COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Each department at FRA is led by a department chair whose responsibility it is to maintain and develop curriculum and assist in implementing best practices in their respective curricular area for grades 5–12. The courses below represent thoughtful and intentional design to best prepare FRA students for the rigor of college academics.

English Department

All students must complete four years of English. All students take English I and II, and standard and Honors are offered in both. Junior year, students take either English III or AP Language and Composition. Senior year, students take AP Literature and Composition or a pairing of Critical Thinking and Writing plus a choice of one English IV focused seminar. A teacher recommendation, high averages in prerequisite courses, and a strong performance on standardized tests are required for all Honors and AP courses.

ENGLISH (4 CREDITS REQUIRED)

The English curriculum is based on the goal of developing critical thinking and strong reading, writing, and speaking skills. Sequential courses offer the continuing practice of grammar skills, the building of an extensive vocabulary, and the development of strong research and writing skills. Senior seminar electives provide an opportunity to study specific areas and to strengthen student writing skills.

COURSE OPTIONS:

English I or English I (H) (9)

English II or English II (H) (10)

English III or AP English: Language and Composition (11)

AP English Literature and Composition (12)

English IV: Critical Thinking & Writing* (12)

Mandatory for non-AP students

English IV: Shakespeare on Stage and Film * (12)

English IV: Fictional Worlds: Tolkien Studies* (12)

English IV: Creative Writing* (12)

English IV: Cultural Conflict in the Novel* (12)

English IV: WWI, Modernism & Mental Health* (12)

ENGLISH I: GENRES IN WORLD LITERATURE

1 Credit // Grade 9

Through engaging with a variety of texts and genres, English I hones four primary skills: reading complex texts, writing, thinking critically, and communicating effectively. In addition, English I equips students with skills such as time management, self-advocacy, and professional communication so as to prepare them for success throughout their entire high school career. This course develops a students’ ability to formulate, articulate, and defend complex claims. Vocabulary and grammar skills are acquired independently through the online programs of Membean and No Red Ink and are also strengthened within the student’s own reading and writing.

ENGLISH I (H): GENRES IN WORLD LITERATURE

1 Credit // Grade 9

Through engaging with a variety of texts and genres, English I hones four primary skills: reading complex texts, writing, thinking critically, and communicating effectively. In addition, English I equips students with skills such as time management, self-advocacy, and professional communication so as to prepare them for success throughout their entire high school career. This course develops a students’ ability to formulate, articulate, and defend complex claims. Vocabulary and grammar skills are acquired independently through the online programs of Membean and No Red Ink and are also strengthened within the student’s own reading and writing. The pacing, depth, and breadth of this Honors course is more rigorous than traditional English I in order to prepare students for the rigor of AP courses.

ENGLISH II: THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

1 Credit // Grade 10

This course, designed for sophomore English students, explores the implications of what it means to be American. By reading from and into a variety of perspectives (regional, racial, religious, socioeconomic, and gender-based), we may begin to understand how our national community has defined itself in the past and how we might define it today. We will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts while addressing our four essential questions:

1. What is family and how does it help shape us?

2. How might our neighborhood, town, region, and/or country shape our values and identity?

3. How might our response to personal suffering impact who we become?

4. Why is forgiveness difficult and why is it necessary?

The primary focus will be on the development of skills and emphasizes the link between close reading, writing, thinking, and communicating. Vocabulary and grammar skills are acquired independently through the online programs of Membean and No Red Ink and are also strengthened within students’ own reading and writing.

Students will also engage in two semester-length, inquiry-based learning projects as practical applications of the skills learned in class. The first is a Career Exploration Project which includes an off-campus informational interview, job shadowing component, and presentation of their experiences. The second is an opportunity for students to pursue a project of interest to them to produce a product of benefit to others. Students will generate a driving question for their research, find professional mentors in their fields of interest, provide progress updates of their products through blogs and vlogs, and deliver a TED-style talk at the end of the year in which they showcase their products and reflect upon the challenges and triumphs they encountered along the way.

