Upper Schools

English 9

Why do authors make the choices they do? This course asks you to get to the heart of what makes effective texts, from novels to newspapers and from plays to travel blogs. As you formulate your big ideas, you will share your message through narrative, expository, and persuasive writing to make your mark on your school and the world.

English 10

English 10 centers around reading, writing, and critical thinking. Incorporating universal themes found in plays, novels, and poetry, it uses these three skills to challenge you to not just examine texts for what is being expressed— it pushes you to analyze why and how language is used to affect an audience. The course also offers you an opportunity to explore more creative expressions of your acquired knowledge with unique and innovative projects. Finally, it encourages you to claim ownership of your learning, blending independent studies with your guided online experience, echoing a more “real world” reflection of personal accountability and responsibility.

English 11

English 11 has two main objectives. The first is to help build cultural capital, while you take a historical survey through the American literature timeline. You will then trace a path from the icons of the Colonial era, through the tumultuous 1800s, and stop at today’s Post-Modern landscape. The second objective is to help build global citizenship, which will ask you to research, critically think, and write about the issues that are most crucial, most vital, and most affecting life around the world. Together, these objectives work to build upon the skills of the past while exploring the potential for a brighter future.

English 12

English 12 provides learners opportunities to make critical and informed responses to texts which are wide-ranging in their form, style and context. Experience British literature that introduces you to the cultural and societal contexts of the literary pieces you read. Advanced writing assignments are required, including a research paper based on your interests. English 12 provides learners opportunities to make critical and informed responses to texts which are wide-ranging in their form, style and context. You will also produce your own imaginative writing, and will demonstrate your ability to produce writing for given audiences.

PreAlgebra

Algebra 1

The course content will include a rigorous approach to solving, graphing, and writing linear quadratic, rational, and exponential functions. You will develop mathematical knowledge that will increase your ability to communicate and reason with mathematical concepts. This course offers a solid foundation for further study of mathematical relationships.

Geometry

Included in this course is a study of both two and three-dimensional shapes, congruence, similarity, transformations and the relationships between geometric shapes. You will develop mathematical knowledge that will increase your ability to communicate and reason with mathematical concepts. This course offers a solid foundation for further study of mathematical relationships.

Algebra 2

Included in this course is a study of the complex number system and its properties, factorization, simplification of radicals and polynomials, linear and quadratic functions, graphs and equations, matrices, determinants, rational expressions, probability, and statistics. You will develop mathematical knowledge that will increase your ability to communicate and reason with mathematical concepts. This course offers a solid foundation for further study of mathematical relationships.

PreCalculus

Included in this course is a further depth study of functions, quadratics, logarithms, coordinate geometry, vectors, trigonometry probability and statistics with the addition of differentiation, integration and differential equations. You will develop mathematical knowledge that will increase your ability to communicate and reason with mathematical concepts. This course offer a solid foundation for further study of mathematical relationships.

Calculus

Calculus plays an important role in science, medicine, sociology and economics. Consequently, it is important for everyone to learn. The objective of this course is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but learn to work with them in ways that will be useful in their future careers and life. The course uses a logical progression from fundamental to advanced concepts so that students can make more connections between theories and applications. Topics include limits, continuity, derivatives, related rates, optimization, integration, area under the curve, volumes of revolution, and centers of mass.

Earth Science

This inquiry- and lab-based course is designed to support modern science curriculum and teaching practices. It robustly meets NGSS learning standards associated with high school Earth and space science. Content topics include scientific processes and methods, the universe, the Precambrian Earth, the Earth’s materials and tectonics, the hydrosphere and atmosphere, and human interactions with the Earth’s systems and resources. Each lesson includes one or more inquiry-based activities that can be performed online within the context of the lesson. In addition, the course includes a significant number of hands-on lab activities.

Biology

This course allows you to learn about living organisms, including humans, and their interactions with each other and their surroundings. This includes investigations regarding the health of human beings, animals, organisms, and entire ecosystems. You will learn how the advances in the study of biology impact society and each of us as individuals and, in turn, how we each have an impact on the organisms and environment around us. Ultimately and ideally, this will culminate in a newfound appreciation for the interdependence of life on Earth.

Chemistry

In this course, students will investigate the chemistry around them: in medicine they take, services they use, and the food they eat. Each of the key topics covered is brought together under the umbrella of geohealth: the study of human health in the context of ecology, environmental science, climate change, agriculture, waste and water management, and diseases. The course is taught through real world case studies, where students take on the role of a chemist working with a team of experts to investigate medical or environmental issues. In these case studies, students learn about topics like atomic structure, phases of matter, stoichiometry, and thermodynamics in scenario-based learning where they complete projects that require critical thinking, making and testing predictions, application, and synthesizing multiple concepts to succeed.

Physics

This course helps learners understand the technological world in which they live and take an informed interest in science and scientific developments. You will learn about the basic principles of physics through a mix of theoretical and practical studies. You will also gain an understanding of how science is studied and practiced, and become aware that the results of scientific research can have both good and bad effects on individuals, communities, and the environment. Students participate in regular in person labs (with materials available at home or a school lab site), and experiments are supplemented with other virtual experiences.

