Classes

Students in Middle School English will engage in reading, discussion, and projects designed to introduce them to literary study. The course will focus on elevating basic reading skills to comprehension and analysis using group skits and summaries, paragraph and basic essay writing, and creative storytelling. Students will learn to recognize figurative language, narration styles, character development, and themes, and they will learn to communicate these ideas to others through their own artistic representations.

English I, the beginning of high school English, encourage students to develop their own analytical ideas. Learning of grammar, vocabulary, and literary terms will rest on weekly reading and responding homework assignments, culminating in projects and non-researched essays that aim to take original readings of assigned literature. Students will read a selection of poetry, drama, fiction, and essays, and will create a literary guide to use in analysis. English I provide the foundation for higher-level analysis by introducing key concepts and critical thinking, encouraging collaborative work, and encouraging writing as a means of responding to ideas.

Through the course of English II, students will apply the literary elements they have already grasped to readings and discussions of literature. Students will be expected to begin developing their own close-readings of texts, and will use creative projects such as short films, mix CDs, visual art, and stories and essays to respond to texts. They will engage in literary discussion both creatively, through their own analysis of others.' They will be expected to write critical essays featuring their own analysis of literary works and to be able to discuss those analyses in class. Essays will go through multiple drafts and students will workshop each other projects. The goal of English II is to move the basic analytical skills learned in English I to more complexity and to incorporate multiple genres into literary study.

English III introduces research with the aim of considering larger cultural implications of literature and literary study. Students will read and respond to literature through response papers, and they will also read critical essays of their texts in order to both learn how literary criticism is constructed and to understand how ideas found in texts apply to the world around them. They will use their skills of literary analysis, their grammatical foundation, and frequent writing assignments to build their own body of work. Further, they will learn to lead class sessions, present on texts, and communicate their own writing process.

Students enrolled in AP Literature will focus almost exclusively on reading and responding to texts. At this level, students are expected to be able to synthesize literary arguments and research papers under the guidance of the instructor, and to communicate those arguments in words. The course will assume students are already familiar with most literary terms and devices, or if they are not, that they understand how to familiarize themselves with that knowledge. Classes will consist of group discussion and projects and in class time to work with instructor on research, writing processes, and analysis. The course will culminate in the AP in English Literature exam.

Students learn the skills necessary for success in Algebra I. Topics include elementary algebraic equations, inequalities, and polynomials and graphing, as well as review and maintenance of basic math skills. These skills include computation with whole numbers, decimals, integers and rational numbers, solving equations, ratio and proportion, and working with percents. Additionally, students are introduced to informal geometry, probability, statistics, and problem solving. In this class students will learn the basic skills and rules of math. This class will give students the ability to do multiple problems that include multiple steps. Students will also work on modeling real life situations by learning the relationships between words and mathematical symbols.

In this class students will be forced to go beyond the view that math is just numbers and operations. Students will start to gain the ability to look at the world around them in different ways and learn multiple problem solving strategies. A rigorous and in-depth study of algebra and emphasizing deductive reasoning skills, this course is a foundation for more advanced mathematics courses. It develops the skills needed to solve mathematical problems. Topics include, but are not limited to, operations and properties used within the real number system, algebraic and graphical solutions to first-degree equations and inequalities in one and two variables, relations and functions, direct and inverse variations, operations with polynomials including all forms of factoring, rational and irrational algebraic expressions, quadratic equations, quadratic inequalities, and quadratic functions.

This advanced course presents an in-depth study with emphasis on theory, proof, and development of formulas, as well as their applications. Topics include, but are not limited to, algebraic structure, first degree equations in one and two variables solved algebraically and graphically, systems of equations and inequalities, functions and relations, polynomials and rational expressions, exponents and radicals, logarithms, complex numbers, conic sections, polynomial equations, sequences and series, permutations, combinations, probability, and matrices. This class will strengthen a student's ability to use math in everyday life as well as give them knowledge and abilities that go beyond their everyday needs. Students will be pushed to view problems in multiple ways and use multiple problem solving techniques. In this class students will gain many new tools as well as be exposed to new situations and new ways of thinking about the world around them.

Students begin the first semester with rigorous, in-depth study of geometry, emphasizing basic concepts and properties; methods of proof; angle relationships; triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons; perpendicularity and parallelism in the plane and in space; congruence and similarity of geometrical figures; circles and spheres; and areas and volumes. Topics in the second semester include, but are not restricted to, transformation geometry, geometric probability, and an introduction to trigonometry. Relevant aspects of algebra, general probability theory, and geometric constructions are integrated in the curriculum throughout the course. This class will allow students to apply the skills and tools they have gathered over the last several years to physical objects. Students will concentrate on learning new vocabulary, relationships between concepts, and how to share their mathematical ideas. In this class students will be expected to examine the world around them using new and old mathematical skills and concepts.

