HONORS PROGRAM

This full year elective course is a more in-depth study of the principles of music. We will emphasize and integrate aspects of melody, harmony, texture, form, rhythm, musical analysis, elementary composition, history and style. Topics covered include chords, scales, modes, harmonic function, cadences, phrase structure, fou-part realization of figured-bass, composition of a bass line, harmonic analysis, sight-singing, melodic, rhythmic and harmonic dictation. Musicianship skills such as dictation, sight-singing and keyboard harmony will also be further developed. The ultimate goal is to develop a student’s ability to recognize, understand and describe the basic materials and processes of music.

PREREQUISITE: Fundamentals of Music Theory and Musicianship.

The primary focus of the course is rhetoric (the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively). The course is designed to develop critical thinking and composition skills. Students are expected to read a variety of literature including non-fiction, speeches, dramatic monologues, and newspaper articles. Students will be asked to deconstruct and analyze these literary works. Students will produce essays that fall into three categories: analysis, argument and synthesis. A research paper is included during the second quarter. Class interaction is an integral part of the instruction. During the second semester attention is given to the preparation for the Advanced Placement Test in Language and Composition given in May.

PREREQUISTE: 12th Grade: The course may be taken in place of the World Literature, World Literature with Film, or World Literature with Creative Writing course.

This course selection is for those students who have successfully completed Honors English III.* The focus of the course is on a variety of writing forms (college essay, critical and comparative essays, creative writing and a research paper) to complement the thematic approach of the course. Classroom interaction is an integral part of the instruction. During the second semester attention is given to preparation for the Advanced Placement Test in English Literature. Students who enroll in this course may select the World Literature with Creative Writing course or the World Literature with Film course as an elective.

* A student may advance to the AP class at the recommendation of their English teacher from the previous year and the Department Chair, and whose writing sample has been approved by a three member panel of the Department.

This full-year senior elective course is an introductory college course in European History from approximately 1450 through 1990. It is designed to prepare the student to sit for the Advanced Placement Examination in European History. Students will be expected to participate in group cooperative learning experiences, make oral and audio-visual presentations and analyze primary source documents.

PREREQUISITE: An 85 or above average in AP United States History 2 OR a 93 or above average in United States History 2 AND an 85 or above in all other courses.

AP Human Geography is a full-year course for freshmen.  This course introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine socio economic organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications.

PREREQUISITE: Entrance into the course is by invitation and is based on grades, standardized and entrance test scores. Students should be able to read college level texts and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

This full-year elective AP course is designed to give junior and senior students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to an economic system as a whole. The reading, writing and analytical skills of the student in this course must be of a high level. Some of the topics included are basic economic concepts, measurement of economic performance, national income and price determination, the financial sector, inflation, unemployment, stabilization policies, economic growth and productivity, and international trade and finances.

PREREQUISITE: All students must have an 85 semester average in all of their classes in order to participate. Both seniors and juniors are eligible for the course.

This full-year elective AP Psychology course provides junior and senior students with the opportunity to examine 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 will learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.

PREREQUISITE: All students must have an 85 semester average in all of their classes in order to participate. Both seniors and juniors are eligible for the course.

This course is designed to give senior students a critical perspective on government and politics in the United States. It involves both the study of general concepts used to interpret American politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It also requires a familiarity with the various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up the American political reality. The course will focus on the Constitutional underpinnings of American Government, political beliefs and behavior, political parties and interest groups, institutions and policy decisions. In order that students are fully prepared to meet the rigors of college level studies, AP United States Government students will be expected to complete a research paper designed to examine and explain specific aspects of the course.

PREREQUISITE: All students must have an 85 semester average in all of their classes in order to participate and have completed United States History 2 with an 85.

This full-year course is for those students who have successfully completed United States History 1. The period from Reconstruction after the Civil War through recent American history is examined, focusing on social, economic, cultural and intellectual history. Classes are conducted in a seminar format, and emphasis is placed on writing, the evolution of a hypothesis and historical research. Supplemental readings and primary source documents are used in conjunction with the required text. Each semester a research paper is presented by the student to department members.

PREREQUISITE: An 85 or above average in Honors United States History 1 OR a 93 or above average in United States History 1 AND an 85 or above average in all other courses.

This rigorous course is a college level Advanced Placement (AP) course and carries honors weighting. The course is intended for highly motivated students who have a strong knowledge of mathematics at an honors level in the areas of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and especially an in-depth understanding of functions and their graphs. The course topics include limits, continuity, differentiation, and integration, with an emphasis on applications of the derivative and the definite integral. This course is the equivalent of one semester of college calculus.

