2004
– 2005 ELECTIVES
(All
Courses Are "A Track" Unless Otherwise Listed)
No prerequisite. Offered 2nd
semester. Offered in even years.
This course will begin with a brief
overview of the history of journalism followed by a study of broadcast,
yearbook and
newspaper journalism. A hands-on approach
will be emphasized as students learn by writing copy and designing pages for
school publications and class projects.
Students may be asked to write articles and complete layouts for the Excelsior.
This
course is recommended for students who are interested in publishing and film
production. Yearbook staff members
are encouraged to enroll in this course.
CREATIVE
WRITING
No prerequisite. Offered 2nd
semester. Offered in even years.
Offered in coordination with Journalism,
this course will allow students to explore the creative side of writing.
Special attention will be given to
narrative writing techniques as well as self-expression and sensory writing in
both fiction and poetry. The course will
be offered in a workshop format making use of peer evaluation as a
method to enhance personal writing.
MYTHOLOGY
No prerequisite. Offered 1stsemester. Offered in odd years.
In this elective course, emphasis is
placed on the study of Greek, Roman, and Norse Mythologies. This is followed by
a
study of the folklore and myths of various countries around the World. Class
discussions and projects are based
not
only on the content of the stories but also on the impact that they have had on
our language, culture and daily life.
SHAKESPEARE
Recommended prerequisite: Mythology.
Offered 2nd semester.
Offered in odd years.
This course will give students an introduction
to Shakespearean Drama. The course is designed as a comparative
study of texts and films to enhance
appreciation and understanding. The course will focus on his life, the
language,
and production of the plays. Specific
titles of study include The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew,
Richard III
and Othello.
No
prerequisite. Offered 1st semester
The
student of the theater should approach this course from three perspectives:
drama as a performing art,
drama
as literature, and drama as a unique craft that requires training in special
skills related to its performance.
Students
will study theater language and conventions, the ingredients of theater, and
theater discipline. Students
will
explore how to write, cast, and direct a play.
THEATER
TECHNIQUES 2
Prerequisite theater techniques 1. Offered
2nd semester
The
student of the theater should approach this course from three perspectives:
drama as a performing art,
drama
as literature, and drama as a unique craft that requires training in special
skills related to its performance.
Building
on concepts learned in Theater Techniques 1, students will explore set design,
staging, make-up,
fundamentals
of play production, and a history of the theater.
*Advanced Placement, Honors
Prerequisite:
Approval by Social Studies Department. Open to grades 11-12.
Students will examine the foundations and
operations of American politics and government, formal and informal
processes in our government, the branches
of government, policy-making, and state and local government.
Students will be eligible to take the
Advanced Placement test in the spring semester in order to earn college credit.
SOCIOLOGY
No prerequisite. Offered 1st semester.
This
one-semester course is designed to give students a better understanding of the
society in which they live.
Students
will study sociology terms and methods, and emphasis will be on learning how
the social world in which
we live
shapes our values, attitudes and behavior. Causes of social problems and the
idea of social change will be explored.
PSYCHOLOGY
No prerequisite. Offered 2nd semester.
This semester course treats the science of
psychology as it relates to the understanding of individual behavior.
It explores various theories of
personality, abnormal behavior, and therapy and conditioning. Students will be
introduced to the manner in which a
psychologist examines behavior and the attempt to determine the conditions
under which certain behavior may occur or
be prevented. Students will also participate in some informal activities
in the classroom that will provide a
"hands-on” learning experience. In the process of analyzing causes and
effects
of human conduct, students should be able
to arrive at a better understanding of their own behavior.
HISTORY
IN REVERSE
No prerequisite. Offered 1st
semester
The objective of this course is to fulfill
students' desire to learn about topics from more recent history that
traditional,
required courses often miss. This course
largely focuses on topics chronologically, but in reverse. Starting with the
present, the course is divided into a
study of each decade's defining moments, in addition to the trends, fads,
cultures,
and counter-cultures that make each time
period unique.
No
prerequisite. Offered 1st
semester Offered in odd years
This
course offers a look at American Foreign Policy in recent years, focusing on
clashing views on major enduring issues.
Background
introduction, pro and con viewpoints, as well as post-script summaries to each
issue are presented.
No
prerequisite. Offered 2nd semester
This
course offers a look at crime and criminology in recent years, focusing on
clashing views on major enduring issues.
