SAR High School Curriculum Guide 2015-2016

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ECURRICULUM GUIDESAR HIGH SCHOOL

IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU LEARN. IT’S WHO YOU BECOME.

CURRICULUM GUIDE SAR HIGH SCHOOL 1

2 Mission Statement

3 Principles of Learning

4 Judaic Studies

16 Beit Midrash Fellows Program

17 General Studies

44 Senior Year

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RABBI TULLY HARCSZTARKPrincipal

MS. NANCY LEREAAssociate Principal

RABBI AARON FRANKAssociate Principal

DR. MARK SHINAR Director of General Studies

MS. LISA SCHLAFFDirector of Judaic Studies

RABBI ALLAN HOUBENAssistant Principal

CURRICULUM GUIDE SAR HIGH SCHOOL2

SAR High School is a community of learners dedicated to:

•recognizingtheuniqueneedsandpotentialsofeachindividual •challengingeverylearnertomovebeyondhisorhercomfortablelimits •probingandengagingtheworldwithhumilityandopennesstoGod’s

creations •immersingallofitsmembersinacultureoflearningandserviceas

participantsintheGrandConversationbetweenתורה and the world •shapinganenvironmentofdiscourseandactionwheremitzvotinspire

respect,obligationandaspiration

This mission commits us to:

יראת שמיםStudentswilldeepentheirloveforandcommitmenttoתורה,Mitzvotandourrichheritageoflearning.OurgraduateswillcontinuouslydeveloptheirrelationshipwithGod,openingthemselvestothemysteryandwonderoftheworld.

תורה וחכמהStudentswillbedevotedtoexploringthelanguage,practiceandoutlookofthetwocultureswithinwhichtheylive.Ourgraduateswilldedicatetimeintheirdayforתורהstudyandintellectualinquiry.TheywillshapeJewishlife,createJewishcultureandcontributetothebroadersociety.

מדינת ישראלThecreationoftheStateofIsraelisoneoftheseminaleventsinJewishhistory.RecognizingthesignificanceoftheStateanditsnationalinstitutions,weseektoinstillinourstudentsanattachmenttotheStateofIsraelanditspeopleaswellasasenseofresponsibilityfortheirwelfare.

אהבה הזולתStudentswillcultivateacaringandcompassionatedispositionandrespondtotheneedsoftheirschool,family,andcommunity.Theywilldeveloptheskillstoworkwithotherstowardcommongoals.OurgraduateswillactinaspiritofcourageandselflessnessforsocialjusticeandthebettermentofIsrael.

צלם אלוקיםStudentswillrecognizetheiruniquestrengthsandtalentsandvaluethecontributionsofothers.Theywilldemonstratecourageofthoughtandaction.Ourgraduateswillactwithhonestyandintegrity,beingtruetothemselvesasindividuals.

MISSION STATEMENT

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תורCURRICULUM GUIDE SAR HIGH SCHOOL 3

PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING

SAR High School is a community of learners that recognizes the unique needs and potentials of each individual. The school is committed to maximizing student achievement by:

•Challengingallstudentsaslearnersandcitizens.Clearstandardsofperformancewillguidestudentsinmasteringessentialknowledgeandskillsaswellasdevelopingthehabitsofmindforsuccessfullearning.

•Engagingstudentsintasksthathavemeaningtothemasindividuals.Becauselearningisahighlypersonalandtransformationalexperience,studentsarevaluedasdecisionmakers.

•Fosteringaclimateofactivelearninginwhicheachstudentisaproduceraswellasconsumerofknowledge,andtheteacherisvaluedasmodelandcoach.

•Developingthroughcollaborativelearningandpresentationtheinterpersonalskillsessentialforlifelongproblemsolving.


learning at SAR involves an authentic engagement between the student and תורהthe text in which the student views him or herself as part of a community that has been interpreting and living according to these texts for centuries. Theגמרא מסכתות and ספרי תנ”ךwestudyarechosenbecauseoftheirabilitytoconveykeyfundamentalknowledgeandskillsaswellasraiseessentialquestionsrelevanttostudents.גמרא is studiedwithauniqueintegrationoftraditionalinterpretationofTalmudicdebatesandreflection on the issues the גמראraisesforourlives.תנ”ךstudyisgroundedinadeepunderstandingoftheliterarystructureoftheפשט,enablingstudentsto“own”andenter the discussions of traditional מפרשים.

A Focus on Skill Building. Our curriculum is geared towards helping students acquiretheskillsnecessarytointerpretandanalyzeתנ”ך ,גמרא and commentaries independently.Inordertobecomeanindependentlearnerofגמרא, students need to understandthenatureofthetext;whattypesofquestionsareasked,whoisspeakingwhen,whenanearliersourceisbeingmarshaled,whenanargumenthaspracticalconsequences,andwhenitisatheoreticalconstruct.תורהSheb’alPeh(TSBP)classesconstantlyaddressthequestionof“whatistheגמראdoinghereandwhy?”AfocusonterminologyandstructureofTalmudicdebateshelpsstudentsapplyskillsfromone דףtothenext.Thisalsoincludesanemphasis,whenpossible,onthehistoricalplacesandpeoplebehindtheגמרא. When approaching a unit of תנ”ך,studentsfirststudy,discussandgeneratequestionsontheפשטandthenproceedtoanalyzethecomments of traditional מפרשים.Studentsdevelopthehabitsofmindtoappreciatetheliterarynatureofanentireunit,aswellastheabilitytodissectasingleפסוק. When studyingפרשנות,emphasisisplacedonprecisioninreadingandexplaining;studentsareexpectedtounderstandtheroleofparticularprooftextsandtointuitimplicitquestions.

,studentsourofskillscommunicationHebrewthestrengthentoorderIn .עברית בעבריתJudaicStudiesclassesaretaughtinHebrew.InordertoaccommodatestudentswhoarenotabletofollowaclasstaughtinHebrew,therearesectionsinTSBPandtanakhthataretaughtinEnglishineachgrade.Additionally,weprovideabridgeclassinTSBPandTanakhinwhichthelanguageofinstructionisinbothHebrewandEnglish.

An Emphasis on Both עיון and בקיאות.Inordertoensurethatlearnersdevelopdepthandbreadthinתנ”ך and גמרא –aswellasahabitoflearning,thecurriculumhasbotha בקיאות and an עיוןcomponent.Thewaytobecomeanindependentlearnerofגמרא is,simply,toseealotofגמרא.Forthisreason,TSBPclassesfocusoncoveringgroundin גמראratherthanfocusingintensivelyoncommentaries.Studentswhoareabletolearn גמראatanacceleratedpacespendsignificanttimestudyingתוספות and other theywhichinprogramבקיאותainparticipateclassesadvancedaddition,In.ראשוניםstudyadditionalmaterial.Theעיון component of תנ”ךinvolvesin-classanalysisofthecentralissuesofaunitandin-depthstudyofפרשנות.Theבקיאותcomponentinvolvesweeklystudyofפרשת השבוע, in accordance with the tradition of שניים מקרא אחד תרגום

JUDAIC STUDIES

CURRICULUM GUIDE SAR HIGH SCHOOL 5J

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–reviewingtheפרשהeachweek.AdvancedTanakhclasseslearnadditionalseforimaspartofabekiutprogram.

Probing Essential Questions that are Religiously Significant and Relevant to Students.Theתנ”ך and גמראarethefirst,andmostessential,booksofJewishthought.Atallpointsinourstudyofספרי קודשweask,“Whatdoesthistexttellusabouthowweshouldliveourlives?”

Eachסוגיאisstructuredaroundanessentialquestion,suchas“Whataretheparametersofpersonalresponsibilityinpublicspace?”Theseserveasbothapointofentryandadrivingstructureforserioustextualanalysis.Wereflectontheimportantquestionsraisedbythetext;forexample,whenstudyingמסכת קידושין, students grapple with the עגונהissueandstudyavarietyofmodernsolutionstotheproblem.Out of respect for the תורה’slessons,wedirectlyaddressdifficult–andcontemporary-issuesthatariseinstudyofחומש,suchastheparticularethicsofwarproscribedin.ספר דברים

Emphasis on Multiple Perspectives and Habits of Mind.Infocusingon“howtolearn”wenotonlygainabetterunderstandingofatextualunit,butalsogainlifelonghabitsofmind.Theverynatureofthetextswestudyteachushowtobebetterthinkersandbetterpeople.גמראlearningatSARthusmodelstheגמראitselfinconstantlyemphasizingtheadoptionofmultipleperspectives,theimportanceofprovingone’sclaims,andtoleranceforambiguity.Theתנ”ךprogramequipsstudentswithmanylensthroughwhichtoview’דבר ה.Throughstudyofbothtraditionalפרשנותandliteraryanalysis,studentsappreciatetheexpansivepossibilitiesofthetext.Exposuretothehistorical and social realities the תורהaddresseshelpsthetextcomealive. Internalizing the Text.Thetextswestudyspeaktoourlivesandmustbecomeapartofourconsciousness.LearningatSARemphasizesחזרהsothatstudentsinternalizeand“own”thematerialinawaythatmovesbeyondsimplereviewforatest.


Enabling Real Learning

Longer periods.TSBPclassesmeettwoperiodseachday.תנ”ך istaughteveryday,withonedoubleperiodaweek.ThelongerblockoftimeprovidesstudentstheopportunitytoengageinחברותאlearningandstudyinsmallgroupswiththeBeitMidrash Fellows.

Beit Midrash Fellows.Eachתנ”ך and גמראclassisfacilitatedbyateacherandsupportedbyFellowsfromourBeitMidrash.Twoperiodsaweekinגמרא and one periodaweekineachתנ”ך classbreaksintosmallgrouplearningwiththeBeitMidrashFellows.Thesmallstudent-teacherratioenablesteacherstodifferentiateinstructiontomeettheneedsofalllearners.Inגמרא,studentswhohavemasteredtheסוגיאmaymoveontostudyראשונים,whilestudentswhoneedmoretimeforreviewareaffordedtheopportunity.Inתנ”ך,studentswhoneedtoworkonskillswithרש”יmaydoso,whilestudentswhocandoadvancedworkinפרשנותareprovidedthechallenge.

Assessment. Arangeofassessmenttools,suchasoraltestsofreadingability,testsinvolvingunseenmaterial,researchprojectsandclasspresentationsareusedtoadvanceinstruction.Ineachgrade,studentsarerequiredtocompleteprojectsinתנ”ך whichrequirethemtoapplytheskillstheyhavemasteredinclasstoanunseenunitoftext.Theprojectshelpstudentsrealizeindependenceinthestudyofתנ”ך.

Faculty Collaboration. SARteachersworkasacollaborativeteamtodevelopandcontinuallyrefinecurriculum.Teachersmeetonaregularbasistoanalyzestudentworkand plan curricular units.


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Judaic Studies Curriculum Overview

Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12

תורה שבעל פהTorahSheb’alPeh

בבא קמאהמניחהחובל

קידושין

האשה נקנית

האיש מקדש

האומר לחברו

סנהדריןאחד דיני ממונותבן סורר ומורה

ברכותהיה קוראמי שמתוELECTIVES:

Middot through Media

AJudaisminTransition:ExploringEzra-Nehemiah

DrawingfromtheText

הלכהHalakha

הלכות שבת הלכות שבת הלכות שבת הלכות שבת

חומשChumash

במדבר שמות / ויקרא דברים בראשיתELECTIVES:

JewishEthicsinaComplexWorld

JewishEncounterswithOther Faiths

נביאNavi

Eliyahu and Elisha מלכים א’- מלכים ב’

Time Period of Yeshayahuישעיהו- מלכים ב’

Time Period of Yirmiyahuירמיהו- מלכים ב‘

Seniors continue their learning of Bereishit

עבריתIvrit

HebrewLanguage and LiteratureI

HebrewLanguage and LiteratureII

HebrewLanguage/Zionism throughHebrewLiterature

ConversationalHebrew

מחשבת ישראלJewish Philosophy

מחשבת ישראלJewish Philosophy

JewishIdentityCourseModernIsraeliHistory

יהודיתהיסטוריהJewish History

World & Jewish HistoryI

World & Jewish HistoryII


תורה שבעל פהGOALS: Students will develop the ability to:

•Readandgenerallycomprehendanunseenpageofגמרא •Understandthetypesofquestionstheגמרא engages •Translateandunderstandthefunctionofkeyגמרא terms •Appreciatethemultiplevoicesandformspresentintheגמרא •Navigatethestandardprintedpageoftheגמרא •Makeeffectiveuseofreferencematerials •Ask:Howdoesthistextaffectorchallengemywayofbeingintheworld?

SCOPE AND SEQUENCE:Studentsstudyadifferentמסכתeachyear.Thecurriculumiscumulative and spiral, in that studentswillbeheldaccountablefortheskillsandmaterialtheyhavecoveredastheyprogressthroughthegrades.Thecourseofstudyforeachgradeisbaseduponskillsandmaterialstudentshavealreadyencountered.Studentsshouldexpecttocoverapproximately8 dapim in גמראeachyear,withadvancedclassescoveringadditionaldapiminbekiut.

Grade 9: בבא קמא Studentslearnsugyotinthethirdandeighthפרקים of בבא קמא, which deal with the balancebetweenindividualrightsandcommunalnormsandthelawsofdamages.Thepublictheinindividualtheofrightstheare“Whatassuchquestionsaddressפרקיםspace?”and“Whenisitpermittedtotakethelawintoyourownhands?”Studyofisandlaw,AmericanandlawJewishofcomparisonforopportunityaffordsבבא קמאparticularlyapplicabletotheteenagestrugglebetweenindividualityandcommunity.

Grade 10: קידושין Studentslearnsugyotinthefirst,secondandthirdפרקים of קידושין, which deal with the fundamentals of marriage and the laws of שליחות (agency).StudentsbegintheyearbycomparingmarriageinBiblical,Mishnaic,andTalmudictimes,leadingtoanappreciationforhowchazalviewedtheinstitutionofmarriage.Thesecondandthird פרקים containmanyessential“shas”conceptsthatincreasestudents’scopeofknowledge.

Grade 11: סנהדריןStudentsbeginwithstudyofthefourthפרק of סנהדריןwhichaddressesthequestionthatliesatthecoreoftheJewishlegalsystem:mustacourtpursuetruthorpursuepeace?Studentswillthenmoveontostudyselectedסוגיות from the eighth פרק, dealingwithlawsofself-defense.Studyofסנהדרין affordsopportunityforintegrationoflegalstudiesandcomparisonwithAmericanlaw.

