• African American History – This course is fully titled Climbing the Mountain – African American History from Africa to Present Day. This course is designed to introduce students to the rich and diverse history and culture of African Americans, tracing their accomplishments and struggles. Students develop an understanding of the African American culture through its history within the broader context of United States history…
• AP Environmental Science – This course is fascinating, fun, and not just for science majors. It gets you away from your computer and out into the world. Even students who don’t like science have called it the “best” course they took in high school. In this course, you will explore the fascinating interrelationships of the natural world and consider how humans societies rely on it. You will also search for solutions to challenges such as pollution, dwindling energy sources, ensuring a clean water supply, and food production for a planet. Much of your learning will come from “getting out there” into the world as your “lab”, and the course will develop your curiosity for the world around you in a practical, fascinating, and fun way…
• Bible Study and Teaching – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17) Christian teens today want to understand the Bible. They also want to discuss it with friends, including Christian and non-Christian. With social media, youth are more connected and interactive today than ever before, but they also have less opportunity to study and learn their Bible (current trends in church youth ministry are also not oriented toward Bible study). As a result, our kids often don’t feel like they know their Bible well enough to be confident in their own understanding or in knowledgeable discussion. This course meets two profound spiritual needs and heartfelt desires for your student: learn how to study the Bible for lifelong spiritual strength and growth, and become comfortable and confident in discussing the Bible with others…
• Business and Entrepreneurship – What does it take to start and run a business today? Do you have a great idea for a small business startup, but don’t know how to turn the idea into an action plan? Or perhaps you have an interest in business, but don’t know what area you want to pursue? In this course, students will learn and apply the practical ingredients for business, from concept evaluation, market study, government and regulatory concerns and financing to logistics, marketing, management, production, quality control…
• Creative Writing – Language is God’s gift to his people to help us know him deeply, reveal his truths to the world, and bring Him glory. This course develops the study and use of language, story, and image in becoming effective communicators. In this course students will read and compose original poetry, memoir, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Students will examine and discuss work from published writers to deepen their understanding of the ways writers create both meaning and pleasure for readers. They will also practice writing in various genres to refine their own skills and grow their creative voice…
• Electronics – Electronics are used in virtually every tool, appliance, or device we use today. In this course, we will explore the world of electronics from basic concepts (such as voltage, current, and power), to resistors and capacitors, electrical schematics, and microcontrollers. This course will also include hands-on projects using a digital multimeter, breadboard, microcontroller, wires, resistors, and other components. This course provides an introduction to the field of electronics and a foundation upon which to build further study and experience…
• English 1 Lit and Comp – Discovering Courage – For middle schoolers, reading academic literature and writing essays can feel tedious or even intimidating. In this course, we meet students where they are, providing a diverse list of literature to pique their interest in textual study and supportive guidance to hone their skill at the academic essay. Exploring the adventures of characters like the Pevensies and Sherlock Holmes’s sister, Enola Holmes, while also journeying to the center of the earth, the edge of the galaxy, and as far as Neverland, students will discover different approaches to the primary literary form: the novel. Students will discuss the courage of characters in the face of overwhelming odds, like Annemarie Johansen in Lois Lowry’s historical Number the Stars, the unique Igiby family in Andrew Peterson’s fantastical Wingfeather series, and the brilliant Melody in Sharon Draper’s realistic fiction Out of My Mind…
• English 1 Lit and Comp – Inspiring Hope – For middle schoolers, reading academic literature and writing essays can feel tedious or even intimidating. In this course, we meet students where they are, providing a diverse list of literature to pique their interest in textual study and supportive guidance to hone their skill at the academic essay. We’ll explore hope found in the imaginations of young children who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in Wonder and Holes, travel to Africa to build a windmill in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and solve a mystery with Sherlock Holmes’s sister, Enola Holmes all while discovering different approaches to the primary literary form: the novel. Students will escape a dystopia in The City of Ember and fight alongside brave fantasy creatures in Green Ember…