ENGLISH II (H): THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

1 Credit // Grade 10

This course, designed for sophomore English students, explores the implications of what it means to be American. By reading from and into a variety of perspectives (regional, racial, religious, socioeconomic, and gender-based), we may begin to understand how our national community has defined itself in the past and how we might define it today. For this reason, we will be engaging in a number of different texts from an assortment of genres: poems, essays, letters, novels, short stories, and speeches. How do these multifarious perspectives change our perceptions about our past and inform our present? How do our perceptions about the American journey inform our faith? The primary focus will be on the development of skills and emphasizing the link between close reading, writing, and thinking. Vocabulary and grammar skills are acquired independently through the online programs of Membean and No Red Ink and are also strengthened within the student’s own reading and writing.

Students will also engage in a year-long, inquiry-based learning project in which they pursue a project of interest to them to produce a product of benefit to others. A TED-style talk will be delivered at the end of the year as students reflect upon their experiences and the challenges and triumphs they encountered along the way.

ENGLISH III: BRITISH LITERARY LEGACY

1 Credit // Grade 11

This course is an intensive study of the literature that has arisen out of the British tradition. From its beginnings with the epic of Beowulf through more modern texts, students will be exposed to several major works of English literature and will study the cultures in which those texts were created. The course also focuses on writing effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays, with additional review of common grammatical errors. The course includes a vocabulary component to expand students’ working vocabularies. More independence is required in terms of students’ reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and analyzing abilities and in balancing their other studies and activities to come to class prepared to play an active role in discussion.

Ap English Language And Composition

1 Credit // Grade 11

The AP English Language and Composition course focuses on the development and revision of evidence-based analytic and argumentative writing, the rhetorical analysis of nonfiction texts, and the decisions writers make as they compose and revise. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Additionally, they read and analyze rhetorical elements and their effects in nonfiction texts—including images as forms of text—from a range of disciplines and historical periods. The course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations.

ENGLISH IV: CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING

½ Credit // Grade 12 – Mandatory

Based on what students are required to draw upon in college composition courses, this course will require students to practice and hone their critical thinking skills as well as develop their skills in rhetoric. Students will pursue the essential questions of “what is the rhetorical situation?” and “what is the most effective argument for this situation?” This course will emphasize collaboration and presentation skills as students analyze contemporary issues. Students will immerse themselves in rhetoric, and in doing so, they will be required to take initiative, demonstrate leadership, ask good questions, and foster their own creativity. Students will read into and write in a variety of genres, engage in research, and participate in Socratic seminars. By the end of the course, students will be effective critical thinkers and communicators, preparing them for rhetorical situations in higher education and beyond.

Ap English Literature And Composition

1 Credit // Grade 12

AP English Literature and Composition is an introductory collegelevel literary analysis course. Students cultivate their understanding of literature through reading and analyzing texts as they explore concepts like character, setting, structure, perspective, figurative language, and literary analysis in the context of literary works. Extensive reading in the areas of poetry, drama, fiction, and literary criticism is required, and class participation is heavily emphasized. There is extensive written analysis of the literature studied, and, in preparation for the AP exam, practice exercises are included in the course.

ENGLISH IV: SHAKESPEARE ON STAGE AND FILM

½ Credit // Grade 12 focuses on writing effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays, with additional review of common grammatical errors. More independence is required in terms of students’ reading, writing, thinking, speaking, and analyzing abilities and in balancing their other studies and activities to come to class prepared to play an active role in discussion.

This course provides students with a broad exposure to several of William Shakespeare’s plays. Selections will include one play from each of Shakespeare’s genres: history, tragedy, and comedy. Students will explore the historical context of Shakespeare’s world and the context in which the plays are set with an introduction to Elizabethan language and culture. Students will also analyze the theatrical and cinematic adaptations of each play. The course assesses students’ mastery of content through a variety of writing and close reading assignments and class discussion aimed at analyzing Shakespeare’s narrative and interpreting his works in a modern context.

ENGLISH IV: CREATIVE WRITING

½ Credit // Grade 12

Students will experience writing as a tool for critical thinking, self-discovery, and creative expression. The course is comprised of three units: fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Students will analyze published works and produce their own writing in each of these genres. Writing skills will be developed through pre- writing, editing, revising, and critiquing. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to identify successful elements of an effective piece of creative writing, participate in a writing community, and express themselves with originality and clarity in stories, poetry, and personal essays.

