Upper School Curriculum Guide 2018-19
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ALLENDALE COLUMBIA SCHOOL - UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE 2018-19 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 Graduation Requirements 2 Additional Requirements 2 COLLEGE ADVISING 4 AC CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP 7 AC CENTER FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT 10 AC INVENT CENTER FOR STEM AND INNOVATION 11 ENGLISH 13 WORLD LANGUAGES 18 MATHEMATICS 24 SCIENCE 29 HISTORY 38 VISUAL ART 44 MUSIC 48 DRAMA 51 PHYSICAL EDUCATION/HEALTH 53 CLUBS 55 Allendale Columbia School 1 INTRODUCTION The Upper School, grades nine through twelve, challenges students to perform at the highest level, while providing support vital to academic and personal achievement. Designed to prepare students for college and beyond, the Upper School develops students’ independence and motivation to excel. Upper School faculty members teach to a broad curriculum with four key areas of focus. The Humanities are paramount to our curriculum and help to develop a base of skills. Writing, problem solving, technology, communication, and critical thinking are the building blocks of an AC education. Invent Center courses offer students a chance to think in an interdisciplinary manner and create new solutions. Entrepreneurship is a set of hybrid thinking skills and a mindset that build our students’ ability to set a vision, identify a problem, and execute an innovative solution. Global Engagement courses help guide our students as they raise their global IQ and prepare to have an impact. Students experience a wide range of teaching styles in the Upper School, including seminars, discussions, lectures, projects, writing workshops, and collaborative learning opportunities. How this work is assessed is also varied, helping to prepare students for the post-secondary learning environment. Upper School students take both required courses and elective courses, and scheduling is handled on an individual basis with each coming year’s course offerings explained during the spring. Graduation Requirements While attending Allendale Columbia School, students enroll in five or six courses per year or the equivalent. Courses that meet during the Music/P.E. block during the school day do not count toward this total. Course Requirements Subject Minimum Credits English (required every year) 4 Mathematics (successful completion of three consecutive years of Mathematics beyond the eighth grade, including completion of Algebra II) 3 History (U.S. History required in eleventh or twelfth grade) 3 World Language (completion of at least one language through level 3) 2 Science (three years of lab science: at least 1 semester of physics, chemistry, and biology) 3 Visual Art, Music, or Theatre (may be a combination of any two) 1 Four additional credits (1/2 credit courses may be combined with 1 credit courses) 4 Health _0.5 20.5 Additional Requirements Health and May Term are required for graduation. Health can be taken as a class in tenth grade or, based on approval, as an independent online course in the summer between ninth and tenth grade. May Term is required every year. With permission, twelfth graders may choose to participate in the off-campus Senior Project and Internship Program in lieu of May Term. Students may choose from Physical Education, an interscholastic sport, or an independent study to fulfill their requirement in Physical Education. Students in ninth and tenth grades are required to select one team sport each year. Physical Education classes occur during the academic day and emphasize participation, fitness, and lifetime appreciation of sports. Independent study requires a student proposal for an activity that occurs outside of the school day. Allendale Columbia School 2 Please note: Students who transfer to AC after ninth grade will work with the Head of Upper School on an individualized plan. Faculty mem bers work individually with students each year in planning their courses for each grade. Some courses may not be offered each year, based on student interest and/or faculty availability. Add/Drop Policy: A two-week Add/Drop Period exists at the start of each semester so that students can make changes to their schedule without penalty. Following the Add/Drop Period, withdrawing from a course has implications for the student's transcript. A course withdrawal would be the last option in working with a student through a difficult academic or personal challenge. If a student were to: - drop a course before the Add/Drop Period ends, the course is removed from the transcript. - withdraw from a course after the Add/Drop Period ends and before the end of Q1 for a fall semester/full-year course or Q3 for a spring semester course, the course would remain on the transcript with a "W" for withdrawal with 1 credit attempted (or 0.5 credits for single semester courses) and 0 credits awarded. Students cannot withdraw from a course during Q2 or Q4. - withdraw from a full-year class during 2nd semester after 1st semester grades are reported, the first semester grade appears on the transcript with 1 credit attempted and 0.5 credits awarded. May Term Upper School May Term at Allendale Columbia School exists to provide educational opportunities outside of the normal structure of the school year to support intellectual discovery, encourage collaboration, and foster community involvement. Embodying Allendale Columbia School’s core values, May Term provides authentic learning experiences through courses that emphasize global awareness, interdisciplinary content, and/or service learning. All students must complete a May Term at the end of each of their four years in the Upper School. With permission, twelfth graders may choose to do an off-campus Senior Project in lieu of May Term. Senior Project Program The Senior Project Program is a three-week off-campus experience in a professional environment. For more than two decades, AC twelfth graders have devised a wide variety of projects and internships with several ends in mind: to explore a potential career, to participate in community service, or to indulge their curiosity in a constructive way about some field of interest. Projects and internships are expected to occupy at least the equivalent of the regular school day and must take place in a professional environment in which the students have not had previous work experience. At the conclusion, students must prepare and deliver a 5-10 minute presentation to a panel of professionals from the AC community. Some students will be selected to give brief presentations to the Upper School during May Term Exhibition Night. Advanced Placement The Upper School offers several AP courses, which are typically offered to eleventh and twelfth graders. Students are recommended for AP courses by their teachers based upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to: academic performance, effort and interest in subject area, skills in subject area, and potential and expected performance. Teacher recommendation for AP Allendale Columbia School 3 courses is based upon grades, performance, and observed student habits. All students enrolled in AP classes are required to take the corresponding examinations in May to earn credit for the class. Throughout the scheduling process, we encourage students to consider taking AP classes as they provide the potential for college credit as well as the opportunity for the rigor of a college level course. Given the workload in these classes as well as the pace at which content is covered, we set a limit of three AP courses in any year. If a student would like to take more than three AP courses in any one year, he/she would need to petition directly to the Head of Upper School, and it is very rare that exceptions to this policy are granted. Colleges are aware of our policy, and students will not be penalized for adhering to this guideline. COLLEGE ADVISING College Advising at Allendale Columbia School is an excellent resource for every student. In addition to our vibrant liberal arts programming, college-like school atmosphere, and highly engaged faculty, College Advising is a critical aspect of our graduates’ preparation for higher education. The College Advising experience is meant to be informative, supportive, and exciting for students and parents alike. Kristin Cocquyt, our College Advisor, works with all Upper School students. Ninth and tenth graders and parents attend a “Knowledge for College” event and can access Mrs. Cocquyt for guidance and answers to questions. Eleventh and twelfth graders and their parents work directly with her through a formal process that involves individual and family college advising appointments, as well as evening group meetings with college admission counselors as guest speakers. A successful college application process is not just about knowing where you want to go – it’s also about academic preparation and making intelligent choices to get there. Needless to say, the strength of each student’s academic record is the most important part of her or his college application. The Head of Upper School oversees the course selection process for all students in Upper School to ensure they are building a strong and unique transcript. Mrs. Cocquyt works directly with rising twelfth graders, offering guidance as they select courses that will help them make the best use of their final year at Allendale Columbia School. Mrs. Cocquyt organizes a number of evening programs and workshops and meets individually with students and their families, helping them make the most of the Upper School experience and the college search. Topics of conversation center on students’ personal preferences and goals. Together with Mrs. Cocquyt and their families, students will explore what they want in a college or university, discussing size, location, setting, and other important criteria. Mrs. Cocquyt will also offer support and practice for college visits, interviews, essay writing, and individualized suggestions to prepare for standardized testing. During their eleventh grade May Term College Workshop, eleventh grade students will work on preparing their college essay and other components of the college application.