Background
introduction, pro and con viewpoints, as well as post-script summaries to each
issue are presented.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and
85% in Algebra II A/ 80% in Algebra II H.
This college prep course examines the
different statistical distributions prevalent in real data. The vast amount of
the
course will deal with the various
parameters of these distributions with emphasis on the Normal Distribution. In
the
second semester, students will study the
concept of hypothesis testing, along with confidence and prediction intervals.
CALCULUS
*Honors
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 85% in
Trigonometry H
This college prep course examines the
number of systems of elementary mathematics and the study of elementary
functions beginning with analytic geometry
and the real numbers. Calculus will treat the concepts of derivatives,
their applications, curve sketching,
integration and its application, series and differential equations.
TRIGONOMETRY
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 87% in
Algebra IIA
This course will deal with circular
function theory, triangle solution, identities and solutions of trigonometric
equations.
Students will study graphing functions,
inverse relations and applications of circular functions.
CONSUMER
MATH
No prerequisite. Offered in odd numbered
years.
This course is designed to introduce
students to the application of math procedures as they relate to consumer
awareness.
Topics include ratios and percentages,
sales taxes, interest, maintaining checking and savings accounts and other
banking
procedures, making purchases, insurance, and
budgeting. Students will use these principles to establish a foundation in
consumer awareness and evaluate
information to make responsible financial decisions in the future.
BUSINESS
MATH
No prerequisite. Offered in even numbered
years.
This course is designed to introduce students
to the application of math procedures as they apply to business.
The topics include business procedures
such as wholesale prices, discounts, markups and markdowns, simple
and compound interest, payroll and sales,
and income tax withholding. Math procedures involved include fractions,
decimals, conversions, ratios, percents,
and simple algebraic equation solutions. Students will use these principles to
establish a basic awareness of business
procedures and documents to provide a foundation for Ruther studies in
management, accounting, real estate, or
business administration.
Prerequisite:
Teacher approval and 85% in Algebra H or 90% in Algebra IIA.
Offered 1st semester. This
course is a prerequisite for Calculus
This
semester course will cover key concepts in advanced Algebra H in preparation
for Calculus. The course will
focus
on equations, functions and graphs, introducing exponential and logarithmic
functions. Instruction will be strongly
tied
with the use of the TI-83 graphing calculator.
This course will strengthen their foundation while providing a solid
basis
for the study of Calculus.
Prerequisite:
successful completion of Pre-calculus, part 1.
Offered
2nd semester. This course is a prerequisite for Calculus
This semester course will
continue the topics from Part 1. Students will study graphs of second degree
curves,
systems of equations,
matrices, parametric equations, limits and continuity. Instruction will be strongly tied
with the use of the TI-83
graphing calculator.
GEOMETRY II
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 85% in
Geometry H or 90% in Geometry A. Offered
1st semester.
This semester course is designed to pick
up where Geometry A or Geometry H left off. The students will develop
a
greater understanding of how geometry is used in our world. Geometry H will
encourage the students to
logically and strengthen their problem
solving abilities. Topics include inductive and deductive reasoning,
constructions, transformations, coordinate
geometry and solids.
Prerequisite: Cannot have previously taken
Consumer Math and/or Business Math.
Open to grade 12. Offered 2nd semester.
This semester course is designed for 12th
grade students to prepare them for the practical mathematics of adulthood.
This course will cover many of the same
topics as Consumer Math but at an accelerated rate. Content of the course
will include calculating paychecks,
determining withholding, household budgeting, checking accounts, savings
accounts,
home mortgages, car loans, insurance, and
completing simple tax forms.
Prerequisite:
Teacher approval and 85% in all previous level math courses.
Open to grade 12.
This
course provides students with a working knowledge of the major physical laws
and principles dealing
with
matter and energy relationships. The concepts of the course are presented
through problem solving,
laboratory
experimentation and field trips. This course requires a strong
math background.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 85% in
Biology and Chemistry. Open to grade 12
This course is for students who have an interest
in biology and have performed well in previous Science courses.
The course will be especially valuable for
those who plan to continue their education in the field of biology,
pre-medicine, or medical technology.
Topics of study include anatomy, physiology, genetics, histology and
cytology. The dissection of the fetal pig
allows students to examine closely the anatomy of a mammal. Other
laboratory exercises will enable students
to better understand the biological, physical and chemical processes
of living things that are discussed during
lectures.