Grade 12: ברכותStudents learn the second and third פרקים of ברכות which focus on issues related to halakhicbothofanalysisrichpromoteslearnedmaterialThe.תפילה and קריאת שמעandphilosophicaltopics.Wefocusprimarilyonhalakhicסוגיות butincludeanumberof סוגיות whichdealprimarilywithאגדתא. When learning through the סוגיות, students


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developskillsintracingthehalakhicdevelopmentofanideafromtheגמרא through morecontemporaryhalakhicliterature.

InordertosupportthevalueofchoiceinstudentlearningandexposestudentstoawidearrayofJewishsubjects,duringthefirstsemesterseniorshavetheoptionofdedicatingalloftheirTSBPtimetoגמרא study,orsupplementingstudyofגמרא with a JudaicStudieselective.

הלכות שבתGOALS:

ThegoalsofSAR’shalakhacurriculumaretoinstillinstudentsarespectforthehalakhicprocess,aswellattainknowledgeofhalakhicconceptsandtheirapplications.Allstudentsarelearningהלכות שבת.SARusesacurriculumdevelopedbyRavYosefZviRimon’sHalakhaEducationCenter,whichfocusesonunderstandinghowthehalakhicsystemworksaswellasonpracticalhalakhicknowledge.Studentsingrade-levelclassesstudyhalakhatwoperiodsaweek.Studentsinadvancedclassesstudyhalakhaoneperiodaweekandarerequiredtodosomepreparationathomeforhalakhaclass.

חומשGOALS: Students will develop the ability to:

•Distinguishbetweenvariousformsofbiblicaltext,suchaslaw, narrativeandpoetry

•Breakdownaפסוק into its component parts •UtilizereferencematerialssuchastheBDB(biblicaldictionary)and

abiblicalConcordance •Identifyliterarypatternsinaparticulartext •Askwhattheחומשisinterestedinrelayingandwhatitleavesout •Tracethedevelopmentofbiblicalcharacters •Compareandcontrastparallelbiblicaltexts •Appreciatetheחומש anditscommentariesinhistoricalcontext •Understandthetypesofquestionstheמפרשים ask •Analyzetheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofasolutionofferedbyacommentator •Recognizethedistinctmethodologiesofspecificמפרשים

SCOPE AND SEQUENCE:Toenablestudentstolearnmaterialindepthand“live”inthetexttheyarelearning,theoftwo-thirdsgrades,9th-11ththeInconcurrently.studiednotareנביא and חומשyeararespentonחומשandone-thirdisspentonנביא.Inthe12thgrade,theentireyearis spent on learning חומש.

Duringthefouryearsofhighschool,studentsareexposedtovariousgenresofחומש,


suchasnarrative,lawandpoetry.Studentswillcompletestudy(throughacombinationof בקיאות ועיון)ofthemajorityofחמישה חומשי תורה.

Thecurriculumisspiral,inthatחומשlearningconstantlybuildsuponpreviouslyacquiredskills.Asstudentsprogressthroughthegradestheydealwithincreasinglydifficultמפרשים.

Grade 9: במדברTheninthgradebeginsstudyofבמדברwiththenarrativesofcomplaintinפרק יא. Theספר dealswithquestionsofauthority,leadershipandgroupcohesionthatareparticularlyappropriateforthefirstyearofhighschool.Studentscompleteindependentprojectsonthenarrativesofקרח and the מרגלים.

Grade 10: שמות ThetenthgradebeginsitsstudywiththenarrativeshighlightingMoshe’sdevelopmentasaleader.Withthatbackground,weproceedtostudytherevelationatSinai.Unitsintheofbuildingtheandcalf,goldentheofsinthe,תורהtheofgivingtheonfocusשמות .חטא העגל and עשרת הדברות Students complete independent projects on the .משכן

Grade 11: דבריםofsystemidentity,newaestablishingofchallengethewithdealsספר דבריםgovernance,andrelationshipwithGodinanewland.StudyofדבריםprovidestheopportunitytomakeinterdisciplinaryconnectionswithbothTSBPandGeneralStudiesaroundtheissueofgovernance.Studentscompleteindependentprojectsonthebiblicalsystemofgovernanceandthelawsofwar.

Grade 12: בראשיתIn12thgradestudentsrevisitafamiliartextwithanewmaturityandnewlensesforanalysis.ThefocusofthecurriculumisonthecreationnarrativesandthetrialsofAvraham.Particularemphasisisplacedondistinguishingפשט from דרש when reading biblicalcommentary.

InordertosupportthevalueofchoiceinstudentlearningandexposestudentstoawidearrayofJewishsubjects,duringthefirstsemesterseniorshavetheoptionofdedicating all of their תנ”ךtimetostudyofבראשית,orsupplementingstudyofתנ”ך withaJudaicStudieselective.

נ”ךGOALS: Students will develop the ability to: •Appreciateindividualנבואות and entire ספרי נ”ךinabroadhistoricalcontext •Understandthedistinctpersonality,messageandindividualdevelopmentofeachנביא •Discerntheפשט of units of נבואותandmakeappropriateuseofreferencetools, such as dictionaries and מפרשים. •Recognizethetypesofissuestheנביאיםaddressandask:“Howaretheserelated tothetypesofissuesthatbotherme?”


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SCOPE AND SEQUENCE:Toenablestudentstolearnmaterialindepthand“live”inthetexttheyarelearning,theoftwo-thirdsgrades,9th-11ththeInconcurrently.studiednotare נביא and חומשyeararespentonחומש andone-thirdisspentonנביא.Inthe12thgrade,theentireyearis spent learning חומש.Duringthefouryearsofhighschoolstudentsareexposedtobothnarrativeandpoetrywithinספרי נ”ך.

Theנ”ך curriculumproceedschronologicallyfromthetimeofאליהו through the חרבן. Studentsstudyנבואות inchronologicalorderacrossvariousספרים in order to attain a sense of the historical realities the נביאיםaddressed.Significanttimeisspentonintegrityliteraryandtheologicaltheappreciatestudentsthatso,מלכים, ישעיהו וירמיהוof each ספר.Thismethodoforganizationhelpsstudentsacquireabroad-basedknowledgeacrossנ”ך as well as an awareness of the interrelationship of its ספרים.Thechronologicalorientationofthecurriculumrequiresthatstudentsconstantlyreferenceandreviewpreviouslylearnedmaterial.

Grade 9The9thGradestudiesthetimeperiodofאליהו ואלישע.Studentsdevelopanappreciationforthepersonalityanddeedsoftheseנביאים andthewaysinwhichtheydifferedfromeachother.ThecurriculumaffordsstudentstheopportunitytograpplewiththequestionofwhatistheroleofaNavi.

Grade 10The10thGradestudiesthetimeperiodofישעיהו.Studyofthehistoricalnarrativesin with emphasis on the comparison ,ישעיהו of נבואותtheofstudybyenhancedisמלכים בofthetwoperspectives.Essentialquestionsdealtwithare:“Whatisrelativeimportance of מצוות בין אדם למקום(mitzvotdirectedtowardsGod)?”and“Howdoessocioeconomicstatusimpactuponreligion?”

Grade 11The11thGradestudiestheperiodleadingtotheחרבןasportrayedinמלכים ב ,ירמיהו and hisofunderstandingandevelopstudents,ירמיהוofstudyin-depthThrough.איכהmessage of גלות, as well as the personal struggles of this נביא.Studyofhistimeperiodprovidestheopportunitytodealwithissuessuchas:thelimitstorepentanceandthepersonal relationship of a leader to his/her people.

Grade 12The12thGradecontinuesitsstudyofבראשית into the spring semester.


SENIOR YEAR JUDAIC STUDIES ELECTIVES

MIDDOT THROUGH MEDIA Wewillexploreethicalandmoralprinciplesbyviewing,readinganddiscussingcurrentmedia.Wewillviewmovieclipsandreadarticles,learnTorahsourcesrelatedtothelessonstheyteach,anddiscusshowwecanapplytheselessonstoourlives.Throughthemediumofmedia,wewillexaminethelessonstheTorahhastoteachaboutissuessuchasleadership,resiliency,materialism,happiness,andrelationships.

A JUDAISM IN TRANSITION: EXPLORING EZRA-NEHEMIAH ThebooksofEzraandNehemiahencompassthefallofבבל and the return of the Jews fromtheDiaspora.EzraandNehemiahareconsideredtwoofthemostimportantleadersinJewishhistoryfortheirroleinreshapingJudaisminordertomaintainitsrelevanceinsociety.Manyofthequestionsthatwereimportantatthattimecontinuetoresonatetoday,includingthequestionofwhoisaJew,whattodoaboutintermar-riage,andhowtoabidebytheTorahinachangingsociety.Wewillexplorethesebigquestions,andthehistoryofthesecondTempleperiod,whiletryingtocomparetheirsolutionswiththoseoftoday’sJewishleaders.

DRAWING FROM THE TEXT ThisistheclassthathasproducedtheSARHaggadahandMegilatRut.Inthiscourse,wewillexplorethetextandexpanduponthetraditionofillustratingaseferfromTanakhwiththeguidanceofanartteacherandaJudaicStudiesteacher.Wewilldelveintothemeaningofthesefer,andexpandupontechniquesemployedinthe11thgradeelectivecoursessuchascalligraphy,paintinganddrawingtocomeawaywithourownvisualmidrashimandchiddushim.Studentsofallskilllevelsareencouragedtojoin.

JEWISH ETHICS IN A COMPLEX WORLD WhydoestheTorahallowslavery?Howdoeshalakhatreatcriminals?WhatismyresponsibilityasaJewwhenthereisaglobalcrisis?WhenandwhydoeshalakhatreatJewsandnon-Jewsdifferently?InthiselectivewewilllookatancientandmodernJewishsourcesonfourmajortopics:EconomicJustice,Worker’sRights,Jewsandnon-Jews, and Criminal Justice. We will emerge with a nuanced appreciation for what the Torah’sethicscancontributetotoday’smajorculturaldebates.

JEWISH ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHER FAITHS Inthiscoursewewillexploretheinsider/outsiderdynamicinthestudyofreligionaswesensitizeourselvestowhatitmeanstobeempatheticobserversandresearchersofotherfaithswithoutadvocacyorcynicism.WewillstudythereactionsonthepartofJewishthinkerstothereligionsoftheworld,rangingfromexclusivismtopluralism.Throughtheuseofprimarytexts,art,andotherformsofmedia,wewillexaminetheearlyhistoryanddevelopmentofChristianityandIslamaswellastheircentralprac-ticesandbeliefsinanattempttogainamorenuancedappreciationofJudaism,itshistories,practicesandbeliefs


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SARHighSchoolhasbeenselectedtoparticipateintheNETAproject.NETAisaninnovativenewcurriculuminitiativeinHebrewlanguageandculturespecificallydesignedfordayschoolstudentsingrades7-12.NETAwascreatedbyHebrewlanguagespecialistsfromtheHebrewUniversityofJerusalem,isadministeredbyBoston’sHebrewCollege,andsupportedbytheAVICHAIFoundation.

Themulti-dimensionalNETAprogramfocusesonthefourmajorlanguage-acquisitionskills–listening,speaking,reading,andwriting–byimmersingstudentsineverythingfromclassicalHebrewtextstoIsraelimusic,andfromhistoricaldocumentstopoetryand drama. Lessons are centered on themes of interest to teenagers, ranging from computersandsportstofriendshipandfreedom.Eachthemeispresentedfromthreeperspectives:Jewishtradition,modernIsraelicultureandgeneralworldknowledge,includingart,science,mathematics,literatureandphilosophy.NETAseekstocreateacommunityofHebrewspeakerswhocanenjoyalectureinHebrew,readaHebrewbook,participateinaseriousdiscussionorcasualconversationinHebrew,readanarticleinanIsraelinewspaper,andwritealettertotheeditorinHebrew.Comprisingoriginaltextsofallgenresandawidevarietyoflearningactivities,thecurriculumisalwaysintellectuallychallenging,engagingthestudents’thoughtprocesses.

TheSARHighSchoolIvritprogramwillsupplementtheNETAprogramwithavarietyofliterarytexts,novelsandshortstoriesfromcontemporaryHebrewliterature.IntheirJunioryear,studentsswitchtoanexclusiveprogrambuiltspeciallyforSAR.Theprogramisbasedonthethemeof“FromDreamstoReality”inwhichthestudentswillbeexposedtoandexploregreatmastersofclassicHebrewliterature(Agnon,Bialik),aswellastextsfromimportantleadersinJewishHistory(Herzel,EliezerBen-Yehuda).ThegoalofthisprogramistohelpstudentslearnaboutHebrewLiterature,andthroughthesetexts,learnaboutZionism.Thisprogramisbuiltforthreelevels:beginner,intermediate,andadvanced.Intheirsenioryear,allstudentstakeathreeperiodaweekConversationalHebrewcourse,thefocusofwhichisimprovingtheirspokenHebrew.Heavyemphasisisplacedoninteractionandsmallgroupconversation,withthegoalofincreasingstudentcomfortandfluency.


MACHSHEVET YISRAEL - JEWISH PHILOSOPHY

InordertoenablestudentstograpplewithcomplexideasthatarecentraltoJewishfaith,theMachshevetYisraelcurriculuminvitesstudentstoexploretheirownideasaboutJudaisminrelationtobothtraditionalandmodern,Rabbinicandphilosophicaltexts,aswellastheconcreterealitiesoftheirlives.Thecoursesaredesignedtosupportourstudents’explorationofJewishfaithbygivingthemthetoolstoreadandanalyzetexts,marshaltheargumentsofprominentJewishthinkersandtoappreciatethatquestionsarenever-endingandatestamentofathoughtfullife.TheMachshevetYisraelcurriculumbeginsasafullyearcourseinthe11thgradeandcontinuesintothe12thgradeasacomponentofourinnovativeJewish Identity course.

GOALS: •Studentswillengageinintrospectioninanefforttomeaningfullyexploreand understandtheirJewishbeliefsandpractices •Studentswillbuildskillsinreadingandanalyzingmedievalandcontemporary Jewishphilosophicaltexts •Studentswillbeprovidedwithanenvironmentinwhichtheirchallenging philosophical/theologicalquestionscanbediscussedandaddressed Grade 11: IntheJuniorMachshevetYisraelcourse,studentsgrapplewithquestionsoffaiththatarebothreligiouslyessentialandpersonallysignificantastheybecomeresponsible,thoughtfulandcommittedmembersoftheJewishcommunity.Thecourseisbuiltaroundthefollowingunitsandquestions: 1. Faith/Reason:IstheexistenceofGodprovable?Canonebelievewithout

rationalproof?Arethereobligatorydogma?Arescienceandreligionreconcilable?