ENGLISH IV: WWI, MODERNISM, AND MENTAL HEALTH

½ Credit // Grade 12

ENGLISH IV: FICTIONAL WORLDS, TOLKIEN STUDIES

½ Credit // Grade 12

Through the exploration of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, students will consider how distance from reality allows writers and readers to examine issues that would otherwise hit too close to home, leading to the inevitable discovery that fantastical fiction (as all literature) does indeed reveal human truths. The course also

As the first truly global conflict, WWI brought cultures together in relationships of equality and mutual reliance that transformed the world in ways still unfolding today. In a time of exponentially fast-paced change, looking back to the events and effects of the First World War reassures us that catastrophe can be a catalyst for extraordinary creativity. Reading primary sources from soldiers, nurses, poets, and frontline workers across the globe, students will explore why this particular war “broke the world.” Class discussions and written assignments will deepen our understanding of trauma, both global and individual, while psychology and history sources will show the tragedies of misdiagnosis and the triumphs of empathy-informed science. Students will read one of the most ground-breaking modernist novels, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, as well as the more recent historical novel, Regeneration, by Pat Barker.

Topics in each class are presented numerically, graphically, analytically, and verbally to enhance the learning experience. AP courses in calculus and statistics follow the topic outlines set by the College Board for their respective disciplines. Graphing calculator competencies increase with each grade level, and students are exposed to the latest math software each year.

COURSE OPTIONS:

Algebra I

Algebra II or Algebra II (H)

Geometry or Geometry (H)

Mathematics Department

All students are required to enroll in a math course each of their four years in high school. Students must complete a minimum of four units: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus or Trigonometry and Analysis. Those students who successfully complete Algebra I in grade 8 must still complete four years of mathematics during upper school. A teacher recommendation, high averages in prerequisite courses, and a strong performance on standardized tests are required for all Honors and AP courses.

MATHEMATICS (4 CREDITS REQUIRED)

The mathematics curriculum is designed so that students learn to:

• Read, write, and orally communicate mathematical concepts.

• Organize, analyze, depict, and interpret data to make decisions and predictions related to real-world situations.

• Solve theoretical and practical problems using essential concepts of algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics.

• Comprehend the relationships between mathematics, sciences, and technology.

Pre-Calculus or Pre-Calculus (H)

Calculus or AP Calculus (AB & BC)

AP Statistics

Trigonometry and Analysis (12th grade only)

ALGEBRA I

1 Credit

This introductory course is intended to build the foundation for further study in symbolic mathematics. The major concepts introduced will be simplifying expressions; solving equations, inequalities, and systems of equations in two or more variables; factoring polynomials; simplifying rational expressions; problem solving; defining, graphing, and exploring domains and ranges of functions; and simplifying radical expressions. Students will explore data using regression analysis and use their regression equation to make predictions. Graphing calculators will be used to solve problems, experiment with data, and verify conclusions. Trigonometry and geometry are also explored on an introductory level.

Algebra Ii

1 Credit

A thorough review of topics from Algebra I comprises the first part of this course. More extensive study is given to the topics of radicals and complex numbers, linear and quadratic equations, and problem solving. New concepts studied include conic sections, logarithmic and exponential functions, sequences and series, matrices, probability, and statistics. Mathematical modeling through regression analysis will be explored on a deeper level than in Algebra I. Trigonometry will also be explored in a more formal and extended fashion including graphs of the trigonometric functions with transformations.

GEOMETRY 1 Credit

This course is designed to emphasize the study of the properties and applications of common geometric figures in two and three dimensions (plane and solid geometry). It includes the study of transformations of plane figures and right triangle trigonometry. Inductive and deductive thinking skills are used in problem solving situations, and applications to the real world are stressed. This course also emphasizes writing proofs in various forms to solve (prove) properties of geometric figures.

GEOMETRY (H)

1 Credit

ALGEBRA II (H)

1 Credit

Algebra II Honors covers much of the same material as the regular Algebra II class with a more rigorous approach to the study of those topics as well as further topics from geometry and trigonometry. Specifically, students will look more closely at functions defined by tables, graphs, and equations, and utilize mathematical modeling more extensively. New concepts will be introduced numerically, graphically, analytically, and verbally whenever possible. Additional graphing calculator competencies will include solving systems of linear equations using matrices, finding roots of equations, solving non-linear systems of equations, and maximizing/minimizing graphs of functions.

