| Saint Joseph Central High School |
Course Descriptions |
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More course descriptions coming soon....
MODERN LANGUAGES
Latin I Through reading Latin stories and handouts, the students are exposed to Roman history and everyday life experiences. They learn Latin vocabulary and use the words to write Latin sentences. All writing emphasizes correct English grammar and correct Latin endings. Students are exposed to English vocabulary with Latin roots which helps them with their SATs. After completing the year of Latin, students go on to their first year in one of the other foreign languages offered.
French I This is a beginning course in the four basic skills of language learning; writing, reading, speaking and listening. This course introduces the fundamentals of French language as well as French culture. The students will be able to communicate on a basic level. Some projects, readings, film, music, holiday customs and cuisine are included.
French II This course focuses on the practical control of the four basic skills: writing, reading, speaking and listening. The students will be able to communicate at an intermediate level with a focus on phonetics. They will use their skills to show self-expression, to analyze literary works and in personal reflection. Cultural studies will continue with special units on theater, classic literature, French cinema and poetry.
French III This course reinforces the students’ French skills through reading and composition. The focus will be on French history and how it relates to French literature. The students will write analytically on pieces that interest them from all genres including poetry, prose, cinema, music and new media.
French IV This course is offered as an independent study. The students continue to explore the language through creative writing and reading. A thesis is required as a final project.
Spanish I This is a beginning course in the four basic skills of language learning; writing, reading, speaking and listening. This course introduces the fundamentals of Spanish language as well as Spanish culture. The students will be able to communicate on a basic level. Some projects, readings, film, music, holiday customs and cuisine are included.
Spanish II This course focuses on the practical control of the four basic skills: writing, reading, speaking and listening. The students will be able to communicate at an intermediate level with a focus on phonetics. They will use their skills to show self-expression, to analyze literary works and in personal reflection. Cultural studies will continue with special units on theater, classic literature, Spanish cinema and poetry.
Spanish III This course reinforces the students’ Spanish skills through reading and composition. The focus will be on Spanish history and how it relates to Spanish literature. The students will write analytically on pieces that interest them from all genres including poetry, prose, cinema, music and new media.
Spanish IV This course is offered as an independent study. The students continue to explore the language through creative writing and reading. A thesis is required as a final project.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Ancient and Medieval This is a survey course of ancient and medieval history, tracing humanity’s progress from primitive life in the Stone Age up to the Age of Enlightenment and the American Revolution. It begins with the Stone Age and moves through the ancient Near East, ancient Rome, ancient Greece, native America, the Middle Ages, the Muslim world, the Renaissance, and ends with the Age of Exploration. It is designed to teach not only the events that have shaped our world but also to portray the value of history and how it can help students appreciate their heritage. This course is one of the three department required course credits for graduation and is taken by all freshmen.
Modern European History Modern European History is a full-year elective course offered to students in either their sophomore, junior or senior years. It makes a firm foundation for students who wish to take Advanced Placement U.S. History in their junior or senior year. This survey course picks up where Ancient and Medieval History leaves off. It begins with the Enlightenment Era in Europe and continues through the events in Europe and the world through the twentieth century. Each quarter a novel will be read that corresponds to the time period under study, and the student will produce a research paper to help develop documentation skills as well as written expression of facts. Novels include A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Animal Farm by George Orwell, All Quiet on the Western front by Erich Maria Remarque, and Hiroshima by John Hersey.
United States History United States History is a full-year required course for the department course requirements for graduation. It can be taken in their sophomore, junior, or senior year. Massachusetts law requires students to pass U.S. History in order to graduate from High School. This is a survey course designed to enable students to become better acquainted with the history of the United States, to better understand the present from the events of the past, and to play a part in the nation’s future as a responsible citizen. Each quarter, students will produce written essays and a research paper to help develop documentation skills as well as written expression of facts, comparison and contrast, cause-effect, and consequential aspects of historical events.
Twentieth Century Global History This is a half-year course designed to facilitate enrichment to key global topics in the mid-Twentieth Century and the emergence into the Twenty-first Century. Background information begins the foundation of the study and expands to the rapid and dramatic changes that took place in the 1990’s to 2000. The course deals with these changes focusing on their causes, immediate effects and possible long range consequences which encourage the student in the development of analytical thinking skills. Course content includes the following regions of the world: Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Global politics emerge and lead to discussion of topics such as nuclear proliferation, human rights, and terrorism. World business, trade and corporate enterprise are covered along with technology and advances in the sciences. Maps, graphs, charts, and cartoons enhance skill development and data interpretation.
Civics Civics is a half-year, elective course offered to students in either the junior or senior year. It is designed to teach the basic principles behind government and the citizens’ role in the functioning of government processes. Students will study the three branches of the federal government as well as the institutions of state and local government. Importance of “by the people” is stressed; the right and responsibility to vote, and the meaning of active citizenship are emphasized in the course.
Psychology Psychology is a full year elective course offered to seniors. It does count as a Social Studies requirement of the three required department courses to graduate. It is an introductory course that will provide students with a solid base from which to build while in college. It also offers practical knowledge and information that can help students in their everyday lives. The course begins with what psychology is and what a psychologist does. Topics build from conscious perception, brain and body functions, child development, adolescent development, as well as, Freud, Jung and theories of personality development, and abnormal behaviors.
Advanced Placement United States History Advanced Placement United States History is a challenging full-year course presented as a college freshman course to juniors or seniors. College credits can be earned by students taking and scoring a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP College Board Exam given in the spring. Successful completion of two Social Studies courses is a prerequisite for AP. An application process is used for student selection. It consists of teacher recommendations, guidance’s recommendation, and exemplary sample essay writings from English and History classes. Students sit for a sample writing session and must apply for the course with a formal letter to the Social Studies Department Chairperson. Acceptance is finalized on acceptable completion of the summer assignment. The course is taught from a more comprehensive level text, Primary Source readings, Historian-written articles, and outside research. Factual knowledge derived by the student is used in seminar discussions which evoke and develop analytical thinking skills from sequencing cause-effect-consequence based information. Heavy reading assignments and numerous essay assignments are required by the students and necessary to keep up with the courses’ progression. These performance skills address the ability of the students to deal successfully with the historical scholarship level of the materials and prepare for success in college level courses. |