2. Free Will: IfGodhasforeknowledge,doesmanhavefreewill?HowdoesGodinterveneintheworld?HowcanagoodGodallowevil?

3. Morality: Isthereanethicindependentofhalakha?HowcanGodcommandthatwhichisseeminglyimmoral(ThebindingofIsaac,ThedestructionofAmalekitedescendants)?

4. Chosenness of the Jewish people:HowisJudaismdistinctfromothermonotheisticreligions?WhatmakesJewsunique?

The Jewish Identity Course: An Interdisciplinary Look at Modern Jewish Identity TheJewishIdentitycourse:AnInterdisciplinaryviewofModernJewishIdentityisaninnovativecoursethatbeginsduringthesecondsemesterofSenioryear.ThecourseisdesignedtoreflectthevaluesofSARHighSchool:apassionforlearning,a desire to engage the world around us, and a commitment to our Jewish future. Thecourseinvitesourseniorsintoanewarenaoflearningthatoperateswithsomeofthesameprinciplesasothercourses–criticalanalysis,opendialogueandfacingdifficultproblems.ItisdesignedtoofferourseniorsanintenseandcriticalviewintothedifficultquestionsaboutModernJewishIdentity.Thecurriculumexaminesthesequestionsfromtheuniqueperspectivesofthreedisciplines:Literature,JewishPhilosophyandJewishHistory.IntheHistorycomponentofthecourse,students


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willfocusontheHolocaustandtheStateofIsrael,andwillconsiderthehistoricalbackgroundofsomeofthemajorissuesfacingtheStateofIsraeltoday.TheEnglishandphilosophycomponentsofthecoursechallengeourstudentstoactivelyconsiderhowtheHolocaust,theStateofIsrael,theproliferationofJewishdenominations,andcompetingnotionsoftheJew’srelationshiptonon-Jewsimpactsourcommunalandpersonalidentities.ThecoursepushesstudentstoconsidertheirownemergingsenseofthemselvesasModernOrthodoxJewsthroughtheircarefulconsiderationofsomeofthecentralissuesandeventsfacingcontemporaryJewry.

JEWISH HISTORY

Integrating History, Jewish History and Jewish IdentityAsJews,wearecommandedtorememberourpast.Anunderstandingofourpeople’shistoryisessentialforforgingastrongJewishIdentityinthepresent.TheJewishHistoryprogramatSARHighSchoolencompassestwoyearsofintegratedWorldandJewishHistorycoursesintheninthandtenthgrades;andthetwelfthgradeJewishIdentitycoursehighlightingthestudyoftheHolocaustandtheStateofIsraelasvitaltotheformationofourModernJewishIdentity.TheJewishHistorycurriculumcoverstheperiodfromthebeginningsofJewishsettlementinAncientIsraelandtheflourishingofJewishlifeintheDiasporathroughthefoundingoftheModernState.ThegoalistoenablestudentstoappreciateJewishlifefrommultipleperspectives–social,intellectualandcultural.Thus,thestudyofJewishhistoryisnotaboutmemorizingdatesandfacts,butaboutminingprimarysourcestogaininsightintotherichtapestryofJewishlifethroughouttheagesandfindingitsrelevancetoustoday.

GOALS: •ExploretheinteractionoftheJewishpeoplewithotherculturesandunderstand themannerinwhichfundamentalconceptswithintheJewishcommunityhave beenshaped •GainhistoricalperspectiveoncommunalmattersthataffectthemasJewstoday and into the future


BEIT MIDRASH FELLOWS PROGRAM

Tenfull-timeBeitMidrashFellows,menandwomenhailingfromNorthAmericaandIsrael,learneachdayintheBeitMidrashwhichis,physicallyandphilosophically,thecenterofSARHighSchool.MostfellowsaresimultaneouslycompletingadvancedJudaicStudiesdegreesatinstitutionsofTorahlearningintheUnitedStates.FellowsdividetheirtimebetweenpersonallearningandlearningwithstudentsaswellasservingasTeacherAssistantsinJudaicStudiesclasses.AllJudaicstudiesclassesutilizetheBeitMidrashandtheFellowsforsmallgrouplearning.Thepresenceofyoungadultslearninginourבית מדרשservesasanimportantmodelforourhighschoolstudents.Fellowsparticipateinadvancedshiurim,aGrandConversation,andaPedagogypracticum.

Thefellowsenhancethelifeofourschooleachdayinnumerousways.Fellowsfosterandcontributetoourvibrantenvironmentofתלמוד תורה. Fellows participate in theofguidancetheUnderweek.aperiodstwoapproximatelyclassesתנ”ך and גמראteacher,fellowslearnwithsmallgroupsofstudents,allowingteacherstodifferentiatematerialtomeettheneedsofallstudents.Studentsinneedofreviewandbasicskilldevelopmentareprovidedwithsupport,whilestudentswhocanbechallengedwithmoreintensivematerialareaffordedtheopportunity.

Smallgrouplearningallowsstudentstodeveloptheirskills,broadentheirbaseofTorahknowledge,developastrongvoicebysharingideasinasmallgroupandestablishmeaningfulrelationshipswithawonderfulrolemodel.TheFellowsalsohelpdesignandimplementmanyco-curricularactivitieswhichpromoteruach(schoolspirit),MedinatYisrael,andSAR’sannualtheme.

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AtSARHighSchool,studentsengageinanintellectuallystimulatingGeneralStudiesprogram.TheGeneralStudiesprogramiscommittedtoprovidingallstudentswithafirmfoundationandappropriatelevelofchallengeinthefieldsofEnglish,History,Mathematics,Science,ForeignLanguage,SocialSciencesandtheFineArts.Wearecommittedtoeachlearner’sgrowthasaself-directedlearner,collaborativeworkerandresponsiblecitizen.

Ourgoalistocreatewell-roundedandliteratecitizensofthe21stcenturyaswellaslifelong learners.

InadditiontothecorecoursesoutlinedintheGeneralStudiesCurriculumOverview,ourstudentshavetheopportunitytoparticipateinmultipleacademicco-curricularvenues.Throughouttheyear,therearealsonumerousculturalandacademiceventsofferedthatallowstudentstoenrichtheireducationinmeaningfulways.

GENERAL STUDIES


General Studies Curriculum OverviewGrade9 Grade10 Grade11 Grade12

English IntroductiontoLiterature and Composition

AdvancedLiterature and Composition

AmericanLiterature

elective: Writer’sWorkshop

APEnglishAmericanPoetryContemporaryAmericanLiteratureCreativeWritingLiterature and FilmMurderNoirPage to StageShakespeare’s Tragedies

History World & Jewish HistoryI

World & Jewish HistoryII

APUSHistory USHistory

APArtHistoryAPComparativeGovernment&PoliticsAPEuropeanHistoryAmericanJewishExperienceGiantsoftheEastMarriageinAmericaPop Culture

Mathematics AlgebraIGeometry

AlgebraIIGeometry

AlgebraIIAlgebraIIwithFAPrecalculus

APCalculusABAPCalculusBCAPStatisticsAppliedMathematicsCalculusPrecalculus

Science Biology Chemistry APBiologyConceptualPhysicsMathematicalPhysicsElective:ComputerAppCreation

APCPhysicsAPComputerScienceForensicsPhysics

Foreign Languages

Arabic9 French9 Latin9 Spanish9



Arabic12French12Latin12Spanish12

Social Sciences

elective: Economics

APMacroeconomicsAPPsychologyAbnormalPsychologySpeech and Communications

Fine Arts StudioArt Introduction to Music

3-DDesignArtFun-damentalsDramaMusic in FilmPhotography

APMusicTheoryAPStudioArtIntermediate StudioArt

Health IntrotoHealthyLiving

HealthyLifeChoices

Physical Education

WeightBasketballVolleyballTrackWhiffleBall TrainingSoccerFootballFloorHockeyTeamHandballYoga

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HUMANITIES CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

ThestudyofEnglishandHistoryatSARHighSchooldirectsstudentstoexploresignificantthemesthatareengaging,powerfulandrelevant.Thecurriculumisdesignedtoexaminethenatureofthehumanconditionandtheculturalfoundationsofmodernsociety,andtoempowerstudentsasagentsofchange.Meaningfulconnectionsacrossdisciplinesaremadetosupportanintegratedviewofknowledgeandexperience.Thegoalisforstudentstonotonlyachievehighlevelsofskillandliteracybutalsoengageinauthentic,productivethinkingasexplorersofhistoryandculture.

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GOALS:Students will: •Developproficiencyintheareasofreading,writing,listeningandspeakingfor

thepurposesofliteraryinterpretation,criticalanalysis,creativeexpressionandpersonal reflection

•Developeffectivereadingcomprehension,criticalthinkingandinterpretivestrategies across the curriculum

•Appreciatethestudyofliteratureastheexplorationoftheconnectionsthatlinkpeople,traditions,culturesandgenerations,aswellastheconflictsandmisapprehensionsthatdividethem

•Writeprosethatisclear,organizedandpersuasive •Expressthemselvesaswritersbydeveloping“voice”andexploringwritingboth

as a means to understanding the world and the self and as a form of pleasure •Expandvocabularyandhaveasophisticatedcommandofsentence,paragraph

andessaystructure •Develop“intellectualcharacter”:thedispositionsofmindwhichservethestudent

beyondhighschool.Theseincludeflexibilityofmind,curiosity,skepticism,logicalthinkingandworkingeffectivelywithothers

Grade 9: Introduction to Literature and CompositionFreshmanEnglishistheportaltotheworldoftheskilled,articulate,self-motivatedandwell-organizedhighschoolstudent.ThegoalforstudentsattheendoffouryearsofEnglishclassistoreadtextsclosely,toworkaloneorinagroupinformulatingresponsestothetext,analyzethemlogically,thinkoriginallyandwriteortalkaboutthemarticulatelyandpersuasively.Theformationofthatstudentbeginsonthefirstdayoffreshmanyear.Eachunitfocusesonbothtextualanalysisandspecificwritingskills.

Webegintheyearexaminingtheconceptsofpointofview,closereading,aswellascreatingarespectfulcommunityofeffectivelearners.Weemphasizewritingclearlyandcorrectlyallyear.Bytheendoftheyear,thegoalistohaveastudentwhocanbegintoanalyzetextindependently,tofindandexploreeachtext’sessentialquestions,tolistentotheideasofothers,toclearlyarticulatevaryingpointsofview,andthencraftalucidandlogicalshortessaywithastrongintroductionendinginaclearandarguablethesisstatement.

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Texts will be drawn from the following list:A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimebyMarkHaddon Maus I and II byArtSpiegelmanRomeo and Juliet byShakespeareA Raisin in the SunbyLorraineHansberryThe Chocolate WarbyRobertCormierThe Rime of the Ancient MarinerbySamuelT.Coleridgeaswellasavarietyofpoemsandshortstories

Grade 10: Advanced Literature and CompositionInthiscourse,studentscontinuetoexploreandrefinetheirclosereadingandwritingskills.Studentslearnhowtoidentifykeymomentsinliteraryworksthatallowforinterpretationinordertohelpthemunderstandthetextasawhole.Thisprocessincludesconsideringhowliterarytechniqueslikefigurativelanguageandmotifsgeneratethemesandideas,andalsohowthereadingprocessisshapedbytheassumptions,values,andinterestsreadersbringtothetext.Indoingso,studentsbalancealoyaltytothetextwiththeirownpersonalandcreativeresponses.

Thiscloseexaminationallowsstudentstowritemorethoughtfullyastheygeneratethesis-drivenresponsesrootedintextualevidence.Significantattentionisdevotedtotheintellectualandrhetoricalmethodswithwhichathesisisidentified,supported,anddeveloped.Witheverypieceofwritingthefollowingprocessisemployed:brainstorming,outlining,drafting,revising,editing,andevenpublishing.Eachunitfocusesononebuildingblockofthewritingprocess.

Intenthgrade,studentsalsoconsiderwhotheyareasstudents:examiningtheirgrowth,reflectingonhowtheycommunicatewithpeersandteachers,andacknowledgingtheirpresenceinacommunityoflearners.

Texts will be drawn from the following list:The Book ThiefbyMarcusZusackMacbeth byShakespeareThe Metamorphosis byFranzKafkaThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde byRobertLouisStevensonThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian byShermanAlexieBrave New World byAldousHuxleyThe House on Mango Street bySandraCisnerosaswellasavarietyofpoemsandshortstories

Grade 11: American LiteratureThiscoursethematicallyparallelsthecurriculuminUnitedStatesHistorybylookingatthechallengesofestablishinganewidentity,systemofgovernanceandvisionoftheselfandthenationinanewland.Inthiscase,thatlandis“thepromisedland”ofAmerica.

Central questions in American Literature are:WhatdoesitmeantobeanAmerican?Whatdoesitmeantobeanimmigrant?


Whatdiditmeantobeaslave?HowdidtheCivilWar,WorldWarI,WorldWarIIandtheVietnamWarchangethiscountryanditsliterature?

Thisclassbuildsontheworkofthepasttwoyears,focusingonclosetextualanalysisandexplorationoftheworldoutsidethetext.Writingwilltakeplaceintheformoflogs,essays,researchpapersandpersonalessays.Towardstheendoftheyear,theclassexaminesmemoirswhichexploretheissuesofidentityingeneralandAmericanidentityinparticular.Studentswritetheirownmemoirsintheformofpersonalessays,withaneyetowardboththeirownemergingvoicesinwritingandthemanypersonalessaystheywillberequiredtowriteforcollegeapplications.