EARTH
SCIENCE
No prerequisite. Open to grades 10-12.
This course
is designed primarily for those students not taking Chemistry in their junior
year. Earth Science is
a practical
study of the earth, its features, its forces, and its place in the universe.
This course offers a relevant
introduction
to the matter and processes of the earth. Complex ideas are presented simply
and developed logically.
Scientific
principles are reinforced by activities and questions placed with each chapter.
The presentation is flexible
so that
units and chapters may be studied in a variety of sequences.
No prerequisite. Open to grade 12 Offered 1st semester.
This semester course is designed for 12th
grade students who may have a special interest in the mechanisms of weather
on Earth. Content of the course will
include composition and structure of the Earth's atmosphere, Earth's wind
systems,
cause and effect of weather and climate as
well as forecasting the weather.
GERMAN
1
Prerequisite: 8th grade: 87% average in 7th
grade English and FL Dept.
Chairperson approval. 9th grade:
Teacher approval.
The purpose of German I is to bring the first year student from little or no knowledge of the language to an
elementary
understanding and speaking of German.
Through imitation, repetition, and variation, the student gets some security in
this tongue. A basis is formed through which
development in the language skills can be accomplished in the following
years, and proficiency in the language can be
attained. Students also learn the cultural heritage of the German-speaking
people.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval Open to
grades 9-10.
Communication and grammar are emphasized
to help the student use the language more readily. Frequent composition
work is expected, and selected readings from
well-known German authors will give some initial insight into German
literature. The completion of several
German graded readers will also be required, according to the individual's
ability.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 80% in
German 2. Open to grades 10-11.
The third year of German expands the
student's ability to understand, speak, read and write German and the cultural
knowledge of the country by means of
mini-courses. These courses include grammar intensification, German history
from the Germanic tribes to the
Reformation, German conversation, English in German, and Literature from its
origins
to the Enlightenment. Two books will be
read: "Siddartha" by Herinan Hesse and “The Visit” by Friedrich "The
Visit"
by
Friedrich Durrenmatt. Since German 3
and 4 may be combined, these
particular mini-courses may be offered in
alternating years with the German 4 course. This course is conducted in German.
Prerequisite:
Teacher approval and 80% in German 3. Open to grades 11-12.
The student's knowledge of the German-speaking
countries will be deepened and the acquisition of the already learned
linguistic skills will be increased and
fortified through a series of mini-courses. These courses include grammar
continuation,
German history from the Reformation to Napoleon,
and Literature from the Enlightenment to Contemporary writers.
Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis"
will be read along with German Humor, and a writing course to improve style.
Since German 3 and 4 may be combined,
these rnini-courses may be offered in alternating years with the German 3
offerings.
The course is conducted in German.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 80% in
German 4. Open to grade 12.
A fifth year of German is offered for the
linguistically inclined student who wishes to improve on and extend his/her
knowledge of the subject. The following
mini-courses are offered: Grammar review and auditory practice, German
history from Napoleon to the present day and a
seminar on Bertolt Brecht, in which "Mother Courage and
Her Children" will be read, German
Art and Architecture, and German Music. The course is conducted in German.
Prerequisite: 8th grade: 87% average
in 7th grade English and FL Dept. Chairperson
approval.
An audio-lingual approach to the basic
knowledge of the Spanish language is used for this course. Grammar, reading,
listening and speaking skills are
stressed. Students are introduced to the culture of the Spanish-speaking people
Prerequisite: Teacher approval open to
grades 9-10.
Spanish 2 offers more intense complex
grammar work and speaking skills with a very strong emphasis on the latter.
Listening skills will be more developed.
Students will read works of some of
masters as well as write compositions of
length. The cultural emphasis is on
*
Honors
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 85% in
Spanish 2. Open to grades 10-11.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, the class
will focus on Hispanic culture. The topics which will be covered include
history, art, and literature of the
Hispanic culture. Students will be able to speak and write in length on these
various topics. Language skills will
develop through rigorous use of language in class.
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 80% in
Spanish 3. Open to grades 11-12.
Students will acquire facility in Spanish
through its use while studying the history, art and literature of
This course is conducted entirely in Spanish.
SPANISH
5
* Honors
Prerequisite: Teacher approval and 80% in
Spanish 4. Open to grade 12.