PREREQUISITE: Honors Pre-Calculus with a minimum 1st and 2nd semester grade of 93.

This rigorous course is a college level Advanced Placement(AP) course and carries honors weighting. The course is the equivalent of the first two semesters of college calculus. It is intended for highly motivated students and is an extension of the material learned in AP Calculus (AB). The additional topics covered in this course are series, infinite Taylor and Maclauren polynomials, more methods of integration, and the basis of the calculus of non-rectangular coordinate systems.

PREREQUISITE: AP Calculus AB with minimum semester grades of 85.

This rigorous course is a college level AP course which introduces students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data. These concepts and tools include graphical and numerical stechniques for studying, analyzing and interpreting patterns and departures from patterns and the significance of such. It also includes formulating data collection plans to produce models from which valid inferences can be drawn and using probability and simulation to create models. Applications in the social sciences, business, economics and medicine are integrated throughout the course.

PREREQUISITE: Honors or College Prep Algebra 2 with minimum semester grades of 93.

This course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory biology course which includes a laboratory component. It aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. Experimental design, data presentation and analysis will be emphasized. The major topics covered include: heredity and evolution, energy processing, cell structure and biochemistry, and ecosystem interaction. The textbook used is one commonly used by colleges and universities for a first year biology course.

PREREQUISITE: Completion of Honors Biology with a minimum grade of 90 OR Biology with a minimum grade of 93 AND completion of Honors Chemistry with a minimum grade of 90 or completion of Chemistry with a minimum grade of 93. Approval of Instructor/Department Chair.

This course is the equivalent of first semester college chemistry which includes a laboratory component. It aims to provide a depth of understanding of theoretical and analytical concepts. There will be an emphasis on chemical calculations and mathematic formulation of principles. The major topics covered include: structure of matter, states of matter, Kinetic Theory of Gases, equilibria, kinetics, Thermodynamics, reactions and descriptive chemistry.

PREREQUISITE: Completion of Honors Chemistry with a minimum grade of 90 OR Chemistry with a minimum grade of 93. Completion of Algebra 2 or Pre-Calculus with a minimum grade of 90. Approval of Instructor/Department Chair.

CO-REQUISITE: Current enrollment in Honors Pre-Calculus, Pre-Calculus or Calculus.

AP Physics 1 is the equivalent to a first semester college course in algebra based physics. The course is designed for the high ability student who is highly motivated and has a science, engineering or technological major as his/her future goal. The course covers Newtonian mechanics (including rotational dynamics and angular momentum); work, energy and power; and mechanical waves and sound. It will also introduce electric circuits. Primary emphasis is placed on physical principles and the development of problem solving techniques. A proficiency in mathematical skills is necessary. Laboratory work will include experiments that are closely related to theory presented in lectures.

PREREQUISTE: Completion of Honors Algebra 2 with a minimum grade of 90. Approval of Instructor/Department Chair.

CO-REQUISTE: Current enrollment in Honors Pre-Calculus. Students selecting Calculus, MUST have completed Honors Algebra 2 and Honors Pre-Calculus with a minimum grade of 90.

Advanced Placement Physics C is a second year physics course that expands on topics covered in the first year physics course. The areas of study are Newtonian mechanics (including wave motion) and electricity and magnetism. The course will prepare students to sit for the Advanced Placement Physics C exam. Students taking the course should have strong mathematical abilities and have an interest in pursuing a science or engineering degree in college.

PREREQUISITE: Completion of AP Physics 1 with a minimum grade of 90 OR Physics with a minimum grade of 93. Approval of Instructor/Department Chair.

CO-REQUISITE: Current enrollment AP Calculus.

The AP Environmental Science course is a full-year introductory college course with a laboratory component. This discipline merges Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Geology for the upperclassmen to further study these sciences and/or to fulfill a basic requirement for a collegiate laboratory science. The major topics covered are: natural systems, energy flow and conversions, geochemical systems, population growth, global climates, pollution, stewardship and conservation.

PREREQUISITE: Completion of Biology and Chemistry with a minimum grade of 85. Approval of Instructor/Department Chair.

This course focuses on engaging students in activities that show how computing changes the world. By learning the central ideas of computer science and computational thinking, students will learn to be creative, collaborative, and innovative in developing technical solutions to solving problems. The course includes learning how to create mobile apps to solve those problems, through the use of App Inventor, a drag-and-drop visual programming language.