Texts will be drawn from the following list:The Things They CarriedbyTimO’BrienThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D.SalingerDeath of a Salesman byArthurMillerThe Great Gatsby byF.ScottFitzgeraldA Farewell to Arms byErnestHemmingwayOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest byKenKeseyThe Awakening byKateChopin

Grade 11: Elective

Writer’s WorkshopTheabilitytocommunicateeffectivelyinwritingisoneofthemostimportantskillsforeducationalandcareersuccess.Writer’sWorkshopisdesignedtoimprovethestudent’sunderstandingandapplicationoftechniquesandskillsinprofessionalandacademicwriting.Thecourseaimstohelpstudentsofallskilllevelsimprovetheirwritinginvariousformatsandvoices,includingdescriptive,persuasive,personal,andcreative.Writer’sWorkshopwillcoverinformationaboutwritingfromthepre-writingstageofplanningandorganizationthroughactualwriting,revision,andediting.Writingisatechnicalprocessthatcanbelearned,butitisalsoasatisfyingprocessofself-discovery.Translation:itcanbefunaswellasinstructive.Thiscourseisdesignedwithbothofthesegoalsinmind.

Grade 12: English ElectivesStudentsarerequiredtocompleteoneEnglishelective.

AP English Thiscourseoffersanintensecollege-levelexaminationofhowwritersdelight,enlightenanddisturbusthroughtheemploymentofliterarydevicesandelements.YouwilldeveloptheskillsyouwillneedtoappreciatethejokesofJosephHellerinCatch 22,toexaminethenatureofhumankindinMaryShelley’sFrankenstein, and to exploreprofoundandtroublinghumanquestionsintheworksofCarsonMcCullers(The Heart is a Lonely Hunter)andWilliamShakespeare(Hamlet).Whatisthenatureofhumanity?Wheredowecomefromandwheredowego?Islifemeaningfulormeaningless?Dohumanshavefreewill,oriscontrolanillusion?Inthiscourseyouwilldeveloptheskillsnecessarytoappreciateandcomprehendhowsuchliterary

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devicesastone,pointofview,imagery,structure,ironyandhumorcontributetomeaninginaworkofliterature.Writinginstructionwillincludeattentiontodevelopingandorganizinghighlyfocusedessaysexpressedinclear,coherent,andpersuasivelanguage;astudyoftheelementsofstyleandtechniquesforrevision;andattentiontoprecisionandconcision.Throughoutthecourse,emphasiswillbeplacedondevelopingstylisticmaturityandapersonalvoice,respondingeffectivelytoadifficultpassageorquestion,andcreatingoriginalandinsightfulacademicarguments.

American Poetry: The Birth of an American SelfWhat’ssoAmericanaboutAmericanpoetry?Thiscoursewilltryandanswerthatoverarchingquestion,whiledevelopingyourappreciationforandunderstandingoftheuniquetraditionofAmericanpoetry.Throughclosereading,seminardiscussion,andessaywriting,youwillstudysomeofthecentralpoetsintheAmericantradition,suchasEdgarAllanPoe,WaltWhitman,EmilyDickinson,andMaryOliver.Andthroughregularcreativewritingassignments,youwillwriteoriginalpoetrythatisinspiredbyandemulatesthesegreatAmericanpoets.Alongtheway,youwillconsiderthehistoricalquestionsofAmericanidentitythatbothinfluenceandareexpressedinthese poems.

Contemporary American Literature InhisintroductiontoThe Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, TobiasWolff(ed.)writesthatcontemporaryAmericanauthorswritestoriesthataresorealthatthey“endureinourmemories,tothepointwheretheytakeonthenatureofmemoryitself.Inthiswaytheexperienceofsomethingreadcanformnolessthantheexperienceofsomethinglivedthrough.”Becausenarrativeissointimatelylinkedtohumanexperiences,thiscoursewillfocusontheveryinterestinganduniquewaysthatcontemporaryAmericanauthorswriteandhowtheliteraturecanhaveanimpactonusasreadersandaspeople.Thevarioustypesofgenrethatweread,includingnovels,memoirs,shortstories,andpoetry,willrepresentdiverseethnic,racial,andsocialgroups,givingusthechancetoreflectonwhattheyrevealabouttheevolvingAmericanexperienceandcharacter.Instudying“realcharacters”withwhomwecanultimatelyrelateandempathize,wewillexplorehowreadingliteraturehelpsusbetterunderstandourselvesandothers.Assignmentswillincludeanalyticalessaysandcreativewritingopportunities,aswellasvisual,artistic,andperformancecomponents.

Novels: The Joy Luck ClubbyAmyTamNovellas: The Shawl byCynthiaOzickMemoirs: This Boy’s Life byTobiasWolff The Color of Water byJamesMcBrideShortStories: The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, TobiasWolff(ed.)Poetry: PerformancePoetryunit

Creative Writing Inthishalfyearcourse,wewillexploreandrehearseavarietyofliteraryforms,includingfiction,poetry,anddrama,inanefforttobothcultivateyourownwriterlyinterestsanddevelopyourownvoiceandstyle.Thecatch:yourownworkwillbetheprimarytext.Youwillbeexpectedtoshareyourworkwithyourclassmateseitheroutloudorinwriting,andtocritiqueyourclassmates’work.Pleasenote:ifyouchooseto


takethiscourse,youwillalwaysbewritingsomething,andnothingyouwritewillbeprivate.Thisaspectofthecourse,whileanxietyprovoking,willlikelyprovetobetheprimarysourceofitsexcitement.

Literature and Film Providingcomic,romantic,surrealorhorrificviewsonastory,filmscreenwritersanddirectorscanreinterpretatextinwaysthatchallengeorredeemtheoriginalstory.Theartofadaptationandthequestionofhowastorycanandshouldberecreatedandretoldonthesilverscreenwillbeafocusofthiscourse.Studentswillexaminewhichfilmandstorytellingtechniquesareemployedtoexplorepersonalandcommunalchallengesinshorts,featurefilmsanddocumentaries.Studentswillalsostudyscreenwritingandcomposeoriginalscreenplaysforparticularscenes.

ThroughourpartnershipwithTheJewishMuseuminNewYorkCity,studentswillparticipateintheirHighSchoolFilmFestivalandbegrantedprivilegedaccesstoaward-winningdocumentaries.Duringthesecondsemester,studentswillhavetheopportunitytoresearchandsubmitproposalsforthe2014-2015HighSchoolFilmFestival.Studentswillalsowritereviewsofthefilmsformuseumpublication.Throughouttheselectionprocess,studentswillhaveauniqueopportunitytoworkcloselywithmuseumstaffandlearntheartoffilmmaking.

Murder NoirInhisessay“TheSimpleArtofMurder,”RaymondChandlerdescribestheheroofadetectivestory:“Downthesemeanstreetsamanmustgowhoisnothimselfmean,whoisneithertarnishednorafraid.Thedetectiveinthiskindofstorymustbesuchaman.Heisthehero,heiseverything.Hemustbeacompletemanandacommonmanandyetanunusualman.Hemustbe,tousearatherweatheredphrase,amanofhonor.”MurderNoirwillexplorenovelssuchasTheMalteseFalcon,TheLadyintheLake,andTheChill,whicharenarratedbysuchdetectives.Wewillexplorethedetective’scode,ahard-boiledresponsetothechaosthatlurksbeneaththeveneerofmoderncivilization.Wewillinvestigatewhathappenswhenourherofallsinlovewitha“femmefatale,“aseductiveanddangerouswoman,andtowhatextentadetectivecompromiseshiscodeofbehaviorwhenheisblind-sidedbylove.Thenwewilltakeafictionaldetourintotheblackheartandtwistedmindofprotagonistswhoarelesssavorycharacters,suchaswefindinThePostmanAlwaysRingsTwiceorDoubleIndemnityorTheKillerInsideMe.Studentswillwriteseveralessaysthatcomparecharacters,writingstylesorthemes.Theywilldoacasestudyinwhichtheyreadseveralworksbythesameauthor.Wewillwatchafewclassicnoirfilms,suchOutofthePastandChinatown,toseehowfilmadaptsandchangestheelementsofhard-boiledcrimefiction.Finally,studentswilltrytheirhandatwritingtheirownnoirshortstories.

Page to Stage Capturinganaudienceisaboutcommunicatingsomethingimportant,whetheryou’retellingastory,pitchingacool,newideaorpersuadingajury.InPagetoStage,wewilldeterminehowtoengageanaudience.Indoingso,wewillreadandanalyzefull-lengthplaysanduseourinterpretationstocreatetheatricalperformances.Ourprimaryquestionis:whathastohappenasaworkevolvesfromaone-on-oneconversation

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betweenwriterandreadertoapublicperformancemediatedbyactors?Asreader,actor,anddirector,youwillexperiencedramafromseveralperspectivesandturninterpretationandanalysisintodirectionandperformance.Wewillalsostudythestructureofplaystoinformyourownpracticeofdraftingmonologues,scenesandone-acts.Youwillhaveseveralrolesinthisclass:reader,writer,interpreter,director,actor,and,mostimportantly,collaborator.Textswilllikelyinclude:Medea, Oedipus the King, The Spoon River Anthology, A Doll’s House, The Glass Menagerie, Lost in Yonkers.

Shakespeare’s Tragedies Shakespeare’sTragediesisanelectivedesignedtoexposestudentstothelanguage,work,andinsightofoneoftheworld’sgreatestcreativeliterarygeniuses.InourcloseexaminationofShakespeare’sfourmajortragedies,Hamlet,Macbeth,Othello,andKingLear,wewillfamiliarizeourselveswithfoundationalelementsofliterarycriticism.Indoingso,wewillconsiderhowmodernreadersbalanceloyaltytothetextwithmorepersonalandimaginativeinterpretations.Theworkwillconsistofreadingassignmentsand personal response papers.

HISTORY

GOALS:Students will: •Engageinhistoricalanalysissuchasdifferentiatingbetweenhistoricalfactsandinterpretations,consideringmultipleperspectives,utilizingcounterfactualreasoningtodiscerncriticalturningpoints,identifyingcauseandeffectrelationships,andhypothesizingtheinfluenceofthepastuponthepresent •ExploretheinteractionoftheJewishpeoplewithotherculturesandunderstand

themannerinwhichfundamentalconceptswithintheJewishcommunityhavebeenshaped

•GainhistoricalperspectiveoncommunalmattersthataffectthemasJewstodayand into the future

•Developresearchcapabilitiesthatallowforformulatingquestions,obtainingandquestioningdata,andconstructingsoundhistoricalinterpretations

•Identifyhistoricalconflictsandthefactorsthatcontributedtothem,andformulateandevaluatealternativecoursesofaction

•Thinkabouthistoryinachronologicalfashionthatenablesthemtounderstandtimeframes,“periodization”andhistoricalpatterns

•Comprehendhistoricaleventsinordertoreconstructmeaning,identifycentralquestionsanddrawupondata

Integrating History, Jewish History and Jewish IdentityAsJews,wearecommandedtorememberourpast.Anunderstandingofourpeople’shistoryisessentialforforgingastrongJewishIdentityinthepresent.TheJewishHistoryprogramencompassestwoyearsofintegratedWorldandJewishHistorycoursesinthe9thand10thgrades;theMachshevetYisraelcourseinthe11thgradewhichplacescentralJewishthinkersandideasintohistoricalperspective;andthe12th

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gradeJewishIdentitycoursehighlightingthestudyoftheHolocaustandtheStateofIsraelasvitaltotheformationofourModernJewishIdentity.TheJewishHistorycurriculumcoversthebeginningsofJewishsettlementinAncientIsraelandtheflourishingofJewishlifeintheDiasporathroughthefoundingoftheModernState.ThegoalistoenablestudentstoappreciateJewishlifefrommultipleperspectives–social,intellectualandcultural.Thus,thestudyofJewishhistoryisnotaboutmemorizingdatesandfacts,butaboutminingprimarysourcestogaininsightintotherichtapestryofJewishlifethroughouttheagesandfindingitsrelevancetoustoday.

Grade 9: World and Jewish History IThiscourseexplorestheevolutionofsimplesocietiesintomorecomplex“civilizations.”Studentsconfrontthesparseandproblematicsourcesthatnecessarilylimitourknowledgeoftheearliestperiodsofhumanhistory.Thecourseexploreswhatitmeanstobe“civilized,”andhowearliestcivilizationsdevelopedinwaysthatstillreverberateinourmodernsociety.Studentsbeginthestudyof“Western”CivilizationbyexaminingtheancientHebrews,comparingtheirethicalmonotheismtoneighboringpolytheisticcultures.MovingtotheGreco-RomanworldandtheriseofChristianityandIslam,theystudythetrajectoryofMedievalEuropeanhistory,notingthepointsofcontactandconflictbetweenJudaism,ChristianityandIslam,andtheirinfluenceontheessenceofWesternsocietyintheMiddleAges.Indistinctmodulesthroughouttheyear,studentswilladdressthehistoryoftheJewsastheyencounterthesocietiesandculturesaroundthem.ThisapproachallowsforplacingJewishHistoryintoitshistoricalcontextwhilestudyingthehistoryofthereligious,cultural,andpoliticallifeoftheJewishcommunity.Inadditiontothetextbook,studentswillbeintroducedtothecriticalstudyofprimarysources,throughtheuseofliterature,drama,philosophyandart.

Grade 10: World and Jewish History IIInajourneyfromtheHighMiddleAgesthroughthe20thcentury,studentswillconsidersomeoftheimportantquestionsrelevanttotheformationofnationsandtheconflictbetweennationalandindividualidentity.Additionally,inseekingtostrengthenstudents’Jewishidentity,theirconnectiontoandprideintheirpast,thecoursewillcontinuetoincorporateJewishHistorymodulesfortheintensivestudyofModernJewry.Insteadofsimplystudyingpastevents,thecourseisstructuredaroundassignmentsandactivitiesinwhichstudentsexaminethehistoricalrecords,activelyandcriticallyreconstructinghistoricaleventsfromprimaryandsecondarydocumentsandconsiderhowtheyinformwhowearetoday.

Thefinalunitof10thgradehistoryfocusesonthehistoryoftheStateofIsrael.BeginningwiththeWarofIndependence,thecurriculumcoversIsrael’sstruggleswithherneighborsaswellasherinternaldevelopment.FollowingayeardiscussingtheemergenceofstrongstatesinEurope,thisistheidealtimetointroduceIsrael’semergenceasastrong,democraticstateintheMiddleEast.

Grade 11: Advanced Placement United States HistoryThiscourseprovidesstudentswithasolidgroundinginthebasicfactsofAmericanhistory,whileintroducingthemtothebroaderconceptsandthemesthatcharacterizethestudyofhistoryonahigherlevel.Inparticular,studentsfocusonthestudyofhistoriography—howhistoryhasbeenwritten,andhowthestoriesthatwetellabout

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ourpastchangeovertime,reflectingthecircumstancesandconcernsoftheperiodinwhichtheyarewritten.Throughoutthecourse,studentsreturntothequestionofwhatitmeanstobeanAmericanandhowwedefinetheAmericanideal.Inexploringthat,studentspaycloseattentiontotheConstitutionasthefoundationaldocumentofthegovernment,andhowithaschangedovertimethroughamendmentandinterpretation.Studentsareexpectedtoreadextensively,thinkcritically,writeanalytically,andcontributeregularlytoclassroomconversations.ThiscourseisdesignedtopreparestudentsfortheAdvancedPlacementexamination.

