Course of Study, 2012-2013

2012-2013

course of study

KingswoodOxford

message from the Head of School Welcome to Kingswood Oxford School, a dynamic college preparatory learning environment and an intellectual and enriching hub for the community in the heart of bustling West Hartford. As a day school with a deeply rooted culture of opportunity and scholarly pursuit, we help students find their voice and confidence to be strong advocates for themselves and others. Over time, students discover budding talents, gifts and passions within themselves, nurtured and coaxed out gradually by peers, teachers, coaches and advisors who encourage participation and stepping outside one’s comfort zone. Students are challenged to enter uncharted territory, push their limits, problem solve and in the process grow as individuals, scholars, athletes, artists and ethical citizens who care beyond themselves and know they have the capacity to make a difference and put their thumbprint on the world.

We embrace a strong partnership with our families and young adolescents, all of us contributing in meaningful ways to the educational journey that allows each student to learn at the optimal individual level while being part of a supportive, caring and embracing community. The dayschool philosophy is integrally rooted in the knowledge that collaboration between teachers and parents is the most effective way to guide students, helping each to make the best possible choices and to succeed at the highest possible level. KO students love to come to school, they are engaged fully in their own learning process, and they develop quality and lasting relationships with each other and their teachers.

It is the strong sense of community, connectedness and belonging that allows us to push and challenge students as they concentrate on their work within a safe social and emotional environment.

A deep focus on relevant 21st century skills, creative problem solving and a sense of comfort and control in the midst of complexity within the global context allows our students to become robust and versatile communicators, thinkers and leaders. Our new Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center is the academic cornerstone of our next century of excellence and a clear sign that KO continuously adapts, improves and focuses on the areas our students most need to gain an academic edge for success in college and far beyond.

As an international educator with more than two decades of experience in top independent day schools in the United States preceded by experience in schools abroad, I believe that students learn best in an environment where the size of the student body and the scale of the campus allow us to know, value and understand each preteen and teen as a learner and as a unique individual. I believe that students learn best when immersed in a peer group that cherishes learning, shares ideas and encourages each member to explore new roles, activities and opportunities. We embrace our similarities as well as our differences as we help build cultural competencies that will help everyone navigate and appreciate the local and global landscapes.

Kingswood Oxford School is an environment that inspires intellectual and personal growth. The faculty is superb; our teachers are experienced and dedicated beyond measure to our students. They are passionate about their work because they themselves are scholars, authors, scientists, mathematicians, artists and athletes who have chosen to live, breathe and work tirelessly in the fascinating and fastpaced worlds of middle and high school students. Members of the faculty teach, yet they also advise, coach and act as mentors and guides always available to help, discuss or lend an ear. They attend plays, games, concerts and competitions while working side by side in community-partnership projects locally as well as internationally.

By joining the Kingswood Oxford community, you are choosing a 21st century learning environment where the life of the mind, the body and the soul are tended to with passion and deep commitment and where every inch of our campus is a classroom. I invite you to take a closer look, and I look forward to interacting with you on our beautiful campus soon!

Dennis Bisgaard, Head of School

table of contents

general Information KO’s 7-Year Curriculum

2

Academic Requirements and Related Information

3

Academic Advising

3

College Advising

4

Community Service

4

Advanced Placement Program

4

Senior Project

5

Independent Study

5

Semester Abroad

5

Educational Trips and June Term

5

Athletics

5

Course Listings English

7

Science

13

Mathematics

17

History

21

Modern Languages

25

Classics

30

Creative Arts

33

Technology

43

Health

43

Notes 44

Please note that based on enrollment figures, certain courses may not be offered in 2012-2013.

KO's 7-year curriculum From grades 6 through 12 in each and every course, students at KO are expected to write, orally defend, hypothesize, analyze and work cooperatively as they make their way through our curriculum. In so doing, they are taught and then practice again and again the skills that turn them into inquisitive learners for a lifetime.

This is a relation-rich community, and we work hard at developing strong relationships with our students, our athletes and our advisees. The nature of this tight-knit school, with its small classes and advisee groups, is that students are granted enormous respect and given great responsibility by both their teachers

GENERAL INFORMATION

and peers. As a result, students feel supported in a way that inspires them to take

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risks, overcome challenges and step outside of their comfort zones. Both in and outside of the classroom, our students stretch to achieve more, oftentimes surprising themselves with their abilities and interests in areas they hadn’t considered before.

When students enter KO, they begin a journey of self-discovery, learning from the experiences and challenges they encounter. We intentionally place them in positions that stretch them both academically and personally, with the knowledge that they will have a soft place to land if they happen to fall short of their goals. Part of that process of self-discovery is learning to pick themselves up and move on in their journey, developing the important skill of resiliency. Our curriculum, from starting point to finish, gives students these opportunities regardless of the grade or subject level. Each year builds on the one before both in terms of skill and subject matter.

Each year provides students the set of teachers and advisors adept at shepherding those in that particular age group along in their journey. At graduation, our students emerge with a clear understanding of who they are as lifelong learners and as citizens of the world, ready to take advantage of all that college has to offer. Their measurable changes have become a part of them, the sum total of an accumulation of experiences that came about by taking full advantage of the curricular and extracurricular experiences available to all of our students.

academic requirements and related information Upper School Graduation Requirements For graduation, a student must have fulfilled the following requirements: • Four full-year credits in Upper School English • Three full-year credits in an Upper School lab science • Three full-year credits in Upper School mathematics through Form 5 • Three full-year credits in Upper School history through Form 5, with one year being U.S. History • Three consecutive full-year credits in either a modern or classical foreign language • One and one-half credits in Upper School creative arts • Other courses to make a total of 20 full credits • 30 hours of community service • Satisfactory completion of the athletic requirement

Middle School Program of Study A student’s program of study each year shall include: • English • Science • Mathematics • History • A modern or classical foreign language • Required electives (creative arts, technology) • Satisfactory completion of the athletic requirement

Academic Honors Upper School Honor Roll The Upper School honor roll, which is determined at the end of each semester and for the entire year, recognizes students for outstanding academic achievement.

• On a 4.0 scale, a minimum grade point average of 3.33 (B+) qualifies for the honor roll.

• To qualify for the honor roll, a student must carry a minimum of five courses each semester.

• Any grade below a “C” automatically disqualifies a student from earning honor roll status.

• The yearlong honor roll is used to determine academic standing and honors diplomas and to help select Cum Laude Society candidates.

Cum Laude The Cum Laude Society is the independent school equivalent of the collegiate Phi Beta Kappa Society.

For each class, outstanding students who have consistently maintained honors-level work and have

ko course of study 2012-2013

demonstrated good citizenship will be elected by the Kingswood Oxford chapter to join the Cum Laude Society at the conclusion of the first semester of the Form 6 year.

Diploma with Honors A student who has achieved year-end honor roll in both the Form 5 and Form 6 years qualifies for a Diploma with Honors. In addition, the faculty may, at its discretion, vote to award a Diploma with Honors to a student who has had a particularly outstanding academic record in Form 6 and was close to achieving honor roll status in Form 5.

Middle School Honor Roll The Middle School honor roll, which is determined at the end of each semester and for the entire year, recognizes students for outstanding academic achievement.

• On a 4.0 scale, a minimum grade point average of 3.33 (B+) qualifies for the honor roll.

• A student must be in good standing to achieve honor roll status.

• A failing grade in a graded course automatically disqualifies a student from earning honor roll status.

academic advising

Advising plays a vital role in personalizing a student’s experience at Kingswood Oxford School.

Faculty advisors challenge, support and advocate for their advisees as they guide their academic and personal growth and strive to maximize each advisee’s potential.

All advisors meet with their advisees three times a week in formal advisee-group meetings.

These meetings provide advisors with invaluable opportunities to build relationships with their advisees and also to provide a forum for a range of topics from time management to leadership opportunities.

Individual advisor-advisee meetings are also common.

Reasons for spending individual time together vary from a student’s academic concerns or interest in an extracurricular activity to an advisor’s congratulations for a well-written paper. Regardless of the reason for the interaction, the relationship that develops between advisor and advisee lies at the heart of KO’s commitment to personal attention. In this day-school environment, advisors also serve as key liaisons between parents and the School.

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Quick Facts: • Each advisor mentors seven to nine students in an advisee group.

• Each advisee group meets three times per week.

• Seniors are elected to serve as prefects (student advisors in freshman advisee groups) or as senior advisors (student advisors in Upper Prep advisee groups).

• Each grade level meets as a group once every other week.

• The entire Upper School meets every other Tuesday and Thursday.

• The entire Middle School meets every Monday.

• Advisors meet with students and their parents for conferences twice a year.

• School counselors and a director of academic skills are available to assist and support students, parents and advisors as they navigate the academic journey and work to help students achieve success.

college advising

The college advising process indirectly begins when the student enters Kingswood Oxford. The college advisors provide guidance to academic advisors and form deans throughout the student’s tenure in selecting course work that will best challenge and inspire the student academically, as well as develop and support his or her interests in extracurricular areas.

In the junior year, each student is assigned a college advisor who partners with the academic advisor for the last two years of the student’s KO education.

At that time, the student is well prepared to consider personal, educational and extracurricular interests, goals and passions. Considering the student’s ability, accomplishments and future interests, the college advisor works with the student to compile an appropriate list of colleges for the student and family to research. Through continued conversation, investigation and exploration, the application process evolves. The college advisor guides the student from the time of application to the spring of senior year when the final college choice is made.

Having engaged in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum geared toward the student’s ability, KO students demonstrate academic readiness and selfawareness as they progress through their college search. College admissions committees recognize their sense of self, collaborative spirit, strong timemanagement skills and high-level abilities in thinking and written expression.

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community service

Kingswood Oxford strongly believes that a school should help students care beyond themselves. To that end, KO students engage in extensive community service work.

The community service program at the Middle School has two goals: to develop in our students an understanding of the larger community and a desire to serve that community. It is important for students to learn about the communities that make up the Greater Hartford area in general and Hartford in particular. Reaching out to the extended community just beyond our campus, KO middle schoolers volunteer during one of their lunch periods at various sites, including a local elementary school, a food pantry and a convalescent home. Whether reading to their “buddies” at M.D. Fox Elementary School or serving lunch at Loaves & Fishes, our students learn early the power of one person to make a human connection, to make a difference. Middle School students also participate in community service projects sponsored by the School and regularly volunteer to sponsor projects of their own.

At the Upper School, all students are required to complete 30 hours of community service prior to graduation. The School sets the requirement, but the students select the particular projects they undertake.

Many work through some of the KO clubs that are really community service organizations – Global Awareness or Team Tobatí, for example. Other students lead or work on one of the School’s annual service drives, such as the American Red Cross Blood Drive. Students are also free to pick community service projects independent of school sponsorship.

Given the wealth of opportunities to make a difference, it’s not surprising that each year the overwhelming majority of seniors exceed the 30-hour community service minimum. Though the activity may be required, by graduation KO students have surely developed the caring attitude that will engage them in the lifelong habit of giving back to the community.

advanced placement program

KO believes that the Advanced Placement (AP) Program provides students with the best preparation and enrichment for success in college. Officials at selective colleges and universities such as Bucknell and Johns Hopkins substantiate this claim. “Schools like Kingswood Oxford that teach to the Advanced Placement syllabi and make students accountable for their AP enrollment do help their graduates become

more engaged and successful in college,” said Bill Conley, dean of enrollment and academic services at Johns Hopkins.

administered by School Year Abroad and Swiss Semester.

“As the admissions process becomes increasingly competitive, the relative strength of a student’s academic program can be the determining factor,” said Kurt M. Thiede, vice president for enrollment management at Bucknell. “In the past five years, we’ve experienced an increase in the number of entering students submitting AP test results and in those who receive credit or placement. During this same period, we have experienced a steady and significant increase in the academic quality of each entering class.”

educational trips and june term

KO provides 17 courses that lead to the AP Examinations. Although only approximately onequarter of seniors nationally sit each year for one or more AP Examinations, typically more than 90 percent of KO’s seniors do so. For the Class of 2011, 96 of its 98 members sat for at least one AP Examination.

AP Examinations measure what students have learned after participation in semester or yearlong rigorous college-level courses. Students who have the opportunity to participate in this accelerated curriculum are well prepared for the academic challenges of college and beyond. At KO, the AP offerings are the perfect culmination of our seven-year curriculum.

senior project

Students may design a project to be carried out during the spring semester of their senior year if they have completed all graduation requirements other than English and gain school approval.

independent study

Students may pursue an Independent Study Project supervised by a faculty member as long as the area of study is not offered as part of the regular curriculum.

The student and the teacher develop a study contract that must be approved by the student’s advisor, the relevant department chair and the director of the Upper School.

semester abroad

Upper School students who are interested in participating in a semester (or yearlong) program away from school must contact the director of the Upper School before applying to a program. In recent years, our students have participated in programs

ko course of study 2012-2013

Both Middle and Upper School students may elect to participate in a school-sponsored trip. Past options have included trips to Canada and Spain. Students in Forms 3-5 may participate in a June Term program, held at venues around the world during the two weeks after school has ended. June Term offers students exciting opportunities to study art, history, culture, languages and science while exploring the landscape, architecture and habitat of the places that are essential to those studies.

June Term sites include a variety of locations and subject matter. In the past, students have had the opportunity to study Shakespeare in England; creative writing in Ireland; art, history and French in France; Chinese culture and history in China; ancient history in Italy; and environmental science in Costa Rica.

athletics

Athletics enjoy a rich tradition of excellence that dates back to the School’s beginnings. Since its founding, the School has recognized the unifying effect that athletics exert on our community.

Our athletic program is dedicated to the ideal of developing a sound mind in a sound body. Everyone participates in athletics during the school year. The School offers girls and boys exciting opportunities in 26 interscholastic and intramural athletic options.

Many of our interscholastic teams are regularly some of the most competitive in Connecticut and New England.

The character of athletics here can be attributed to our “teacher as coach” philosophy. This philosophy connects the learning that occurs in the classroom with the learning that occurs during athletic practice and competition.

Teaching athletics is about teaching important life lessons. Our graduates will tell you the lessons they learned from athletics are drawn on as much as what they learned from books. On an athletic team, we learn dedication and commitment and teamwork and sacrifice. The sum is greater than the total of the parts whenever the team plays together.

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Goals of the Athletic Program • To provide a means for physical growth in a way that is best suited to meet the needs, interests and abilities of the individual and his or her circumstances • To develop the confidence, stamina, skill and physical well-being of each student • To develop a spirit of self-sacrifice, team membership and respect for good training • To develop self-control and sportsmanlike conduct under the stress of competition • To widen the social horizons of all students by meeting visitors from other schools on a proper basis • To develop recreational habits and skills that will be of value in later life

middle school

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Athletic Requirements •

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•

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Athletic Requirements •

Upper school

Students in Upper Prep and Forms 1 and 2 are required to participate in interscholastic or intramural programs for three seasons (fall, winter and spring).

Exceptionally skilled Middle School studentathletes may participate on a varsity team with the permission of the director of athletics.

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Athletic Offerings:

Girls

•

Fall

Winter Spring

Cross Country Field Hockey Soccer

Basketball Intramural Ice Hockey Squash + Swimming & Diving

Lacrosse Softball Intramural Tennis + Track & Field +

+ Form 1 and 2 students only

boys Fall

Winter Spring

Cross Country Football Soccer

Basketball Intramural Ice Hockey Squash + Swimming & Diving

+ Form 1 and 2 students only

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Baseball Lacrosse Intramural Tennis + Track & Field +

Students in Forms 3, 4 and 5 are required to participate in interscholastic programs or an approved alternative for three seasons (fall, winter and spring). During the fall season, Form 3 students must participate on an athletic team or in robotics, which requires prior approval.

Students in Form 6 are required to participate in interscholastic programs or an approved alternative for two seasons.

Approved alternatives, with certain form and frequency restrictions, are strength and conditioning, intramural basketball, sports team management, approved independent proposal, community service, winter musical, theater technical crew, robotics and musicianship.

Students will not be allowed to fulfill their athletic requirement through participation on an outside team during the season that the sport is offered by the School.

Students may only participate in strength and conditioning once per academic year.

Students will not be allowed to participate in strength and conditioning and an independent proposal in the same academic year.

Class size in strength and conditioning is limited.

Preference will be given to students in Forms 6, 5, 4 and 3, in that order.

Squash and tennis may be restricted in the number of students who can participate depending on student interest.

Interscholastic Athletic Offerings: Girls Fall

Winter Spring

Cross Country Basketball Golf (coed) Field Hockey Ice Hockey Lacrosse Soccer Skiing (coed) Softball Volleyball Squash Tennis

Swimming & Track & Field

Diving

boys Fall

Winter Spring

Cross Country Football Soccer

Basketball Ice Hockey Skiing (coed) Squash Swimming & Diving

Baseball Golf (coed) Lacrosse Tennis Track & Field

ENGLISH It has never been easier to gather and disseminate information. Our students have unprecedented access to volumes of books that just a decade ago the Librarian of Congress would have envied, and they have an unparalleled ability to share their ideas with audiences of ever-broadening size and reach. The English curriculum is designed both to help students navigate the expanding seas of information and communication and to foster an appreciation of the power of language. We ask, “What is worth reading and why?” and we maintain that what is worth saying is worth saying well.

