St. Clair County Christian Home Educators

The fundamental goal of both speech classes is to make "World Changers" for Christ in our students. They need to be able to communicate and express their ideas to a world needing Christ. We do not teach them to speak for themselves alone, but for the Glory of God!

Beginner Speech

Speech will be divided into two classes for the 2003-2004 school year. We will offer a 12 week course for beginning speech. Students ages 10 through high school who have never had any experince in speech will need to take this class first. There will be exceptions for older students who have had limited experience in speech and are on grade level in grammar, composition and reading skills to enter directly into the advanced speech class with the teacher's permission. These will be dwelt with on a one on one basis. You will need to discuss your child's level with the teacher. The goals of beginning speech are to help the students overcome their nervousness of public speaking, to obtain confidence, improve thinking skills, to be able to organize their thoughts, and to work on stage presentation. They will memorize famous speeches inorder to work on dramatic interpretation. They will write original speeches in different categories. They will present poetry and dramatic readings. And they will be required to do impromptu. There will be a section on learning research skills. Videos will be shown and experienced students will present speeches as examples to the class in order for them to watch and learn. There will be quizzes, reading assignments, memorization, composition and outlining, limited research and speeches to write and present on a weekly basis. At the end of the twelve weeks there will be a speech tournament held at Community Bible Church, in order for the students to be judged and perform in front of an audience. The daily workload of beginning speech should consist of 30-45 minutes a day with perhaps one day a week consisting of an hour in order to be prepared for class each week. Class time will depend on the size of the class but will probably be 11/2 hours long. Mandatory attendance of all classes is required since the course is only 12 weeks long.

If you have any other questions, please call or e-mail
Jim and Tami Claycomb at 618-774-2414 or claycomb@egyptian.net .

Advanced Speech

Advance speech or Speech Club will be for students grades 7th-12th (early college age students also) who took the beginning speech class or have permission from the speech teacher to attend. There will be exceptions for highly skilled younger students to attend this class, but that will be dwelt with on a one on one basis. This class will meet weekly for 11/2 hours. We will expand on what was learned in beginning speech and we will learn new categories and improve on skills from beginning speech. The goal of Speech Club will be quality not quanity. The student will work on a certain presentation which will be torn down and built back up piece by piece. We will seek to further their confidence but at the same time raise the bar on quality. There will be weekly reading assignments, limited research, memorization, quizzes, composition, outlining and speeches to write and present. We will prepare those students interested in participating in the NCFCA tournaments. This will at times mean additional class time. All the students will participate in two tournaments held at Community Bible Church during the year. The daily workload of Speech Club will be 30-45 minutes a day with more time required before tournaments and especially for those students participating in NCFCA tournaments. Except for students who are serious about the NCFCA tournaments, this class will hold a more relaxed atmosphere than the 12 week beginning course. The class will be held the entire school year. Exceptions to some assignments will be given to non-NCFCA students. The goal of speech club is to provide a flexible schedule and atmosphere for those students who want to continue in speech throughout high school but want to further other interests as well. But, we also want to prepare those students interested in the intense preparation needed for NCFCA tournaments and perhaps a future that will involve speech to some degree. During second semester there will be a small play presented by students who are interested in obtaining drama experience. This will require additonal time outside of class at times. Majority of class time attendance is expected.

The fundamental goal of both speech classes is to make "World Changers" for Christ in our students. They need to be able to communicate and express their ideas to a world needing Christ. Whether they become a lawyer, politician, preacher, teacher or a neighbor who needs to share their testimony with others, they need to be able to communicate. We do not teach them to speak for themselves alone but for the Glory of God!

If you have any other questions, please call or e-mail
Jim and Tami Claycomb at 618-774-2414 or claycomb@egyptian.net .

Christian Worldviews

Jim and Tami Claycomb will also be offering a course on Christian Worldviews. The class will last aproximately 12 weeks. It will meet at Community Bible Church and will be 11/2 hours long. It will be for high schoolers and adults with an exception made for highly skilled 7th and 8th graders (they must have a parent attend the class with them). This will be decided on a per student basis. Daily expected workload will be 30 minutes. Class attendance is mandatory. There will be a cost to this class that will be decided later. The cirriculum that is being used is Summit Ministries Worldview course entitled "Thinking like a Christian" by David Noebel and Chuck Edwards. The class will cover topics of theology, philosophy, biology, psychology, ethics, sociology, law, politics, economics and history. Students need to be on grade level for reading, comprehension and writing. There will be class discussion and participation. Homework is mandatory for each week and must be completed. We are very excited about this class and can think of no other class worth your time and energy as much as this one. You will be amazed at how your worldview has been shaped by non-christian ideas. Please consider this class as fundamental to your growth in Christ and in your involvement in the world!

If you have any other questions, please call or e-mail
Jim and Tami Claycomb at 618-774-2414 or claycomb@egyptian.net .