Honors Geometry covers the curriculum of the college preparatory geometry course, but the scope is much broader. In addition to the familiar topics, students will explore more challenging logic problems and write more extensive proofs. Analytic geometry will be explored in depth in preparation for more advanced math courses. Advanced mathematical concepts from Pre-Calculus and Calculus will also be introduced at an introductory level.

PRE-CALCULUS

1 Credit

This course in advanced mathematics provides an extensive and extended study of both algebraic and geometric concepts, with major emphasis on trigonometry, conic sections, functions and their graphs, and probability. The basic concepts of analytic geometry, including continuity and limits of functions, and the definition of the derivative are also introduced. Students will explore the representation of patterns using arithmetic and geometric sequences and series, including the use of sigma notation to represent series.

PRE-CALCULUS (H)

1 Credit course but do not choose to take AP Calculus. Limits, differentiation, and integration are studied in the same depth as most first semester college calculus courses. Students are also given a brief introduction to solving differential equations by separation of variables. Students are encouraged to investigate mathematical ideas and processes graphically, numerically, algebraically, and verbally. Mathematical modeling and making predictions from models will be further explored, and graphing calculator technology will continue to be utilized when appropriate.

This course is designed for students who plan to take calculus, either during senior year or in college. Pre-Calculus Honors is a program of mathematical studies focusing on the development of the student’s ability to comprehend and apply the study of functions and advanced mathematics concepts to solve problems. The course will include an in-depth study of polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions, as well as an introduction to sequences and series, parametric and polar equations, probability, and limits. Emphasis is placed on active participation through modeling, group activities, and communication in mathematics.

Ap Calculus Ab

1 Credit

Calculus

1 Credit

This mathematics course is ideally suited for students interested in business and economics, life sciences, and social sciences and who have met the prerequisites for a calculus

This course is intended for students who are preparing for the advanced placement calculus exam. The course begins with an extensive exploration of elementary functions with an emphasis on the relationships between functions and their graphs, and students will be introduced to the concept of families of functions. Both differential and integral calculus of a single variable are explored. Theory and application are emphasized equally. Students are encouraged to look at mathematical ideas and processes numerically, graphically, analytically, and verbally. Emphasis will be placed on both the mechanics and the interpretation of differential and integral calculus. Students will become proficient with the entire range of their graphing calculator’s capabilities. Students taking this course will be expected to take the advanced placement exam in calculus for the purpose of receiving college credit in calculus.

Ap Calculus Bc

1 Credit

Like Calculus AB, this course is intended for students who are preparing for the advanced placement exam. In addition to the topics covered in AP Calculus AB, students will also be introduced to analysis of planar curves given in parametric, polar, and vector form; slope fields; Euler’s method; antiderivatives by substitution, parts, and simple partial fractions; logistic equations; Taylor polynomial approximations; and Taylor and Maclaurin series. The content of Calculus BC is designed to qualify students for placement and credit in a course that is one level beyond that granted for Calculus AB.

Ap Statistics

1 Credit

The purpose of this AP course in statistics is to introduce students to the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students will explore data (describing patterns and departures from patterns), sample and experiment (planning and conducting a study), anticipate patterns (exploring random phenomena using probability and simulation) and statistical inference (estimating population parameters and testing hypotheses. Students may take AP Statistics as a second math course—with teacher recommendation—after successfully completing Algebra II. Students can also take AP Statistics as their only math course during their senior year.

Trigonometry And Analysis

1 Credit // Grade 12

This course provides a general overview of mathematics aimed at those seniors who will be majoring in the liberal arts, education, social sciences, business, nursing, and allied health fields. Students will study topics covered in a normal pre-calculus course with additional scaffolding in place. The core components of the course will center on evaluating all trigonometric functions in any radian measure using the unit circle, graphing and identifying key features of sinusoidal functions, and modeling using trigonometry. The analysis portion of the course will take the families of functions and explore features of each family. Other topics include the study of complex numbers, combinatorics, and sequences and series. Students who have had both Pre-Calculus and Trigonometry and Analysis will also be well-prepared for a college-level course in calculus should they choose to take it after entering college.

