr. 15 min ◆ $275 per quarter or $1000 per year

This course will focus on biology: structures and processes of living things, including plants, animals, and humans; classification; heredity; population dynamics; and more. Science is concerned with the material, but it doesn’t have to be reductive–the material part of the Cosmos, which science takes as its object, is full of wonder and beauty. This course will investigate scientific phenomena through wonder, with supplemental consideration of the development, philosophy, and practice of science. This course will also be supplemented with engineering/STEM and coding instruction through LEGO Education materials.

T/Th 10:15am to 11:30am ◆ 2 days per week 1 hr 15 min ◆ $200 per quarter or $750 per year

The middle school art program at ASA is developed from techniques taught in grammar school. Elements of art and principles of design are introduced in grammar school, and in middle school they are reviewed and reinforced. Art history lessons are sometimes inspired by what students are learning in their history class along with lessons about different art periods and various artists. 

Th 2:00pm to 2:45pm ◆ $150 a quarter or $550 a year 

Greek classes for Middle School students at Agia Sophia Academy are very basic in content and style. The first area of study is becoming familiar with the alphabet and what sounds the letters make. The focus of the lessons is on word recognition, pronunciation and some writing activity. Students are encouraged to keep a log of new words that they have learned throughout the year. They also engage in simple conversation often working in pairs. As the year progresses, they learn basic concepts important in their daily life.

Th/F 9:45am to 10:15am ◆ $150 a quarter or $550 a year 

We believe music is core to fully educating the person; therefore students receive music instruction 3 days a week. ASA music instruction includes a number of well-known methods. Students do ear training following the Solfège Methodology, which involves finding pitches and recognizing tonal intervals while learning to sing on pitch. Students learn various rhythms and tempo using the Orff Method. 

Classes include dance/movement, theory, history, and application through singing and playing instruments. Students acquire these skills using children’s songs, classical music, Orthodox music, and American folk songs. These skills are demonstrated in at least two major performances during each school year: the Christmas program and the Spring Fine Arts Night.

Music: M/T/W 2:15pm to 2:45pm ◆ $150 a quarter or $550 a year 

PE is provided for all ASA students three times a week (recess/free play happens daily). Our students learn to develop a sense of physical and spatial awareness through movement. We also develop team spirit, care for the body, and a lifetime of fitness!  

Students pursue health, physical fitness and active lifestyles based on the National Standards for Physical Education. We encourage an active body through dance, obstacle courses, and–most of all–fun! PE develops muscular strength, aerobic capacity, endurance and flexibility. Through cooperative games, creative dance, folk dances, and more, the students learn about other cultures, social awareness, cooperation, problem solving, and self and group expression. At ASA, we believe that physical education is an integral part of becoming a balanced, healthy, and joyful person.

M/T/W 9:45am to 10:15am ◆ $150 a quarter or $550 a year