Academic Course Descriptions
Our Academic Programming beginning with the class of 2012
9th grade Academic Program
English
In English class, students will analyze the voices of authors from a variety of perspectives, cultures, and communities, and they will learn how to create and express their own unique voices. Students will be reading, writing and analyzing works of fiction and non-fiction to improve reading comprehension and writing skills, which will help prepare students for the English Regents Exam, for the SATs, and for college classes.
In 9th grade, students will explore the themes of choice, identity, justice, power, loyalty and betrayal; they will read such works as The First Part Last, That was Then, This is Now, Shooting Monarchs, The Crucible, Of Mice and Men, Copper Sun and Othello.
Integrated Algebra (June Regents Exam)
Integrated Algebra explores the fundamentals of algebra and its connection to related math topics. The class exposes students to the basic concepts behind probability, statistics and trigonometry. Students will also learn how to connect algebra to real-world situations.
Global History I
Global Studies is a two year Regents course in which students will discuss, discover, and learn about the history of the world. Students will cover various themes, such as culture, religion, and governments, starting with the ancient river valleys through contemporary themes. Throughout the course, students will answer many essential questions relating to the course material which will help prepare us for the Regents Exam, in addition to refining independent thinking and learning.
Environmental Science
Environmental Science is an introductory class to the Regents Living Environment course that most students will take in the 10th grade. The goal of this course is to develop fundamental scientific skills and concepts to help students succeed in upper-level science courses. Some of the questions that will be explored are:
- How can we think like scientists?
- Why can't we live without trees?
- Can we save the world or is it an impossible task?
or
Living Environment
While the course is titled The Living Environment, it is essentially a biology course. The course is a comprehensive survey of general biology that includes scientific inquiry, origins of life, ecology, organization and patterns of life, homeostasis, reproduction and development, genetics and biotechnology, evolution, and human impact on the environment. In addition, there is a laboratory component to the course.
Some of the questions that will be explored in this course are:
- Why doesn't any one type of living organisms take over the world?
- How do we survive? Why do offspring look like their parents?
10th grade Academic Program
English
In 10th grade, students will explore the themes of bias, truth, stigma, loss of innocence, oppression, liberation, the American Dream, and appearance versus reality. 10th grade students will read a variety of works that include Twelve Angry Men, Chanda's Secrets, The Diary of Anne Frank, Night, Inexcusable, A Raisin in the Sun and The Color Purple.
Geometry (June Regents Exam)
As we explore the original mathematics, we will endeavor to place ourselves in the shoes and minds of Euclid, Archimedes, and Pythagoras. While making this journey through what Plato deemed as the only math worth studying, we will discuss proofs, similarity, circle geometry, and Platonic solids, all while maintaining alignment with the New York State and NCTM standards. Ours is a journey of discovery, with our destination a student of critical thought.
Global History II (June Regents Exam)
See description above
Living Environment (June Regents Exam)
See description above
or
Earth Science (June Regents Exam)
Earth Science is basically the scientific study of the Earth. In this class students will study topics ranging from the beginning of the universe to the human impact on Earth's future climate. The branches of Earth Science include Geology, Oceanography, Meteorology and Astronomy. During the year students will begin to think about earth in terms of systems, cycles, and continual processes. Students will study the rock cycle, the water cycle and process like erosion and hurricane formation. Earth Science is very broad and with topics like volcanoes and other planets everyone is sure to find something interesting along the way. Some questions that will be explored in this course are: Why don't hurricanes hit New York City? Why do the continents fit together like puzzle pieces? Why does the moon just keep spinning around the earth?
Spanish I
11th grade Academic Program
English (June Regents Exam)
Algebra 2/Trigonometry (June Regents Exam)
U.S. History (June Regents Exam)
Earth Science or Chemistry (June Regents Exam)
See description above