At every level, the texts we teach represent a range of voices and points of view that offer both windows into the experiences of others and mirrors into students’ own experiences. Whether they are grappling with Shakespeare or preparing for the arrival of a visiting Symposium author, our students consider how texts reflect the human condition and how an author’s choice of genre, form and diction affects meaning.

As teachers of writing, we strive to instill in our students a sense of pride in their written work and to give them the tools to make their writing reflect their thinking at its best.

course listings

Weekly assignments range from critical analyses to personal essays, from journals to blogs, from stories to poems, but all ask students to view writing as visible thinking. Through one-on-one conferences, peer critiques and the expectation of multiple drafts and revisions, we teach writing as a process.

Through the regular study of vocabulary and composition, we encourage students to stretch themselves and experiment with language and style.

ko course of study 2012-2013

Because strong speaking and listening skills are essential for effective communicators, every English class also provides substantial practice in these areas. Harkness discussions, formal debates, presentations and impromptu speeches all reinforce the importance of knowing one’s audience and build confidence in thinking on one’s feet.

When Alice meets Humpty Dumpty on the other side of the looking glass, he challenges her to be the boss of words – not vice versa. We hope to empower students to be the bosses not only of their own words but also of the stream of words coming at them through more and more channels and to spark in them a lifelong love of reading and writing.

Kathy Lynch, Department Chair

middle school Upper Prep English – Family and Community The goal of Upper Prep English is to teach reading and writing skills through literature in a nurturing environment that encourages students to become comfortable and confident in those skills. Students learn the concepts of plot, theme, setting and character development through their reading of short stories and novels that tap into studies across several disciplines. Grammar, vocabulary and spelling lessons are coordinated with the students’ reading and writing. Clear sentence structure and coherent paragraph development are emphasized as students write expository, narrative and descriptive compositions. The idea of process writing is introduced early in the course as students learn to be skilled editors as well as capable writers. Students also create a poetry portfolio and present 7

a poetry reading in the spring. Readings reflect the theme of “survival within a community” in its broadest global sense and include works such as “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” by Mildred Taylor, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead.

English 1 – The Outsider Organized around the central theme of “insiders versus outsiders,” this English course for students in Form 1 continues to stress the skills of reading and writing. The literary focus is on vicarious experience, the fundamental value of literature. In a range of novels, plays, short stories and poems, students read about individuals who push themselves against adversity and forge a set of values. Writing development begins with a variety of frequently assigned small, concentrated and highly organized paragraphs and evolves into larger writing projects, many of which are included in the Creative Writing Portfolio in the spring. The study of grammar, vocabulary and spelling is coordinated with students’ reading and writing. Readings include “A Step from Heaven” by An Na, “The Miracle Worker”

by William Gibson and “Breaking Through” by Francisco Jiménez.

English 2 – Making Choices Form 2 English students meet many of the same challenges in reading and writing as in the two previous years but at a more sophisticated and complex level. Guided by the central theme of “making choices,” the literary focus is on character development with a gradually increasing emphasis on interpretation. Weekly writing assignments are designed to encourage students to write fuller more subtle prose by continuing to take a process approach to writing with particular emphasis on revision.

The study of grammar, spelling and vocabulary is maintained at a deliberate pace and intertwined with the students’ writing. Students are asked to respond creatively to various literary genres and to develop coherent arguments by using direct references to the text in their writing. The yearlong autobiography project stresses an anecdotal approach to writing. Readings include the novels “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “Of Mice and Men”

by John Steinbeck, the plays “A Raisin in the Sun”

by Lorraine Hansberry and “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, and a wide selection of short stories and poetry.

upper school English 3 – Journeys of Discovery Itself an odyssey, English 3 is designed to develop students’ ability to think for themselves, to grapple with abstraction and to read, write and speak with 8

increasing proficiency. Readings focus on fellow journeyers across genres and epochs and include: “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, “The Odyssey” by Homer, “The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, a Shakespeare play, a memoir, and short story and poetry units. Grammar usage and vocabulary are focal points both in formal study and in practice while students are writing expository and creative prose. Furthermore, each student is required to join Harkness discussions and to practice public speaking and debate.

English 4, English 4 Honors – Challenging Convention Designed to increase students’ confidence and sophistication as readers, writers, thinkers and speakers, English 4 focuses on texts whose characters or structure challenge convention and asks students to challenge their notions about what a literary analysis, a sentence, a topic of academic discussion should be.

Works read include “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the poetry of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Students are challenged to assume leadership roles in discussions and develop their own theses to become more independent thinkers. Particular attention is paid to helping students develop a sentence style commensurate with the increasing complexity of their ideas. To this end, Longknife and Sullivan’s “The Art of Styling Sentences” complements continued vocabulary study.

In addition, all Form 4 students participate in the Speakers’ Forum, an interpretive reading contest.

Students in English 4 Honors read additional works, including Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar,” Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Lillian Hellman’s “The Children’s Hour” and Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” cover composition and vocabulary at an accelerated rate, and hone strong speaking skills.

Designed for those students who have excelled in all aspects of English and require additional challenge as readers, writers and speakers, this course is by departmental recommendation.

English 5 – Voice and Vision The purpose of English 5 is to help each student discover his or her critical and creative “voice.”

The emphasis is on reading a variety of literature to refine the student’s ability to identify, describe and defend thematic ideas, and to show how these ideas are grounded in the text as well as in an author’s individual style. All students are expected to take an

active role with responsibility for the direction and topics of the discussion. While each class follows an independent syllabus, together the classes adhere to common skills objectives and to an inclusive core curriculum that includes “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, a work by Toni Morrison and one by Ernest Hemingway, poetry and prose of Edgar Allan Poe, concentration on another chosen poet and at least one work by the year’s Symposium author.

Students are required to write analytically and creatively about their reading and to keep a rigorous pace in reading assignments. A portion of the year is devoted to a writing workshop, so that after careful examination of style and technique, students may work on their own personal style – to write so that they reveal themselves as much as they do their ideas.

In concert with this, all Form 5 students practice various forms of the personal essay, including (but not limited to) anecdote, diatribe, apology and elegy.

Opportunities for public performance and publication of these essays are available for all students.

Advanced Placement English 5 – Voice and Vision Running parallel to the English 5 class, the Advanced Placement sections follow a more extensive bibliography, and the literary analysis, both in class and in writing, assumes a greater depth of experience, maturity of mind and the capacity to draw on wider and more independent sources. Furthermore, individual students carry responsibility for leading the seminar occasionally. This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Language and Composition, which they take in May. Generally candidates are drawn from honors sections in English 4, and others may request placement, but, in either case, department approval is required.

ELECTIVES Creative Writing Workshop (spring) Creative Writing Workshop introduces students to the craft of creative and artistic writing, particularly fiction and poetry. Aimed at students interested in the writing process, the course makes extensive use of journal writing and writing prompts as well as feedback and revision activities. Students read and respond to each other’s work in a climate of supportive and lively exchange. The class incorporates substantial writing lab time to devote to generating drafts. Students are encouraged to submit their efforts to epic and various other contests and publications. This course, an elective offered outside the required English curriculum and open to students in Forms 4-6 for one-half credit, meets five times per week during the spring semester. Students who have already completed two arts credits may receive an arts credit for this course.

ko course of study 2012-2013

Journalism (fall, spring) Journalism is not simply a mode of writing, it is also a mode of thinking. In addition to introducing students to the writing techniques integral to news, feature and sports writing, this course trains them in the more abstract observation and thinking skills required to identify news when it happens. The hope is that students gain a new perspective on their writing and critical thinking skills while wrestling with the accuracy, objectivity and responsibility to an audience that characterize solid journalism. Students can expect weekly article assignments and regular readings of The New York Times as well as The Hartford Courant. The course is a prerequisite for a staff position on the KO News. This course, an elective offered outside the required English curriculum and open to students in Forms 3-5 for one-quarter credit, meets twice per week during the fall and spring semesters.

English 6 (Fall Electives, Senior Thesis, Spring Electives) English for Form 6 is divided into three segments consisting of a fall semester elective, the Senior Thesis during the third quarter and a spring elective during the fourth quarter.

FALL ELECTIVES Broad-based electives focus on a theme, a genre or an epoch of literature.

The American Dream In 1931 James Truslow Adams coined the phrase “the American Dream” and described “a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.

It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

Whether sincerely believed or attacked as delusion, this dream has been a motivating force in our civilization. Even when denied, the dream is distinctly American. There are many books, songs, plays and movies that have celebrated, questioned and denounced this vision. We explore the American Dream, past and present, to better understand and assess the “truthiness” of this ideal. Works studied include Horatio Alger’s “Ragged Dick,” Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle,” Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Edward Albee’s “The American Dream,” Stewart O’Nan’s “Everyday People,” Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” Larry Watson’s “Montana, 1948” and contemporary music and culture.

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Crossing New Frontiers There always seems to be a definite public interest in how the western territory of the United States was tamed and settled. In so many ways, this story has come to define our identity as self-reliant, hardworking, success-in-the-face-of-overwhelming-odds Americans. However, what we have learned from an early age about the West through the stories and mythologies, not to mention what Hollywood filmmakers have promoted throughout the years, has not always been the truth. Our cultural biases would have us believe that only white Anglo-Saxon males tamed the West, and that it was the Native American savage who stood in the way of our manifest destiny.

Through an intensive reading of some fictional and firsthand accounts, this course investigates how the West was really won and at what costs to the people and to the land. Readings include works such as: “My Antonia” by Willa Cather, “Fools Crow” by James Welch, as well as assorted readings by Patricia Limerick and Wallace Stegner.

Crossroads With the help of technology, the world seems to be growing smaller as cultures and traditions often intersect, but cultures have been crossing and clashing for a long time. In this course, we examine some of

these cultural crossroads such as colonialism, gender, immigration, religion and race, and we see how literature reflects cultural changes both in the past and in our contemporary era. We explore post-colonialism and globalization through the texts we read, and we discuss a variety of ways cultures can intersect and impact us. The cross-genre reading selection includes “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy, “A Small Place” by Jamaica Kincaid,” “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides, critical essays and poetry by Derek Walcott.

The Dark Side Throughout history and across the lines of culture and language, humans have believed that evil exists, and writers have given evil a face through literature.

However, beliefs about what exactly constitutes evil – and therefore, what face best depicts true evil – have varied wildly throughout the ages. This course examines the face of evil in western literature from biblical times to the present. Readings include A.J. Jacobs’ “The Year of Living Biblically,” excerpts from Genesis, Job and the gospels, Dante’s “Inferno,” Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

Upper Prep

Upper Prep English Family and Community

Form 1

English 1 The Outsider

Form 2

English 2 Making Choices

Form 3

English 3 Journeys of Discovery

Form 4

English 4 Challenging Convention

English 4 Honors Challenging Convention

fall/SPRING Journalism (1/4 credit) SPRING Creative Writing Workshop (1/2 credit)

Form 5

English 5 Voice and Vision

Advanced Placement English 5 Voice and Vision

fall/SPRING Journalism (1/4 credit) SPRING Creative Writing Workshop (1/2 credit)

FALL English 6 Fall Electives

FALL Advanced Placement English 6 Fall Electives

SPRING Creative Writing Workshop (1/2 credit)

SPRING Journalism (1/4 credit)

Form 6 SPRING English 6 Senior Thesis/ Spring Electives

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 10

Literature of Survival “When it is genuine, when it is born of the need to speak, no one can stop the human voice. When denied a mouth, it speaks with the hands or the eyes, or the pores, or anything at all. Because every single one of us has something to say to others, something that deserves to be celebrated or forgiven by others.” – Eduardo Galeano What is the relationship between survival and literary production? How can writing and reading be tools for contesting destructive assumptions about race, gender, socioeconomic status and religion? The texts this course explores – Jeffrey Eugenides’ “The Virgin Suicides,” Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” Manuel Puig’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” for example – question the world around them. In many cases, this questioning led to large-scale social change; in others, it led to alienation. But these authors refused to be silenced. Through reading, writing and research, students in this course learn to explore how their voices can and should be heard as well as how reading can be a tool for self-discovery. This course emphasizes revision of all written work, semesterlong reflection and self-evaluation, identification and implementation of individual goals, and development of reading, research and writing processes.

New Verses: Innovative American Poetry Influential poet Robert Lowell once noted: “A poem is an event, not the record of an event.” This course delves into the poetry of several major modern American poets, witnessing a number of “events” in the recent history of American poetry. We focus on a selection of groundbreaking poets who transformed the genre of 20th century American poetry. We explore the verse of iconic poets, such as Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Elizabeth Bishop, and longtime Hartford resident and insurance man Wallace Stevens. In formal writing assignments and in class discussions, students critically analyze poems, ultimately searching for the innovations and nuances of each poet’s style. Students also write creatively in response to what they have read, sampling some poetry styles and working to create their own unique poetic voice. This course will not be offered in 2012-13.

Shakespeare: Let the Action Fit the Word This course examines several tragedies and comedies of William Shakespeare’s plays, as well as some of his sonnets. By reading a variety of plays, including “The Merchant of Venice,” “Othello,” “The Tempest,” and, if time permits, “Henry V,” students improve their ability to understand Shakespeare’s language, to picture the plays on stage and to recognize common themes, motifs and ideas. Emphasis is on appreciating and understanding the plays. In addition, students ko course of study 2012-2013

undertake a variety of written assessments, both creative and expository, as a way of evaluating their improved understanding of all things Shakespeare.

Advanced Placement Classics of Social Criticism A few pieces in our literary tradition have shaped the tenets of our culture, reflected our mores and related to generations the values that we uphold. In a world where some of those traditions are being questioned, others being reviewed and renewed, this course returns to several of the classics, some ancient, some more contemporary. We consider what the authors valued in their societies and what they questioned.

Students read extensively and independently to engage in frequent Harkness discussions and create original theses in their writing. Our exploration begins with a play by Aristophanes, “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer, short stories by Mark Twain, a play by William Shakespeare, several films

by Howard Hawkes, “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting”

by Milan Kundera, poetry by Emily Dickinson and “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner. This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition, which they take in May. Designed for those students who have excelled in their study of English, admission to this course is by department recommendation only.

Advanced Placement Senior Seminar This course studies the work of a renowned living author and his or her life and literary environment. It also examines the critical assessment of the author’s work and those writers who influenced his or her style and focus. Independent discussion, extensive writing and peer teaching are fundamental to the course as a means for developing a mature understanding of the symposium author. The course culminates with the author’s visit to the School as part of the annual Warren Baird English Symposium. Students meet with the author and participate in a master class, both rich opportunities to question and discuss with the author the careful and thorough perspectives that they have developed in their semester’s study. This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition, which they take in May. Designed for those students who have excelled in their study of English, admission to this course is by department recommendation only.

SPRING SEMESTER Senior Thesis The Senior Thesis, the culmination of the long-range objectives of the English program at Kingswood Oxford, requires students to use all of their acquired reading, writing and thinking skills in an independent research paper with a substantial literary component.

An assigned thesis advisor works with a small group of 11

students in class to cover topic selection, methods of research and technical procedures while the student pursues his or her independent research and writing.

All Form 6 students are required to write a Senior Thesis during the third quarter.

SPRING ELECTIVES These fourth-quarter electives are designed to expose graduating seniors to interdisciplinary study and pique their interest in a wide range of topics in the humanities.

Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense Suspense in movies, the dramatization of a film’s narrative material or the most intense presentation possible of dramatic situations, is what keeps us interested in the spectacle. It is what compels us to return again and again to the darkened room of the cinema. For 53 films, Alfred Hitchcock worked at perfecting this particular art form. After an introduction to the study of film as art form, this course analyzes an array of Hitchcock’s great films, including “The 39 Steps,” “Strangers on a Train,” “Rear Window,” “Dial M for Murder, “Vertigo,” “The Birds,” “North by Northwest,” and “Psycho.” Students are responsible for writing one shot analysis and one film analysis of their choosing.

The Art of Watching Films This course introduces students to the study of film by teaching them how to view films with a critical eye. The course breaks film down into its composite parts, exposing students to the artistry behind storytelling, visual design, cinematography, editing, color, score and acting. After students have developed the necessary skills for viewing films through watching and discussing a wide range of film clips, they write a detailed analysis of a full-length film. In previous years, students have studied Mike Nichols’ “The Graduate.” Ultimately, each student writes a persuasive analytical paper that argues for the importance of a film of their choice. The final weeks of the class are spent viewing and analyzing a few of the students’ film choices. Not offered in 2012-2013.

Comic Conventions How have we come to our present comic form – the situation comedy? Studying the art of low comedy from the Roman playwright Plautus to the radio comedies of the 1920s and 1930s, students learn how television comedy works. After observing several programs and considering their recipes of character, jokes, flavor and formula, students try their own hands at developing original episodes from rough story line to teleplay. Reading, viewing, editing, planning, acting and making fun are skills the class must master.