Science Department

The goal of the FRA science department is to prepare students with the skills and knowledge needed to develop a functional understanding of biological and physical principles in a college-preparatory setting. Students are exposed to successively more sophisticated concepts and experimental skills that allow them to investigate the nature and behavior of matter, energy, and living organisms. The science faculty is committed to offering active learning experiences, engaging the students through lecture, discussion, projects, and laboratory work. These various modes of instruction help students develop and enhance their ability to think critically and communicate intelligently about scientific problems and issues. Throughout the program, students pose and investigate questions about observable natural phenomena, analyze quantitative and qualitative information, and examine the historical development of fundamental principles through the use of 21st-century skills.

Extensive laboratory skills are taught and utilized in upper level classes. AP courses in chemistry, biology, and physics follow the topic outlines set forth by the College Board for their respective disciplines. Required laboratory series in these classes prepare students for college laboratory success.

SCIENCE (3 CREDITS REQUIRED)

All students must successfully complete Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

COURSE OPTIONS:

Biology I or Biology I (H)

Chemistry I or Chemistry I (H)

Physics I or Physics I (H)

AP Biology

AP Chemistry

AP Physics I

AP Environmental Science (11-12)

Organic Chemistry* (11-12)

Anatomy & Physiology* (11-12)

Robotics* (10–12)

Engineering* (10–12)

Environmental Science* (10–12)

Science of Innovation* (10–12)

Biotechnology* (10-12)

BIOLOGY I

1 Credit

This course is designed to give a basic understanding of living organisms and how they function. Biological communities, basic organic chemistry, cellular cytology studies, genetics, change over time, taxonomy, ecology are all studied. The units are planned with college preparation in mind as well as an effort to stimulate a genuine interest in the sciences. Extensive lab work, dissections, and written lab reports are required.

BIOLOGY I (H)

1 Credit

Honors Biology is a rigorous year-long laboratory course designed for freshman students. Honors Biology covers topics covered in a high school biology course and prepares students for AP Biology. Students study the structures, functions, and process of living organisms and their interactions with the environment.

Major themes include cell structure and specialization, energy and chemistry of life, genetics and evolution, diversity of life. Students learn complex biological concepts through interactive lectures and application, and knowledge is assessed through quizzes, labs, tests, and projects. The curriculum integrates writing skills, critical-thinking skills, laboratory skills, and dissections. In addition, the course work will emphasize microscopy, calculating data, graphing, and free response questions. CHEMISTRY

I

1 Credit

This course utilizes problem-solving skills as well as laboratory explorations and mathematical reasoning to examine the basics of atomic theory, chemical reactions, thermochemistry, gas laws, and colligative properties. Prerequisites for this course include Algebra I and Biology I, and concurrent enrollment in or completion of Algebra II is also required.

AP BIOLOGY 1 Credit

AP Biology is an introductory college-level biology course for students who have successfully completed high school courses in biology and chemistry. AP Biology is equivalent to a two-semester college introductory biology course. Students cultivate their understanding of biology through inquirybased investigations as they explore: evolution, cellular processes, energy and communication, genetics, information transfer, ecology, and interactions. This course spends over 25% of instructional time doing hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to apply the science practices. The course is based on four big ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way of thinking about living organisms and biological systems. The following are big ideas:

1. Evolution - The process of evolution explains the diversity and unity of life.

CHEMISTRY I (H)

1 Credit

This course focuses on mastery of concepts, mathematical skills, laboratory reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Rigorous algebra is used frequently to analyze chemical concepts. Topics to be covered in this course include nomenclature, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, gas laws, atomic theory, and solution chemistry.

Prerequisites for this course include successful completion of Algebra I and Biology I, and concurrent enrollment or completion of Algebra II is highly recommended. Chemistry I (H) prepares students to take AP Chemistry the following year.

2. Energetics - Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, reproduce, and maintain dynamic homeostasis.

3. Information Storage and Transmission - Living systems store, retrieve, transmit, and respond to information essential to life processes.

4. Systems Interactions - Biological systems interact, and these systems and their interactions possess complex properties.

Prerequisites for this course are Honors Biology I and Honors Chemistry I.