This class will concentrate on an in-study of various classes of functions in which students will explore the nature of their graphs and their use as mathematical models for solving real world problems. The types of functions that will be explored will include polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions. Students will be expected to identify, manipulate, and use each type of functions in several different ways in real world practices as well as theoretically practices.

This course includes work in conditional probability, numerical data sampling and analysis, estimation, as well as random variable functions, binomial distribution, normal distribution, the analysis of correlation and regression, and statistical report writing. This class will explore statistics by calculating them as well as understanding their meaning.

Students will learn how to examine data and use mathematical processes to interpret it and pull out important details. Students will also be required to examine how statistics can be used and be taught how to take a critical look at how others use statistics. Along with this students will spend time preparing for the AP exam.

Students taking this course will be learning information based in the life sciences. The curriculum will help to expose students to a wide variety of classroom, laboratory, and field experiences fundamental to the life sciences, enabling them to think critically, learn technical skills for solving biological problems, and to communicate biological information both in oral and written formats.

Students taking this course will be focusing their learning on chemical sciences. The curriculum will expose students to chemical and laboratory analysis as well as real world uses for the information learned. There will be a strong focus on hands on learning using 3-D models, labs and projects to help solidify the concepts covered during classroom discussions.

Students taking physics will be focusing their educational experience with hands on and classroom discussions. The curriculum includes, but is not limited to, motion, forces, sound, electricity and magnetism. Students will be introduced to higher critical thinking skills and methods. Students will be using higher-level math abilities gathered from courses such as Algebra 2 and Pre-calculus/ Calculus courses. This course requires a high level of dedication to master all concepts.

Students taking this compilation course will cover basic concepts to help build their science skills and knowledge. This course will have portions of life, chemistry, physical and environmental sciences. This course will help to build critical thinking, logical problem solving and universal science skills. This class is vital for the preparation of well-rounded students entering into a more advanced high school curriculum.

Students in Middle School Social Studies will research the origins of human beings in Africa and the ancient and classical civilizations that flourished in the Mediterranean area. They study the religions, governments, trade, philosophies, and art of these civilizations, as well as the powerful ideas that arose in the ancient world and profoundly shaped the course of world history. During this course, students will become familiar with the evolution of the concepts of personal freedom, individual responsibility and respect for human dignity and will look at the growth and impact of centralized state power as it refers to early civilizations.

In World History I and II, students study the history of the major empires and political entities that emerged after the fall of the Roman Empire, including the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Moghul Empire the Chinese dynasties, and the major pre-Columbian civilizations that existed in Central and South America. Students also examine the important political, economic, and religious developments of this period, including the development of democratic, scientific, and secular thought in Europe. The second half of the year students study the rise of the nation state in Europe and the economic and political roots of the modern world, including the Industrial Revolution, 19th century political reform in Western Europe, and European imperialism in Africa, Asia, and South America. They also examine the causes and consequences of the great military and economic events of the past century, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Russian and Chinese revolutions, the rise of nationalism, and the continuing persistence of political, ethnic, and religious conflict in many parts of the world.

In U.S. History, students examine the historical and intellectual origins of the United States during the Revolutionary and Constitutional eras. Students study the basic framework of American democracy and the basic concepts of America government, as well as America's westward expansion, the establishment of political parties, economic and social change, sectional conflict, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. The second half of the year students analyze the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution and America's growing role in international relations. Students study the goals and accomplishments of the Progressive movement and the New Deal. Students also learn about the various factors that led to America's entry into World War I and World War II as well as the consequences of World War II for American life. Finally, students study the causes and course of the Cold War, important economic and political changes during the Cold War, such as the Civil Rights movement, and recent events and trends that have shaped modern-day America.

The AP U.S. History course is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in U.S. history. Students will learn to assess historical materials—their relevance to a given interpretive problem, reliability, and importance—and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship. The AP U.S. History course helps students develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.

The AP course in Psychology introduces the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Included is a consideration of the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. Students also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.

AP United States Government and Politics gives students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples. It will also familiarize students with the various institutions, groups, beliefs and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics. After successfully completing this course students will know important facts, concepts and theories pertaining to U.S. government and politics; they will understand typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences, and will be able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to U.S. government and politics.

The AP Comparative Government and Politics course introduces students to fundamental concepts used by political scientists to study the processes and outcomes of politics in a variety of country settings. This course aims to illustrate the rich diversity of political live, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global and economic changes. After successfully completing this course students will; be able to understand major comparative political concepts, themes and generalizations; have knowledge of important facts pertaining to the governments and politics of China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Russia; be able to compare and contrast political institutions and processes across countries.