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Monsters Inc. “By monster I mean some horrendous presence or apparition that explodes all of your standards for harmony, order, and ethical conduct.” So says Joseph Campbell in “The Power of Myth.” This course explores the dynamics of horror, past to present, with special attention to monsters as manifestations of cultural values. What does a particular culture label as “monstrous” and why? What makes a successful monster at a given time? What exactly have certain authors (and filmmakers) captured (or unleashed)?

Toward answering such questions, we explore history, myth, literature, art and film. We begin in the Dark Ages with the shadowy monsters slain by Beowulf and end with a movie genre that just won’t die – the slasher film. Works studied may include John Gardner’s “Grendel,” Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Katherine Dunn’s “Geek Love,” Stewart O’Nan’s “The Speed Queen,” Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” and George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.”

Not for Children Only Great children’s literature offers much to the adult reader: its beauty, archetypes and glimpses into the history of childhood as a concept, to name just a few. Indeed, some children’s literature (such as the grimmest of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales”) seems more appropriate for an adult audience. This course deconstructs didactic storybooks, turns a Jungian eye toward fairy tales and ventures with Alice into both “Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass,” examining each through new (but, alas, probably not better) lenses.

Novels and Films Is the book always better than the movie? What makes an adaptation successful? This course considers the challenges involved in converting novels to film. Must one be faithful to plot or are there larger issues inherent in adaptation? What pressures does Hollywood bring to the process? By examining four novel and film pairs – “The Natural,” “Fight Club,” “Deliverance” and “True Grit” – the class tackles some of these questions to define the qualities of a successful adaptation.

Presidential Character When Americans vote for the president, how can they make an intelligent choice? Political scientist James David Barber suggests that the character of a president, formed in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, predicts how the president will perform in the office. Barber’s “Presidential Character” examines the early lives of 20th and 21st century presidents, with emphasis on their high school and college years. His biographies then analyze the events of each presidency in terms of that president’s character type. By combining political science and psychology, Barber offers a theory of prediction that is intriguing and controversial. Students are asked to assess the accuracy of Barber’s predictions and develop their own predictions.

Teen Films: Descendants of Holden Beginning with what is often referred to as the bible of coming-of-age literature, “The Catcher in the Rye,” students in this class look at youth angst and exploration through the lens of the iconoclastic teen film. Sure this genre is often unrealistic and ridiculous, and of course these popcorn movies could be seen as little more than representative of our culture’s decay. But that would underestimate the subtle genius of the teenage mind and heart. Through close and critical viewings of “Rebel without a Cause,” “Breaking Away,” “Donnie Darko,” “Pretty in Pink” and “Thirteen,” among others, students examine why the legacy of Holden Caulfield remains so present in contemporary storytelling. Above all, students question and reflect upon themselves; though these films are spiced with hot actors, set to best-selling soundtracks and costumed with must-have clothing, the universal themes of first love, self-doubt, racial and gender identity, social acceptance, and rebellion against authority resonate with authenticity and verisimilitude.

SCIENCE Science at Kingswood Oxford is designed to link a variety of contemporary themes to the core principles developed over the centuries in traditional scientific disciplines. The new Chase · Tallwood Science Math Technology Center, along with the construction of a new Middle School facility in 2003, has allowed the department to realize its long-term plan to offer a more robust, 21st century science curriculum.

The LEED-certified building, which includes a greenhouse and an abundance of natural light, allows the facility itself to become a teaching tool. The infusion of technology into classroom activities and laboratories, including the use of SMART Boards and laptop computer carts, provides a plethora of possible models to promote functional, knowledgeable and innovative intellectual capacity in our students.

The science curriculum exposes our students to the complexity and sophistication of the natural world and to the scientific method as the means by which we perceive these phenomena. Our intent is to develop students capable of crisp scientific thinking – that combination of careful observation, conceptual reasoning, and analysis and synthesis of data – who come to respect the beauty of the discipline.

Contemporary scientific investigation probes an everexpanding variety of phenomena, such as the human genome and its implications for understanding human biology; the origin, dimensions and physical principles of the universe; and the increasing impact of environmental change and degradation. Simple descriptions of and explanations for phenomena no longer suffice. Students are introduced to complexity and validity, two components of investigation that are essential to having an intellectual grasp on the natural world and its workings.

We highly recommend that students take a full complement of science courses while here. In the Middle School, the prescribed courses emphasize basic biology, chemistry and physics. At the Upper School, virtually all students progress through the sequence of Earth and Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which are offered at the regular, honors, and – in the case of the last three – Advanced Placement levels. In addition, students may pursue more specialized areas of interest through elective course work in marine biology, astronomy, forensic science and robotics. All of our classes include relevant laboratory work so that students become skilled in evaluating data, testing hypotheses and constructing valid conclusions.

That is, they become scientists.

Frederick D. Goodman, Department Chair

ko course of study 2012-2013

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middle school Life Science This course introduces students to the study of living things. The units of study include cell structure and function, DNA, genetics and heredity, evolution and classification, and ecology. All areas are studied through scientific inquiry, which involves hypothesizing, conducting experiments, making observations or collecting data, and finally drawing a conclusion. Required for students in Upper Prep.

Earth Science This course develops three facets of an earth science curriculum: astronomy, plate tectonics and meteorology. The astronomy unit introduces the factual significance of the earth and moon in our solar system, explores the nature of the Milky Way galaxy and cultivates an understanding of a vast universe.

The dynamic nature of the earth is examined with attention to crustal movements, earthquakes, volcanoes and the rock cycle. Weather factors and climate change are studied in the meteorology unit.

Lab work and the use of models enhance the student’s grasp of the topics investigated. Required for students in Form 1.

Introductory Physical Science This course helps students develop the concepts of matter and energy and their interrelationships.

Students develop skills in observation and laboratory technique and knowledge of how to analyze experimental data. Through the correlation of abstract ideas with concrete situations, students begin to develop the atomic model. A large emphasis is placed on laboratory work throughout the year.

Required for students in Form 2.

Artificial Intelligence: Robotics (quarter) This Form 2 elective uses an introduction to robotics to explore engineering-design concepts and advanced problem-solving skills. The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System is the software package used in this course. The quarter begins with a brief overview of the use of robots in the world, followed by an individual examination of the robotics package.

After students have established a base level of expertise and familiarity with the programming, they are asked to accomplish more challenging tasks by writing their own programs to meet particular goals.

The final robot challenge is to design, build and program a robot that successfully executes an assigned task. Open to students in Form 2.

Forensic Science (quarter) A crime has been committed and students are the chief investigators assigned to the case. Students in this course use their knowledge of math, language, 14

art, history and technology to crack crime cases. They learn fingerprinting, hair and fiber analysis, blood typing and DNA analysis to bring suspects to justice.

Open to students in Form 2.

upper school Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science Honors These courses utilize basic biological, chemical and physical principles to investigate a wide variety of ecological circumstances and interactions, including the origin of the universe, stellar evolution, taxonomy, phylogeny, behavior, population dynamics and ecosystem energetics. These topics are studied through the lens of evolution. Universal, global, regional and local ecological conditions are studied using both academic and experimental methods. Studies are aimed at enhancing students’ understanding of human impact on the environment. Required for students in Form 3, with general and honors sections by department recommendation.

Biology This general biology course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic concepts of cell biology, human anatomy and physiology, genetics, evolution and current topics in molecular biology and genetic engineering. Laboratory work mirrors the course work and promotes careful observation, analysis and synthesis of data, and drawing sensible conclusions. Open to students in Form 4.

Biology Honors Much of this course employs a cellular-biochemical approach to basic biological processes. Emphasis on the molecular basis of biology represents an increase in the depth of topics covered. Cell structure and function, respiration, photosynthesis and molecular genetics make up the first section, which is followed by vertebrate anatomy and physiology. Frequent reference is made to genetics and evolution as overlying themes. Open to students in Form 4.

Prerequisite: department recommendation.

Advanced Placement Biology This course follows the first-year college curriculum in inorganic biology. Emphasis is on molecular-cell biology and organismal and population biology with particular emphasis on regulatory mechanisms.

While little quantitative ability is demanded, there is considerable abstract and conceptual reasoning.

Substantial independent study and laboratory work are required. Students who enroll in this course take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Open to students in Forms 4-6. Prerequisites: Biology and Chemistry and/or department recommendation.

Chemistry This general chemistry course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the basic concepts of atomic structure, bonding and molecular properties based on current atomic models. The course also explains qualitative and quantitative relationships in chemical reactions and states of matter.

Laboratories promote careful observation, analysis and synthesis of data, and drawing sensible conclusions.

Demonstrations provide visualization of concepts.

Open to students in Forms 5-6. Prerequisite: Algebra 1.

Chemistry Honors This course deals with the same spectrum of topics introduced in the general chemistry course but at a greater depth and faster pace using a more mathematical approach. Additional topics covered include reaction kinetics, equilibrium and acid-base chemistry. The laboratory program is more extensive and more quantitative. Open to students in Forms 5-6.

Prerequisites: Algebra 2 Advanced (can be concurrent) and department recommendation.

Advanced Placement Chemistry This course follows the first-year college curriculum in inorganic chemistry. While intended to be a second chemistry course, it may be taken, with permission, by students with no chemistry background. Rigorous in nature, the course is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination. The course covers the same spectrum of topics as the introductory

Upper Prep

Life Science

Form 1

Earth Science

Form 2

Introductory Physical Science

Artificial Intelligence: Robotics (quarter)

Form 3

Earth & Environmental Science/EES Honors

FALL Engineering and Robotics F3-F6

Form 4

Biology/ Biology Honors

Form 5

Chemistry/Chemistry Honors F5-F6

Advanced Placement Chemistry F5-F6

Form 6

Physics/Physics Honors F5-F6

Advanced Placement Physics

Advanced Placement Biology F4-F6

course at a considerably more sophisticated level.

Students engage in substantially more independent laboratory work and apply increasingly complex quantitative reasoning skills. Students develop a systematic approach toward study that allows them to organize data or facts within a conceptual framework.

Students who enroll in this course take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Open to students in Forms 5-6. Prerequisites: Precalculus (can be taken concurrently) and department recommendation.

Physics This general physics course includes the topics of kinematics, dynamics, energy, thermodynamics, waves, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. Developing quantitative skills and a better understanding of the physical universe as well as everyday phenomena are the goals of the course. Open to students in Forms 5-6. Prerequisites: Algebra 2 either completed or taken concurrently.

Physics Honors The range of topics in this course is the same as the general physics course, but at a greater depth and faster pace to allow for additional topics. Emphasis is placed on developing quantitative skills and an understanding of everyday phenomena from a scientific and mathematical viewpoint. This course also calls for more independence and creativity in the laboratory. Open to students in Forms 5-6. Prerequisites: Precalculus either completed or taken concurrently and

Forensic Science (quarter)

FALL Forensic Science F4-F6

SPRING Astronomy F4-F6

FALL Psychology: The Brain & Behavior F4-F6

SPRING Psychology: Thoughts, Emotions & Personality F4-F6

Marine Biology

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 ko course of study 2012-2013

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department recommendation. Students enrolling in Physics Honors are not eligible to follow this course with Advanced Placement Physics.

arson. In addition, actual and fictional case studies are used to put the content learned to work. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

Advanced Placement Physics

Astronomy (spring)

This is a first-year course that includes topics in both classical and modern physics such as Newtonian mechanics, fluid dynamics, thermal physics, electricity and magnetism, waves and optics, and atomic and nuclear physics. A facility with algebra and geometry is required. Understanding of the basic principles of physics and the ability to apply principles to the solutions of problems are the major goals of the course. Students who enroll in this course take the Physics B Advanced Placement Examination in May. Prerequisite: department recommendation.

This is a survey course that presents an introduction to the field of astronomy by helping students to realize their place in the universe. The course presents a basic understanding of the history of astronomy, orbits, gravitation, optics and properties of light and matter. With these basics, the course goes on to explore the sun and other components of the solar system as well as properties of the universe beyond our solar system. Students examine a range of natural phenomena that includes different types of stars and how these fit together in the general scheme of a galaxy. The larger picture includes our Milky Way galaxy and its position in the universe as one of many galaxies. The laboratory portion of the course may meet in the evening for one hour each week (weather permitting) or in the regular double period scheduled for each class. Students gain hands-on experience with optical equipment and computer simulations to be able to recognize various objects in the sky. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

Marine Biology (year) The main focus of this course is the ecology of the marine environment. Students use classroom-tank ecosystems as a base of study for the ways in which marine organisms interact with each other and their physical environment. A semester-long project in ecosystem design and collaboration with the creative arts department on fish classification are two highlights of the semester. Students should emerge from the course with a better understanding of their role in preserving our natural resources and the issues facing our oceans. Open to students in Form 6.

Prerequisite: Biology.

Engineering and Robotics (fall)

Can we create intelligent machines? This is a computer science elective focusing on the design, building and programming of “robotic” devices.

Building materials that include motors, switches and sensors are controlled with computer code to develop stimulus-response sequences creating machines that appear to “think.” Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Forensic Science (fall) The role of the scientist in the judicial system has become increasingly important. Many past unsolved crimes are now coming to justice with the help of science and technology. “Science” is a key witness in our court system. This course is designed to give students an opportunity to put their science and problem-solving skills to work. It provides a realistic view of how a real forensic science specialist (or police officer) deals with the preservation, identification, collection and analysis of evidence found at a crime scene. Students compare and contrast what a forensic scientist experiences in contrast to what the students see on television with “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and similar dramas. Students delve into basic units in physical evidence, trace evidence, blood typing and spatter analysis, toxicology, forensic anthropology, DNA evidence, fingerprint analysis and 16

Psychology: The Brain and Behavior (fall) Ever wondered how the brain works? Or how you learn? Or why certain behaviors persist while others don’t? In this course, students understand how a psychological perspective provides insight into human behaviors. They read various theoretical perspectives, learning to employ research methods that allow them to become knowledgeable readers of psychological research and findings. The goal of the course involves development of the ability to think critically about topics in psychology. The Brain and Behavior serves as an introduction to the scientific study of human behavior. Topics include: the biological basis of behavior, states of consciousness and learning. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

Psychology: Thoughts, Emotions and Personality (spring) Ever wonder about why we remember some things and not others? Or what influences our personality?

Or how groups can affect an individual’s behavior?

In this course, students seek to understand how a psychological perspective provides insight into cognition, emotions and personality. Additionally, they become knowledgeable readers of psychological research and findings. The goal for students is the ability to think critically about topics in psychology.

This course serves as an introduction to mental processes. Topics include: sensation and perception, memory, personality and social psychology. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

MATHEMATICS

middle school

Mathematics is a discipline acclaimed for its broad applicability throughout the natural and social sciences.

Whether we are modeling climate change, forecasting financial markets or securing Internet sites, we are using math. For its power and utility alone, the development of mathematics is rightfully considered one of the great triumphs of human intellect. Yet there is also a more subtle beauty in mathematics: an elegance arising from its interconnectedness and simplicity. We recognize the discipline of mathematics as a unique blend of science and art, and we believe that the study of mathematics develops the reasoning, computational and technological skills required for success in the ever-changing world our students will inherit.

Upper Prep Mathematics

Our program begins in the Middle School, where students experience mathematics as a subject that is active and exciting. Working in cooperative groups, in pairs or alone, students discover math is a study rooted in the observation of relationships and patterns in complex sets of data. They learn that deep understanding comes from asking why and how and making conjectures. Technology plays a vital role in that calculators and computers are used regularly, but use of these electronic aids is always kept in careful balance with the irreplaceable pencil-and-paper techniques that are an essential instrument of confident, competent problem solvers.

The Upper School program builds off the Middle School foundation as students continue to strengthen their reasoning skills and their ability to manipulate and apply mathematical concepts. After completing the study of geometry and two years of algebra, students may select courses from a rich and rigorous curriculum that includes Precalculus, Calculus, Statistics, Discrete Mathematics and Computer Science, with AP options in Calculus, Statistics and Computer Science.

Inspired by their twin passions for the subject and their students, teachers here strive to develop students who are both logical and creative thinkers and who are facile at applying both technology and by-hand techniques to both real-world and abstract problems. We create these mathematically powerful problem solvers by providing our students with a learning environment that fosters active participation, self-discipline and perseverance. We also know that meeting with students individually, outside of class, is an invaluable piece in this process. Finally, we know that promoting individual responsibility for learning, a core value in our program, ensures that our graduates are equipped with not only a strong foundation in mathematics but also with a self-initiated and efficacious approach to learning that will serve them well in all of their future endeavors.

Reeves Livesay, Department Chair ko course of study 2012-2013

In Upper Prep Mathematics, students are asked to look for patterns, estimate, comprehend data, reason and problem solve. Students do hands-on experiments and must be prepared to be part of an active learning process. Working in pairs, in larger groups and on their own to discover new methods of solving problems, students deepen their understanding of mathematics. They are often asked to justify their answers and thoughts. “How?”; “Why?” and “What if?” are just as common as “What is the answer?”