• English 2 Lit and Comp – Challenges and Triumphs – Some of the world’s most inspiring people are those who face challenges and triumph over them as they reach their goals. In this literature and composition course, students will not only read the stories of characters who use those challenges to shape their character, but they also will reach their own academic triumphs as they analyze various genres of literature and write compositions in fresh ways. This course will guide students through a wide array of styles to build their literary repertoire, from short story to film to poetry to the stage. Each style of literature approaches storytelling with a unique twist, and students will become experts at identifying the similarities and differences between these methods. Analyzing famous voices from modern and classic literature in a nonfiction unit and applying persuasive appeals in rhetoric, students will explore how to convince an audience of their point of view. As we dive into the fantasy worlds of Eragon and The Fork, move through portals with the Hoover girls in The Relics of Errus series…
• English 2 Lit and Comp – Intuition and Escapades – Some of the world’s most successful people are those who learn to rely on their instincts, do the “unexpected thing,” and set their mind on achieving their goal. In this literature and composition course, students will not only read the stories of characters who use their intuition on various escapades, but they also will develop their own academic instincts as they analyze various genres of literature and write compositions in fresh ways. This course will guide students through a wide array of styles to build their literary repertoire, from short story to film to poetry to the stage. Each style of literature approaches storytelling with a unique twist, and students will become experts at identifying the similarities and differences between these methods. Analyzing individual voices in a nonfiction unit and applying persuasive appeals in rhetoric, students will explore how to convince an audience of their point of view. As we dive into the fantasy worlds of Percy Jackson and Frodo, uncover mysteries with Sherlock Holmes, travel to the Olympics with the 1936 U.S. rowing team, adventure through history with the March sisters…
• English 4/5/6 Advanced Comp – Classical Style and Rhetoric – “If you want your students to learn how to write, don’t bother with other options — just send them to TPS.” (TPS Parent, 2017) Since 1997, TPS has been the “go to” program for writing excellence in the online homeschool community. Our flagship course to refine upper high school writing with rhetoric and style has always been “Advanced Composition”, a course without equal in helping students become confident polished writers. In 2019, we “modernized” the course to better address contemporary issues. However, feedback from loyal families who have taken the course with multiple siblings over many years has encouraged us to return this flagship writing excellence course to its traditional roots. Starting 2024-25, this course is discarding the modern textbook and returning to teaching writing from traditional classical works that are comfortable and engaging for our students to discuss, analyze, explain, and argue in essays they originate, develop, refine, and polish to hone their writing skills to a college and career level…
• English 4/5/6 Banned Books Lit and Comp – The issues of censorship and book bans have been implemented and disputed for centuries, and both topics continue to be the subjects of fierce debate in our contemporary world, but the question – and ultimately decision – of whether a work should be altered or forbidden is a complex and curious one that begs further exploration, discussion, and consideration on individual basis. In this course, students will read a variety of plays and novels and watch movies that have all historically been the subject of bans and censorship…
• English 4/5/6 Fantastic Worlds and Epic Tales – Speculative Fiction Lit and Comp – J.R.R Tolkien argued that speculative fiction allows us to “regain a proper view of the world” through the lives of the fictional characters. Speculative fiction — which includes fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, epic ballads and poems, and more — allows us to place relatable imaginary characters in a relatable imaginary context so we can engage them to learn more about ourselves. In its highest purpose, speculative fiction can be redemptive in helping reconcile God, man, and the Creation. This course engages with various works of classic speculative fiction for the redemptive purpose of regaining a proper biblical view of the world. Works studied include Beowulf, The Fellowship of the Ring; Alice in Wonderland; Watership Down; Out of the Silent Plant Trilogy; Wrinkle in Time; Dune; Life of Pi; and more…