Grade 11: United States HistoryThiscourseexaminesthemajorsocial,political,economic,culturalandideologicaldevelopmentsinthehistoryoftheUnitedStates.StudentswillfocusontheexpressionofthefoundingprinciplesoftheRepublic,includingdemocracy,federalism,individualliberty,thedefinitionofAmericancitizenship,andtheextensionofrightsandequalityforall.ThecourseemphasizestheroleoftheConstitutioninestablishinga“moreperfectunion”andexaminesitasanadaptabledocumentthatnecessitatedamending.Inaddition,studentsexploretheroleofthecitizenininfluencinganddetermininggovernmentpolicy,aswellasthechangingroleandpoliciesofthefederalgovernmentacrossUnitedStateshistory.Throughextensiveresearchandreporting,primarysourceanalysis,essaywriting,andcollaborativework,studentsdeveloptheircriticalthinking,writtenandanalyticalskills.

Grade 12: History Electives

AP Art History Doesartworkmirrorhistoryortransformhistoricalevents?Thiscourseexamineshowthecontextsofpolitics,religion,andothersocio-culturalfactorshavelimitedorliberatedindividualartists.Studentswilllearntoappreciatetheartisticdevelopmentswhileexaminingthehistoricalcontextsofsuchdevelopments.Inadditiontostudyingfamouscanonicalworksofarchitecture,sculpture,painting,drawing,printmakingandphotography,studentswillanalyzeandappreciatenewmediumsofvideoartandinstallationart.ThecoursebeginswithanexaminationofRenaissanceArtinSixteenth-CenturyEuropeandconcludeswiththetheoreticaldebatesoftheInternationalAvant-Gardesince1945.Studentswilluseformalanalyticaltoolstoexamineanddiscussartsfromallpartsoftheworld,bothWesternandnon-Western.

ThisclasswillbeusingMarilynStokstad’sArt History: Volume TwoandwillvisittheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,theMuseumofModernArt,aswellasotherNewYorkCitymuseums.

AP Comparative Government and Politics Thiscoursewillassessandexaminethestructureofdifferingpoliticalinstitutionswithagoalofdeterminingthefactorswhichleadtothecreationofpublicpolicyacrossvariouscountries.Wewillfocusonthefollowingnations:Mexico,Russia,Nigeria,China,GreatBritainandIran.Wewillalsoexaminetherolethatpoliticalculture,politicalparties,interestgroupsandmediaplayineachnation.PoliticalprocessesinthesenationswillbecomparedtotheAmericanpoliticalsystemaswell.Studentswillberequiredtokeepupwithcurrenteventsforthiscourse.


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AP European History Thiscoursewillbeanintense,college-levelstudyofthecultural,economic,political,andsocialhistoryofWesternandEasternEurope,fromtheperiodoftheHighRenaissancetothepresentday. StudentsbeginbyexaminingthereligiousandpoliticalinstitutionsinplaceinEuropeattheendoftheMiddleAges,andhowthoseinstitutionsshapedaEuropeanidentitythatwasslowlyuprootedandtransformedinthe centuries that followed. Throughexaminingsuchfactorsaschangesinreligiousthought,majortrendsinliteratureandthearts,scientificandtechnologicaldevelopments,familylifeandgenderroles,differentformsofgovernmentandtheemergenceofthemodernEuropeanstatesystem,studentswillcometoseethephenomenonof21st-centuryEuropeaspartofaprocessthatisgradual,complexandongoing. Studentsengagebothin“vertical”studyofthehistoryofindividualcountries,andin“horizontal”studyofthedynamicsthathavedefinedtherelationshipsofthecountriestoeachother.Indoingso,studentswillcometoviewEuropeasanorganicwhole,aswellasasumofall of its parts.Throughoutthecourse,studentswillmakeuseofresourcessuchasguestspeakers,fieldtrips,andcontemporarymedia,inordertoenhancebothourlearningexperienceand our understanding of the topics under discussion.

American Jewish Experience: Symbiotic or Neurotic?When23pennilessJewsfleeingtheInquisitioninBrazilarrivedontheshoresofNewAmsterdamin1654,theyhadnoideatheywerefoundingthelargestandarguablymostsuccessfuldiasporacommunityinJewishhistory.HowAmericanJewrygrewfromanembattledfewtoanintegralpartofAmericansocietyisnotasimplestoryofthegrowthofacceptanceandfreedomovertime.Rather,itisatalewithmanytwistsandturns,complicationsandquestions.Itisataleofacceptanceandfreedom--butalsoofdiscriminationandexclusion.ItisataleofJewishloveforAmerica,butalsoofJewishfearofAmerica.ThiscoursewillexaminethehistoryofJewishlifeinAmericafrom1654tothepresent,andinsodoing,willexplorethecomplexwaysinwhichAmericangovernmentandsocietyhasinteractedwiththeJews,andinwhichJewshaveinteractedwithAmerica.OurstudieswillcovertheSephardicJewsofthecolonialandearlyrepublicanperiods,thelargewavesofGermanandEasternEuropeanimmigrationinthenineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturies,andthemovetowardsuburbanaffluenceinthepostWorldWarIIera.WewillpayspecialattentiontothewaysinwhichAmericanfreedomofreligionimpacted--andwasimpactedby--AmericanJewsaswellasthewaysinwhichAmericanJewscreatedtheirowndistinctiveAmericanJewishcultureandreligion.

Giants of the EastThiscoursewillexplorethehistoricalevolutionofthreeofthemostsignificantAsiancivilizations:India,ChinaandJapan. Fromtherivervalleys,whenIndia’stechnologyrivaledandsurpassedthatoftheWest,toHanChina,whentheChinesecontrolledanempireasgreatasRome’s,andthroughthepresentera,thesenationshaveplayedasignificantroleintheworld. Today,ChinaandJapancompeteagainsteachotherforthe2ndand3rdlargesteconomiesintheworld,whileIndiaisrapidlyexpandingandwillsoontakeaplaceamongthetop10. Howdotheirbackgroundsandculturesinfluencetheiractionstoday? Howdidtheydevelopreligionsandphilosophiesso

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differentfromthoseoftheWest? Wheredotheyfitintothegreaterhistoricalpicture,andhowdotheyfitintotheglobalpuzzlenow? Thisclasswillincorporatethefieldsofreligiousstudies,intellectualhistory,economichistory,andpoliticalhistory,andwillfocusoneachcivilizationseparately,withseveralweeksforeachnation.

Marriage in America: History and Law Onitsface,marriageseemslikeaprivate,emotional,andphysicalrelationshipthatexistsbetweentwoindividuals,butinrealityitisarelationshipwithpolitical,economic,legalandculturalramifications.OverthecourseofAmericanhistory,thestatehasuseditslegalpowerovermarriagetoshapeandenforceitsviewofproperAmericansociety,andAmericancitizenshaveengagedincourtshipandmarriagepracticesthatreflectthevaluesofthecultureinwhichtheylived.ButwhathappenswhenfaultlinesemergebetweenwhatsomeAmericanswantoutofthemarriagerelationshipandexistingculturalandlegalrealities?TogetherwewillexaminethelawsandsocietalnormsthathavegovernedmarriageinAmericafromthebirthoftherepublicuntiltodayandexaminehowthelegalandculturalexpectationsregardingtheserelationshipschangedanddevelopedtoreflectnewpoliticalandsocialrealities.Amongthetopicstobediscussedwillbe: • WhyAmericansdatedandmarriedforlovelongbeforeEuropeans • Theriseoffeministfermentovergenderrolesinmarriage…inthe1840s • ThegrowingsocietalcritiqueofdivorceinAmericainthewakeoftheCivilWar • Whythe“traditionalfamily”ofthe1950swasanythingbuttraditional • Thebattleoverinterracialmarriageinthe1950sand60s • Thebattleovergaymarriageintheearly21stcentury

Popular Culture & Social ChangeThefocusofthiscourseistomakesenseofwhathappenedinAmericancultureinthe20thcentury–howindividualsandgroupsinfluencedlifeandshapedourcurrentidentity.Workingwithbothprimaryandsecondarysources,wewillworktounderstand,amongotherthings:thewaysinwhichpopularcultureaffects,andisinturnaffectedby,thedesires,hopes,andfearsofthepeoplewhobothcreateandenjoyit;howpopularculturehasprovidedamediumforAmericanstoprocessdramaticshiftsinpoliticalandsocialrealms;andthepowerfulrolethatcultureplaysinconfirming--orchallenging--popularattitudestowardsAmericanidentity,includingissuesofrace,gender,age/generationalidentity,andclass.Subjectmatterwillinclude(butisnotexclusiveto)theemergencefromtheVictorianera,theroaringtwenties,Depressioneramoviesandradio,WaltDisney,50’sfeminismandRockandRoll,theColdWar,segregationandthelongblackfreedommovement,60’scounterculture,thedisco decade, and music as a reaction to Reagan.

MATHEMATICS

Mathematicsencompassesawiderangeoffieldsincludingarithmetic,measurement,algebra,geometry,trigonometry,statistics,andprobability.Itdealswithquantities,shapes and data as well as numerical relationships and operators. But mathematics ismorethanjustacollectionofconceptsandskills;itisawayofapproachingnewchallengesthroughdescribing,investigating,reasoning,visualizingandproblem


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solving.Theskillstaughtwillprovidestudentswithnotonlythebasisforcontinuedlearninginmathematics,butalsoafoundationforsuccessintheworkplaceandforsolvingproblemsthatariseinallareasoflife.

GOALS:Students will: •Usemathematicalreasoningtoanalyzemathematicalsituations,gatherevidence

and construct an argument •Usenumerationtodevelopanunderstandingofthemultipleusesofnumbersin

therealworldandinthedevelopmentofmathematicalideas •Usemathematicalmodelingtopresentandinterpretmathematicalinformation •Usemathematicalpatternsandfunctionstodevelopanappreciationforthetrue

beautyofmathematics

Grade 9: Algebra IThiscoursefocusesonthedeductivedevelopmentoftherealnumbersystemanditsapplications in one and two dimensions. Topics include:•Arithmeticproperties,solvingalgebraicequationsandinequalities

of one degree •Factoringanddistributing,arithmeticoperationswithpolynomials, operationswithexponents,graphsoflinearequationsand inequalitiesandsolvingsystemsofequations •Setsandrationalexpressionsandequations

Grade 9/10: GeometryInthiscourse,studentswillusetechnology,handsonactivitiesandothermeansofinvestigationtolearnaboutgeometricshapesandfigures,andhowtoanalyzetheircharacteristicsandrelationships.Algebraproblem-solvingskillsarereinforcedthroughoutthecourse.Agraphingcalculatorisrequired.Topics include: Basic geometric terms, characteristics of lines, properties of triangles,

propertiesofvarioustypesofquadrilaterals,propertiesofpolygonswith more than four sides, area and circumference of circles, the PythagoreanTheorem,rightangletrigonometry,surfaceareaandvolumeofprismsandcylinders,locus,andreflectionsandsymmetry.

Grade 10/11: Algebra IIThiscourseisastudyofmathematicalrelationsandfunctions.Studentsusebothreal-lifeapplicationsandabstractideastounderstandtheimportanceofalgebraicfunctionstotheirworld.Agraphingcalculatorisrequired.Topics include:Functions,absolutevalueequations,piecewisefunctions,systems

ofequations,quadraticfunctions,fractionalexponents,radicalequations,rationalequations,exponentialequationsandlogarithms,trigonometricrationsandtheirgraphs,andprobability.

Grade 11/12: PrecalculusPrecalculusexploresmoreadvancedmathematicalconceptsandisdesignedtopreparestudentsforcalculusaswellasadvancedscienceandmathematicscourses.Throughthefrequentuseofgraphingcalculators,students’conceptualandproblem-

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solvingskillsareenhanced.Topics include: Advancedfunctions,conicsections,statistics,sequencesand

series,vectorsandparametricequations,polynomialfunctions,polarcoordinatesandcontinuityandlimits.

Grade 12: Math Electives

AP Calculus for the AB ExamAPCalculusisacollegelevelclassthatfocusesonratesofchangesuchasvelocity,andaccumulationofquantitiessuchasareasunderacurve.Topicsincludelimitsandcontinuity,derivatives,integrals,Newton’smethod,andvolumes.

AP Calculus for the BC ExamThiscoursecoverstwosemestersofcollegemathematicsandisanextremelychallengingcourse.ItcoversthecourseworkintheAPCalculusABcourse(seeabove),aswellasadditionaltopicssuchasmulti-variablecalculus,L’Hopital’sRuleandTaylorSeries.

AP StatisticsAPStatisticsisacollegelevelcoursethatteachesthefundamentalsofstatistics,thatis,theabilitytodescribedatasamplesanddrawinferencesaboutthepopulationsfromwhichtheyweredrawn.Thecoursealsoservestosharpenindividualintuitionabouthowtoreaddata,interpretdata,andjudgeothers’claimsaboutdata.Projectsandpresentationsconstitutealargepartofthestudent’swork.

Topics include:Probability,normaldistribution,regressionanalysis,samplingdistributionsandconfidenceintervals.

Applied Mathematics AppliedMathematicsexpandsontheskillsstudentshavedevelopedoverthelastseveralyearswithafocusonreal-worldapplications.Afamiliartopicsuchaspercentagechangeservesasanintroductionforsimpleandcompoundinterest,andthetimevalueofmoney.Othertopicsincludeorganizingdata,charts(suchashistograms),measureofcentraltendency,variation,thenormaldistribution,andlinearcorrelation.ThroughoutthesemesterstudentswillcompleteprojectsthatdemonstrateproficiencyintheaboveareasonMicrosoftExcel.

Precalculus Precalculusisdesignedtopreparestudentsforcalculus,aswellasadvancedscienceandmathematicscourses.Topicsinclude:advancedfunctions,conicsections,sequencesandseries,vectorsandparametricequations,polynomialfunctions,andcontinuityandlimits.