The fifth year of Spanish is offered to
the student who is linguistically inclined. The history, art and literature of
* Honors
Prerequisite: Foreign Language Teacher
approval and 87% in English H.
An overall view of the Latin language and
its organization with traditional forms and syntax are presented,
Emphasis is on the patterns of Latin
structure with its influence on the English language. The purpose of this
course is to intensify the linguistic
skills of the scholarly student in every way possible. The Foreign Language
must be continued and studied
simultaneously with the Latin.
Students will be introduced to the
Microsoft Office Suite. Students will learn the basic uses of spreadsheet,
database, word processing and presentation
software, using proper formatting techniques.
Prerequisite: Computer Applications I
This
course is a continuation of Computer Applications 1. Advanced topics will be
covered using each of the
applications
in Microsoft Office. Topics to be included are merging/filtering data,
integrating applications and simple macro recording/editing.
MUSIC
THEORY I
Prerequisite: Need to be able to read
music. Offered 1st semester
This course will cover the fundamentals of
music terminology and analysis. In Theory 1, students will learn basic
notation skills such as intervals, chords,
scales, key signatures and rhythmic notation. Students will also team basic
transposition of instruments. A strong
emphasis will be placed on aural skills. Listening exercises will include
identifying intervals, and listening for
the tonality of chords.
MUSIC THEORY 1I
Prerequisite: 80% in Music Theory I and
Teacher's Approval. Offered 2ndsemester
This course builds on concepts learned in
Music Theory 1. In this semester, students will be introduced to
four part writing, identifying cadences
and non-harmonic tones. Students will be taught common harmonic
progressions and phrases through analysis
and composition. Listening exercises will continue with the
completion of intervals and the beginning
of listening for harmonic, melodic and rhythmic dictation. Sight
singing will also be introduced.
MUSIC THEORY III (Full
year)
* Honors
Prerequisite:
85% in Music Theory 11 and Teacher's Approval
This course builds on concepts learned in
Music Theory I and II, students will continue four part notation
and analysis. Students will be introduced
to modulations and secondary dominance. Basic orchestration
techniques will be introduced. Listening
exercises will continue with melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation.
Sight singing will be continued. In the
spring, students will work on a semester long composition/orchestration
project. This project will afford the
students the opportunity to work with Finale music writing software.
This software is used by many of the
professional in the field today.
Prerequisite: Teacher's Approval
This course is offered to students who
would like vocal training and experience in singing with an ensemble.
Concepts and skills covered include:
posture, breathing, tone quality, tonal and rhythmic notation, critical
listening, and creating. A variety of
musical styles will be explored. The
students may be asked to demonstrate
an understanding of musical notation
through written examinations and in performance skills on their vocal parts
at regular intervals, individually, for
the music instructor. Grading will be
bases on the evaluation of the above
requirements, attendance at rehearsals and
performances, and the student’s overall improvement over the course
of the quarter. As a practical application
of course material, all students are
required to participate in
rehearsals
and several annual concerts held during and after school hours.
Prerequisite: Teacher's Approval Offered 1st semester
This
course meets after school. Any student that is involved in marching band will
be required to sign up
for
this course. The students will learn basic and advanced techniques of playing
their instruments while performing a
7-10
minute field show. They will also learn proper breathing and scale/rudiment
studies. The students may be
asked to demonstrate an understanding of
musical notation through written examinations and in performance
skills
on the major instrument at regular intervals, individually, for the music
instructor. These skills include playing
major
and/or minor scales, arpeggios, recognition of common rhythmic patterns;
performance of prepares
(memorized)
music; and sight reading. Students may
be asked to write a paper commenting on a musically
related
article or video presentation provided by the instructor. Grading will be based on the evaluation of
the
above
requirements, attendance at rehearsals and performances, and the student’s
overall improvement over the
course
of the season. Students who sign up for this class will be required to perform at all band
competitions
and
performances arranged by the director.
Prerequisite: Teacher's Approval Offered 2nd semester
This course will include instruction and
demonstrations of fundamental musical skills, notation, and terminology.
The students will demonstrate an
understanding of musical notation through written examinations and in
performance
skills on the major instrument at regular
intervals, individually, for the music instructor. Those skills include playing
major and minor scales, arpeggios, and
thirds; recognition of common rhythmic patterns; performance of prepared
music; and sight-reading. Students may be
asked to write a paper commenting on a musically related article or
video presentation provided by the
instructor. Grading will be bases on the
evaluation of the above requirements,
attendance at rehearsals and performances,
and the student’s overall improvement over the course of the quarter.
