Excel Program

List of 8 items.

• English - Responding to Literature Through Critical & Creative Writing

  Perhaps no other skill is as important to your academic and professional success as writing. In this course you, your classmates, and teacher pay close attention to the writing process as well as to the different kinds of writing that allow you to stretch your mind and talents.

  
  The course draws upon a variety of acclaimed short stories, poems, essays, and novels to illustrate various genres of writing for different purposes. After reading and discussing these works, you engage in expressive writing that comes from personal experience, including description and narration. You then turn to an extensive study and practice of the different kinds of expository writing, including definition, classification, illustration, comparison and contrast, argumentation and critical analysis.

  
  Having gained a solid foundation in the various modes of discourse and in the writing process itself, you explore the world of writing by composing original work in any of the creative forms that appeal to you, including fiction, poetry and drama.

   

  At each stage of the writing process, your instructor will offer guidance, feedback, and support to ensure your success in this course.

• United States History

  Over 500 years in the making, the United States of America was created by a wide diversity of people from around the world, perhaps including your distant or recent ancestors. In this class you examine the emergence of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society in British North America, beginning with the pattern of colonial settlement and the development of American culture. You will investigate the causes of the American Revolution, the process of writing and ratifying the Constitution, and the development of a two-party system of government.

  
  The major political, economic, social, and cultural forces that shaped America from the early 19th to the early 20th century are explored in depth. You conclude this intensive historical survey course by touching upon the emergence of the United States as a world power from 1898 through two World Wars, the Vietnam conflict, and the end of the Cold War.

• Geometry

  Students in Geometry improve their knowledge of the properties of two- and three-dimensional figures, work with better visual perception of two- and three-dimensional figures, and develop the skills of using inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning as problem-solving tools. Topics covered in this course include parallel lines and planes, properties of triangles, quadrilaterals and circles, congruent and similar triangles, areas of polygons, circles, and an introduction to trigonometry. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra I.

• Algebra II

  Topics investigated in this course include linear relations, polynomials, quadratic functions, rational expressions, irrational and complex numbers, exponents, and an introduction to trigonometry. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Geometry.

• Precalculus

  Precalculus is a course that draws heavily from the topics introduced in previous algebra courses. It lays the foundation for the study of calculus. In addition to learning a variety of new topics, students come to understand how acquired mathematics concepts fit together. Topics covered in this course include linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, trigonometric, and logarithmic functions, as well as graphs, relations, conic sections, and systems of equations. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra II.

• Biology

  In this intensive Biology course, students become familiar with the qualities of living things, understanding cellular structures and many cell functions, such as respiration, photosynthesis, cellular transport and protein synthesis. The course includes an introduction to genetics and examines ethical and moral dilemmas posed by genetic engineering. Another major emphasis is placed on complex organisms, which mostly involve human systems such as the nervous, endocrine, digestive and circulatory. Numerous experiments, including enzyme activity and animal dissection, give students an opportunity to use the scientific method in collecting data, making careful observations, and interpreting results.

• Chemistry

  This course provides students with a strong overview needed to continue the study of science in college. Accordingly, students learn to approach problem-solving analytically, logically and mathematically, and gain practical experience in weekly laboratory experiments. Students learn about the units of science, the manipulation of numbers in science and types of matter. Topics include symbols, formulas, equations, and the development of current models to explain various properties of atoms and molecules. With this foundation, special topics in chemistry are investigated, including thermodynamics, solutions, kinetics and equilibrium, acids and bases, and, if time allows, electrochemistry and organic chemistry. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra II.

• Physics

  This course is designed for students who wish to explore how physics - the study of matter and energy and their relationships - affects our daily lives. The greatest emphasis of this course is on developing a thorough understanding of mechanics, beginning with linear motion followed by rotational dynamics. Students will study the movement of speeding sports cars, falling apples, and the golf swing as they explore the world around them. Students then learn about blocks, pulleys, ferris wheels, and elevators through discussions of the forces each experiences. The two major conservation laws, the Conservation of Momentum and Energy, are introduced and applied through many experiments. Discussions of sound, optics, and electricity close out the course. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Precalculus.