Calculus TopicsinCalculusoffersanintroductiontocalculustaughtataslowerpacethanatraditionalAPcourse.Thecoursecontentinvolvesratesofchangesuchasvelocity,andaccumulationofquantitiessuchasareasunderacurve.

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Topics include: Limitsandcontinuity,derivativesand integralstechniques,andapplicationsofdifferentiation. Thereisaheavyemphasisonreal-lifeexamplesthroughoutthecourse.

SCIENCE

GOALS:Students will: •Beabletoexplain,analyzeandinterpretbiological,chemicalandphysicalprocesses,buildingscientificliteracy •Usethescientificmethodtoinvestigatebiological,chemicalandphysical

phenomena •Internalizescientificconceptsandthenapplythatunderstandingtorealworld

situations,otheracademicdisciplinesandeverydaylife •Useawiderangeoftechnologiestostudyscience •Befamiliarwiththenaturalworld,recognizingbothitsunityanddiversity •Employcriticalthinkingandbeableandwillingtochangebeliefsandopinions

aftercarefulweighingofnewevidence •Beabletoarticulateknowledgegainedandshareitwithothers

Grade 9: BiologyTheunderlyingthemesdevelopedinthiscourseincludediversityoflife,organizationoflivingmatter,homeostasisandadaptation,theperpetuationoflife,evolutionasaunifyingprinciple,andinteractionsbetweenorganismsandtheirenvironment.Thecourseisdividedintothefollowingmajorunits:biochemistry,cellbiology,comparativephysiology(emphasisonhuman),energetics,reproductionanddevelopment,genetics,evolution,andecology.Thecoursewillfocusoninquirylearningthroughdirectexperimentationaswellasdiscussionsthathighlightthehistoricaldevelopmentofscientificideas.Emphasiswillbeplacedonapplicationofthescientificmethodthroughstudents’hands-onwork.Topicswillberelatedtothestudents’worldandtocurrentadvancesinscience.Laboratoryactivitiesareanintegralpartofthecurriculum.

Grade 10: ChemistryThiscourseemphasizesanunderstandingofthestructureofmatter,itsmanyinteractionsandenergychangesthatresultfromtheseinteractions.Amongtheunitscoveredare:atomicstructure,chemicalbonding,periodicproperties,mathematicsofchemistry,acid-basereactions,redoxreactionsandelectrochemistry,organicchemistry,andnuclearchemistry.Inthelaboratory,studentsperforminvestigationsthatillustratemanyoftheconceptsdevelopedinthecourse.Laboratoryworkinvolvestheuseofequipment,materials,andmanipulativeskillsrequiredtoconductchemicalinvestigations.Studentscontinuetodeveloptheirskillsofobservationbyrecordingdataanddrawingconclusionsbasedontheirobservationsandcomputations.

Grade 11: AP BiologyThiscoursemeetstheobjectivesofageneralbiologycourseatthecollegelevel.Themajortopicsare:molecularbiology,thecell,genetics,mechanismsofevolution,theevolutionaryhistoryofbiologicaldiversity,plantformandfunction,animalform

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andfunction,andecology.Thecourseincludestwelverequiredlaboratoriesinwhichstudentsdiscoverprinciplesthroughhands-oninquiry.Studentsconsiderthemeansbywhichbiologicalinformationiscollected,howitisinterpreted,andhowoneformulateshypothesesfromavailabledata.Furtherpredictionsaremadebasedonthedatacollected.Studentsadditionallylearnthebiomedical,socialandpoliticalimplicationsofmanyadvancesinbiology.

Grade 11: PhysicsPhysicsconsiderstopicsrelatedtoenergyandmatterincludingthelawsthatgoverntheirmotionandinteraction.Therearefivemajortopicsthatarestudied.Theseareclassicalmechanics,electricityandmagnetism,opticsandwavephysics,thermalphysics,andtopicsin20thcenturyphysicswhichincludenuclearphysicsandspecialrelativity.Thelaboratoryisusedtoderiveandillustratemajorconcepts.Studentsbecomeskilledatperforminglaboratoryactivitiesandatanalyzingdataandformulatingbroadprinciplesthataccountforthephysicalphenomenabeingstudied.

TherearetwolevelsofPhysicscoursesoffered:

Conceptual Physics: Thiscoursewillfocusmoreonconceptualdescriptionsofphysicalphenomenaratherthanexaminingmathematicalderivations.Somemathematicalrelationshipswillbeexplored.

Mathematical Physics:Theuseofmathematicsasa“language”fordescribingphysicalphenomenaandsolvingproblemsisemphasizedthroughoutthiscourse.

Grade 11 Elective: App Creation & Computer ScienceMobilecomputingdevicessuchassmartphonesandtabletcomputershavequicklybecomethedefiningtechnologyofourage.Thesedevicesarecontrolledby“apps”whicharesoftwareprogramsthatrunonamobileplatform.Inthiscourseyouwilllearnthefundamentalsofappbuildingandcomputersciencethroughaseriesoftutorialsandprojects.UsingAppInventor,afree,cloudbasedservicedevelopedbyGoogleandsupportedbyMIT,youwillbeintroducedtotheprocessbywhichmobileappsaredesigned,builtanddistributed.

Thecoursewillbeprojectbasedandthekeyideasandconceptsofcomputersciencewillbeintroducedviatheactofcreatingsoftwareprojectsthatexerciseallthecapabilitiesofmodernmobiledevices.Amajorportionofclasstimewillbedevotedtosmallgroupworkonprogrammingprojects.Theseprojectswillincludeconvertingtexttospeech,makingthedevicerespondtotiltingandshaking,controllingthebuilt-incamera,makingfulluseoflocationsensing(yourphoneliterally“knows”whereyouare),answeringphonecalls,respondingtotextmessages,accessingtheinternet,drawing&paintingincolorsand,lastbutnotleast,gamedesign.Bytheendofthecourseyouwillhavecreatedyourownportfolioofmobileappsthatyoucansharewithfriendsandfamily.Nopriorprogrammingexperienceisrequired.

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Grade 12: Science Electives

Advanced Physics OptionStudentswhotakemathematicalphysicsinthe12thgrade,andwhoalsohaveexcellentmathskillsandastrongworkethic,canelecttomeetoneextraperiodaweekduringlunchtolearnadditionaltopicsinphysics.Intheseextrasessions,studentslearnThermalPhysics-thephysicsofheat;Fluidmechanics;andModernPhysics-thepropertiesoftheatomandtheatomicnucleus.Thereisadditionalweeklyhomeworkaspartoftheselessons.Takingadvancedphysicsaddsasignificantamountofextralearningontothealreadychallengingmathematicalphysicscourseandshouldonlybetakenbythosewhoseekaverythoroughfirstyearphysicscourse,andwhoarewillingtodevotemuchextratimetodevelopingtheirphysicsknowledgeandskills.

AP C PhysicsThiscourseexaminesclassicalmechanicsandelectricityandmagnetismingreatdetail,withtheuseofcalculus.Problemsencounteredinthiscourseinvolvemanystepsandusesophisticatedmathematicalideas.Thereisalabcomponenttothiscourseinwhichstudentslearntechniquesofexperimentaldesign.EleventhgradeMathematicalPhysicsisaprerequisiteforthiscourse.Calculusisaco-requisite.

AP Computer Science Thiscourseisacollege-levelintroductiontocomputationalthinkingwithanemphasisonhowcomputersmaybeusedtosolveproblemsoverarangeofdiversefields.StudentswillbecomeexpertsintheuseoftheJavaprogramminglanguagewhichisasimple,object-oriented,highperformance,robustandportableprogramminglanguagethatsupportsgraphics,audioandanimation.Javaisthelanguageusedtowrite“apps”forAndroidphonesandtabletsanditiscloselyrelatedtoObjective-Cwhichisthelanguageofchoicetowrite“apps”forApple’siPhoneandtheiPad.Thecoursewillmakeuseofcasestudiesandgraphicalcomputerprogrammingtoanalyzeselectedconceptsfromentertainment,biology,chemistry,physicsandmathematics.StudentswilllearnhowtocombinefundamentalscientificprincipleswiththeJavaprogramminglanguagetocreategraphicalsimulationsofvariousphenomena.SomeexamplesarethecreationofaboardgameprogramsuchasScrabble(entertainment),thespreadofadisease(biology),thedynamicsofaboxfilledwithmoleculesinmotion(chemistry),thetrajectoryofabaseball(physics)anddrawingfractalimagesusingrecursion(mathematics).Thecoursewillemphasizetheideathatmathematics,science,engineering,andcomputingareallintertwinedinthemodernworld.Aportionofclasstimewillbedevotedtosmallgroupworkonprogrammingprojects.Thecourseisself-containedandintendedforstudentswithnopreviousexperienceinprogramming.

ForensicsThiscourseisdesignedtoapplyabroadspectrumofsciencestoanswerquestionsofinteresttothelegalsystem.Topicsincludeuseofevidenceincourt,crimesceneinvestigations,fingerprinting,useofDNAtechnology,timeofdeathanalysis,ballistics,traceevidence,forensicanthropologyandbloodanalysis.Studentswillapplywhattheyhavelearnedinbiology,chemistryandphysicstoanswerquestionspertainingtodetecting,collectingandprocessingandinterpretingevidence.Thiscoursewillincludealaboratorycomponent.Prerequisite:studentstakingthiscoursemusthave

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completedBiology,ChemistryandPhysics.

Ashorttimeintothesecondsemester,studywillshifttogenetics.GeneralprinciplesofMendelianinheritancewillbediscussed,includingdominance,intermediateinheritance,multiplealleles,polygenicinheritance,sexlinkage.Studentswillalsolearnaboutgenemutationsandchromosomalaberrationsinhumans,withemphasisonthebiomedicaland ethical considerations.

Physics(ForstudentswhotookAPBiologyintheeleventhgrade)Physicsconsiderstopicsrelatedtoenergyandmatterincludingthelawsthatgoverntheirmotionandinteraction.Therearefivemajortopicsthatarestudied.Theseareclassicalmechanics,electricityandmagnetism,opticsandwavephysics,thermalphysics,andtopicsin20thcenturyphysicswhichincludenuclearphysicsandspecialrelativity.Thelaboratoryisusedtoderiveandillustratemajorconcepts.Studentsbecomeskilledatperforminglaboratoryactivitiesandatanalyzingdataandformulatingbroadprinciplesthataccountforthephysicalphenomenabeingstudied.

TherearetwolevelsofPhysicscoursesoffered:

Physics (completion of Algebra II is recommended)Thiscoursewillfocusmoreonconceptualdescriptionsofphysicalphenomenaratherthanexaminingmathematicalderivations.MoremathematicalrelationshipswillbeexploredthanintheeleventhgradeConceptualPhysicscourse.

Mathematical Physics (completion of Pre-calculus is recommended)Theuseofmathematicsasa“language”fordescribingphysicalphenomenaandsolvingproblemsisemphasizedthroughoutthecourse.

Bothcoursesarechallengingandcoverthesamethreemajorareas.TheMathematicalPhysicscoursedevotesmoretimetoproblemsolving,thoughbothcourseswillrequirestudentstousetheirmathematicalskills.Inlab,studentswillgainfirsthandexperiencewith the phenomena discussed in the course.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

TheArabic,French,LatinandSpanishprogramsemphasizecommunication,reading,comprehension,self-expression,andculturalknowledge.Wecometoappreciatethediversityofhumanachievementbyexploringlanguagesandthecivilizationstheyembody.Languagestudyexpandshorizons,laysdownnewcognitiveconnectionsandteachesandrewardscloseattention.Studentsbenefitfromreadingprimarysourcesintheoriginallanguages,fromcomparingtheselanguagestoEnglishandHebrew,andfromincreasedawarenessofhowwordsmakemeaning.Art,music,andculturallythemedeventsareallpartoftheforeignlanguageprogram.


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ARABIC

GOALS:Students will: •DevelopproficiencyinreadingandwritingsimpleArabictexts •Expandvocabularythroughreading,listeningandspeakingexercisesthatwill

enablestudentstoexpressbasicneeds,desiresandfeelings •UnderstandandappreciatethesimilaritiesbetweenHebrewandArabicinorder

todecodenewandunfamiliartexts •ExplorebasicandcomplexstructuresinArabic •EnhancefamiliaritywithMiddleEasternculturethroughmusic,art,foodandfilm

Arabic 9ThisfirstcourseofModernStandardArabicintroducesstudentstoArabiclettersandsounds.Atfirst,studentsidentifyandrecognizelettersandwords.Studentspracticeusingvariousmaterialssuchasnewspaperheadlines,dialogues,advertisementsandmenusastheirreadingabilityimproves.Musicandartareincorporatedintoclassroomactivitiestoenhancethelanguagelearningexperience.

Arabic 10ThiscourseinModernStandardArabicisdesignedtoimprovereadingskillsandexpandvocabulary.Morecomplexgrammaticalconstructionsareintroduced.Wecontinuetoreinforcevocabularyandgrammarstructuresthroughmusic,artandfilm.Studentsdeveloptheirspeakingskillsthroughconversationsabouttheircommunity,dailylife,clothingandtheirenvironment.

Arabic 11ThiscourseinModernStandardArabicreinforcesbasicgrammarstructureswhilereviewingmorecomplexones.Atthislevelstudentsareintroducedtoshortnewspaperarticles,dialoguesandpoetry.Thesetextshelpstudentsdevelopagreaterappreciationforthelanguageandculturewhileservingasanexampleofpiecestheywillcompose.Studentswillbeabletoholdconversationsabouttheirhealth,preferences,pastexperiencesandfutureplans.

Arabic 12StudentsinArabic12usetheirunderstandingofcomplexgrammaticalstructureslearnedinclasstodeciphervarioustextsfromnewspaperarticlestopassagesfoundinclassicaltexts.ThestudentsareencouragedtodrawontheirknowledgeofHebrewgrammartoassisttheminunderstandingthedifferencesinArabicverbpatterns.TheylearntoidentifyverbpatternsinclassicalsongsbyfamoussingerssuchasOmKalthoumandAbdelHalimHafez.Inadditiontofocusingonthemeaningofthesesongs,thestudentslearnabouttheculturalsignificanceoftheseartists.ThestudentsareencouragedtosurftheinternetinArabicbyreadingheadlinesinnewspaperssuchasAl-Ahram,Asharqalawsat,andAlJazeera.