Students
who choose this course are required to perform and participate in rehearsals
for several annual
concerts
held during and after school hours.
Prerequisite: Computer Applications.
This beginning course in Accounting
introduces students to various accounting procedures involved in two of the
three forms of business organization; sole
proprietorship and partnership, and in both a service and merchandising
business. This updated course offers students
the opportunity to learn basic concepts, practice them manually,
and apply them using automated accounting
software. Students will take two businesses through the entire accounting
cycle from analyzing transactions to posting
them and preparing financial statements over the two semesters.
They will also complete two manual and
automated simulations that complete the accounting cycle for fictional
companies. The course also includes
lessons in business ethics, and promotes communication skills.
INTRODUCTION
TO BUSINESS
No prerequisite Offered 1st
semester.
This revamped course replaces an outdated
General Business course, and will introduce students to business as
it functions in our economy. Students will
investigate topics such as healthy economies, business activities and
ownership, and the importance of their
roles as consumers, workers and citizens. It will overview topics such as
management, marketing, finance, and
international business, in order to broaden the students' scope of business
functions in a global economy.
BUSINESS
SIMULATION
Prerequisite: Intro to Business or
Accounting I. Offered 2nd
semester.
Using
an intensive business simulation, students will review and learn business
principles by actually putting them
into
practice. Students will be introduced to a topic and apply it to fictional
businesses that they run, and which
interacts
with other student run businesses. Students will prepare and use business
documents, take out loans,
buy and
sell services and merchandise, advertise, etc.
No prerequisites. Open to grades 10-12.
Offered 1st and 2nd semesters.
This course explores the visual arts form
its base roots. We will begin the course by learning how to draw,
then proceed to painting, sculpture,
ceramics, and graphic design. This course may include and optional field
trip as
well as "nice day" outdoor sketching sessions. We will learn about
artists and their place in history as
well as how artists shape and change the
world around us. This course requires a sketchbook.
There
is a course fee for materials that will become the students’ personal property.
These
materials will be used in all further art courses taken.
Prerequisite is completion of Introduction
to art. Open to grades 11 & 12. Offered 1st
and
2ndsemesters.
This course further explores the foundations
of art as learned in the introduction course. The course will follow
the same patterns of the introduction to
art, but will begin to combine ideas learned to expand the understanding
of the media's and lead in helping to
further the creativity of the art. This course requires a sketchbook.
There
is a course fee for materials that will become the students’ personal property.
These
materials will be used in all further art courses taken.
Prerequisite is completion of Intermediate
art. Open to the 12th grade. Offered 1st and 2nd
semesters.
This course is a take off from
Intermediate art. The first semester will be broken down into 2 parts. The
first quarter
will be drawing and the second quarter
will be painting. The second semester will also be broken down into 2 parts.
The third quarter will be ceramics and the
fourth quarter will be sculpture. The individual with the consent of the
teacher will decide upon all projects.
This course requires a sketchbook.
There is a
course fee-for materials that will become the students’ personal property.
These
materials will be used in all further art courses taken.
PHOTOGRAPHY
I
No prerequisites. Offered 1st
semester.
This course will introduce you to the
processes of photography. This will be a hands on course as well as
teaching you the academic side of
photography. You will be learning how to take clear and interestingly
composed photographs, develop your own
film and print your own photographs. This course will require
some after schoolwork and time to be spent
in the photography lab. Space is limited.
There is a course fee for
developing chemicals.
Prerequisite is completion of photo I. Offered
2nd semester.
This course will further your control and
understanding of the B/W photography processes. This course will
require some after school time to be spent
in the photography lab.
There will be a course fee for
photographic chemicals for the developing process. Space is limited.
No prerequisites. Open to grades 10-12. Offered 2nd semester only.
This course is and introduction to the
wonderful world of computer graphics. You will learn the basic tools to
create and manipulate images through the
aid of the computer. Photo manipulation will be explored through
Adobe Photoshop elements. (This course is
recommended to photo I students)
Prerequisite is introduction to computer
graphics. Offered 1st semester only.
This hands on course will add to your
understanding of the world of computer graphics.
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