Students learn about algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability. Instruction is integrated so that Upper Prep students understand and recognize the relationships between different topics in mathematics.

Form 1 Mathematics This course continues the work begun in Upper Prep Mathematics, adding a more in-depth look at topics important in the understanding of algebra.

Students are challenged to understand why procedures work and to discover rules for integers, threedimensional geometry and simple mathematical processes. Students investigate variables and the relationships between symbols and numbers. They review rational numbers and how to use them to make comparisons. Students participate in an intense investigation of linear equations. They learn the symbolic representation of patterns, the transforming and solving of simple equations and the graphic representation of equations. Students use all of these skills to solve abstract problems.

Beginning Algebra This Form 2 course begins the formal study of algebra. Standard algebra topics – multistep equation solving, linear equations, the Pythagorean Theorem, exponential equations and quadratic equations – are covered. This course continues at the same level and pace as the Form 1 and Upper Prep math courses.

Students in this class will continue their study of algebra in Form 3.

Algebra 1 Algebra 1 builds on the algebra topics developed in Form 1 Mathematics, with a significant increase in pace and expectation. This high-school level course focuses on linear and quadratic functions. The study of linear functions emphasizes solving equations in one variable and systems of equations in two variables.

The quadratic portion of the course includes solving by factoring and the quadratic formula. The course includes the laws of exponents and the simplifying of radical and rational expressions. Algebra 1 is designed for students who possess the necessary background, 17

motivation and intellectual development to handle the increased complexities of a regular one-year Algebra 1 course. Department recommendation is required. Students who have attained a B average, combined with the teacher’s recommendation, will be allowed to enroll in Geometry in Form 3.

upper school Students are required to use a graphing calculator in all courses. If a student does not currently own a graphing calculator, the department strongly recommends the purchase of a Texas Instruments TI-84 or TI-84 Plus. The purchase of a TI-85, TI86, TI-89 or TI-92 is discouraged for cost reasons, for difficulty of use, or, in the case of the TI-92, because it is not permitted on standardized tests such as the PSAT, the SAT and Advanced Placement Examinations.

Algebra 1 This course focuses on the development of precise and accurate habits of mathematical expression. The topics include graphing and solving linear equations and inequalities, systems of equations, factoring, manipulating polynomials and an introduction to rational, radical and quadratic equations. Students learn how to use the graphing calculator as an effective problem-solving tool and explore data analysis with spreadsheets.

Geometry Geometry focuses on the topics that constitute plane and solid geometry: points, lines, angles, properties of parallel lines, triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, circles, area and volume, and congruence and similarity. The visual nature of geometry is emphasized as students use scale drawings and dynamic computer software to develop geometric intuition and make conjectures. Algebraic skills are reinforced throughout the year in preparation of a second year of algebra.

Geometry Advanced Geometry Advanced covers the same material as Geometry, but at a faster pace and in greater detail, providing students with a thorough exposure to Euclidean geometry in two and three dimensions.

This course begins with an introduction to inductive and deductive reasoning and the role of conjecture in uncovering properties of polygons and parallel and perpendicular lines in the plane or in space. The Pythagorean Theorem, the nature of similarity, the circle, and area and volume are investigated in detail.

Students use both technology and simple tools to create models to uncover geometric properties and to justify their conclusions. The course concludes with an introduction to trigonometry.

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Geometry Honors This course provides a rigorous and in-depth study of the material covered in Geometry Advanced with emphasis placed on logical reasoning and problem solving. Additional advanced topics in Euclidean geometry, such as the nine-point circle, are explored with the dynamic software The Geometer’s Sketchpad. Department recommendation required.

Algebra 2 This second-year course in the study of algebra starts with a thorough review and more detailed analysis of the topics that were first discovered in Algebra 1, particularly coordinate geometry and quadratic equations. From there the course proceeds to the examination of relations and functions. Students are exposed to principles of solution and the study of quadratic systems, higher-degree polynomials and exponential functions. Graphing calculators are used extensively to illuminate the properties of functions and to solve problems efficiently.

Algebra 2 Advanced This course covers the same material as Algebra 2, but at a faster pace and in greater detail. Topics studied include linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential and logarithmic functions, conic sections, sequences and series. Students work to develop their problem-solving abilities, to solidify their skills in applying the properties of algebra, to use the graphing calculator as an effective problem-solving tool and to build a foundation for future study.

Algebra 2 Honors This honors-level course offers students a rigorous and in-depth exploration of the topics covered in Algebra 2 Advanced. Students are expected to be able to move quickly, and there is significant emphasis placed on independent work and sophisticated problem solving. The course begins the sequence that culminates with Advanced Placement Calculus.

Department recommendation required.

Functions and Trigonometry This course emphasizes the development of important algebraic techniques while introducing many of the major topics of Precalculus, including polynomial, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions. Reasoning and problem-solving skills are emphasized throughout the year. This course provides students with a foundation for continued studies in Precalculus, Statistics, Discrete Math or other quantitative courses in college.

Precalculus This course prepares students for a rigorous course in calculus. Students in Precalculus should want the type of challenge that this course affords and are expected

to work independently. Topics that are covered include trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, polynomial and rational functions and their graphs.

An introduction to limits through sequences and series also is included, with the last portion of the course providing an introduction to the derivative, time permitting.

distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and linear regression. This course focuses on the many applications of statistics in the natural and social sciences. The statistical software program JMP and the TI-84 Plus calculator are used extensively. Open to students in Form 6 who have completed Algebra 2 and students in Form 5 with department approval.

Precalculus Honors

Advanced Placement Statistics

This course begins where Algebra 2 Honors finishes.

Students complete a detailed study of trigonometric functions and their applications. In addition to the remaining topics covered in Precalculus, the focus of the course during the second half of the year is on the derivative and its applications in preparation for Advanced Placement Calculus. Department recommendation required.

This noncalculus-based course encompasses the material covered in a first semester college-level statistics course. The conceptual themes that students are exposed to are exploratory analysis of data, planning an appropriate data-collection study, producing models using probability and simulation, and using statistical inference to guide conclusions.

Students use statistical modeling tools to solve a variety of problems in topics such as economics, the physical and biological sciences, law, geography and political science. The course is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination in Statistics, which they take in May. The course makes extensive use of the graphing calculator and the computer. Open to students in Forms 5-6 with department recommendation.

Discrete Mathematics 1 (fall) This fall semester course provides an introduction to the applications of contemporary mathematics to real-world problems. Topics in Discrete Mathematics 1 include linear programming, decision paths and circuits, scheduling optimization, recursion, growth and decay, and fractals and chaos. Students are exposed to a variety of problem-solving strategies and techniques with emphasis on applications from the business world, government, and social and biological sciences. Students in the class use the graphing calculator and the computer to model problems presented in the course. Open to students in Form 6 who have completed Algebra 2 and students in Form 5 with department approval.

Discrete Mathematics 2 (spring) This spring semester course provides a continued introduction to the many applications of contemporary mathematics in the areas of business, government, economics, and social and biological sciences. Students explore methods of voting, fair division, game theory and mathematics as they apply to sharing, rational decisions, and greed and cooperation. Students investigate mathematical models used in studying population dynamics and look at natality and mortality rates, density dependence, predation and sustainability. Throughout this course, students use calculators and computers to model problems. Open to students in Form 6 who have completed Algebra 2 and students in Form 5 with department approval.

Statistics Statistics offers students an introduction to the basic concepts of statistics and probability. Topics include graphical displays of data, measure of central tendency and variability, the elements of experimental design and observational study, and the fundamentals of probability, random variables, probability ko course of study 2012-2013

Calculus This course covers the traditional topics of differential and integral calculus. Students begin the year with a review of families of functions and trigonometry before moving on to the study of limits, continuity, the derivative, the definite integral and their many related applications in the social and natural sciences. Algebraic and problem-solving skills are reinforced throughout the year, preparing students for continued study of calculus in college. Department recommendation required.

Advanced Placement Calculus AB This course begins with topics in differential calculus, including limits, continuity and techniques of differentiation. Applications of the derivative in problem solving, identical to those in Calculus BC, are then covered. The second half of the course covers topics in integral calculus, beginning with Riemann sums and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus and techniques of integration, and ends with the consideration of a range of applications of the integral. Students in this course take the Calculus AB Advanced Placement Examination in May. Department recommendation required.

Advanced Placement Calculus BC This course is designed to cover all of the material of the first two semesters of a college calculus course.

The focus is on the derivative and integral and their applications, including maximum and minimum problems, velocity and acceleration, related rates, 19

the differential and linear approximations, areas and volumes, and curve sketching. Work with conic sections; polynomial, rational, trigonometric and exponential functions; and parametric equations and polar equations is involved. Separable differential equations and sequences and series also are part of the course. Students in this course take the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Examination in May. Department recommendation required.

Multivariable Calculus The course begins with the study of vectors, lines, curves and surfaces in three dimensions as well as partial derivatives and their applications, double and triple integrals and applications, and, time permitting, an introduction to line and surface integrals (Green’s, Gauss’ and Stokes’ theorems). The latter portion of the course includes a review of separable differential equations as well as an introduction to linear homogeneous and nonhomogeneous differential equations. The course integrates the study of mechanics, which students have covered in physics, with the application of calculus to physical concepts.

Projects and labs combining physics and calculus are included. Department recommendation required.

Introduction to Computer Science (spring) This elective is an entry/intermediate-level computer programming course that introduces the basic

Upper Prep

Upper Prep Mathematics

Form 1

Form 1 Mathematics

principles of generating computer code with clarity and elegance. Classroom projects include textbook exercises, simple text-based gaming and fundamental graphics. Program structure, conditionals, looping and style are presented in this course using the Java programming language. Since Java is based upon object-oriented modeling and problem solving, this course covers the fundamentals of using the OOP approach with Java: objects, classes, methods, data types, application and applet design. This course work provides a possible lead into further studies in the Advanced Placement Computer Science course.

Introduction to Web Design (spring) This elective introduces the basics of Web design and development. Students learn a variety of Web development tools and how they work together to create dynamic, user-friendly Web pages. These tools range from learning how to write code in several languages to creating user interfaces to designing attractive templates for a Web page. For final projects, students work closely with the instructor or other interested faculty members to create a dynamic site to be used the following year as an academic tool for other courses. This course has no prerequisites, although students are encouraged to have taken Introduction to Computer Science. This semester course is offered every other year during odd-even school years. This course will be offered in 2013-2014.

Beginning Algebra

Form 2 Algebra 1 Algebra 1

Form 3 Geometry

spring Introduction to Computer Science

(Reg., Adv., Honors)

Algebra 2 (Reg., Adv., Honors)

Form 6

Functions and Trig.

Precalculus

Statistics

(Reg., Honors)

(Reg., AP)

Calculus (Reg., AB, BC, Multi.)

Discrete Math

spring Introduction to Web Design FALL Adv. Computer Science Algor. and A.I. Advanced Placement Computer Science

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 20

Advanced Computer Science: Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (fall)

HISTORY

This elective is an advanced-level programming course that allows students to explore algorithms and artificial intelligence using the Java programming language. During the first half of the course, students examine different methods of algorithm design while also implementing some of their own algorithms to solve problems correctly and efficiently. In the second half of the course, students explore artificial intelligence and examine how machines can think like a human brain. Throughout the semester, students design and work on individual programming projects under the guidance of the instructor.

Prerequisite: completion of Advanced Placement Computer Science or completion of Introduction to Computer Science and department recommendation. This semester course is offered every other year during odd-even school years. This course will be offered in 2013-2014.

History always seems like a strange subject to those who are very young. Could it really matter what happened to people and nations in the distant past, certainly long before today’s students arrived on the scene? However, as parents and teachers, we know better. There may be no more important subject for young people to study than history. They learn about a past that is filled with both great achievement and terrible error; they study so that perhaps it will not be necessary for the new generation to have to learn the hard way all over again.

Advanced Placement Computer Science (full year) This is an advanced-level computer science course for those who have completed Introduction to Computer Science. Following the Advanced Placement Computer Science A curriculum as described in the literature of the College Board, the Java language is used to present “programming methodology with an emphasis on problem solving and algorithm development.� It models a college-level first semester in computer science and includes an introduction to data structures and data abstraction. Students who enroll in this course take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. This yearlong course is offered every other year during even-odd school years. This course will be offered in 2012-2013, and it is offered as preparation for the Computer Science A Advanced Placement Examination.

ko course of study 2012-2013

History teachers expect their students to do a great deal of reading and writing. Their reading includes primary-source material at every level. Learning to think and research like a historian is another skill that the department develops among its students. Each member of the department is a real historian, with a deep love of history. Whether a teacher is a specialist in the United States before the Civil War, nonwestern cultures, modern Europe, the U.S. Congress, fiscal policy or ancient Rome, we strive to inspire in our students the love of history and the usefulness of history that we learned in our early education. Our students learn to appreciate as well as to critique historical events. To read knowingly, to write effectively, to think objectively and to speak authoritatively: These are the goals we have for our students as they come to understand the past on their way to a bright future.

Ann G. Serow, Department Chair

middle school Geography and Culture This course studies the earth and the relationship of people with the earth. Students become familiar with the questions and tools of the geographer, learn about maps and globes, and develop a mental map of the world. The course looks at how the physical environment has influenced people and how people have changed the earth. Students study people and cultures from ancient and modern times and look at ways of building a comparative mosaic of the variety and forms of cultural expression. By investigating ancient civilizations, reading about growing up in different cultures and exploring the role of mythology in society, students expand their understanding of the world in which they live. Writing assignments vary from creative pieces to analytical essays. Readings include textbook, literature, poetry and myth. The year concludes with a portfolio project in which students research a topic and express their learning through writing, maps, graphs, art and presentations.

Required for students in Upper Prep.

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American History This course traces the nation’s journey from its origins through the dawn of the modern era. Using primary and secondary sources as well as historical fiction, students compare the diverse geography and cultures of the first Americans and consider the history of the contact and conflict among Native American, African and European cultures during the colonial age. Topics include a study of the nation’s colonial life, the path to revolution and independence, and the creation of a constitutional government. In the second semester, students examine America’s industrial and geographical expansion and the social, political and economic forces that divided the nation during the Civil War. The year concludes with the beginnings of America’s recovery from that war and its emergence as a modern nation. Throughout the course, students evaluate the ideas and ideals that have guided America’s journey. The use of historical imagination and the critical evaluation of varying historical perspectives are emphasized. Required for students in Form 1.

Modern American History and Government In this course, students explore America’s emergence as a modern nation with special attention to current events and their relationship to the past. Students examine major issues of the 20th century as America evolved from an isolated agrarian nation to an international superpower in the atomic age. The course begins with a comparison of political and economic systems, a study of the three branches of American government and a consideration of the fundamental rights of American citizens. Other topics include America’s urban and industrial growth, isolationism and imperialism, evolving political institutions, rapid social change and the ongoing struggle for civil rights. In the process, students analyze contemporary global issues and America’s place in the world. By evaluating primary-source materials such as documents, letters, political cartoons and video footage, as well as literature, art and a variety of secondary sources, students engage fully in the learning process. With step-by-step guidance from teachers, students complete a fully documented research paper on a topic of their choice. Required for students in Form 2.

upper school Empires and Republics Beginning with a look at the emergence of civilization in early Mesopotamia and its development in Egypt, this course examines in detail the major ancient civilizations of China, Greece and Rome.

Throughout the course, the importance of nonwestern civilizations is emphasized. Students explore the political, intellectual, economic, religious and artistic 22

contributions of each culture, seeking to compare civilizations and to trace the causes of their rise and decline. In-depth study of Greece gives students a chance to focus on their individual areas of interest.

The course examines Golden Ages and assesses the differences between empires and republics, as well as the contributions of significant individuals. The growth of the great world religions is traced. Goals of the course include developing an ability to construct and defend an argument; using details to support generalizations; increasing speed, comprehension and discrimination in reading; and perceiving parallels and contrasts in historical material. Required for students in Form 3.

Modern World Studies The course focuses on selected comparative historical themes from both western and nonwestern cultures, from 1500 through World War II. Along with major events, personalities, philosophical ideas and scientific developments, this course examines the social, political, religious, economic and military aspects of a variety of areas in the modern world. Through reading, extensive essay writing, class discussion and research projects, students expand their understanding of varied historical cultures with the overall goal of developing a greater appreciation for the differences in the people who make up our ever-changing world.

Required for students in Form 4.

U.S. History A survey of the United States from 1492 to the present includes a treatment of major themes in American political, social, military, religious, cultural and economic history. While students examine events, people and movements in the American experience, consideration also is given to the interpretation of these specifics. Original research is encouraged by the use of primary-source documents.

All U.S. History students write a term paper. One leading goal of the course is to build interest in history as an academic discipline and a source of enjoyment.

Some students take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Required for students in Form 5. Under special circumstances and with department recommendation, a student may take this course during the senior year.

Advanced Placement U.S. History The history of the United States, from pre-Columbian to present, is studied with frequent use of primarysource materials and varying historiography. Because all students in Advanced Placement U.S. History take the Advanced Placement Examination in May, the demands for reading, writing and research go beyond those in the regular sections. Students taking this course must expect additional summer reading to prepare for the class and must commit

significant extra time to U.S. History during the year.