Ap Chemistry

1 Credit

As a continuation of the Chemistry I Honors class, this course examines the equilibrium condition, including basic equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, solubility equilibrium, coordination chemistry, thermodynamics, and chemical kinetics. Other topics that are studied include electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry, and descriptive chemistry. Students will be required to use mathematical reasoning skills, laboratory reasoning, and problem-solving techniques to work problems involving very rigorous algebra computations centered on chemical concepts. Prerequisites for this course are successful completion of Chemistry I Honors and concurrent enrollment in Pre-Calculus. Upon completion of this course, students are prepared to take the AP Chemistry exam.

Physics I

1 Credit Physics I is a college preparatory course designed to provide an algebra-based introduction to physics, with a focus on classical Newtonian mechanics, work and energy, momentum, waves, and electricity. The course also provides significant laboratory experience aimed to highlight the connection between physics principles and everyday life. Completion of Algebra II is a prerequisite for this course.

PHYSICS I (H)

1 Credit Physics Honors I is a rigorous, algebra-based, college-preparatory physics class designed for strong students who have a desire to continue in science or engineering in college or continue on to

AP Physics while at FRA. The course focuses on Newtonian mechanics, work and energy, momentum, rotational motion, and waves. The course also provides a significant laboratory component aimed to develop critical thinking analytical skills while deepening students’ understanding of physics concepts. A strong performance in Algebra II is a prerequisite for this course.

Ap Physics I

1 Credit

This course conforms to the College Board topics for the AP Physics 1 Examination. AP Physics 1 is equivalent to a firstsemester college course and laboratory in algebra-based physics. The course is designed to use six big ideas in physics – systems, fields, force interactions, change, conservation, and waves - as a vehicle to develop eight core science practices. The content of this course trains students to think like physicists while also improving science literacy and critical thinking skills. This course focuses on both linear and rotational Newtonian mechanics (motion and forces) but also includes topics such as work and energy, DC circuits, and waves. The course requires a substantial lab component.

Ap Environmental Science

1 Credit

In one form or another, the vast majority of humanity has realized the ecological impacts of our species on planet Earth. While this problem is not new, this is without doubt the most pressing and complex problem that we have (and will face) as a species. It would also be short sighted not to mention that this problem also extends to all species inhabiting our planet. On the importance of education, Ben Franklin is quoted as saying “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Therefore, the importance of education for this problem is two-fold. First, the presentation of current knowledge on the scope and current thinking on this problem will directly benefit the FRA student community in their preparedness for the innumerable amount of jobs that are tied to sustainability and mitigation of humanities ecological impact. Secondly, the deliverance of such education helps FRA increase the global citizenship of our students and increase the impact of our academy and our graduates.

Organic Chemistry

½ Credit (does not replace full-year chemistry credit)

This course is designed to provide a fundamental overview of organic chemistry to students interested in pursuing a career in the sciences. Upon successful completion of this class, students will have been exposed to and understand the relationship between the structure and function of molecules, the major classes of mechanistic reactions, how to determine structure via various spectroscopic techniques, reaction energetics and pathways, and stereoisomerism. Common themes throughout the units of this class will include nomenclature, chemical and physical properties, prevalence of organic molecules in the surrounding world, and molecular orbital theory.

ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY

½ Credit

This course offers an in-depth study of human anatomy and physiology. The areas covered include medical terminology, basic chemistry, cell and tissue structure, and the systems of the human body.

Numerous applications and everyday examples will show how the human responds to disease, injuries, as well as what conditions help to optimize health. Dissections of various body parts (using mammalian animal specimens) will be used to show how anatomy relates to physiology.

Robotics

½ Credit

This STEM course consists of two parts. In part one, students will utilize the VEX robotics platform and learn the basic principles of robotics and coding. In part two, students will be introduced to more advanced computer coding and will utilize the open-source Arduino robotics platform. Upon completion, students will have a deeper understanding of the principles of robotics as well as how to design, build, and control various robots.

ENGINEERING ½ Credit

Engineers seek to better the world by developing creative solutions to design problems through the improvement or creation of products or systems that serve society. This semester long course will introduce students to the field of engineering through the Engineering Design Process. The course will focus on the development of problem solving and critical thinking skills through case studies and hands-on, project- based coursework. Through the exploration of each step of the design process, students will also learn about important challenges faced by and crucial skills required of engineers including, but not limited to, cultural sensitivity, ethics, and engineering drawing. The second half of the course will allow students to work through the full design process from problem statement to final product, culminating in an oral presentation and demonstration of each group’s product.