Additional Course Offerings

 

This course is designed to provide students with specially designed instruction focusing on tenth-grade math and literacy skills. In addition, through support and instruction, students will be taught the skills needed to access the general education curriculum, and become responsible, self-directed learners and strong self-advocates.  Specific skills taught include collaboration, organization and time management strategies, information technology, critical thinking, and reinforcement of social communication. 

 

The Learning Center is offered to students grades 9-12 who require specially designed instruction.  Enrolled students will participate in the Learning Center daily or every other day, based on individual needs.  Through support and instruction, students are taught the skills needed to access the general education curriculum and become self-directed learners and strong self-advocates. The skills required for executive functions, study strategies, critical thinking, emotional regulation, and communication are taught and emphasized for success in high school and beyond.  

 

This course is designed for students with specific educational objectives, which correspond to each individual’s educational program. Career readiness and daily living skills are the focus of this course. Units of instruction include appropriate workplace behavior/expectations, problem solving, career exploration, skills assessment, money management, and social/civic skills. Students will learn steps to gaining employment through the creation of work portfolios consisting of applications, cover letters, resumes, and letters of recommendation. A class business plan will also be developed to teach students how to start, run, and maintain a small business.

 

This course is designed for students with specific educational objectives that correspond to each individual’s educational program. Basic reading and comprehension skills as well as practical written and verbal communication skills are the focus of this course. Students will utilize standard written English to prepare for employment and daily living situations. Activities include filling out job related forms, organizing information, composing different forms of correspondence, reading and summarizing informational text, and utilizing instructional tools, such as maps and cooking recipes. All units of instruction include the acquisition of functional vocabulary words, such as safety signs and work-based terms.

 

This course is designed for students with specific educational objectives that correspond to each individual’s educational program. This course emphasizes the use of practical mathematical applications to prepare students for employment and daily living situations. Units of instruction include basic number sense, money management, time telling, and the application of functional geometry and measurement. Activities will increase independence in calculator skills, estimation, shopping and budgeting, time management, and comprehension of every day word problems.

 

This course is designed for students with specific educational objectives that correspond to each individual’s educational program. This course offers students the skills they need to live as independently as possible as adults. Units of instruction focus on proper appearance and grooming, healthy and safe meal preparation, finding affordable housing, and clothing selection and care. Basic budgeting is also introduced as students are tasked with appropriate meal planning and developing grocery shopping lists. Other real-life expenses, such as rent and utilities are also managed. Students will often travel into the community for hands-on experience with grocery shopping and further developing appropriate social interactions. This course may be taken multiple semesters as students gain mastery and refinement of skills.

 

This course is designed for students with specific educational objectives that correspond to each individual’s educational program. Instruction is designed to increase student’s individual skills on the computer, while reinforcing the concepts they are being taught in their Math, English, and Life Skills classes.  Students are also using computer programs for career exploration.  Based on their ability, students will work on specific skills in these computer programs. 

 

This course focuses on fiction and non-fiction pieces published within the past three decades.  Students will analyze selected works and relate them to current topics in class discussion, writing, and creative activities.  Students will gain an appreciation of current best-sellers and influential writings by modern authors.

 

This English class includes a chronological study of American Literature.  Students will develop critical thinking, reading, research and writing skills. Literature-based writing activities range from persuasive and creative writing to literary analysis, using thesis statements and supportive textual evidence. Students will gather, interpret, synthesize and evaluate text and information through a variety of methods and technologies.

 

This course is designed to develop an appreciation and understanding of literary genres and to explore literature as a mirror of human experience.  The study of literature focuses on six units of study:  the short story, the novel, drama, poetry, mythology, and non-fiction.  This course is intended to provide a solid base of instruction in reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary.  Students will enhance their reading, listening, and research skills while they gather, interpret, synthesize, and evaluate text and information through a variety of methods and technologies.  

 

This course focuses on critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as students explore important life themes in literature.  Students use literature as models in writing and continue a study of grammar and vocabulary study to build strong skills.  Students will present formal and informal speeches to improve communication and speaking skills.  A variety of writing and speaking assignments will allow students to develop confidence as writers and speakers.  Students will enhance their reading, listening, and research skills while they gather, interpret, synthesize, and evaluate text and information through a variety of methods and technologies.  

 

This course is designed to enable students to understand why new diseases are appearing and why those we thought conquered are reappearing.  This is done in the context of basic concepts upon which our understanding of biology is built; the interdependence of life and the interconnectedness of our world.  Epidemic diseases will be analyzed using a holistic approach to controlling and eradicating disease called One Health.  This framework will help us see how our past and present actions will affect the future course of disease.
Students will tackle dilemmas such as the vaccination debate, antibiotic resistance, the human-animal interface, food distribution, and travel quarantines.  We'll also discuss breakthroughs in technology including how smartphones and social media are revolutionizing disease surveillance.

 

This course will take students back in time, forward in time and to the far corners of the scientific realm. In this course you will explore the concept of Evolution - the core theme of all biology and you will investigate the impact that science has on our lives and on our thinking. Most importantly, you will venture into the very "Nature of the Scientific Process!" Biological evolution accounts for three of the most fundamental features of the world around us: the similarities among living things, the diversity of life, and many features of the physical world we inhabit. Explanations of these phenomena in terms of evolution draw on results from physics, chemistry, geology, many areas of biology, and other sciences. Thus, evolution is the central organizing principle that biologists use to understand the world. Much of the work you do will take you exploring on the 
World Wide Web, but you will also investigate the processes of evolution in "your own backyard" and look at the Nature of Science all around you. Evolution and the Nature Of Science provides an extremely active and rich source of new insights into the world.

 

This course is designed to help students better understand our constantly changing and complex world through a study of geography.  We will study geography from the physical, political and cultural perspective through the five basic geographical themes of location, place, human-environment interaction, movement and regions.  Special emphasis will be placed on geographical skills and geographic literacy (locating countries, capitals and physical features of the world).  In this class we will be learning about the geographical make-up of our planet Earth and how that geography affects people.  Students will learn how the World’s physical features as well as cultural diversities have impacted and shaped the world we live in today.  Throughout this course, students will develop knowledge and skills to help them better understand the differences in physical features and climates from the regional to the international level, as well as gaining a better understanding of different cultural perspectives.  By the end of this course we hope that students will understand what it means to be an active, responsible, and knowledgeable citizen of the World.

 

Using current events, this course focuses on world and local issues that affect students’ everyday lives, such as economics, government and conflict. This course uses newspapers, online media, cartoons, and newscasts to support class discussion. Additionally students participate in group projects, presentations and work with primary source materials and opinion pieces in order to better understand the world around them.

 

Digital Photography instructs all aspects of operating digital cameras as well as digital skills for downloading digital images for post production. Students develop a portfolio of their created works. Each student photographs specific assignments that correlate to the custom class competency list. Students also explore the possibilities of color computer manipulation of their digital images through the classroom chrome books. The history of Photography will be explored by the students through research and also by handling 19th century cameras and photographs.

 

Through group facilitation, this course will take an integrated approach to health, fitness, and wellness in which students will learn and practice a variety of self-regulatory strategies to promote physical, emotional, and social health and wellness.  Students will participate in fitness activities and health information will be presented and discussed.  Topics will be guided by the Massachusetts Health Curriculum Frameworks, and may include topics such as nutrition and weight management, stress reduction, dealing with conflicts, community health resources, and other topics of importance for healthy young adults.