An extensive and fully documented term paper is required. Open to students in Form 5 after consultation with their Modern World Studies teacher and with department recommendation.

electives Advanced Placement Economics (year)

fiscal policies. The course concludes by looking at the impact of international trade on the economy.

This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement Examinations in both microeconomics and macroeconomics, which they take in May. Open to students in Form 6.

Advanced Placement Political Science (year)

An introduction to fundamental microeconomic and macroeconomic theory gives students a basic background in the subject. Students begin by examining the development of capitalism and exploring basic economic concepts such as supply, demand and opportunity cost. After this introduction, the focus moves to the behavior of individual firms and individual markets, concentrating on profitmaximizing habits in the economy. Graphic analysis, the use of economic models and the economic philosophies of Smith, Marx and Keynes are emphasized. Students use these ideas when examining measures of economic performance such as GDP, inflation and unemployment. Graphic models are used frequently to measure the health of the economy and then to formulate corrective monetary and

Students are introduced to the study of politics.

Philosophers including Plato, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Marx are explored. Students then examine the origins of the American political system. The course focuses on the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government. Topics in public opinion, interest groups, the media, elections and political parties provide an analysis of contemporary politics. Reading in the course is extensive, and exams and papers are designed to integrate large amounts of material, thereby developing study and research skills appropriate to college work. Students take the U.S. Government and Politics Advanced Placement Examination in May. Open to students in Form 6.

Upper Prep

Geography and Culture

Form 1

American History

Form 2

Modern American History and Government

Form 3

Empires and Republics

Form 4

Modern World Studies

FALL China and Japan

U.S. History

spring American Law

fall Cultural Anthropology

Advanced Placement U.S. History

FALL China and Japan

Spring The End of Empire

Advanced Placement Economics

spring American Law

fall Cultural Anthropology

fall History of Religions

Advanced Placement Political Science

FALL China and Japan

Spring Sixties

Spring The End of Empire

Form 5

Form 6

fall History of Religions

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 ko course of study 2012-2013

23

China and Japan (fall)

American Law (spring)

This is a seminar course with many historical actors – traditional Confucians, playwrights, Boxers and samurais, Toyota executives, Maoists, feminist revolutionaries, peasant farmers and sports heroes.

Yet, one essential question remains. In the 19th century, Confucian China began a long period of cultural reflection and violent revolution in its search for a more modern definition of Chinese culture.

During the same time, Japan’s samurai elite laid down their swords and led the nation quickly through the initial stages of becoming an industrial nation and a regional political power. Why the sharp difference?

We look at the traditional societies in both cultures and how traditions helped shape each culture’s response to the technological and social realities of a more modern world. History narrative, plays, short stories and primary sources are used. Assessments include short theme papers and discussions. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

The bedrock on which all societies rest is the rule of law. This course examines the way the American legal system operates. Students begin by learning how law is made in legislatures and courts. Then the class studies the way in which general legal principles are applied to specific facts through the study of various actual and hypothetical cases. The students gain an understanding of the trial process and conduct a mock trial in front of a jury of their peers as their final project. Open to students in Forms 5-6.

Cultural Anthropology (fall) By studying the cultures of nonwestern peoples, students learn to appreciate cultural differences among nations as well as those within the United States. Topics explored include tribal culture, the role of ritual, nonwestern religions, family life and the impact of modernization. Students read several classic pieces of Third World literature. The course is based on a sociological approach to the study of the nonwestern world. Open to students in Forms 5-6.

History of Religions (fall) To give students an increased understanding and awareness of the world’s diversity, this course offers a historical overview of six of the world’s major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Students examine basic philosophical similarities and differences by comparing the tenets and dogmas put forth by these religions and their followers. The course incorporates the works of one of the foremost religious thinkers, Huston Smith, through his writings and his video series “The Wisdom of Faith.” The conclusion of this course examines the issue of hatred in the context of religious history. Students are required to participate actively in discussion and are responsible for classroom presentations and a major research project.

Open to students in Forms 5-6.

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Sixties (spring) This course explores the domestic issues that greatly influenced social change in America during the polarized decade of the 1960s. From the Kennedy administration through Nixon’s first term, the focus is on issues such as the civil rights movement, the antiwar movement and the search for racial, social and sexual equality within the United States. Students are required to prepare in-class presentations as well as written assignments. Open to students in Form 6.

The End of Empire (spring) The world has been transformed dramatically since the end of World War II. This course seeks to understand the changes – economic, political and social – that have occurred outside the United States since 1945. The collapse of European empires and the consequences for Europe, Asia and Africa are examined. The rise of nationalism, the industrialization of former colonies and disputes about borders provide focal points for discussion. By using primary sources and novels and by participating in group projects, students investigate how these changes affect contemporary political crises in the world beyond U.S. borders. Open to students in Forms 5-6.

MODERN LANGUAGES If you read professional educational literature, in language instruction or elsewhere, you will stumble very quickly on the concept of 21st century skills. What are these soughtafter skills, and why are they valuable to our language students at KO?

We also help students choose other programs for international academic study, community service and educational travel. Ideally all students will have enjoyed an international experience prior to graduation.

Kathryn Dunn, Department Chair

Communication is of paramount importance. In our evershrinking world and increasingly diverse country, the ability to communicate effectively in a minimum of two languages is essential to responsible global citizenship. KO language students often work with others in our classrooms to develop the complementary skills of collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving within the context of a team approach. The capacity to be both flexible and adaptable is enhanced through students’ taking on various roles and responsibilities in the group. The cultural lessons presented at all levels facilitate the development of crosscultural skills.

Our students work hard to master the building blocks of Chinese, French and Spanish and progressively increase their skills by adding detail and complexity with regard to both grammar and vocabulary as they progress through the levels of instruction. Productivity and accountability are critical skills as students work, both in the classroom and independently, to integrate each new level of grammatical complexity into their own working knowledge of the language. Simultaneously, students cultivate creativity and innovation as they produce various projects based on the content presented in each course. As students progress through our program, they are offered increased choice of how best to present what they have learned and thus draw on the skills of self-direction and initiative. Ultimately, our goal is to create opportunities for true leadership and responsibility, both personal and global, for our language students.

The tools available in the current digital age require that students develop information, media and technology literacy if they are to effectively and appropriately enhance the core content and skills taught in our language courses. These literacies include the ability to find, evaluate, manage and create information accurately for use in problem-solving and presentation tasks.

The department encourages and facilitates participation in foreign travel and study-abroad programs. This is the best way for students to practice their language skills and to test their ability to interact across cultures. Past options have included: June Term programs in China, Costa Rica, Italy, France, South Africa, Vietnam and Japan; educational trips to Australia, Spain, Canada and Venezuela; a two-week community service program in TobatĂ­, Paraguay; Swiss Semester for Form 4; and School Year Abroad for Form 5.

ko course of study 2012-2013

middle school Language study is required of all Middle School students, and they are placed in a language class based on their background and language mastery. Students new to the School in Form 1 and Form 2 who do not want to start in the beginning level A course take a placement assessment to gauge achievement in their language of choice. Collaboration, problem solving and effective communication are introduced through group work. Technology literacy, through use of textbook and teacher Web sites, various software and Web 2.0 tools, is emphasized in all courses. In addition, creativity and innovation are supported and developed through projects in written and spoken modalities. Cross-cultural skills are taught through lessons about culture or target-language countries and the opportunity to communicate with native speakers in the digital environment.

Chinese A Chinese A students are beginning the study of Mandarin Chinese, a language spoken by a quarter of the world’s population. Students begin studying Chinese pronunciation, tones and radicals and quickly transition into the study of characters. Emphasis is placed on speaking, writing and listening. CDs and online podcasts are frequently used for listening comprehension practice. By the end of the year, students are writing short essays in Chinese characters and are able to communicate effectively on various topics. Discussions on history, culture and modern Chinese society give students a complete context for language study.

Chinese B Middle School students in their second year of studying Chinese use the foundation developed in Chinese A to become more articulate speakers, readers and writers. Specific emphasis is placed on vocabulary and grammar acquisition as students continue to develop their language foundation.

Students are required to write longer and more detailed compositions, have more sophisticated conversations and give brief presentations in Chinese.

The class continues to use CDs and online podcasts

25

for listening comprehension practice and frequently visits the language lab for listening and recording work. Discussions on history, culture and modern China give students a complete context for language study. By the end of the year, students are able to go shopping, talk to a Chinese shopkeeper and doctor, and give their opinions on hobbies and sports.

Chinese C The final year of the Middle School Chinese curriculum gives students the opportunity to solidify their language foundation in preparation for the Chinese 2 course at the Upper School. Chinese C students consistently review material introduced in earlier courses while adding new vocabulary to their language base. Students also create a variety of comprehensive projects designed to give them the opportunity to express themselves articulately in the target language. Various multimedia tools, including CDs, videos and podcasts, are used for listening comprehension and cultural discussions.

take greater leadership responsibilities in completing interactive group work, class activities and projects.

French C/ Spanish C The commitment to speaking, writing, reading and listening remains constant in this course. Students are encouraged to practice all four target areas to develop a balance in their skills. This is the level when students have the ability to express their humor, personality and voice in the target language.

A working knowledge of vocabulary and various verb tenses is applied to original projects that incorporate the technology students have more recently been exposed to in other courses. Recycling of material from previous years, when students are introduced to new concepts, aids in long-term retention of the material and allows for stronger cognitive connections. This course prepares students for the rigors of level 2 or level 2 honors at the Upper School.

upper school

French A/Spanish A

Chinese 1

This is the beginning course and the first in the sequence at the Middle School. Even those students who have been introduced to language study at their elementary school gain a stronger mastery of vocabulary and verb conjugation and the ability to construct complete sentences. During the course of the year, students gradually develop speaking, writing, listening and reading skills that allow them to communicate with more accurate pronunciation and to decipher passages in the target language.

Each chapter of vocabulary involves a project or simulation that allows students to use the technology resources available to them, and students are given a variety of choices to apply what they have learned to real-life situations. Emphasis is placed on proper syntax and grammar when students create descriptive sentences or respond to the various questions posed with each topic of vocabulary. Cultural units surround each chapter and introduce students to various Francophone and Hispanic cultures and dialects.

Chinese 1 is open to all Upper School students interested in studying Mandarin Chinese. Students begin the year studying pronunciation, tones and radicals and quickly transition into the study of characters. Specific emphasis is placed on the development of writing and speaking. Students work in the language lab for oral practice to accompany the “Integrated Chinese” textbook series. Discussions on history, culture and issues in modern China give the students a complete context for language study.

French B/ Spanish B The material and expectations from the A level or previous language course are recycled during a review at the beginning of the year. Students are expected to show a greater level of sophistication in their writing and participation in class, including the integration of new material in original compositions. Reading passages are longer and more complex but still utilize familiar vocabulary topics. Students have a working knowledge of the present tense and are introduced to the past tense. Original projects surrounding each unit of study are catered to improving students’ oral and written communication skills. Emphasis on technology and culture continues, and students 26

Chinese 2 At the beginning of the second year of the study of Chinese, high school students should be able to recognize at least 500 characters and should be comfortable with basic written and spoken Chinese.

Continuing in the “Integrated Chinese” series, the second year places particular emphasis on the study of grammar and character acquisition. Written compositions and oral presentations are longer and more detailed. Students continue work in the language lab for oral practice, and cultural discussions permeate all aspects of the course. Prerequisite: Chinese 1 or Middle School Chinese C.

Chinese 3 Students entering Chinese 3 have developed a solid foundation in speaking, reading, writing and listening and can carry on simple but lengthy conversations in Chinese. Our language study this year focuses on the expansion of vocabulary as well as important grammar patterns that make students more articulate readers and writers. Students read authentic texts and newspaper articles and frequently work on listening and oral drills in the language lab. Discussions on

Chinese history and culture are present throughout the course, preparing students to engage in meaningful cultural discussions in the target language.

Prerequisite: Chinese 2.

Chinese 4 The fourth year of studying Chinese is dedicated to the development of writing longer passages and engaging in more meaningful discussion in Chinese.

Students read newspaper articles and other authentic texts and have discussions about the texts in the target language. The “Integrated Chinese” textbook is used in conjunction with outside reading materials to give students a working vocabulary and expand their grammar foundation. Primary-source materials including “The Analects of Confucius” and the 20th century novel “Jia” by Ba Jin give students an appreciation for both traditional and modern literature in this fascinating country. Prerequisite: Chinese 3.

Chinese 5 This advanced level Chinese course is designed for students who are committed to taking their language skills to the next level. Students continue to use the “Integrated Chinese” textbook series as a guide in the process of character acquisition and supplement with various texts and videos from China. In addition to reading short stories and novels from 20th century authors such as Lu Xun, students watch modern Chinese television shows and continue to have articulate discussions about Chinese life and culture in the target language. While sitting in May for the Advanced Placement Examination in Chinese Language and Culture is not a requirement of the course, it is certainly encouraged. Prerequisite: Chinese 4.

French 1 French, anyone? Absolument! In this course, students are introduced to the varied faces of this language, whether they come from Paris, Abidjan or Québec. As in all beginning level language courses, students are exposed to the basics of grammar, pronunciation and sentence structure. They learn their new language’s vocabulary and idiomatic expressions through the use of SMART Board technology and interactive games. Students in French 1 have the opportunity to design and launch their fashion careers with a catalog and fashion show for the world to see. By learning about life in France, students begin to reflect on their own lives, families and schools. As students reflect on these and other questions, they are building the foundation they need to express themselves in their new language.

ko course of study 2012-2013

French 2, French 2 Honors You’ve got it, now use it! C’est à toi! The second year of French is filled with film and music. From YouTube clips of Tukuleur and Céline Dion to the crowded stands in the Montreal Forum in “The Rocket,” the students’ study of French is even more about experiencing the language. Students at this level have the opportunity to write an original recipe and star in their own network cooking show. As students continue to absorb the grammatical structures and vocabulary for the foundation they are constructing, they begin to perfect the pronunciation of their new tongue. Students create original posters for their favorite films and plays and learn how to leave phone messages in French for their friends. In the process, they begin to feel at home in the Francophone world.

Prerequisite: French 1. Department recommendation is required for honors.

French 3, French 3 Honors Welcome to immersion! Allons-y! During this year, students truly begin to feel French. Surrounded only by the French language, they find themselves understanding and appreciating the language more each day. As they fine-tune their grammatical and pronunciation skills, they explore the films of Truffaut, the question of integration in France or the philosophy of Sartre. This is the year of nuance in terms of both cultural exploration and linguistic facility. In addition, students learn to strategize better as readers to extract meaning from a variety of texts.

With the help of characters living in Lyon, Dakar and Port-au-Prince, they absorb a more sophisticated vocabulary. Prerequisite: French 2. Department recommendation is required for honors.

la Francophonie: Modern French History and the Legacy of Imperial Culture Let’s run with it! Explorons! In this course, students use their language and analytical skills to uncover the social, political and literary richness of the Francophone world. The course begins with an overview of France’s involvement in World War I and World War II as well as its contributions to Cubism and to the European Union. Once students have a framework for interpreting 20th century history, authors such as Bernard Dadié, Joseph Zobel and Marguerite Yourcenar and filmmakers such as Mathieu Kassovitz and Thomas Gilou invite them to experience the ripple effect of the French colonial era and how social distinctions such as race and class continue to be a vehicle for discrimination in our world today. Through the use of real media such as Internet-based newspapers and magazines, students debate and discuss current world events. Prerequisite: French 3 or French 3 Honors. Language of instruction: French. Course not offered in the 2012-2013 school year.

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la Francophonie: Youth and Popular Culture in the French-Speaking World Let’s put the pieces together. Allons-y! Students in this course explore the Francophone world and use social media and Web tools to leave tracks of their own.

This is a constructivist, problem-based learning course with an emphasis on collaboration, communication and cultural competency. During the course of the year, students investigate the following questions: What is life like for young people in France and in the Francophone world? Where do they live? How do they live? Do some live differently than others?

What do they like? What do they do in their free time? What are their traditions, political views, challenges? What books do they like? What music do they listen to? How do their lives compare with the lives of American teenagers? Can we use technology to learn about other cultures and build relationships?

Through the use of real media such as Internet-based newspapers and magazines, TV5 Monde, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, students learn about the people who make up “la Francophonie” and share their findings with the world through posts, tweets, movies, e-books, presentations and podcasts. Prerequisite: French 3 or French 3 Honors. Requires 1-to-1 computing with Apple computers. Language of instruction: French.

French 4 Honors Dig deep! Réfléchissons! In this course, students continue to expand their vision of the Francophone world. Students begin to pull apart the various layers of World War II and its legacy in France. Louis Malle’s “Au revoir les enfants” serves as the backdrop for their exploration of this delicate topic. Students also get a taste of Ionesco’s absurd world in “La Cantatrice chauve.” Finally, the students begin the online work that is part of the AP curriculum. Vocabulary is drawn from the texts that are read, and students work to integrate this more literary level of language into their own writing. Students learn all there is to know about verbs as they begin to hone in on the Advanced Placement Language Examination. Prerequisite: French 3 Honors.

