Join us for this fun 6th- to 8th-grade science course exploring our feline friends! Learn about where domestic cats came from, different cats around the world, common and exotic breeds, and some anatomy and genetics.

How to get the most out of The Cat: Natural History, Artificial Selection, and Anatomy with MacBeth Derham:

• First, read the course materials below before the first class recording.

• Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes.

• Read assignments before class recording.

• Watch the class recording.

• Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that class.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

Total number of class meetings: 12

Duration of each class: 45 minutes

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade

Suggested credit: One full semester Life Science. For a full year credit, follow with Megafauna.

Instructor: MacBeth Derham

Course Description: Let's study the surprising natural history of the Family Felidae! Cats are hunters, and notoriously difficult to domesticate. So how did we end up with these small predators in our homes? We'll study big and not-so-big cats from around the world as we try to understand the fearsome and fluffy feline.

Course Outline:

Class 1: Introduction: what is a cat? (Anatomy 1)

Class 2: Fossil cats: an evolutionary overview

Class 3: European cats

Class 4: Asian cats

Class 5: South American cats

Class 6: North American cats

Class 7: African cats (Anatomy 2)

Class 8: Island species: small wild cats

Class 9: The domestic cat (Anatomy 3)

Class 10: Common breeds

Class 11: Exotic breeds

Class 12: Recent breeds, and Genetics of color

Course Materials: Two books to be purchased: The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives by Turner and Anton, ISBN 13: 978-0231102292 (https://amzn.to/3uTNkRg) and Cats: The Breeds, History, and Folklore of the Domestic Cat, ISBN 13: 978-1640308763 (https://amzn.to/3gPe2lN)

Homework: Quizzes, assigned reading. Students are welcome and encouraged to share their photos of felines and tales of tigers.

If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2022 Homeschool Connections and MacBeth Derham. All rights reserved. This course is designed by MacBeth Derham.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment)and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.