Junior Course Descriptions

ENGLISH 11 Regents
The English 11 class is in preparation for the Regents Examination in Comprehensive English. It is also the testing ground and preparation for the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Course.

Readings for this course are both wide and deep. Students read works from several genres and periods - from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century. They will read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a works’ complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form.

Writing is an integral part of this course. Writing assignments focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. The goal of the writing assignments is to increase the students’ ability to explain clearly and cogently what they understand about literary works and why they interpret them as they do.

Some works of Literature studied in this class are: The Crucible, MacBeth, Native Son, and The Great Gatsby .

U.S. HISTORY Regents
This course introduces students to the formation of American values and institutions from the colonial period to the Civil War. Emphasis is given to the tension between local and central authority during the struggle for independence, the establishment of the Constitution, economic and social change in the young republic, slavery, and the growing sectional conflict that culminated in the Civil War.

The course continues with emphasis on economic and social change influenced by industrialization and third party movements of the late 19th and early twentieth centuries. Topics include the United States transformation into an urban society, the dilemma of race, the changing role of women, the depression, New Deal.

The course concludes with the post-World War II period. The topics include the Cold War, Civil Rights, the dual crises of Watergate and Viet Nam, the Reagan Revolution and New Federalism of the Republican Revolution.

Students sit for the Regents examination in United States History at the conclusion of the course.

AP U.S. HISTORY
[Prerequisite: Recommendation by course teacher and Academic Dean]

The AP United States History course presents students the opportunity to refine their academic skills and abilities. This course of study provides students with the kind of background and preparation that will prove beneficial in a wide range of college courses in the humanities and social sciences.

The intellectual skills and interests developed in the AP United States History course-- critical reading, analyzing primary source documents, synthesizing evidence to develop new insights, among others-- are those that define well-prepared college students and equip them for lifelong learning.

Students will sit for the Advanced Placement Examination in United States History.

SEQUENTIAL MATH III NR / R
This course is the last of a three-year sequence for high school mathematics. Topics covered throughout the year, among others, include exponents, imaginary and complex numbers, trigonometric functions, logarithms, interpolation, probability and statistics.

Upon successful completion of this course selected students will sit for the Regents Math "B" Examination in June of their junior year for the advanced Regents diploma.

RELIGION 11
This course presents a variety of central topics including the development of conscience, the importance of justice and forgiveness and the basic value of human life. Specific issues in history and contemporary society are also dealt with. Issues covered in the course include substance abuse, sexual behavior, honesty, stewardship of the environment, economics and poverty, capital punishment, and war and peace. Student discussion of these topics is an integral part of this course.

The goal of this course is to increase student familiarity with the moral and ethical issues facing contemporary society. Students gain an increased awareness of the Church teaching on these issues. It is the goal of each participant to begin to develop a mature ethical stance with specific processes for assessing their moral decisions.

CHEMISTRY REGENTS
This course is meant to be an intensive and comprehensive study of the chemical world. Many of the topics addressed in this course are of a mathematical nature, therefore, a strong mathematical background is needed to successfully handle topics such as redox, electrochemistry and mathematics of chemistry. In addition to lectures, discussions, and mathematical assessments, students will verify understanding of the lessons taught via laboratory experience.

Students will be required to sit for the Chemistry Regents Examination. This course satisfies a portion of the science sequence requirement for a NYS Regents Diploma.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
The field of environmental science offers students the opportunity to apply many different sciences to extend their knowledge of both the world and its inhabitants.

Throughout the course, students will be involved in Laboratory experiments, fieldwork exercises, and issue-oriented classroom activities.

The goal of the course is to provide students with the science background needed to analyze many issues concerning our environment. Students are urged to adapt stewardship ability and motivated to act responsibly on environmental issues.

HUMANITIES
The Humanities course focuses on reading, discussion, public speaking, composition, current events, group projects, research topics, and cooperative learning. The class uses a "circle format" in order to break down some of the barriers that exist in a regular classroom. Students are instructed to focus in on basic rules of behavior that call for respect for others and themselves. Students are exposed to some of the greatest thinkers of the ages, and great emphasis is placed on the importance of discussion.

The long-term goal of the humanities course is the formation of students who are ready to succeed on the college level. It is the exchange of ideas, and the expression of those ideas, in both the written and spoken form, which are the basis of education.

SPANISH II REGENTS
A continuation of Spanish I, this course [conducted solely in Spanish] brings into use the concept of verbal presentations on a current leader in the Hispanic culture. Research papers, cooperative learning projects and field trips to Latino embassies and/or restaurants are highlights of this course. [Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish I Regents Course]

NON-REGENTS
Instruction in verb conjugation and proper Spanish sentence structure continues throughout this course. Elements of speaking proper Spanish are brought in as students are grouped in a collaborative structure to interact in Spanish. Writing persuasive essays in Spanish is an integral aspect of the course.
[Prerequisite: Successful completion of Spanish I Non-Regents Course]

LATIN III REGENTS
[Prerequisite: Successful completion of Latin II.]
This language course entails intensive study of grammar and translation through multiple learning techniques. Students will continue to expand and develop their reading knowledge of the Latin language.

Throughout the course of studies various forms of evaluation may include class or individual projects, special reports, etc. Students are encouraged to use a variety of means to demonstrate their comprehension and knowledge.

Students will be required to sit for the New York State Latin Regents Examination.

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