Elective Curriculum Details

Stories were selected to encourage and motivate students to read and enjoy American literature. In this course students will:

• Read several short stories
• Use the writing process to respond to each selection they read.
• Independently research and write a short story.

**Disclaimer

Content is aligned with the Grade 10 Ohio Language Arts Standards. Because all the selections are literary texts, content standards relating to the informational, technical, and persuasive text are not included in this course.

We find references to Greek mythology in literature, music, the arts, advertising, history, and language. Greek mythology serves as a background for multi-disciplinary curricula. Myths focusing on major Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes encourage and motivate students to read and explore classical mythology. In this course students will:

• Read several myths.
• Use the writing process to respond to each selection.
• Independently research several mythical characters.

**Disclaimer

Content is aligned with the Grade 10 Ohio Language Arts Standards. Because the emphasis is on reading and writing, several content indicators related to oral and visual communication are not included in this course.

This course focuses on major Roman gods, goddesses, and heroes. The cultural significance of Roman mythology is tangible, especially in the west. This course hopes to bring about a better understanding of these myths and their historical roots. In this course students will:

• Read several myths.
• Use the writing process to respond to each selection.
• Independently research several myths.

Poetry is an extremely important part of American history and culture. This course brings historical context to some of our most famous poems and poets. Students use the writing process to develop their response. In this course students will:

• Read, analyze, and respond to several American poetic selections.  
• Study literary terms related to each selection.

This course is all about the practical applications of mathematics in business and everyday life. The class will look directly at the mathematics that are required to manage business and personal finances. In this course students will:

• Compute work wages, commission, piecework pay, tips, and net pay for an earnings statement.
• Record checkbook progress.
• Reconcile checking account statement.
• Examine various types of savings accounts.
• Use recursive functions such as determining compound interest for a financial investment.
• Determine measures of central tendency and create and interpret frequency tables, stem-and-leaf plots, and bar graphs.
• Compute sales tax.
• Use installment plans.
• Investigate interest charges associated with credit cards.
• Examine comparative shopping techniques including best buys, discount prices, catalog orders, and the consumer price index.  
• Compute with matrices, representing and generalizing real-world problem situations.
• Examine the costs of owning a car including gas mileage, depreciation, insurance coverage, and financing.
• Determine the costs of financing a home including house payment, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and improvements.
• Estimate total costs for a trip by determining distance on a map, calculating gas mileage, finding lodging, and exchanging currency.
• Connect statistical techniques to consumer situations by evaluating health, sports and advertising data.

Intervention Math is a course designed to review the student in basic concepts necessary for success in applying mathematics involved in everyday life. The subject matter studied is familiar and motivational, integrating problem-solving and focusing on real applications of mathematical skills. This course is designed primarily for the student who seeks to improve his or her knowledge of basic mathematics. In this course students will:

• Computations and applications of whole numbers, decimals, fractions, ratios, and percent.
• Measurement in metric and customary units.
• Geometric figures, finding volume and surface area.
• Statistics, graphs, and probability.
• Integers, the coordinate plane, and algebraic equations.

Transition to College Math is a course intended to cover traditional topics in college algebra and trigonometry at the freshman level. This course was written in accordance with the Ohio Academic Content Standards for grades 11 and 12 and includes such topics as:

• Systems of Linear Equations.
• Complex Numbers.
• Quadratic Functions.
• Logarithms.
• Trigonometry.
• Matrices.
• Vectors.
• Conic Sections.

This course teaches students to use advanced mathematics to solve both practical and theoretical problems. In this course, students will:

The Mathematics CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) Preparation Courses (Parts 1 and 2) are aligned with the California academic content standards which prepare students for all aspects of life, whether it is for work or continuing education. Competency in mathematics is a necessity. This includes the application of math skills to practical problems and situations that occur in everyday life.

Each strand of the course is broken down into standards. These will serve as a measurement of knowledge at a specific time in school for students. These standards represent a general understanding of mathematics and describe what the students should be able to do through grade nine. Students must demonstrate a strong foundation in mathematics including working with decimals, fractions, and percents.

The general strands include:

• Number Sense (NS)
• Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (PS)
• Algebra and Functions (AF),
• Measurement and Geometry (5)
• Mathematical Reasoning, and Algebra I (1A)

**Disclaimer

The course begins with a pre-test and ends with a post-test developed from the October 2005 Math Released Test Questions – http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/mathrtq05.asp.

This course is designed to assist students in preparation for the Ohio Graduation Test in mathematics. In this course students will:

• Investigate properties and order of operations, evaluate expressions, identify subsets of the real number system, and determine equivalent forms of real numbers.
• Estimate, compute and solve problems with real numbers. This includes ratio, proportion, percent, integers, rational numbers, scientific notation, and square roots.
• Generalize patterns and sequences and apply formulas to real-world problem situations.
• Determine length, area, and volume and the appropriate use of linear, square and cubic unit measurements.
• Generalize patterns and sequences using tables, graphs, and symbolic algebra.
• Determine slope and intercepts.
• Draw graphs of linear equations, inequalities, and explore simple quadratic and exponential functions.
• Solve linear equations, inequalities, systems of equations, quadratic equations, and direct and inverse variation problem situations.
• Recognize and apply angle relationships involving intersecting lines, perpendicular lines, and parallel lines.
• Use coordinate geometry to examine the properties of geometric figures including slope, midpoint, distance, parallel, and perpendicular lines.
• Perform translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations.
• Define basic trigonometric ratios in right triangles and apply proportions to solve problems involving right triangle trigonometry.
• Use permutations and combinations to calculate the number of possible outcomes recognizing repetition and order; and compute the probability of compound events, independent events, and simple dependent events.

Introduction to Aviation

Introduction to Aviation is a survey course designed to provide a basic overview of the historical, mechanical, and safety aspects of flying. In this course students learn about:

• The principles and fundamentals of aviation.
• Topics essential to understanding the flying environment, the aircraft, and the process of flight.
• Flight rules and safety.
• Flight communications.
• Aircraft systems and capabilities.
• Instrument competency.
• Meteorology.
• Navigation.
• Flight planning.
• Airspace awareness and conduct.
• Pilot physiology.

**This course requires a $50.00 lab fee.

Welcome to the world of forensic science! This is one of the fastest growing topics for high school programs. Just a few years ago no one would have imagined that the subject of forensic science would become part of our television culture. This course will allow you the opportunity to develop and extend your scientific skills and processes through problem-based learning. Students will relate the following subject areas to the real-life application of criminal investigations.

• Biology.
• Chemistry.
• Physics.
• Mathematics.
• Sociology.
• Archaeology.
• Anthropology.
• Anatomy.

This course is designed for students seeking an introductory course in physics. Following the Ohio Academic Content Standards, the eighteen units provide measurement, ideas and theories, principles, and even some mathematics. This introductory course will show the student the way scientists approach and solve problems. It will also help students understand the basic physical laws of our world.

The Ohio Graduation Test prep course will provide a concise review of high school level science to help prepare students for the OGT. The course begins with a diagnostic test, followed by study skills for the OGT.

The course will end with two practice tests. A checklist is included that will help determine which topics have already been mastered and in which topics the student is weak and needs to review more thoroughly. The lessons and tests follow the style and format of the OGT sample test items and OGT Practice Test in science. Students will then focus on major concepts and skills in the areas of:

• Physical science.
• Earth and space science.
• Life science.
• Genetics and heredity.

***This course requires a $30.00 lab fee.