2010
Schaeffer Co-op Classes

 

New! Shakespeare Spring 2010 - Bowie & Gaithersburg Location

World Regional Geography - Spring Semester - Rockville Location

Fundamentals of Digital Photography - Spring Semester 2010

Schaeffer Home School Cooperative 2009-2010 Schedule
	SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
Course			High School World Regional Geography	Shakespeare (starts last week of March 2010)*
Instructor			Chris Schaeffer	Chris Schaeffer
Location			Bowie	Bowie
Time			10am-12noon	10am-12noon
Course			Spring Semester World Regional Geography	Fundamentals of Digital Photography
Instructor			Chris Schaeffer	Chris Schaeffer
Location			Rockville	Bowie
Time			1:15pm-3:15pm	12:30pm-2:30pm
Course
Instructor
Location
Time
	* Annual Shakespeare for Eight Weeks, starting 3/31/10

2009-2010 Wednesday Afternoon Co-Op Courses

Fundamentals of Digital Photography- Grades 6-12
Instructor: Christine Schaeffer
Class Length: 15 weeks in the spring semester
Bowie Day and Time: Wednesdays from 12:30pm-2:30pm
       FIRST DAY OF SPRING CLASS IS Wednesday, January 16, 2010 and runs through May 5, 2010 (2 holidays for President's Day and Easter)
Class Registrar: Chris Schaeffer
BOWIE Class Location: Schaeffer House in Bowie, MD - 11903 Bracken Court, Bowie, MD 20720
Class Size: Minimum of 6 students, maximum of 12 students each semester
Cost: $220 for the course (second and subsequent siblings enrolled are $200 each), payable on the first day of class (at the latest)

Description: A 15 week course concentrating on learning the Fundamentals of Digital Photography

Texts will include: Fundamentals of Photography by Tom Ang (approx $25), the SECOND BOOK I will use is an online e-book by Dennis Curtin called Using Your Digital Camera - A Guide to Great Photographs. Here is the ONLINE LINK TO THE COURSE. You may use it online free of charge or you may choose to purchase a full Adobe PDF copy for yourself (and download it) for about $20. There are also Camera specific course available for sale by Mr. Curtin if you are interested.

Requirements: Ability to purchase the books, a desire to study and participate and reliable Internet access. Also, the ideal student will have access to a DIGITAL SLR (Single lens reflex) CAMERA. These cameras are not inexpensive but are an excellent investment. There are many suitable entry level models out there ranging from the Nikon D40, D50, D60, D70, D80, D90, D100, D200, D300, D700 as well as the Canon 20D. 30D. 40D, etc. There are other manufacturers as well. Please contact me at clsinfo@comcast.net BEFORE you purchase a camera if you have doubts as to whether it is a good model. There are some higher end non-SLR consumer cameras that have fully manually settings which may suffice for this beginner's course. In addition, I have three Digital SLR Cameras that I will be allowing students to use with very strict rules, guidelines and agreements.

Special Note: If you do not have a camera and the ability to pay for some digital image processing ( probably in the $30-40 range) then this course may not be a good match for you. The purpose of the course is to get the students actually on their way to taking excellent photos and this requires have some good equipment.

Description: This will be the first official course I will teach on the subject of photography. I have taught individuals and apprentices for many years and have received many requests for this course. I have been a successful professional photographer for 10 years and would like to be able to pass on some of my experience to others who want to learn how to take good photographs. Here is a list of some of the topics I intend to cover:

1. What is Photography?
2. History of Photography, Research on Famous Photographers
3. Camera Obscura (an illustration of optics and then we will make our own)
4. Photography basics ( aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc)
5. Landscape Photography
6. Portrait (people) Photography
7. Motion (sports) Photography
8. Special Effects
9. Lenses - the magic of lens lengths
10. Low Light Photography
11. Digital Workflow
12. Storage and Safekeeping of Digital Files
13. Internet Based Photographic Processing Labs (pros, cons, etc)
14. B&W Photography vs Color
15. Basic Photoshop Techniques ( heads up, watching me on my computer on the projector)
16. We will have a basic PHOTOGRAPHIC SHOW with the students' work - this may be here or at another location

FOLLOW ON ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE INFO - Several of the students from the Introductory course have expressed an interest in continuing their photography education. As such, I am currently planning an Advanced Seminar Course which will entail having the students create several original projects, some individual and some group. The finale will be the production and publishing of an actual book of photos and writing that the students will create based on one of their projects. This will be an intense course and will involve the students having to go to various locations in the metro DC area. The cost will likely run around $300. which will include the cost of the final published book copy for each student. If you are interested please contact me at clsinfo@comcast.net or sign-up on the regular form (link below).