French 5 Advanced Placement Language and Culture It’s the grande finale. Vive le français! This course is designed for students interested in a college-level experience. The course is framed by six central themes: contemporary life, personal identity, family and community, world challenges, science and technology, and aesthetics. Using literary texts, surveys, magazine articles, maps, films and music,

Upper Prep

French A

Spanish A

Chinese A

Form 1

French B

Spanish B

Chinese b

Form 2

French C

Spanish C

Chinese c

Form 3

French 1-2; 2 Honors

Spanish 1-2; 2 Honors

Chinese 1-2

Form 4

French 1-3; 2-3 Honors

Spanish 1-3; 2-3 Honors

Chinese 1-3

la Francophonie: Modern French History

la Francophonie: Youth & Pop. Culture

French 1-3; 2-4 Honors

Spanish 1-4; 2-4 Honors

Chinese 1-4

French 2-3; 2-4 Honors

Spanish 2-4; 2-4 Honors

Chinese 1-5

French 5 Advanced Placement Language and Culture

Spanish 5

Form 5

Form 6

FALL Latin American Studies

Spanish 5 Advanced Placement Language

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 28

students explore each theme in depth. Several podcasts, such as Radio France Internationale, are used weekly. In addition, students are expected to be facile with a smartphone to be able to access apps such as leParisien.fr. Students learn to identify the theme and the goal of a text, maintain a verbal exchange, organize ideas in writing and create an oral presentation about a cultural tradition. They need to be precise in their use of all grammar, even as they continue to perfect their pronunciation. As a final project, students get on the other side of the desk, preparing a syllabus and teaching a lesson on Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir “Le Scaphandre et le papillon.” Students who enroll in this course take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Prerequisite: French 4 Honors.

Spanish 1 Studying a language is more than just a matter of grammar. The excitement of any language is learning how to speak, but of course a command of grammar has much to do with the ability to communicate on diverse topics: the cuisine, the geography, the customs and the humor of another culture. Along with the language, students also are introduced to cultural and geographical aspects of Spain, Central America and South America. Ultimately, the emphasis in Spanish 1 is building the elemental foundation of oral and written expression: the vocabulary, the structure of sentences, paragraphs and idiomatic phrases. This year is a stepping-stone for the more comprehensive challenges of Spanish 2.

Spanish 2, Spanish 2 Honors The second year of Spanish continues the work of building a linguistic foundation. Students learn the music of sentences and of questions and answers, the choreography of dialogue, of having fun, of participating in the give-and-take of inclass discourse. The study of culture expands to the study of art, music, literature and poetry. The idea is to experience – to get a flavor of the cultures, to learn to savor the taste of their arts. In the process, students discover the connection between Hispanic culture around the world and the one right here in the Greater Hartford area. Prerequisite: Spanish 1.

Department recommendation is required for honors.

Spanish 3, Spanish 3 Honors Spanish 3 is where everything comes together.

The goal for this year is the solidification of the grammatical structures of Spanish, concentrating on the nuances of real linguistic command. At this level, students do much more writing, tackling longer and more comprehensive readings, beginning literary analysis and developing topical oral and PowerPoint presentations. By this level, students are dealing directly with authentic materials – the arts, literature ko course of study 2012-2013

and cinema generated by the cultures we study. The goal of all of these activities is fluency. All teaching in this level is done in Spanish – no se habla inglés aquí.

This course focuses on reinforcing basic skills with a concentration on the finer details of grammar learned in the two preceding years. Prerequisite: Spanish 2.

Department recommendation is required for honors.

Spanish 4, Spanish 4 Honors In Spanish 4, students cash in on the hard work of the past three years. What makes this course different is that now students can really communicate in Spanish in classroom discussions on a variety of topics. This year is more of a team effort as students work more indepth, sharing ideas and insights through discussions, oral presentations and shared “events.” The goal of this year is a comprehensive and comparative look at the history, art, literature and cinema of the entire Hispanic world. Students are expected to make interpretative conclusions and put these reactions on paper in clear and well-constructed language.

Grammar is at once a tool and a weapon for engaging in insightful dialogue with matters of culture.

Expectations are high, but the rewards are gratifying.

The Advanced Placement Language Examination is the windmill with which the would-be Don Quijotes are training to joust. Aquí se habla español. Prerequisite: Spanish 3. Department recommendation is required for honors.

Spanish 5 ¡Vámonos! Spanish 5 focuses on a high level of fluency while exploring the culture of Spain and Latin and South America. In this course, students focus on their ability to communicate in spoken and written Spanish with confidence and fluidity. Students discuss art, literature, history, politics and sports.

Spanish comes to life by reading literary excerpts and short stories, putting on plays, watching movies, writing poetry, delivering speeches, singing songs and taking advantage of the wealth of authentic Hispanic materials for reading and listening on the Internet. Examples of topics range from the literature of magic realism to Mexican soap operas, pop and traditional music, recent foreign films and South American club soccer. All units of study substantially increase topical vocabulary, improving the quality and richness of conversation and written expression while refining and perfecting advanced grammar skills. Prerequisite: Spanish 4.

Spanish 5 Advanced Placement Language This course is designed for students who really love language. The groundwork is well begun; now is the payoff – by Spanish 5 students not only find that they can speak Spanish, they discover that they have begun to think in Spanish (some of them even begin to dream in Spanish!). The challenge 29

of the Advanced Placement Examination is its precision, its expectation not only of fluency but also of sophisticated analysis of a wide range of current and classical writings. Students are expected to shift seamlessly among aural, spoken and written Spanish, and from taking information in, to processing it, to putting it back out. Students must be able to listen to long dialogues and lectures by native speakers and then turn around and write about them articulately.

Students are expected to step up to the challenge of ongoing vocabulary study. With each new reading on the arts, current events, and scientific or business research, students must commit to the necessary topic-specific vocabulary. Students who enroll in this course take the Advanced Placement Examination in May. Aquí se habla español. Prerequisite: Spanish 4 with department recommendation or Spanish 4 Honors.

Latin American Studies (fall) The study of language is much more than simply learning grammar and memorizing vocabulary. The study of language is also the study of history and culture. This semester-long course conducted in English offers students the opportunity to further explore the diverse traditions and complex identities of Latin America. Current events such as illegal immigration, the crisis in Haiti and the political controversy in Venezuela are used as prisms through which the class explores the region’s past and current challenges. Along with watching and reading daily news reports on Latin America, students watch numerous foreign films that capture central themes within the region. These movies include “The Motorcycle Diaries,” “City of God,” “The Tragedy of Macario,” “Maria Full of Grace” and “Under the Same Moon.” Assessments include class discussions, group presentations and other creative assignments. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

CLASSICS In the classics department, our objective is to provide students with the necessary skills for translating original, unedited works in Latin and Greek. In a modern, readingbased approach to language study, students are asked to approach elements of Latin grammar intuitively first, then to achieve mastery through further study, translation, drill and practice. As we retrace the steps of Horace’s life and times through the increasingly more challenging chapter translations in our text, this great Augustan poet’s biography provides students with the backdrop of the tumultuous civil war era, an understanding of the disintegration of the Roman Republic into Empire and an excellent sense of Rome’s sociopolitical climate on the cusp of its most artistically golden and proliferate literary age: the Pax Romana. Our intermediate students encounter primarysource documents firsthand by translating the eruption of Vesuvius through the eyes and pen of Pliny, his intriguing correspondence with the Emperor Trajan regarding the trials of Christians and selected speeches of Rome’s greatest lawyer-statesman, Cicero. As these intermediate Latinists graduate to the Advanced Placement levels, they study the meters and genres of Latin poetry encountering notions of life, love, death and the afterlife as presented to us in masterful and haunting ancient verse.

The study of an ancient language such as Latin is, of course, incomplete without a thorough examination of the civilization to which it belonged and the cultural, social, economic and political issues that society faced. In our classrooms we strive to equip students with an essential understanding of the language that in turn lends itself to the successful study of primary-source documents in a number of different genres. It is our hope that analyzing these primary documents gives students direct insight into Roman culture and society and serves as prompts for discussion on critical issues. The role of women in Roman society, dependence on slave labor, civil wars and wars of imperialism, marriage and religious practices, class conflict, suffrage/participation in government, and changing systems of governance are just some of the topics that the texts raise that can truly make reading Latin with students exciting, lively and challenging. Our students also are encouraged to explore and broaden their particular areas of interdisciplinary interest in the ancient world, ranging from the potsherds of maritime archaeology to the paradoxes of the philosopher Zeno. As readers of Latin they are all at once decoders and philologists, social scientists and literary critics. Perhaps most importantly, students make observations and raise questions, answering for themselves which aspects of Roman culture to praise, condone or condemn and all the while drawing important relevance between the cultural practices, politics and policies of the ancient Romans and the problems confronted by us as participants in the modern era.

Amy Sun Neilson, Department Chair

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middle school Latin A This course explores the language of ancient Rome – its cultural and historical significance, as well as its contemporary relevance – through a series of lively readings following the life and adventures of Horace, a famous Roman poet writing at the beginning of the Roman Empire. Through careful study of Latin vocabulary, students learn the benefits of knowing Latin roots as they build a more sophisticated English vocabulary. Students consider aspects of Roman daily life including the Roman family, education, the role of women and the institution of slavery. Additionally, students delve into classical mythology, becoming acquainted with the Twelve Olympians, the Trojan War and an assortment of other tales culminating in reading “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan.

Among other projects, students create a myth of their own using various gods, heroes and other characters from the Greco-Roman pantheon.

Latin B Students continue their study of Latin grammar and syntax through readings revolving around the poet Horace. Students complete the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series by Rick Riordan and create projects involving their favorite mythological characters and locations. The foundation of Rome and its earliest history also are studied, not only through passages from the students’ text but also through primary-source selections of Roman writers such as Vergil and Livy. The course also includes a unique look at Homer’s epic “The Odyssey” as it appears in the graphic novel by Gareth Hinds. In conjunction with this topic, students create a travel brochure advertising the wanderings and adventures

of Odysseus as he sails from the ruins of Troy toward his home on the island of Ithaca. Students also examine Rome’s brutal wars with its dreaded rival, Carthage, and its famous general, Hannibal.

Latin C Students prepare for a more rigorous study of Latin at the Upper School through even deeper explorations of Latin grammar, syntax and the life of the Roman poet Horace. Roman history and culture are still explored in “Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day” among other colorful texts, but the emphasis of this course lies in Rome’s material remains, Pompeii in particular. Students study the architecture of Rome’s public and private spaces, examining what a Roman’s day-to-day environment and life were like. This investigation even takes students to Blue Back Square to view the influences of classical architecture on our very own neighborhood forum, West Hartford Center. This investigation culminates with every student becoming an expert on one of the impressive monuments of ancient Rome, creating a model of its likeness and presenting the model and their research to the class.

upper school Latin 1 While Latin 1 at the Upper School uses the same text as the Middle School, the course travels at a much brisker pace. In this year, students encounter half of the Latin grammar required to read unedited passages of Latin prose. In addition, students are exposed to some of the basics of Roman culture, with particular stress on Roman daily life, education, mythology and the political events of the last century of the Roman Republic. Throughout the year, the course reinforces

Upper Prep

Latin A

Form 1

Latin B

Latin A

Form 2

Latin C

Latin B

Form 3

Latin 1-2

Form 4

Latin 1-3

Form 5

Latin 1-3

Form 6

Latin 2-3

Advanced Placement Latin: Caesar and Vergil

Ancient Greek 1

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12

ko course of study 2012-2013

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the grammatical rules that students encounter in English 3, with particular stress on parts of speech, sentence structure and the etymological roots of English words.

Latin 2 This course follows Latin 1 in sequence. It begins with a review of the first year’s work and then builds upon that foundation, introducing new vocabulary and more sophisticated grammatical concepts. Students are gradually introduced to reading and translating connected passages in prose and work toward the goal of reading a sustained prose narrative near the year’s end. Roman history from Kingdom to Empire is stressed in the culture sections, as students read English translations of Livy, Caesar and Augustus and translate selected adapted passages. Prerequisite: Latin 1.

Latin 3: Intermediate Latin Literature In the first quarter of Latin 3, students review the entire structure of Latin grammar with particular emphasis on the most recently learned grammatical constructions: independent uses of the subjunctive, relative clauses of characteristic, clauses of fearing, conditional clauses, and gerunds and gerundives.

During this review and throughout the first semester, students read a wide range of prose authors: Petronius Arbiter’s novel and the speeches of Cicero, for example. Students also study the epistolary of Pliny in depth as a way of giving them insight into the affairs of the Roman household, Roman familial relations and the treatment of slaves. They also read the letters that serve as primary sources for our knowledge of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the prosecution of the Christians. The students spend the spring term enjoying an introduction to Latin verse by looking at several stories in Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” as well as a few selected poems from other Augustan-era greats (Catullus and Horace). Material covered in the final quarter provides an introduction to and preparation for the expectations of the Advanced Placement syllabus. This course prepares students for Advanced Placement Latin by department recommendation.

Prerequisite: Latin 2 or its equivalent.

Advanced Placement Latin: Caesar and Vergil The first half of the year is spent reading the prose work of Julius Caesar “The Gallic Wars.” Students investigate Caesar’s nine-year campaign in Gaul, now modern day France, Germany and Belgium, though his efficient and lucid commentary detailing the causes and outcomes of the wars, individual tales of heroism, and, of course, his own leadership and conquests. The second half of the year is spent reading

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and translating selections from Vergil’s “Aeneid.” In the early books students read many of the epic’s most compelling scenes in their original Latin: Aeneas’ wanderings, his description of the fall of Troy and his ill-fated love with the Carthaginian queen Dido (Books 1, 2, 4). Aeneas then visits his father in the underworld to understand the full measure of the imperial destiny that fate has dealt him (Book 6).

Finally, we read in translation of the brutal and savage wars Aeneas must fight to establish his city (Books 7-12). The course discusses the genre of epic poetry, encounters the Homeric precursors to “Aeneid” and considers Vergil’s impact on the literary tradition.

In addition, each book in Latin is accompanied by a discussion of one essential question raised therein. Such questions include the discord between personal choice and civic obligation, filial piety versus individual inclination and the brutally martial reality involved in establishing and maintaining the Empire. This course prepares students for the Advanced Placement Examination in Latin, which they take in May. Prerequisite: Latin 3 and department recommendation.

Ancient Greek 1 “Naturally I am biased in favour of boys [and girls] learning English; and then I would let the clever learn Latin as an honour and Greek as a treat.”

– Winston Churchill This intensive course introduces students to the fundamentals of Attic Greek through the use of the text “Learn to Read Greek.” While acquisition of at least a semester’s worth of college-level Greek language is the primary objective, students also explore how Greek culture has influenced western thought and traditions from its origins in antiquity all the way to the present day. Comparisons of ancient works of art to modern ones such as painting, writing and film challenge students as they use their deepening knowledge of classical language and culture to better understand the threads that link the distant past and the modern world. Prerequisite: Latin 3 or Advanced Placement Latin and department recommendation.

CREATIVE ARTS We in the creative arts department see our role as a special mission. We are aware that we stand on a new frontier. Contemporary culture is moving at warp speed, and alongside the skills of effective research and analysis, it demands creative agility, a sense of initiative and the capacity to make things up from scratch. Learning to react to the pitch and yaw of change takes poise and balance on a shifting deck, and the familiar verities of the core curriculum simply do not do enough to arm our students for the challenges ahead.

The arts represent something far more important than something to do with your hands, or in your spare time, or to wile away the hours while you chat with your friends.

They are not only as serious and elevating as anything else we offer in the curriculum, they are an accessible training ground for the kinds of human interaction that will be necessary to flourish in the decades ahead.

Our disciplines put a premium on those very skills that are needed to answer the challenges of contemporary times, namely: • creative problem-solving; • skills of task analysis and constructive critique in mediums that are intuitive, improvisational, inferential and context-based; • focus on process as its own end, not just as a means to an end product; • holistic articulation: a facile command of many media – not just the linguistic; and • flexibility: the ability to move between such “realms” with assurance and can-do.

Likewise, our departmental interest in technology is hands-on: We want to get at how our students understand their world. Information is not just a matter of print media anymore. We live in a world of multiple medias, and our students need to learn to discern the way media imbeds its “messages.” Additionally, we see “media arts” as a platform for creative collaboration among the age-old divisions in the arts – new media enable composers, artists, actors, dancers, singers and musicians to work together to forge multimedia creations that do not stand in a single arena but play upon all of them at once.

When our students go to college, they will be expected not only to write papers, but also to write them well, which means to write them articulately, gracefully and responsibly.