Music Appreciation

Have you ever heard a piece of music that made you want to get up and dance? Cry your heart out? Sing at the top of your lungs? Whether pop, classical, or anything in between, music provides a powerful way for people to celebrate their humanity and connect with something larger than themselves. Music Appreciation: The Enjoyment of Listening not only will provide a historical perspective on music from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, but it will also teach you the essentials of how to listen and really hear (with a knowledgeable ear) the different music that’s all around you. Learning how to truly appreciate sound and melody is the best way to ensure a continued love of this delightful art form.

Art History

The course looks at characteristics of culture and art, primarily in the Western world, from prehistoric times up to the modern day. By exploring major turning points in history such as the first tools made, the first civilizations formed, and the rise and fall of major empires and religions you will more easily make connections to the artworks created. The course will also emphasize the impact culture itself has on the artworks produced in various times and places. You will examine the different types of value we assign to various types of art including aesthetic value, economic value, and social value. And lastly, you will learn about principles of design, which will help to build a common vocabulary for discussing and critiquing art.

Fine Art Elective

To be determined.

Fitness for Life

This course’s three units include Getting Active, Improving Performance, and Lifestyle. Unit activities elevate students’ self-awareness of their health and well-being while examining topics such as diet and mental health and exploring websites and other resources. In addition to being effective as a stand-alone course, the components can be easily integrated into other health and wellness course.

PE Skills

This course takes a more in-depth look at the five components of physical fitness touched on in Fitness Fundamentals 1: muscular strength, endurance, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and body composition. This course allows students to discover new interests as they experiment with a variety of exercises in a non-competitive atmosphere. By targeting different areas of fitness, students increase their understanding of health habits and practices and improve their overall fitness level. Students take a pre- and post-fitness assessment. Throughout this course students also participate in a weekly fitness program involving elements of cardio, strength, and flexibility.

PE Elective

Computer Science Principles (Digital Studies)

This is an introductory course in Computer Science Concepts and Principles. Computer Science is a very broad topic that includes much more than just writing programs. This course is designed to introduce you to several of those areas including: 1) How digital information can represent text, numbers, pictures, colors, audio, and video. 2) How large amounts of information can be collected, visualized, interpreted, and manipulated. 3) How digital information is sent and received over the internet, including how data is routed as it travels to and from your device, how the data can be compressed for sending then decompressed when received, and how data can be encrypted to protect sensitive information. This is a hands-on course where every concept you learn is first demonstrated and then you practice doing it yourself in creative ways. For example, after you learn how web pages are created using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then you will create your own web page using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Another example, after learning about data compression you will use a simple app to create your own data compression program. Lastly, the goal of the course is to provide familiarity with electronic devices and information technology processes/careers that will help students learn computational and critical thinking processes.

Web Development 1

This semester course will provide students with advanced Internet skills and techniques as well as a major emphasis on beginning Web page design. Students will explore resources on the Internet through search engines and create their own websites.

Computer Programming 1

An introductory course in computer programming/software engineering and applications. The course introduces students to the fundamentals of computer programming. Students will learn to design, code, and test their own programs while applying mathematical concepts. Teachers introduce concepts and problem solving skills to beginning students through a programming language called Python. Second semester introduces students to more complex data structures and their uses, including sequential files, arrays, and classes. Students will learn to create more powerful programs.

French 1

In the first level, you will learn the language basics, greetings and introductions, work and school, shopping, travel, and about past/future as you build grammar and vocabulary of the language. You will also learn about the culture of the language speaking countries.

French 2

In the second level, you will continue to build your grammar, vocabulary, and speaking skills as you explore friends and social life, dining and vacation, home and health, life and world, everyday things, and places and events. Continue to explore the culture of the language speaking countries.

Spanish 1

Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in U.S. homes, even among non-Hispanics, according to the Pew Research Center. There are overwhelming cultural, economic, and demographic reasons for students to achieve mastery of Spanish. Spanish 1A and B engage students and use a variety of activities to ensure student engagement and to promote personalized learning. These courses can be delivered completely online, or implemented as blended courses, according to the unique needs of the teacher and the students.

Spanish 2

In the second level, you will continue to build your grammar, vocabulary, and speaking skills as you explore friends and social life, dining and vacation, home and health, life and world, everyday things, and places and events. Continue to explore the culture of the language speaking countries.

Leader In Me

Developing life-readiness skills prepares you to lead your own life and face difficult challenges. Everyone is a leader, including you. But not everyone is an effective leader. Effective leaders do things in ways that yield lasting positive results and live by timeless, universal principles. Principles provide constancy amidst change; this course is based on principles of effectiveness that will guide you through life’s greatest challenges.

Entrepreneurship

You will get a front row seat and see how early-stage business investors make their investments. You first look through the lens of an investor. Then you will learn the fundamentals of identifying opportunity, creating value, and capturing value with the Three Pillars of Entrepreneurship™. You will prepare their own rubric for investing, and develop startup investment recommendations. Next, you will look through the lens of the entrepreneur and will apply insights and understanding to develop a business concept of your own, and develop your ideas into an investor pitch deck.

Entrepreneurship 10

Information coming.

Entrepreneurship 11

Information coming.

Entrepreneurship Practicum

Information coming.

Technology Practicum

Information coming.

Innovative Collaboration Lab Prep

Information coming.

Innovative Collaboration Lab Travel

Information coming.