7
A CLOSER LOOK
FEBRUARY 1, 2016
Course Selection Guide 2016–2017
The difficulty ratings and the course descriptions represent the subjective view of the TPH editorial board and staff. The data about assignments and assessments for each class was selfreported through students’ Infinite Campus profiles a week before publication. For the courses that did not have sufficient representation from within our class, we contacted teachers and/or current and former students for more information.
The latest on PHS classes:
A guide to this guide:
Number assigned per quarter
Title of Course
Difficulty from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest)
Assignments/Assessments
Tips from teachers and students
On Friday Feb. 26 from 8 to 9 a.m., students will have the opportunity to attend up to three 15 minute presentations about electives and honors/AP classes. Teachers and students who have previously taken the class will present and take questions.
English Language Arts Circle discussions, writing paragraphs and essays.
Creative Writing
Public Speaking
Fiction and creative nonfiction writing. Workshop environment.
American literature. Close reading, analytical writing.
Honors English 5-6
7.5 / 7.5
0 / 5.5
0/5
4 / 6.5
Students are graded on participation weekly. Introductory course.
*
*
Read “Lord of the Flies” and “Of Mice and Men”. I Search lasts all third quarter.
35 / 8 *
English 7-8
9.5 / 4.5
More freedom in curriculum without AP standards. Less individual work than other English classes.
AP English Literature
8.5 / 8
*
*
*
*
21 / 8
English 5-6
*
English 3-4
English 1-2
Read three books for summer homework. American literature. Frequent discussions.
Poetry and verse in first semester, novels in second. Lots of archaic English. More timed writes than take-home essays.
Algebra II
Statistics
Mathematics
Integrated Math 1/2A
23.5 / 3
8 / 7.5 Assignments optional, but tests every other Friday. Tests ask for explanations of solutions.
AP Calculus AB
Math Analysis
*
25 / 3.5
Skills needed in calculus. Show understanding algebraically, numerically and graphically.
0/3
*
Tackle class work in groups. Each assignment takes around 10 to 15 minutes. Algebra, geometry, statistics.
No homework. Extra review sheets before tests available. Students collaborate on all classwork.
New: Integrated Math 2
23 / 3
*
Integrated Math 1
Build on Algebra I skills.
23.5 / 4 Gives students tools to collect and analyze data. Often uses real life numbers.
AP Calculus BC
Honors Statistics
0 / 2.5
23.5 / 3
Same routine as AB but material varies more. Pace faster and tests larger.
Class is usually hands-on and includes time for work and questions. Understand theory behind formulas.
New: Integrated Math 2B/3 Prerequisite: Integrated Math 1
Math 2 is the equivalent of the old Geometry class, but it covers both geometric and algebraic concepts, including proofs and quadratics. Students will work together to discover mathematical patterns, math teacher John Hayden said. Workload cannot accurately be estimated until teaching assignments have been solidified.
Note on the Integrated Math curriculum Because students tend to excel in either geometry or algebra, the integrated math approach will ultimately be easier on students because their strengths will be used every year, Hayden said. The new approach is more similar to students’ experience with Geometry than their experience with Algebra because the current College Preparatory Math (CPM) curriculum has students work together in groups in order to discover mathematical concepts.
Prerequisite: Math 1/2A or Math 1, 2A summer course This compressed track involves less spiraling back to earlier concepts, and students should expect 1.5 to 2 times as much work per week as in the normal class. The compressed track is easier for students who love math, and it requires mental maturity because students must independently learn any material that they do not understand the first time through, math teacher John Hayden said. Hayden said he thinks that maybe onethird of students are well-suited to the compressed approach. “Compressed is designed for people who are fast thinkers, who can look at something once and kind of get it,” Hayden said.
* Multiple sections of this class exist, so this ratio only represents one possible experience
students may have. In the event that we collected data from all of the sections, we averaged the numbers for ease of view.