• English 4/5/6 God in Mordor – Modern Age Lit and Comp – In the late nineteenth century, Emily Dickinson wrote “Much madness is divinest sense.” The Modern era is a time of relentless secularization when things previously thought “mad” became reasonable, and vice versa as the role and existence of God was diminished or rejected in human thoughts and endeavors. Because of this secular influence, the Modern Period is often neglected or misrepresented in Christian studies. However, this misses the crucial background necessary to understand our current age from a biblical worldview. This course begins with Shakespeare’s final play The Tempest, in which the transition to the Modern Age is the central theme. The Lord of the Rings trilogy forms an undergirding framework for the course as Tolkien’s epic allegory of faith and humanity in the wonders and horrors of the late Modern Period…
• Fundamentals of the Christian Faith – Does your teen understand the Bible and how it applies to his or her life? A 2022 post-COVID Barna Group study reported: “Bible reading is not the norm for today’s teens… research shows that teens generally have positive opinions of the Bible… Despite these high views, engagement with the Bible remains low, and we see many teens express uncertainty about how scripture can influence their lives and the world around them.” This course provides the student a solid overview of fundamental teachings of the Bible and essentials of the Christian faith. It promotes biblical literacy and a builds strong framework of Christian doctrine…
• High Scholars (24 college credits in Lit, History, Composition) – High Scholars is a “classics” (“Great Books”) program that integrates western history, literature, and art from ancient to contemporary times. The integrated nature of this program allows students to dive deep into the events and ideas that have shaped the modern world: students study not only the literature, art, and history of western civilization, but also the intellectual and philosophical movements – the ideas and modes of thought – that lie behind these. These trends and developments are analyzed and considered from a distinctly biblical worldview…
• Office Applications – In this course, students learn and develop skills in the most commonly used features and functions in Microsoft Office software applications that are integral to school and the workplace. Each module in the course focuses on a specific application feature (i.e., Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations), providing basic instruction and building practical skills through assignments and projects. The course projects also allow students to create artifacts they can use later in school and work as templates for common tasks…
• Sports Medicine and Athletic Training – This course equips you with an understanding of the functional concepts of the human body and then teaches you how to apply that knowledge to real-life practice. It combines coverage of Nutrition, Sports Psychology, Kinesiology and therapeutic topics modalities with the latest research, concussion protocols and guidelines for First Aid, CPR and AED. There is also consideration of athletes with disabilities and special challenges that athletes face…
• U.S. Military History – This course combines the text For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States 1607-2012 with supplemental in-class presentations and lectures to guide students chronologically through the history of the United States military from the Revolutionary War through the War on Terrorism. Students review major themes, tactics, battles, weaponry, industrialization, and personnel for all branches of the military in wars and conflicts including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Indian Wars, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and the War on Terror. In addition to the broad view, we will also focus on the story of the soldier in the trenches and the bomber in the skies…
• Writing 5 Adventures – This fun new elementary course provides an enjoyable introductory space for new writers to find their voice and organize their ideas. In-class writing exercises will help students to engage in discussions about the writing traits and how to make their writing organized and interesting. A wide variety of both fiction and non-fiction writing topics will be explored through small writing assignments. Students will also explore the world of poetry through limericks, haikus, and formal verse rhyme scheme. At the end of the course, students will have an opportunity to create a piece that celebrates their writing accomplishments from the year…
• Writing 6 Exploration – This redesigned exciting and engaging course is for young writers who have already learned to write 2-3 paragraph responses to questions or topics of interest and are ready to expand their writing skills creatively and academically. Students will learn how to write short stories while studying techniques for character, setting, and plot development to create relatable and captivating tales. Through the exploration of narrative and analytical writing techniques, students will begin to develop their own unique voice that is both engaging and persuasive. In-class workshops will provide opportunities for students to receive feedback on their work from their peers, promoting a positive and creative environment for writing…

Discover all the unique, new, or improved TPS courses by selecting the “New and Improved” category in our Course Catalog.