Senior Course of Study

AP ENGLISH
[Prerequisite: Recommendation by course teacher and Vice Principal]

The Advanced Placement English Course in Literature and Composition engages the students in careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, the students consider a work’s structure, style, and theme as well as such smaller scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.

The course includes intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, and concentrates on works of recognized literary merit.

The Advanced Placement Course in Literature and Composition is both demanding and intellectually stimulating. Classroom discussion and active participation are vital components of the class. Written assignments, both short and long term, are an important and frequent feature of the course.

Students sit for the Advanced Placement English exam at the end of the course.

ENGLISH 12
The course prepares students for the consistent amount of reading and writing that will be done in college. Over the course of school year, students write business letters, resumes, personal essays to accompany college applications, as well as developing note-taking skills. The writing of a term paper is a course requirement, and the various aspects of putting one together are covered. A number of writing assignments are tied in to the numerous novels and full-length plays that comprise the course’s mandated reading list. Much, but not all of the required reading, focuses on American literature and the works of such writers as Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Kesey.

ECONOMICS/GOVERNMENT 12
This course focuses on comprehending the theories of macroeconomics and such important concepts as the factors of production, the laws of supply and demand, and how price is determined in a consumer motivated, mixed-market economy. Students develop a microeconomic team project that reinforces the relationships of product development, finance, and marketing in the present global economy so they have an integrated understanding of the forces guiding the entrepreneurial spirit that motivates private business in the United States today.

The second semester investigates the main concepts of participatory citizen government as it has evolved in the United States. The students study the philosophies and theories of political science as they relate to federalism.

CALCULUS
[Prerequisite: The successful completion of Sequential Math I, II, III and the passing of Math “A” and “B” Regents Exams]

The first marking period is devoted to preparation for taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test in November. Students are drilled on all aspects of math, test-taking strategies, etc. Students cover over 1,000 different math problems.

The second marking period covers elements of Pre-Calculus: linear, quadratic, 3rd and 4th degree equations; graphing; slopes; parallel and perpendicular lines; equation of a line, slopes of secants, tangents, and an introduction to the average rate of change along a function.

The second semester covers the main tenets of Calculus I: Instantaneous rate of change, the derivative; differential equations; various applications of derivatives; equation of a circle and its applications; integration; 1st and 2nd Fundamental Theorem of Calculus; Archimedes’s Rule; forms of integration; area under a function; graphing and the area between two functions.

COLLEGE ALGEBRA
[Prerequisite: The successful completion of Sequential III Non-Regents course]
During the first semester this course is aligned with the Pre-Calculus 12 course. Extensive preparation for the November SAT exam is given primary emphasis; students review over 1000 problems before that exam.

The second marking period lays the foundation for the remainder of the year. Topics include synthetic division, complex factoring, and graphing of polynomials. The second semester consists of imaginary numbers, the equation of a circle and its applications, matrices, logarithms, Pascal’s triangle, Cramer’s Rule and other theories of famous mathematicians.

BUSINESS MATH 12
Course topics include the Stock Market, the ownership of three stocks, buying and selling of stocks, maintaining and managing checking accounts, bank examinations, producing payrolls, payroll taxes, managing your own business, reporting and filing income taxes, identifying differences in fixed and variable costs. A ten-page term paper is one requirement for successfully completing this course.

RELIGION 12
Senior Religion is the study of the principles of justice revealed in the Creation Story of Genesis, the Prophets, New Testament Scriptures and the Church documents of the 20th century. The goal of study, class activity, and dialogue is to identify criteria and guidelines that can be used in making just decisions in the challenging and ever-developing situations which adults face in the 21st century.

MEDIA ARTS 12
This course is an introduction to the process and design of audio-visual media. Exercises in visual thinking, perception, and design prepare students for a media presentation they execute from the planning stage through the final product. Relevant aspects of communication theory are applied to a variety of small group situations providing opportunities for experimentation, understanding and evaluation of communication of self and others. Extensive writing takes place for the production of shows, storyboards and other visual images. There are a number of cross-discipline strategies involved between this course, English 12, Religion 12, and Government/Economics.

BUSINESS LAW
The course of study pertaining to Law and Business helps the student to study the human drama from a new perspective - that of the evolving set of rules that form our legal structure.

The student’s attention is focused on both the substance and the process of our legal system. As a result, they encounter and explore many important social and ethical issues. Students also examine practical issues related to their daily lives, both now and in the future.

Among the examined topics are the following: the legal environment of business and personal transactions; the legal consequences of decision-making; and the rights and duties of citizens, consumers, workers, and business owners.

AP SPANISH
[Prerequisite: The successful completion of Spanish I, II, III and passing of the Regents Exam]
This is a college level course in which the student broadens his knowledge of Spanish grammar; he perfects his written expression in Spanish; he becomes more adept in listening to spoken Spanish and at speaking it; and he reads prose and poetry written by major Spanish and Latin American authors. Upon successfully completing the Advanced Placement Examination, the student can receive three college credits.

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