But our students also will be asked to prepare PowerPoint presentations and to speak in public, and they will care to promote various causes. These are tools of the boardroom, the press conference and the bully pulpit. Don’t we want our students to do this articulately, gracefully and responsibly as well? We ask our students to learn to write as well as to read; don’t we want them to compose as well as to consume music, theater, dance and the visual arts? ko course of study 2012-2013

As a department we know that creativity is not just a nice thing to do. It is a necessary thing to do. The arts are not just for “the talented” – they are for those who will otherwise leave this place without a healthy skepticism about how “media” delivers a “message,” or how feelings and intuitions can be made manifest. Such arts as those we teach are as old as civilization itself, and it is a simple fact that without creativity we might still, as a species, be chewing on pomegranates.

Patricia Rosoff, Department Chair

middle school Upper Prep Arts Block Introduction to Drama (quarter) In this course, students are exposed to different aspects of drama, beginning with the fundamental acting skills of pantomime and improvisation. Then students work on character and stage presence through performing monologues for each other. The course culminates in a demonstration of what the students have learned in front of an audience of their peers. This demonstration can take many forms – from a “radio play” to a staged reading to short skits to participation as an “extra” in an Upper School production. Upper Prep Intro to Drama is a team sport in that all students contribute to all aspects of the production. The skills of cooperation and group problem solving are as important as learning how to perform! Required for students in Upper Prep.

Introduction to Studio Art (quarter) This course provides an initial experience in the basic visual processes of drawing, two- and threedimensional design, and critique. Emphasis is placed on individual expression and visual problem solving as well as collaborative work. The goal of this course is to allow students to explore a variety of artistic materials and techniques while providing them with a basic foundation of the elements of art. Required for students in Upper Prep.

Introduction to Classical Art, Architecture and Archeology (quarter) This survey of ancient art includes Mesopotamia and Egypt and is centered on Greece and Rome, complementing Upper Prep students’ other studies in geography and studio arts. Students first study the classical pantheon, learning about the Greek gods and their peers, their offspring (the heroes) and mere mortals. This study of mythology informs the students’ visual analysis of the art and architecture left to the modern viewer. Timeless tales come to life as students take virtual tours of the Roman Forum, fashion their 33

own archaic Greek pottery and literally “dig in” to the basic tenets of archaeology. From the Acropolis to the ziggurat, from Aphrodite to Zeus, students visually explore the traditions of the western past and its influences on the present. Required for students in Upper Prep.

Form 1 Arts Block Art in Every Dimension (quarter) This course is designed to build upon the foundation formed in Introduction to Studio Art by exploring more complex materials, techniques and concepts while providing avenues for students to fully explore and develop their own ideas and artistic voice. It provides a continued introduction to the approaches and media of both two- and three-dimensional design.

Students build both technical and creative-thinking skills through a variety of studio assignments. Required for students in Form 1.

Design Technology (quarter) This course introduces students to the art of visual communication through the use of technology.

Students are guided through the entire design process, from initial concept, to physical sketch and finally to a digital representation of their concept. Emphasis is placed on using creative problem solving to envision and represent an end design. Students also research and present on relevant contemporary issues related to the development of technology and its impact on modern life and the environment. This course introduces students to the creative design process while also considering their potential clientele.

Required for students in Form 1.

Public Speaking (quarter) This course is designed to help students overcome their fear of speaking in public and to provide them with the fundamental skills and confidence needed to be good speakers in any setting. Students work on the content and the delivery of their speeches by mastering a basic speech outline, then participating in a variety of games and exercises designed to improve eye contact, tone, volume, pace, articulation and body language while speaking. Working in pairs, small groups and individually, students speak daily on a wide range of topics, either spontaneously or as a culmination of more long-term preparation. Through sharing a pet peeve or an embarrassing moment, defending an opinion, delivering a campaign speech or selling a product to the class, students learn to persuade, inform and entertain at the podium in a clear and poised fashion. Required for students in Form 1.

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Form 2 Arts Block Media Arts Electives Projects in New Media (quarter) Projects in New Media is a course in which students begin to explore creative communication through various modes such as photography, video and sound.

The course focuses on the ways in which our creative experience impacts our ability to communicate with the world around us. This class meets in the Macintosh Lab. Students need not have any significant computer experience to take this course.

Open to students in Form 2.

Guitar Skills (quarter) Guitar Skills allows students to take the first steps to becoming an authentic “guitar hero!” This course is designed for beginning guitarists and focuses on developing basic electric guitar playing skills such as chord construction, note reading and playing fundamental chords in various musical styles. This class meets in the music technology lab, allowing for individual and group instruction. Open to students in Form 2.

Keyboard Skills (quarter) Keyboard Skills allows students to take the first steps to becoming the next Billy Joel or Elton John! This course is designed for beginning keyboard players and focuses on developing basic piano keyboarding skills, such as reading notes and playing basic melodies and chords. This class meets in the music technology lab, allowing for individual and group instruction. Open to students in Form 2.

Theater Electives Advanced Public Speaking (quarter) This course is designed as a sequel to Form 1 Public Speaking. After reviewing the speech outline and the basic elements of delivery, students continue to sharpen their skills as they explore all six areas of speech competition, working alone, with a partner and in small groups. Speech activities include a character monologue, a group choral reading and a parliamentary-style debate, in addition to a variety of individual speeches. This is a creative and challenging course that helps any speaker rise to the next level of competence and confidence. Open to students in Form 2.

Acting for Video (spring, semester) This course is for students who want to learn the process of making a film. It starts with basic acting skills such as improvisation and small-scene work, with an eye to exploring the differences between acting for the stage and for the camera. Alongside this work, and especially at the end of the course, time is devoted to the production and/or adaptation of a script and its translation to a sequence of filmic scenes. The entire process becomes an exercise

in creative visualization, production and editing.

Because the process focuses on one scene at a time, the burden of memorization is less, but the skills of cooperative planning and production are greater. Students brainstorm together, learn to capitalize on improvisational discoveries and learn the way in which films are constructed. The digital film is produced for a public screening for the entire Middle School. Open to students in Form 2.

Visual Arts Electives Ceramics (quarter) This course introduces students to clay as an artistic medium. Clay is used both for sculptural and functional purposes. Students experience a variety of hand-building and wheel-throwing projects designed to develop their technical skill and explore their visual expression. This course is designed for the selfmotivated student who can work independently. Open to students in Form 2.

Painting and Drawing (quarter) This course focuses on visualizing and interpreting images on a two-dimensional surface. It works on the ways in which a three-dimensional world is captured on a piece of paper or a canvas. It engages students with both abstract and representational art – exploring the ways that color, drawing and

composition can affect the “meaning” of what we see.

Students explore a variety of painting and drawing techniques, including watercolor, acrylic painting, pencil, charcoal and pen-and-ink drawing. Open to students in Form 2.

Printmaking (quarter) This course introduces students to the basic printmaking methods, including intaglio, relief and monoprinting in both a historical and contemporary application. Students explore each of these techniques, as well as ways in which they may be combined. Students learn how to translate their drawings and ideas into prints by exploring mark making while further developing the form and visual content in their compositions. Open to students in Form 2.

Sculpture and Drawing (quarter) Sculpture students explore ways to construct threedimensional artwork and consider how an object can represent ideas. A variety of materials and processes are introduced as students design and build their own work. Drawing is explored as a tool for planning as well as a way to record and document sculpture.

Emphasis is not only placed on physical construction and structure but also on the problem-solving skills needed to work in the third dimension. Students

Media Arts

THEATER

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY

VISUAL

Upper Prep Form 1 Guitar Skills (quarter) Keyboard Skills (quarter)

Projects in New Media (quarter)

Introductory Electives FALL/SPRING Stagecraft

Introductory Electives FALL/SPRING Digital Music 1

Prerequisite Electives FALL/SPRING Introduction to Studio Art (from Visual Arts)

Intermediate Electives FALL/SPRING Digital Filmmaking 1 SPRING Design for the Theater

Intermediate Electives FALL/SPRING Digital Music 2

Intermediate Electives FALL/SPRING New Media 1 FALL/SPRING Photography 1

Advanced Electives FALL Digital Filmmaking 2 SPRING Advanced Studio Seminar H

Advanced Electives SPRING Advanced Music and Audio Production SPRING Advanced Studio Seminar H

Advanced Electives SPRING Photography 2 H New Media 2 H SPRING Advanced Studio Seminar H

Form 2

Form 3

Form 6

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 ko course of study 2012-2013

35

are challenged to create work that communicates their own ideas and are encouraged to find their own artistic voice. Open to students in Form 2.

Music Block Electives Upper Prep Choraliers (year, meets two times a week) This course emphasizes the development of individual and ensemble vocal technique. Students are introduced to the ear-training pedagogy of Zoltรกn Kodรกly, sight-reading and choreography techniques, and study repertoire from various genres and world cultures. The Choraliers present three or four programs throughout the year. The group meets during school, and there is a one-day-a-week afterschool commitment. Open to students in Upper Prep.

Cantabile (year, meets two times a week) This course emphasizes performance. Individual musical development of members is an important goal as they perform repertoire from various periods and countries and commissioned works from acclaimed composers. Students learn advanced sight-reading, ear training, harmony and various vocal techniques in class and throughout the year. This choir works closely in master classes and workshops with visiting composers, conductors, clinicians and guest artists.

The ensemble tours, performs and participates in exchange concerts with professional music organizations, universities and school choral programs.

Open to students in Forms 1-2.

players to perform with Upper School students.

Individual lessons are available on campus during the school day with a visiting professional (privately arranged). Open to students in Upper Prep-Form 2.

Electronic Music (year, meets two times a week) In this course, students explore music through a wide array of topics, including using GarageBand and other software for beginning composition, creating music for video, text and spoken word, and studying and creating the music of world cultures. Open to students in Forms 1-2.

Other Music Options Octopipers and F2B (year) These select ensembles perform commissioned works and published music in the jazz, pop, contemporary, Broadway and a cappella genres. Selected by annual audition, students participate in festivals, workshops, master classes, competitions and various concert venues both on and off campus and tour with Cantabile. Students utilize advanced sightreading, ear training, harmony, vocal techniques and choreography throughout the year. Membership in Cantabile is required. Both ensembles rehearse after school. Octopipers is open by audition to female students in Form 2, and F2B is open by audition to male students in Forms 1-2.

Private Instrumental and Voice Instruction

This course is open to all woodwind, brass and percussion players. Ensemble skills are developed through varied repertoire. The Concert Band performs during assemblies, evening concerts, and special trips and events. Open to students in Upper Prep-Form 2.

Through a cooperative program with area professionals, private lessons are available on the Middle School campus during the school day.

Semester fees and lesson times are arranged directly with the private instructors (a list of these with contact information is available by contacting the Concert Band director). Students do not receive academic credit for private instruction.

Jazz Band (year, meets two times a week)

upper school

Concert Band (year, meets two times a week)

This course is open by audition to woodwind, brass and percussion players as well as pianists, bassists and guitarists. Emphasis is placed on developing skills in the jazz, rock and Latin musical traditions. In addition to ensemble skills, students explore various approaches to improvisation. Open to students in Upper Prep-Form 2. With the exception of pianists, guitarists and bassists, all Jazz Band members must participate in the Concert Band.

String Orchestra (year, meets two times a week) The String Orchestra is open to all experienced string players (violin, viola, cello and double bass).

Ensemble skills are developed through varied repertoire. The String Orchestra performs in our Candlelight Concerts, a spring concert, special events and school assemblies. A rotating schedule that overlaps with the Upper School allows selected 36

Media Arts Electives Introductory M.A.: Stagecraft (fall, spring) This is an introductory course that covers the backstage operation of the theater. Topics of study include how to hang focus- and cable-lighting instruments and how to set up and operate sound equipment, including microphones, amplifiers and mixers. Students also learn how to operate the woodworking equipment in the scene shop and participate in building sets for productions in Roberts Theater. They often work alongside artists from the Goodman Banks Series or other professional dance and theatrical companies that rent the theater. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Introductory M.A.: Digital Music 1 (fall, spring) This course introduces students to a wide range of music technology applications, including sequencing (recording) with computers, music notation, sound design and scoring music to video. It also introduces them to the techniques of recording and editing digital sound using the latest computerized software and hardware. Utilizing the flexibility of the 12-station music technology lab, students can work independently and in small-group configurations.

GarageBand, Logic Express and Sibelius are among the programs students use to create and develop their own music projects. Prior experience with music is not required. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Intermediate M.A.: Digital Music 2 (fall, spring) Building on the skills learned in Digital Music 1, this course provides students opportunities to study more advanced music production topics such as composing

for acoustic and electronic music ensembles, discovering and using new online music tools, and further explorations in sound design and creating music for video and film. Prerequisite: Digital Music 1, Electronic Music (in Form 1 or Form 2) or permission of instructor.

Intermediate M.A.: Design for the Theater (spring) This course is an introduction to set and lighting design. Students study computer-aided drafting and create designs for classical and one-act plays in addition to studying differing styles of design and composition for individual projects. Lighting design techniques are taught through chosen plays. Open to students in Forms 4-6. Prerequisite: Stagecraft and permission of instructor.

music Arts

band vocal strings

Upper Prep

Concert Band (year, 2 times/week) Jazz Band (by audition), (year, 2 times/week)

Form 1

Concert Band (year, 2 times/week) Jazz Band (by audition), (year, 2 times/week) Electronic Music (year, 2 times/week)

Upper Prep Choraliers

String Orchestra

(year, 2 times/week)

(year, 2 times/week)

Cantabile

String Orchestra

(year, 2 times/week)

(year, 2 times/week)

(from Media Arts)

Cantabile (year, 2 times/week)

Form 2

Concert Band (year, 2 times/week) Jazz Band (by audition), (year, 2 times/week) Electronic Music (year, 2 times/week) (from Media Arts)

String Orchestra (year, 2 times/week)

Auditioned Groups Octopipers (all-girl ensemble, by audition)

F2B

(all-boy ensemble, by audition)

Form 3

Ensemble Electives Concert Band (year, 2 times/week)

Ensemble Electives Concert Choir (year)

Auditioned Groups Jazz Ensembles (year, 2 times/week)

Auditioned Groups Outlook (coed, year) Voce Novissima (all girl, year)

Ensemble Electives String Orchestra (year)

Extracurricular Options Oxfordians (all-girl ensemble, by audition)

Form 6

Crimson 7

(all-boy ensemble, by audition)

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 ko course of study 2012-2013

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Intermediate M.A.: Digital Filmmaking 1 (fall, spring) In this course, students create digital video projects using Final Cut Pro software. They also learn how to operate digital video cameras. Students learn how to write shot sheets to plan their projects. Proper shooting techniques and shot composition also are stressed. Students are taught how to edit digital video on the computer and how to add a variety of special effects and transitions to enhance their projects.

Students learn how to add and balance voice-over and music audio tracks to their work. Other areas covered in this course are the use of blue and green screens, conversion of analog to digital video and DVD authoring. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

Intermediate M.A.: New Media 1 (fall, spring) In this course, students explore concepts of visual communication and begin to apply them to creative expression. This is an elective for students who have an interest in expression through digital technologies such as video, audio, animation, imaging and other various media. Developing practical media literacy is a goal of this course. The projects, discussions and critiques examine and challenge the roles of popular media and how they converge with creativity.

Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Studio (or the equivalent) or Digital Video Production 1 (Digital Filmmaking 1). Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Intermediate M.A.: Photography 1 (fall, spring) This course introduces students to the conceptual and technical aspects of photography and digital imaging.

Students learn the basic functions of the camera.

They also construct projects around concepts such as documentation, simulation and image manipulation.

They are asked to utilize aspects such as formalism and aesthetics, as well as critical thinking and personal expression. The School provides all equipment; students do not need to have their own cameras.

Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Studio (or the equivalent). Open to students in Forms 3-6. Preference is given to upperclassmen in the fall term.

Advanced M.A.: Advanced Music and Audio Production (spring) This course concentrates on audio production equipment and techniques including microphones, mixers and speakers as well as recording and editing software. Projects include developing a portfolio of recorded works in various electronic and acoustic media. Prerequisite: Digital Music 2 or permission of instructor.

Advanced M.A.: Digital Filmmaking 2 (fall) Video students work on longer and more complex projects in this course. Students take short plays or original scripts and learn how to create storyboards 38

for these projects. The students then direct and video these projects after scouting out proper locations for their shoots. Forming concepts and techniques on how to direct actors also is an important component of this course. Learning how to use video to tell a story, either fictional or documentary, is stressed.

Students learn the proper techniques for recording live sound and how to use music and sound effects to enhance their video projects. The use of natural and theatrical lighting to create dramatic effect is another element that is taught. In the post-production process, students learn how to create animation and use special-effect filters. Prerequisite: Digital Video Production 1 (Digital Filmmaking 1). Open to students in Forms 4-6.

Advanced M.A.: Photography 2 Honors New Media 2 Honors (spring) These courses allow for individualized exploration from within the broad range of technical and conceptual possibilities with photography and new media. The classes are designed so that students work on broad independent projects, with regular consultations, discussions and critiques with the instructor. With the advice and guidance of the teacher, students are enabled to independently explore in-depth topics of media arts from an individualized perspective. These classes meet regularly. Individualized schedules and meeting times are discussed based on specific project needs. Students also are expected to work on projects outside of class as needed. Prerequisite: Photography 1 or New Media 1 and permission of the instructor. Open to students in Forms 4-6.