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FRENCH

GOALS:Students will: •Developproficiencyinlisteningcomprehensionandspeakingforthepurposesof

communication,conversation,socialinteraction,informationandlearning •Developproficiencyinreadingandwritingforthepurposesofliterary

interpretation,self-expression,studyingandcreativity •UnderstandthehistoricalinfluenceofFrenchinthedevelopmentoftheEnglish

language,andrecentlytheinfluenceofEnglishincurrentFrenchinordertotakeadvantageofthesesimilaritiesinthelearningprocess

•ExploreFrenchculturesintheFrancophoneworldaswellasinFrance,includingsuchtopicsasfood,fashion,thevisualarts,music,filmandanyareaofspecialinterest to the student

•ExpandtheirvocabularyinordertoincreasetheirproficiencyinFrench •ExploreandunderstandthebasicsofFrenchgrammarinordertostrengthen

theirproficiencyinFrench

French 9StudentslearnthebasicsofcommunicationinthefirstlevelofFrenchandbegintheirexplorationofFrenchandFrancophoneculture.Amongthecommunicativefunctionstheyacquirearetheabilitiestointroducethemselves,inquireaboutothers,describepeople,dailyobjectsandtheirsurroundingsathome,atschoolandduringleisuretimeactivities.Initialdescriptionandidentificationexpandtolearningtodiscusswhatactivitiestheyenjoy,familylife,sports,foodandclothing.Materialsincludeshortdialoguesandparagraphs,maps,drawings,photos,film,newspaperarticlesandshortpoems.Assessmentfocusesonstudents’progressineachofthesetopicsinthefourlanguageskills:listeningcomprehension,speaking,readingandwriting.Emphasisisplaceduponhowwelearnaforeignlanguagebyusingthetargetlanguage.Wedeveloplearningstrategiessuchasrecognizingandusingthemanysharedwords(cognates)inFrenchandEnglish,anddevelopingkeyexpressionstofacilitatelearninginamostlyFrenchenvironment.

French 10 ThesecondyearofFrenchbeginswithareviewofthefirstyear’smaterial.Thetopicsconnecttoandextenddirectlyoutofwhatstudentshavelearnedpreviously.Studentsdevelopgreaterexpressiveabilitiestostudyschoollife,homelife,familylife,leisureactivities,jobsandprofessionsintheUnitedStates,EuropeandtheFrancophoneworld.Wealsoexploredifferentplaceswhereonelivessuchascitiesandthecountry,andamorein-depthexplorationoftheFrenchandFrancophoneworld.Greatereaseincommunicationandamoreexpandedvocabularyallowstudentstoexpressdifferencesofopinionandpreferencemorereadily.Weareabletoincludemorecurrenteventsinourstudiesaswellascriticalthinkingexercises.Thematerialsandassessmentsdonotdifferfromthefirstyearexceptinlengthanddegreeofdifficulty.

French 11 ThethirdyearofFrenchisanelectiveinwhichstudentshavealargerroletoplayinthetopicswecover.Overtheyears,studentsareaskedtoincorporatemoreandmore

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oftheirpersonalinterestsintothesubjectmatteroftheFrenchcourses.InFrenchIII,theywillbeaskedtosupplysomeofthematerialandleadsomeofourclassstudies.WestudythedifferencesbetweenhighschoolanduniversitylifeintheStatesandtheFrench/Francophoneworld,theissueswhichareimportanttoyoungpeopleastheyapproachtheirlegalmajoritysuchasvotingandmilitaryservice,immigrationintheU.S.andFrance,travel,film,television,theunificationofEurope,internationalrelations,humanitarianaidandCajunculturewithintheU.S.tonameafewtopics.Materialswillincludestudentprovideditemsandlongerandmoreliteraryworks.VocabularyandgrammaticalusageexpandasweemploymorevariedformsofFrenchtextsandothermaterials.Assessmentincludesmoreprojects,creativewritingassignments,moreindependentlydesignedoralpresentationsandgreatercriticalandexpressiveproficiencies.

French 12 ThefourthyearofFrenchisanelectiveandwillrequirestudentstocontinuetoexpandtheirproficiencyinFrenchaswellasaskthemtohelpshapesomeoftheareaswecover.Weexaminemorehistoricalandculturalareasofinquiry,includingphilosophicalandreligiousissues,one’sownlifeexperiences,therealmsofnatureandenvironmentalism,relationsbetweenpeoples,familymembersandfriends.Literatureandwritingfromvariousdisciplinessuchaspassagesfromahistoricaltextoraphilosophytreatiseprovidereadingandexpansionofvocabularyandgrammaticalusage.OneofthegoalsofthefinalyearofhighschoolFrenchistodiscusstheimportanceoflearninganotherlanguage,exploringotherculturesandhowthesestudiesenhanceourknowledgeofourselvesandourworld.

LATIN

GOALS:Students will: •DevelopproficiencyinreadingandcomprehendingavarietyofLatintexts •AccumulatealargeintroductoryLatinvocabulary •GrasptheessentialdifferencesbetweenLatinandEnglishgrammarandsyntax •MakeconnectionsbetweenLatinrootsandEnglishwords •InternalizethepatternsofLatinthroughoralandwrittenself-expression •DevelopfamiliaritywithancientRomancultureandappreciateitsinfluencein

literatureandhistory

Latin 9 Inthiscourse,studentsbeginlearningthebasicgrammarandformsoftheLatinlanguage.EmphasisisplacedongraspingthespecialcharacteristicsofLatingrammarandsyntaxthroughreading,writingandspeaking.AstheylearnnewLatinvocabulary,studentsrecognizeLatinrootsinEnglishwordsandseehowknowingLatinenhancestheirexperienceofEnglish.ThroughthetextbookEcce Romani,theyfollowthestoryofanupper-classRomanfamilyandlearnaboutRomanfamilystructure,rituals,dress,socialstructure,andarchitecture.StudentsengageinbasicLatinconversationsonsuchtopicsasintroductions,weather,andfamilymembers.StudentsalsostudythetaleofAeneasandthelegendaryearlyhistoryofRome.

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Latin 10 ThiscoursecontinuesthestudyofbasicLatingrammarandforms.Emphasisisplacedonreadingproficiency,usingboththetextbookandancientsources.StudentsusespokenLatininclassandengageinLatincompositiontohelpthem“thinkinLatin”andappreciatetheuniquefeaturesofthelanguage.WecontinueourstudyofancientRomewithstoriesoftheRomanRepublic:itsheroesandheroines,wars,internalconflicts,andideals.TheyearendswithagroupreadingoftheDaedalusandIcarusstoryfromOvid’sMetamorphoses.

Latin 11 Inthiselectivecoursestudentscompletetheirstudyofmajorlanguagestructures.EmphasisisplacedonvocabularyacquisitionandreadingskillstohelpstudentsenjoythebeautyandpowerofLatinliterature.TheclassexaminesselectedpoemsbyCatullusandMartialandfinishestheyearbyreadingthestoryofEchoandNarcissusfromOvid’sMetamorphoses.WestudyliterarydevicesandpoeticmeterinordertolearnwhyOvidbecameamodelforcenturiesofEuropeanliterature.ContinuingourstudyofRomanhistory,weseehowtheconflictsofCaesar’stimeledtotheendoftheRomanRepublicandtheestablishmentoftheEmpire.

Latin 12 Latin12isanelectiveliteraturecourseinwhichstudentslearntheadvancedelementsofLatingrammarwhilereadingselectionsfromclassicalauthors.ThesyllabusdrawsonsuchworksasPliny’sLetters,Caesar’sDeBelloGallico,Cicero’sFirstOrationAgainstCatiline,andlyricsbyCatullusandHorace.

SPANISH

GOALS:Students will: •Developfluencyintheareasofspeakingandunderstandingforthepurposesof

information, communication, and social interaction and personal reflection •Developproficiencyinreadingandwritingforthepurposesofliterary

interpretationandcreativeexpression •Developvocabularyandhaveacommandofessentialsentencemechanics •ExploreandstudythevastarrayofSpanishcultures,people,andtraditions

throughliterature,history,music,art,food,andtechnology

Spanish 9 Thiscourseemphasizesverbalcommunication,languagecomprehension,andtheexplorationofSpanishspeakingculturesthroughavarietyofdifferentmeans,suchasconversation,literature,history,music,art,food,andtechnology.Studentsdevelopanessentialandusefulvocabularyandlearnbasicsentencestructureandgrammarconcepts.Resourcesincludethetextbook,workbookandvideo.

Spanish 10 Thiscourseemphasizesamoreproficientlevelofverbalcommunication,languagecomprehension,andexplorationofcultures.Studentsbroadentheirvocabulary


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basethrougharangeoftopicssuchastheenvironment,politics,technologyandprofessions.Complexgrammarconceptsandmoresophisticatedsentencestructureswillbeemphasized.Resourcesincludetextbook,workbook,worksheetsandvideo.

Spanish 11Thiscourseisdesignedtosubstantiallyenhancethestudent’slevelofproficiencyintheareasofspeaking,understanding,readingandwriting.Studentscontinuetousetextbooksandworkbooks,andadditionallyexplorecurrenteventsandculturallifeinSpanish-speakingcountriesthroughnewspapersandtelevision.Vocabularybuilding,essaywritingandsophisticatedgrammarstructuresareemphasized.Thiscourseisconducted in Spanish.

Spanish 12 Thiscourseisdesignedtobuilduponthestudent’spreviousstudyofSpanish.Thestudentwillusewhathe/shehaslearnedoverthepreviousthreeyearstoreadliterature,watchfilmsandplaysandtocompleteacourseofindependentstudyifdesired.Emphasisisplacedonadvancedgrammaticalconcepts,aswellasthesophisticatednuancesoftheSpanishlanguageandthevaryingculturesoftheSpanish-speakingworld.Studentswillhonetheirspeaking,reading,writingandlisteningskillsinthiscourseconductedinSpanish.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Grade 11: Elective

EconomicsThefocusofthiscourseistheworldofmoney.Thefirsthalfoftheyearlooksatthemacroeconomicpicture,exploringsuchtopicsasbusinesscycles,monetaryandfiscalpolicy,taxesandthebudgetdeficit.Thesecondhalfoftheyearisbrokenupintotwoparts:entrepreneurshipandthestockmarket.Theentrepreneurshipsectionwillexplorehowabusinessisrun,examiningtheroleofmarketing,humanresources,andfinance.Thesecondhalfofthesemesterfocusesonstocks,bonds,mutualfunds,futuresandoptions.Thecoursewillincludedebates,guestspeakers,films,books,fieldtripsandmanyconnectionswithcurrentevents.

Grade 12: Electives

AP Macroeconomics Thiscoursewillprovidestudentswithasolidunderstandingofconceptsandissuesthatapplytoeconomiesasawhole.Wewillexamineconceptssuchasscarcityandopportunitycost,measurementsofeconomicperformance(e.g.,GDP,NationalIncome,Unemployment,Inflation,etc…),businesscyclesandstabilizationpolicies,moneyandbanking,macroeconomictheorists(e.g.,Keynes,Friedman,etc.),andinternationaltradeandfinance.Ineveryarea,thefocuswillbeonapplyingtheseconceptstocurrenteconomicconditionsbothintheU.S.andabroad.Oralpresentationsbystudents,discussions,debatesandanalysisofcurrenteventswillplayamajorrolein

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the course. Students will gain a strong understanding of the meaning and impact of theeconomicindicatorswhicheconomists,publicpolicymakersandinvestorsutilize.Studentswilldevelopproficiencyingraphingasameansofmodelingeconomictheoriesanddemonstratingthedynamicnatureoftheeconomyaschangesoccur.Assessmentswillincludehomeworkandquizzes,researchandforecastingprojectsandexams.Studentswillbetaughttothinklikeeconomistsandobserve,hypothesize,andproblem-solvemajoreconomicissuesfacingourandothercountries.

AP PsychologyAPPsychologyintroducesstudentstothestudyofbehaviorandmentalprocessofhumansandotheranimals.Studentswilllearnabouteachofthesubfieldsofpsychology,includingthemethodsusedinsuchstudiesandtheethicalissuesthatpsychologistsconfrontintheirresearch.Themajortopicsincludehistory,researchmethods,biologicalbasisofbehavior,statesofconsciousness,learning,cognition,emotion,developmentalpsychology,personality,testing,andpsychologicaldisorders.

Going to Extremes: Abnormal Psychology“Abnormalpsychology”referstothestudyofmentalhealthandpsychologicaldisorders.Thisincludesunderstandinghowtoconceptualizetheboundarybetween“normal”and“abnormal”psychologicalfunctioning,howtorecognizesymptomsofpsychologicaldysfunction,howtodifferentiateanddiagnosispsychologicaldisorders,andhowtotreatmentalillnessandhelprestoreapersontoastateofpsychologicalhealthandwell-being.Forthisclass,wewillinvestigateallofthesetopicsfromthebiopsychosocialperspective.Wewillwrestlewiththeseissueswithinthecontextofthenature/nurturedebate.Wewillcovertherangeofmood,anxietyandthoughtdisorders,andwewillalsolearnaboutpersonality,developmentandhumansexuality.Afundamentalgoalofthisclassistoraisestudents’awarenessofandsensitivitytothescopeofmentalhealthissuesinourcommunity.Forthiscourse,wewilluseacombinationofreadingsandfilm/videoclipstofuelourin-classdiscussion.Wewillalsohearfromguestspeakerswhoarementalhealthprofessionals.

Speech and CommunicationsInthiscourse,wewillstudyhumancommunicationprocesses.Communicationisn’tlimitedtospeechandthiscoursewilllookatallofthepartsofcommunicationandhowtousethemmoreeffectively.Throughclassexercises,projects,presentationsandspeeches, students will learn how to listen, inform, persuade and present information sothatotherswillunderstand,beconvincedandlearnfromthem.Theskillsyoudevelopandhonewillhavepracticalapplicationintheireverydaylives.Theywilllearnhowtoimprovecommunicationwiththeirprofessors,employers,parentsandpeers,howtoresearcheffectivelytoimprovetheircommunication,howtopresentthemselvesinaninterviewandhowtousePowerPointorothervisualaidstoenhancepresentations.

Thecoursewillbedividedintothreemaincategories:Interpersonal Communication:Offersinsightsintothecommunicationprocessincludingimprovinglisteningandspeakingskills.Business Communication: Understandinghowtostructureandorganizeinformationtopresenttoavarietyofaudienceswithandwithoutvisualaids.


