Curriculum

Alpha Honors STEM Curriculum

The Alpha Honors STEM program is a unique honors cohort program in which students have specialized Alpha Honors Science, Math, and English classes taught by dedicated STEM teachers. Each class (Science, Math, and English) has a unique curriculum, designed to enhance student's interest and understanding in the STEM field. In addition to the workload of honors classes, students will also work independently to conduct scientific research, write a scientific paper based on original experimentation, and present the research at the annual Lane Tech Science Fair.

The curriculum and detailed description below emphasize the Alpha specific requirements each student must complete as an Alpha student.

The 4-year plan which consists of all courses can be found here: Alpha STEM Programming Sequence

The 6-year plan for current Lane Tech Academic Center students accepted to the Alpha Honors STEM Program can be found here: Alpha for LTAC students.

Requirements for Alpha STEM and Computer Science Concentration: Alpha STEM with CS Requirements

Requirements for Alpha STEM and Fine Arts Concentration: Alpha STEM with Fine Arts Requirements

Freshman and Sophomore Years

During their freshman and sophomore years, Alpha students not only focus on the honors curriculum in Science, Math, and English, but also develop and conduct scientific research that is presented at the annual Lane Tech science fair. The science curriculum is unique in that students focus on all STEM areas during the first semester of their freshman year, to determine what type of research/project/experiment they are most interested in for the annual science fair. During freshman and sophomore year, students are given time during their science class to develop and conduct their scientific research. The math curriculum is unique in that statistics is incorporated into the math curriculum, beginning freshman year. Statistics allows Alpha students to better analyze and interpret their scientific research for the science fair. The English curriculum is unique in that the curriculum incorporates scientific literature/novels, conducting research for scientific review of literature, and scientific writing skills that are important for conducting scientific research.

Junior and Senior Years

During their Junior and Senior year, Alpha students have the option to take the culminating AP Capstone Seminar and Research classes to earn their AP Capstone Diploma. In addition, they become mentors for our 9^th grade students who are conducting scientific research for the first time at Lane Tech. Alpha Juniors and Seniors also have the option of participating in science fair or in one of many STEM clubs at Lane Tech, such as Science Olympiad, GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science), or Rocketry Club. Moreover, Alpha Juniors and Seniors have the opportunity to take advantage of STEM workshops, National Geographic presentations, and college tours throughout the nation, that are only offered to those in the Alpha program.

Literature Class Texts

These are subject to change, but each are examples of the types of literature that is taught:

Alpha Honors English I: we read a variety of texts from different genres such as literature, poetry, speeches, and other prose texts. Longer texts may include books such as American Born Chinese by Gene Yang, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Dear Martin by Nic Stone. In addition, we read a lot of excerpts from Home Place by J. Drew Landham, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and a variety of other texts like speeches from members of the United Nations.

Alpha Honors English II: Kindred by Octavia Butler; As You Like It by William Shakespeare; Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; The Science of Liberty by Timothy Ferris; Our Lady of the Tortilla by Luis Santeiro; A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry; various essays, poems, and short stories by a wide array of authors.

AP English Language: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates; Born a Crime by Trevor Noah; Macbeth or Othello by Shakespeare; various essays, speeches, and other nonfiction texts.

AP English Literature: Sula by Toni Morrison; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; Hamlet by William Shakespeare; Sweat by Lynn Nottage; short fiction by Louise Erdrich, James Baldwin, Rabih Alameddine, and many others; poetry by Safia Elhillo, Clint Smith, Shakespeare, and many others.