Advanced Studio Seminar Honors (spring) This is a course for advanced or post-Portfolio Prep students who would like to chart a more independent course of study. Team taught by two creative arts teachers, this course focuses on how one communicates ideas without specifying medium.

Since the central aspect is the development and construction of creative content, students are able to use any of the studio facilities – from computers to table saws – in pursuit of projects whose direction is independently generated and maintained. The seminar is framed by a weekly think tank, which provides the critique sessions where students and advising faculty can discuss and evaluate concepts and projects as they unfold. Receives one-half credit.

Prerequisite: completion of at least one advanced media arts or advanced visual arts course and the recommendation of an instructor. Open to students in Forms 5-6.

Music Electives Choral Music: Concert Choir (year) The building block of the School’s entire choral program, Concert Choir emphasizes the development

of music reading, aural skills, healthy vocal technique and confidence in performance. Students study and perform choral music in various languages from diverse historical backgrounds, working with guest conductors and professional musicians to master the basic elements of the specific style appropriate to the work. This ensemble participates in the January all-school Choral Expo concert and the spring Upper School Choral Fest concert and also performs off campus. Only members of Concert Choir are eligible to audition for our select and a cappella groups, though the two a cappella ensembles (Crimson 7 for boys, Oxfordians for girls) are extracurricular clubs and do not receive academic credit. Receives one-half credit. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Introduction to Choral Music: Music Theory (semester; meets once a week during the Concert Choir period) This course, or an exemption based on a placement test, is a required element for all students in their first year of the Upper School Concert Choir program.

It meets during the choir period. Students learn the fundamentals of music theory, including reading standard notation, ear training, sight singing and an understanding of basic harmony. Assignments include memorization of key signatures, recognition of intervals and notation projects. A placement test is given to all incoming new students to determine

exemption. No additional credit is awarded for this requirement. Required of all students in their first year of Upper School Concert Choir.

Choral Music: Outlook (year) This select ensemble performs music in the jazz, pop, contemporary and Broadway genres. Selected by annual audition, students participate in festivals, competitions and various concert venues both on and off campus. Membership in the Concert Choir is required. Selected Outlook members meet as a group rather than with the entire Concert Choir, but they learn the Concert Choir repertoire in addition to their own music. The singers have the opportunity to perform in separate a cappella ensembles, one all male (Crimson 7) and one all female (Oxfordians), but they do not receive credit for this extracurricular activity. Receives one credit. Open to students in Forms 4-6 by audition from Concert Choir.

Choral Music: Voce Novissima (year) This select girls’ ensemble performs classical and popular music from all genres. Emphasis is on musicreading skills and development of choral musicianship in a smaller ensemble. Students participate in festivals, competitions and various concert venues both on and off campus. Membership in the Concert Choir is required. Selected Voce Novissima members meet as a group rather than with the entire Concert

theater Arts

Upper Prep

Introduction to Drama (quarter, UP Arts Block)

Form 1

Public Speaking (quarter, Form 1 Arts Block)

Form 2

SPRING Acting for Video (semester) Advanced Public Speaking (quarter) Introductory Electives FALL Acting Studio: Performing Kushner SPRING Acting Studio: Ensemble Skills SPRING Acting Studio: Performing for Media SPRING Public Speaking

Form 3

Other Performance Option winter athletic season Winter Theater Production (during sports block)

Form 6

Extracurricular Options Fall plays (October and November, by audition) Spring plays (One-Acts, by audition)

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 ko course of study 2012-2013

39

Choir, but they learn the Concert Choir repertoire in addition to their own music. Receives one-half credit.

Open to students in Forms 4-6 by audition from Concert Choir.

Instrumental Music: Concert Band (year, meets two times a week) This performing group is open to all woodwind, brass and percussion players. Attention is focused on standard repertoire as well as new music and transcriptions for band. The Concert Band rehearses twice a week and performs at evening concerts and on-campus events. Receives one-half credit. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Instrumental Music: Jazz Ensembles (year, meets two times a week)

Acting Studio: Ensemble Skills (spring) What are the group dynamics that come into play during a performance? In this class, students work in small groups to discover the keys to communication and characterization with an emphasis on cooperation. How can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts? Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Acting Studio: Performing for Media (spring) This acting course is designed for students who are serious about pursuing acting on another level.

Assignments include voice-overs, movie sequences, radio dramas, and manipulation and coordination of media, including animation, puppetry, masks and lipsynch. Public display of class projects is a part of the course. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

These ensembles perform various styles of music within the jazz repertoire (swing, Latin, rock, jazz). In addition to on-campus and community performances, the ensembles compete annually (calendar permitting) at the Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festival in Boston or the UMass High School Jazz Festival in Amherst. The ensembles rehearse twice a week. Receives one-half credit. With the exception of pianists, bassists and guitarists, all members of the Jazz Ensembles must also participate in the Concert Band.

Public Speaking (spring)

Instrumental Music: String Orchestra (year)

Winter Theater Production (winter athletic season)

This ensemble is open to all experienced string players (violin, viola, cello and double bass). In addition to preparation for major concerts, students concentrate on the development of ensemble skills and individual playing techniques. Students perform repertoire in both string orchestra and chamber music settings.

Receives one-half credit. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Private Instrumental and Voice Instruction For families who would like to arrange private lessons, either vocal or instrumental, on campus, the creative arts department provides a roster of professionals who serve in this capacity. Times may be arranged directly with these tutors during or after school. Contact the Concert Band director for more information and referrals.

Theater Electives Acting Studio: Performing Kushner (fall) This acting course is designed to offer students with an interest in theater the opportunity to interact with the works of Tony Kushner, the 30th Warren Baird English Symposium author. Assignments include selections from Kushner’s works, and the course culminates with a performance of these scenes for the public. The class meets with Kushner during his visit at the end of the semester.

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This course offers practice in public speaking, emphasizing both style and content. Assignments focus on the elements that make for effective presentation of ideas as well as the means by which one acquires such skills. A variety of activities leads to greater student independence via daily presentation of material by each student. As a means of evaluating progress, speeches are recorded and analyzed. Final class projects include debate, oratorical contests and public presentations. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Students may elect to participate in Winter Theater Production in lieu of a winter sport. There are two aspects to this “alternate sport” – a musical theater performance and an improv performance. Auditions for the musical take place prior to winter break, when the cast of the musical is posted. Once rehearsals begin (after the winter break), students are expected to attend five days per week during the after-school sports period. Part of the rehearsal time is devoted to music, part to dance, part to on-stage work and part to learning improvisation games. Those students who are not involved in the specific scenes being rehearsed on the main stage move to the Black Box Theater for improvisation work. By the end of the season, two performances are staged: first, a Night of Improv, then, a short time later, the musical. This “athletics” option does not provide academic credit. Open to students in Forms 3-6; the cast of the musical is selected by audition only.

Visual Arts Electives Introduction to Studio (fall, spring) This course provides its students a foundation in the visual arts. Assignments generate from both conventional and unconventional materials of art: clay, plaster, charcoal, pencil, pastels, paint, papiermâché, cardboard, fibers and string. There is an

introduction to drawing, to sculpture and to color theory. A variety of materials and a full range of approaches and techniques challenge young artists to speak their ideas in art. Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Former Middle School students who have completed two visual arts electives as Form 2 students have fulfilled this requirement and should select intermediate electives.

Intermediate Studio: Drawing (fall, spring) This course is intended for students who want to continue their work in studio art. A flexible, openended course that focuses on drawing but includes color design and sculpture, Intermediate Studio: Drawing builds upon basic skills with a variety of traditional and nontraditional approaches. This course is meant to give a foot up for serious fine arts students seeking to discover what art-making is really about. Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Studio (or the equivalent). Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Intermediate Studio: Painting (spring) This course is intended for serious students who have an interest in painting, both figurative and abstract.

It explores the ways in which color and media affect the meaning of “representation.� While focusing on

painting as a task of design as well as observation, this course introduces students to the range of tools and methods that have evolved in modern painting and familiarizes them with techniques as varied as staining, impasto and collage. Assignments deal with both flat and textured painted surfaces. Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Studio (or the equivalent).

Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Intermediate Studio: Printmaking 1 (fall) This course is designed to introduce students to some of the oldest methods for producing multiple original images. Students learn what a print is and experiment with a wide variety of relief and intaglio printmaking methods. Through practice and experimentation, students explore some of the endless possibilities of creating images that printmaking has to offer. Focus is placed on learning multiple printmaking techniques and mastering the printing process as well as exploring more complex visual ideas and compositions. This course is intended for serious students who are prepared to think creatively and ambitiously to expand the possibilities of their own visual ideas.

Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Studio (or the equivalent). Open to students in Forms 3-6.

visual Arts

Upper Prep

Introduction to Studio Art (quarter, UP Arts Block) Introduction to Classical Art, Architecture and Archaeology (quarter, UP Arts Block)

Form 1

Art in Every Dimension (quarter, Form 1 Arts Block) Design Technology (quarter, Form 1 Arts Block)

Form 2

Ceramics (quarter) Painting and Drawing (quarter) Printmaking (quarter) Sculpture and Drawing (quarter)

Form 3

Prerequisite Elective FALL/SPRING Introduction to Studio Intermediate Electives FALL/SPRING Drawing SPRING Painting FALL Printmaking 1 FALL/SPRING Sculpture 1 Advanced Electives FALL Printmaking 2 SPRING Sculpture 2 Portfolio Prep H (year, recommendation only) SPRING Advanced Studio Seminar H (recommendation only)

Form 6

Other Elective Advanced Placement Art History (year)

key: Upper Prep = grade 6, Form 1 = grade 7, Form 2 = grade 8, Form 3 = grade 9, Form 4 = grade 10, Form 5 = grade 11, Form 6 = grade 12 ko course of study 2012-2013

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Intermediate Studio: Sculpture 1 (fall, spring) This course embarks students on an exploration of the many facets of contemporary sculpture. It’s a course for students who love to build things yet aren’t afraid to back up their hands with considerable thinking along the way. Sculpture 1 begins with a sampling of the methods used to construct sculptural objects, with the ultimate goal of discovering ways to make those objects resonate with meaning or metaphor. Students progress from making single objects to installation art, an approach in which space is incorporated as a sculptural element. As we address conceptual methods for generating 3D art, the focus turns to what happens when an idea is the single driving force behind the making of a piece of art. Students should bring their thinking caps to this course! Prerequisite: completion of Introduction to Studio (or the equivalent). Open to students in Forms 3-6.

Advanced Studio: Printmaking 2 (fall) This course continues students’ exploration of Printmaking 1, introducing them to more complex printing methods and building upon their basic printmaking foundation, both visual and conceptual.

Students explore different printmaking materials and techniques, including intaglio, relief, monoprint and artist books. The pace of work is faster, and there are higher expectations with regard to the integration of the form and meaning of each project as well as their use of the basic art elements to produce more dynamic compositions. This course is intended for self-motivated students who are willing to pursue ambitious and more independent projects. Open to students in Forms 3-6 who have completed Printmaking 1 or have department recommendation.

Advanced Studio: Sculpture 2 (spring) Everything from cardboard, duct tape, papiermâché, wood, wire, screws and paint may be used to construct sculpture, and in this course, the options are wide open. Students bring their building skills and imagination to the fabrication of forms in space.

This course seeks to bring students into the realm of contemporary, constructed sculpture as well as engage them in the use of sculptural materials, installation dynamics and telling symbolism to create sculptures with a personally significant narrative.

Prerequisite: Sculpture 1. Open to students in Forms 4-6 by department recommendation.

Advanced Studio Seminar Honors (spring) This is a course for advanced or post-Portfolio Prep students who would like to chart a more independent course of study. Team taught by two creative arts teachers, this course focuses on how one communicates ideas without specifying medium.

Since the central aspect is the development and construction of creative content, students are able 42

to use any of the studio facilities – from computers to table saws – in pursuit of projects whose direction is independently generated and maintained. The seminar is framed by a weekly think tank, which provides the critique sessions where students and advising faculty can discuss and evaluate concepts and projects as they unfold. Receives one-half credit.

Prerequisite: completion of at least one advanced media arts or advanced visual arts course and the recommendation of an instructor. Open to students in Forms 5-6.

Portfolio Preparation Honors (year) This course is designed for dedicated art students.

The goal of Portfolio Prep is to produce a balanced portfolio of high-caliber work, sufficient for college-application submission. Along with the work accomplished in the studio, in the first term this honors course also requires a first-term-long independent drawing series (yes, there is homework).

At the beginning of the course, students engage in both traditional and experimental means of rendering images. During the course of the year, students expand their investigation of drawing to printmaking, with an increased focus on drawing and the experimental ways in which an image can evolve. In printmaking, students experiment with a variety of traditional methods, including relief and intaglio processes. By the end of the year, the students have run the gamut from straightforward representational drawing to the mysteries, implications and possibilities of abstraction.

Open to students in Forms 5-6 who have completed any Intermediate Studio elective and have department recommendation.

Advanced Placement Art History (year) This yearlong Advanced Placement course is designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Examination, which they take in May. It is a chronological survey of the evolution of western art and architecture and also includes significant chapters on pre-Greek and nonwestern subjects such as prehistoric, Islamic, African, Native American, Oceanic and Far Eastern sculpture, painting and architecture. Through daily slide lectures, seminars, papers and tests, along with a culminating field trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, this course prepares students for the analysis and discussion of the ideas, forms and context of art through the ages – starting at the beginning of human history and continuing to the present. Open to students in Forms 5-6 who have completed one semester elective in the creative arts.

TECHNOLOGY middle school Writing Technology (quarter)

Design Technology (quarter)

Students explore and practice the applications of Microsoft Office that they will be asked to use for their academic coursework. They gain a better understanding of the many functions of Microsoft Word, using a variety of formats including the addition of endnotes. The essentials of Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher are introduced, and students learn presentation techniques for each application. Other software and online applications expose students to different note-taking and outlining strategies. Students also learn the many capabilities of FirstClass, the School’s e-mail platform. Required for students in Upper Prep.

This course introduces students to the art of visual communication through the use of technology.

Students are guided through the entire design process, from initial concept, to physical sketch and finally to a digital representation of their concept. Emphasis is placed on using creative problem solving to envision and represent an end design. Students also research and present on relevant contemporary issues related to the development of technology and its impact on modern life and the environment. This course introduces students to the creative design process while also considering their potential clientele.

Required for students in Form 1.

HEALTH middle school The Middle School health curriculum begins in Upper Prep where students learn about the human body in their Life Science class. Nutrition, the effects of nicotine and caffeine, and adolescent growth and development are a few of the topics covered.

leadership, language and communication, friendship, technology safety, media literacy, drugs and alcohol, and sexual health. Students explore these topics through class discussions, research, and independent and group projects.

In Form 1, students are enrolled in SEARCH, an acronym for Self-Education and Responsibility as Citizens of Hartford. The goal of this course is to combine health topics with educating students about the Greater Hartford community in which they live.

Students spend the first part of the course covering nutrition, puberty, drugs and alcohol along with social problem solving, stress and mental health. They also have ongoing conversations with the director of academic skills about “yourself as a learner” and study skills. The last part of the course is a transition from learning about self to learning about the community.

Through field trips, students learn about the hidden gems of Hartford and various community initiatives that are helping to make Hartford a better place.

The course culminates in a student-initiated service project for the Greater Hartford community.

upper school

In Form 2, students are enrolled in Life Skills, a course designed to introduce students to topics relevant to encouraging healthy social and emotional development. The curriculum covers topics including

ko course of study 2012-2013

It is the goal of the health curriculum to empower students with knowledge, skills and strategies to make responsible decisions for optimal emotional and physical wellness. The health curriculum begins for Form 3 students as soon as they enter the Upper School as they work on the issues of navigating transitions and managing time and stress with their advisors, teachers and form dean. Formal classes for Form 3 students start in the second semester. Students meet approximately seven times during “X” periods in single-sex classes during the spring of their Form 3 year and in mixed-gender classes seven times during the fall of their Form 4 year. The freshman curriculum focuses on “The Healthy Individual”; topics include identity development, media literacy, nutrition, substance use and abuse, and emotional wellness. The sophomore year delves into “Healthy Relationships”; students discuss assertiveness, bullying and meanspirited behavior, the sexual continuum, and peer pressure.

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notes

Mission Statement Kingswood Oxford inspires students to excel and to lead lives of integrity and involvement by nourishing their talents in a community of teachers, friends and families.

Core Values Demonstrate honesty, integrity and respect Learn with passion and perseverance Embrace intellectual curiosity Care beyond self Take personal responsibility Work hard, take risks, become involved

Motto “Vincit qui se vincit” “One conquers by conquering oneself”

KingswoodOxford Honoring the past. Shaping the future.

170 Kingswood Road, West Hartford, CT 06119-1430 t 860.233.9631 | f 860.232.3843 | www.kingswoodoxford.org Admission t 860.727.5000 | f 860.236.3651 | admission@k-o.org 46