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Persuasive Discourse:Practiceinplanning,delivering,using,andrefutingpersuasiveargumentsinavarietyofformats(aka:howtowinanargument).

FINE ARTS

StudentstakeafullyearofStudioArtandIntroductiontoMusicingradesnineandten,respectively.Studentsingradeelevencanchoosefromanumberofsemester-longartselectives.SeniorsmaytakeAPMusicTheory,APStudioArtorIntermediateStudioArt.

Grade 9: Introduction to Studio ArtThiscourseexploresthefundamentalsofdrawing,paintingandsculpture.Studentsareintroducedtoconceptssuchasform,color,valueandspace,andwillputtheseconceptsintopracticethroughhands-onstudioassignments.

Grade 10: Introduction to MusicThisclassfocusesonthestudyofmusicinaculturalandhistoricalcontext.Topicsinclude:theelementsofmusicandthesoundsofeverydaylife,theroleofmusicinourculture,and thehistoryofWesternmusic.Themusicofeachhistoricalperiodwillbecarefullyconsideredandanalyzedinitsculturalandsociologicalcontext.

Grade 11: Fine Arts Electives

3-D Design – Mobiles, Maquettes, Marionettes and Soft SculptureMuchofinventionforanartististheactofseriousplay.Inthismulti-mediacourse,weroll-upoursleevesandwrestlewiththetactile,sensualandphysicalmessoflifeandart.Studentswilldreamintobeingoriginalworksinpaper,cardboard,wood,wireandothermedia.Throughindividualizedandcollaborativeprojectstheywillexploreformalpracticessuchasstructure,form,principlesofdesignandconfronttheirowncreativevoice.Emphasisisplaceduponstudents’vision,originalityandabilitytoconceiveofthree-dimensionalformsandexecutethemskillfullyinspace.Studentsofallskilllevelsare encouraged to join.

Art Fun-damentalsWewillrevisitthebuildingblocksofcompositionandform,whichwebegantoexplorein9thgradeinamoreintensiveandseriousway.Workinginavarietyofmedia,studentswillfurtherdeveloptheirtechnicalskillsandunderstandingofdrawing,paintingandcalligraphythroughhands-onstudioprojects.Studentswillexploretheapproachesofdifferentartists,workingfromobservationandfromimagination,refiningtheirownpersonalstyleandvoice.Alargeemphasiswillbeplacedonworkingdirectlyfromlifeandhowartisusedforillustration,advertising,Illuminatedmanuscriptsandpersonalexpression.Studentsofallskilllevelsareencouraged to join.

Drama ThisclassexploresavarietyofactingtechniquesfromStanislavskitoAlexander.Thestudentsengageinaprocess,throughimprovisation,theatergames,cooperativeand

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communicationexercisesaswellastextwork,thatblendsallaspectsofperformancetodevelopamoreconfidentandexpressiveactor.Thisprocessandtheseskillsrelatetoselfdiscoveryandexpressionthatarevaluableinotheraspectsoflife.

Music in Film“Music is a big factor in helping the illusion of the film come to life.” – Francis Ford CoppolaInthisexcitingmusiccourse,wewilllearnabouthowmusiccanhelpthatillusioncometolife.Wewillcombineourpassionformusicandmoviesinordertofullyexploretherolethatmusicplaysinfilm.Wewillcomposemusicforshortfilmsandmovieexcerptsbyapplyingvariousmusicaltechniquesthatwillfitavarietyoffilmgenresincludinghorror,sci-fi,drama,andcomedies.WorkingmostlywithGarageBandthecourseisopenedtostudentsofallcompositionlevels.Studentinstrumentalistswillhavetheopportunitytousetheirinstrumenttocomposeandrecord.

PhotographyThiselectivewillinvolveanintroductiontodigitalphotographypracticesandmethods.ClasseswillincludetechnicalinstructionofthedigitalSLR,briefhistoriesofimportantphotographers,handsonphotographyassignmentsrelatedtoweeklytopicssuchasSelfPortraiture,Portraiture,StillLife,Landscape,AbstractandDocumentary,andgroupcritiquesofstudentwork.Studentswillalsolearnhowtoedittheirworkandusephotoshoptoenhancetheirimagery.

Grade 12: Fine Arts Electives

AP Music Theory APMusicTheoryisanintenseclassdesignedforadvancedmusicstudentswhohaveatleasttwoyearsofformalmusictraining.Theclassfocusesontwoareas,musictheoryandeartraining.Inthemusictheoryportion,studentswilllearnthefundamentalsofscoreanalysisandcomposition.Studentsbeginbylearningbasicconceptssuchasintervals,chords,andscales.Theythenusethoseconceptstocomposeharmoniesandrealizefiguredbasses.Intheeartrainingportion,studentswilllearnhowtodictatemelodiesandharmoniesaswellaslearnhowtosight-sing.Additionally,inordertoapplymanyoftheconceptstaughtallstudentswilllearnbasickeyboardskills.StudentsarerequiredtotaketheAPMusicTheoryexamattheendoftheyear.

AP Studio Art Thisisanintensivestudioartcoursewithafocusonbuildingaportfolioindrawing,paintingandprintmaking.Thiscourseisdesignedforstrongstudentsofart.Inordertogainentry,studentsmustsubmitaportfolioaswellaswriteashortparagraphabouttheirinterestintakingthiscourse.StudentsarerequiredtosubmitanAPStudioArtportfolioattheendoftheyear. Intermediate Studio Art: Leaving your Mark Avarietyof2Dmediasuchaspaint,ink,charcoalandotherswillbeexploredtocreateuniqueworkswhichwillhaveastrong emphasisondesignprinciplessuchascontrast,proportion/scale,figuregroundrelationships,etc.Workswillbebothcollaborativeandindividuallybased.Theseindividualpieceswillresultinlarge-scalepublicartpiecesto


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adorn the school.

HEALTH

HealthClassisintegratedintothegeneralcurriculumatSARHighSchoolduringtheninthandtenthgrades.Theseclassesaredesignedasmini-lessonsthatfocuson(1)providingteenagerswithaccurateinformationwithwhichtomakehealthylifestylechoices,(2)creatinganopenenvironmentinwhichstudentsfeelcomfortableaskingquestionsandclarifyingtheirunderstanding,and(3)exploringthehealth-relatedtopicsfromtheModernOrthodoxJewishperspective.TopicscoveredinHealthclassincludenutrition,sleep,exercise/activity,adolescentdevelopment,interpersonalrelationships,humansexuality,stressmanagement,emotionalhealth,andtheeffectsofalcoholanddrugs.TheHealthcurriculumistaughtbytheschoolpsychologistsandschoolnurse.Throughouttheschoolyear,someofthetopicscoveredintheHealthcurriculumarealsoaddressedintheadvisoryprogramandbystudents’participationinadditionalprogramming,suchasspecialspeakersandgroupactivities.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

TheobjectiveofthePhysicalEducationprogramistoprovideanopportunityforallstudentstoimprovetheirathleticabilities,learnnewskillsandworktowardbecomingphysicallyfitindividuals.Studentslearntoworktogetherandsupporteachotherinagroupenvironment.Individualhelpisprovidedtoguidetheirimprovement.Thisexperiencetakesplaceinastimulatingandfunatmosphereinwhichindividualsachievepositivefeelingsaboutthemselves.

ThePhysicalEducationcurriculumincludesthefollowingactivities:

Ourathleticsprogramemphasizestheimportanceofphysicalfitnessandhealth,andtheappreciationofourbodiesastzelemelokim–createdintheimageofGod.Whilefitnessactivitiesencourageexercise,personalresponsibilityandhygiene,teamsportsfostergroupskillsandahealthyspiritofcompetition.Teamofferingsincludebasketball,hockey,volleyball,softball,soccer,tennis,baseball,andtrack.Wealsoofferanintramuralsportsprograminbasketball,hockeyandsoccersothatallstudentscanenjoytheexcitementofathleticparticipation.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

SAR High School Artist-in-Residence Program Eachyear,anartistmakesourartstudioshis/herownforaperiodofapproximatelysixtoeightweeks,workinginareassuchaspainting,photography,woodworking

Physicalfitness (includinglightweighttraining)

Basketball

SoccerVolleyballFootball

TrackFloorhockeyWhiffleball

RopeskippingTeamhandballYoga

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andsculpture.Thisindividual,asaJewishartist,isabletosharewithstudentsthepersonallyexpressiveandspirituallymeaningfulpossibilitiesthatoneisopenedtothroughartisticexpression.Studentsthushavetheopportunitytobeexposed–inafirsthandway–totheprocessesandproductsofauthenticart.

Forsomestudents,simplywatchinganartistatworkorbeingexposedtothefruitofhis/herlaborismostmeaningful.Forothers,theopportunitytoworkwiththeartistisanexperiencethatcantrulyinspire.Theschoolcreatesaframeworkfortheartisttointeractwithstudentsintwoways:

Theartistconstructsapieceofartwhichisthebasisofexaminationandreflectionwithstudents.ThisworkaddressesthewaysinwhichJudaismandtheartsinteracttocreateauniquemodeofJewishexpression.

Artistsarealwaysinneedofassistanceworkingwithmaterialsanddevelopingtheirfinalproducts.Interestedstudentsaregiventheopportunitytoassisttheartist.Suchpersonalinteractionandhands-onexperienceprovideauniqueopportunityforourstudents.

SENIOR YEAR

AsstudentsprogressthroughSARHighSchool,theiropportunitiestocustomizetheiracademicscheduleincrease,culminatingininnovativeprogrammingduringtheirsenioryear.

CourseworkDuringthespringoftheirjunioryear,studentsselecttheiracademicprogramfortheirsenioryear.Intwelfthgrade,studentscontinuewiththeirJudaicstudieslearninginGemaraandTanakhandhavetheopportunitytosupplementtheirstudieswithelectivecourses.Thesecoursesaredescribedonpage12.InGeneralStudies,studentsarerequiredtotakeafourthyearofEnglishandHistoryandareencouragedtocontinuetheirstudiesinMathematics,Science,ForeignLanguageandFineArts.WeofferadiverseselectionofelectivesincludingAdvancedPlacementcourses(morefullydescribedintheGeneralStudiescourseofferingssection).

The Jewish Identity Course: An Interdisciplinary Look at Modern Jewish IdentityTheJewishIdentityCourse:AnInterdisciplinaryViewofModernJewishIdentityisaninnovativecoursethatbeginsduringthesecondsemesterofSenioryear.ThecourseisdesignedtoreflectthevaluesofanSARHighSchool:apassionforlearning,adesiretoengagetheworldaroundus,andacommitmenttoourJewishfuture.Thecourseinvitesourseniorsintoanewarenaoflearningthatoperateswithsomeofthesameprinciplesasothercourses–criticalanalysis,opendialogue,facingdifficultproblems. ItisdesignedtoofferourseniorsanintenseandcriticalviewintoaseriesofdifficultquestionsaboutModernJewishIdentity. ItchallengesourstudentstoactivelyconsiderhowtheHolocaust,theStateofIsrael,contemporaryassumptionsaboutgenderroles,andcompetingnotionsoftheJew’srelationshiptonon-Jewsimpacts ourcommunalandpersonalidentities.Indoingso,thecourse pushesstudentstoconsider


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theirown emergingsenseofthemselvesasModernOrthodoxJews.

Modern Israeli HistoryTheseniorcourseonModernIsraelprovidesourstudentswiththeopportunitytodelveintothepressingissuesfacingIsraeltoday.AfterstudyingthekeyeventsandpersonalitiesthatshapedIsrael’sdevelopmentbydecadeinthe10thgrade,thiscoursetakesathematicapproach,addressingthestrugglesIsraelfaces,fromwithinandwithout.TopicsincludeclaimstothelandofIsrael,religionandstate,Israel’sabsorptionofimmigrantsinthe1950sandtheimpactoftheSixDayWaronIsraelisociety.Eachweek,studentsexplorethesetopicsinfrommultipleperspectives,allowingforvibrantclassdiscussionandanappreciationofthecomplexitiesoftheissues.

Senior ExplorationSeniorExplorationisaprogramthatprovidesseniorswiththeopportunitytoapplyknowledgeandskillstheyhaveacquiredinschooltoanareaof personalinterest. SeniorExplorationemphasizesreal-worldexperience,enablingstudentstoparticipateinanenrichmentprogrambeyondthetraditionalacademicofferingsoftheclassroom. Undertheguidanceofmentor-teachers,studentsdesignindividualizedprojectsbasedonanidentifiedareaofinterest. Studentsmayworkorapprenticeinaparticularindustry,involvethemselvesincommunityservice,engageinintensiveacademicresearch,orpursueacreativeproject.Allseniorsparticipateintheprogramasagraduationrequirement.

Throughoutthecourseoftheacademicyear,thereareanumberoftasksthatstudentsmustcomplete.InJanuary,theSeniorExplorationCommitteemeetswiththeseniorclasstointroducetheprogram. Soonthereafter,theseniorsarematchedwiththeirmentorsandtheyselectthetopicstheywouldliketopursue.TheremustbeaJudaiccomponenttotheirprojects.BylateJanuary,inconsultationwiththeirmentors,studentsidentify“EssentialQuestions”whichtheyseektoanswerduringthecourseoftheirprojects. InearlyMarch,thestudentssubmit“Roadmaps,”layingouttheirclearplansforsuccessfullycompletingtheirprojects. Frommid-AprilthroughMay,followingtheconclusionoftheirGeneralStudiesfinalexaminations,theseniorshavetwofullafternoonsperweekdevotedtotheSeniorExplorationprojects. JudaicStudiesandAPcoursesarestillinsession. TowardstheendofMay,studentssubmittheirfindingsinformalpresentations,which areevaluatedandgradedbyfacultycommittees. Examplesofsuccessfultopicsfromthepastfewyearsincludethefollowing:designingahomeforpeoplewithspecialneeds;learningtheeffectsofmusiconmemory;workingataflavorchemistrylab;andinterningatastart-uptechnologicalcompany.

In addition to our extremely rich curriculum, you can find out about our wide array of co-curricular clubs and activities that are offered to our students by viewing the co-curricular poster included in this package.

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SAR HIGH SCHOOLDedicated to the Memory of JJ Greenberg z"l

503 West 259th StreetRiverdale, NY 10471718.548.2727www.sarhighschool.org • [email protected]

APPLY ONLINE: WWW.SARHIGHSCHOOL.ORG/HSAPPLICATION

Documents

SAR High School Curriculum Guide 2015-2016