CLICK HERE FOR SIGN UP FORM

 

2009-2010 TUESDAY CO-OP CLASSES

NEW - Spring Semester 2010 - World Regional Geography
Instructor: Christine Schaeffer
Class Length: Spring Semester (approx 15 weeks)
Date and Time: Tuesdays from 1:15pm-3:15pm, FIRST DAY OF CLASS IS JANUARY 12, 2010 AND THE LAST DAY WILL BE JUNE 1st, 2010
Class Registrar: Chris Schaeffer
Class Location: School for Tomorrow - Rockville - 4511 Bestor Drive, Rockville, MD 20853
Class Size: 6-12 students
Cost: $175 for the year, payable at the beginning of the semester

Description: This geography course will take a full semester. The course will walk the students around the 7 continents of the world using a regional approach and heavily relying on the Five Themes of Geography (Location, Place, Human Environment & Interaction, Movement and Region). Each class will use current events to tie into the region being studied and the cement the information into the memory of the student.

Expectations: Each student is expected to prepare for each class, arrive promptly, and treat the teacher and fellow students with the utmost of respect.  Note taking is expected and will be rewarded by a far higher retention rate than those who do not take careful notes. An individual student project will be completed at the end of the class: This project will involve interviewing an immigrant to the USA and writing up a summation of that interview. In addition, the students will prepare a visual tri-fold display to show their fellow students as they present their information during the last day of class.. The work for the course will involve approximately 2 hours a week outside of the once weekly two-hour class. This does not include the interview and research for the final project. The homework will include coloring in the Geography Coloring Book, doing reading in the "Smithsonian's Earth" text and online research, reading current events and writing up short write-ups on them, and taking occasional  in class quizzes.

Texts will include: The Geography Coloring Book by Wyn Kapit (3rd Edition) and Smithsonian's "Earth"

Materials: Each student will be required to have the following supplies: a loose leaf notebook with sections, writing tools, and have access to a computer and the Internet. I rely heavily on email communication and expect my students to have access to the internet for research.

Communication: The best way to contact me is by email. My home phone number is: 301-352-4188, and my email is clsinfo@comcast.net .  I will be available at other times if prearrangements are made.

Requirements: Internet access, library access, and an ability to read the assigned texts in time for each class. In addition, an ability to write a basic essay is essential.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE COURSE

 

2009-2010 Wednesday CO-OP CLASSES

2010 Wednesday CO-OP CLASSES

Shakespeare - 8 Weeks - Grades 4-12

Play – Twelfth Night
Instructor: Christine Schaeffer
Class Length: 8 Weeks
Bowie Day and Time: Wednesdays from 10am -12noon, FIRST DAY OF BOWIE CLASS IS Wednesday, April 7, 2010, and runs through Wednesday, May 25, 2010
Gaithersburg Day and Time - Thursdays from 10am-12noon, FIRST DAY OF GAITHERSBURG CLASS is Thursday, April 8, 2010, and runs through Thursday, May 26, 2010
Class Registrar: Chris Schaeffer
BOWIE Class Location: Schaeffer House in Bowie, MD - 11903 Bracken Court, Bowie, MD 20720
GAITHERSBURG Class Location: The Amazing Art Studio in the Washingtonian Center at 205 Boardwalk Place, Gaithersburg, MD
Class Size: 12-20 students (minimum number of 12 students required for class to launch)
Cost: $80 for the course (second and subsequent siblings enrolled are $70 each), payable on the first day of class (at the latest) - a few scholarships are available, email me with specific requests...

Description: An 8 week course concentrating on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night"

Texts will include: Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Made Easy) [Approx $7] – Amazon.com  LINK – the whole play is available online at http://shakespeare.mit.edu/twelfth_night/ - you can access it here and, if you wish, you can download it as Adobe PDF by clicking HERE.

Requirements: Ability to purchase the book, a desire to study and participate and reliable Internet/Email access.

Special Note: The goal and understanding of the course is for us all (including friends and family) to attend the FREE Shakespeare Play at the Sidney Harman Hall in early September 2010. There used to be an outdoor performance in the May/June time period but this was changed last year to an indoor venue. Last year 85 of us attended The Taming of the Shrew performance and it was excellent.

CLICK HERE FOR SIGN UP FORM