Humane Letters:

This course will introduce you to the ideas in some of the great texts and documents written by American authors, politicians, and philosophers, and it will engage you in active and critical reflection upon these ideas and their meanings.  We will devote significant time to understanding some of the major historical events and figures of our nation.  You will also hone your writing skills through frequent writing assignments and five-paragraph essays. The majority of class time will be given to seminar discussion of these original texts and literary works.  

Geometry:

This course is based on Euclidean Geometry and covers all the Arizona state standards for Geometry, which coincides with our school goals. This course covers such topics as angle relationships, the properties of polygons and non-polygons, areas, volumes, transformations, constructions, and proofs, along with other Geometry concepts. In this course, Geometry-related vocabulary will be stressed, and critical thinking will be developed through formal Geometric proofs.

Spanish I:

This course will be centered primarily on oral activities designed to give students the opportunity to interact in the classroom, using Spanish exclusively.  Work both in and out of the classroom also focuses on learning grammar, reading, writing and acquiring cultural knowledge. The goal is for students to achieve basic competency in all four-language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

In addition to the Socratic Method, the course will incorporate full-immersion techniques. Students will be learning most words/phrases with a respective gesture which will act as a memory trigger to facilitate remembering the sound(s) and learn the new concepts.  It is a must for students to express themselves in Spanish all the time. 

French I:

Bienvenue en français 1! Welcome to Français 1! In this course, students will learn to understand, speak, read and write French (communicate), and they will get an introduction to French and Francophone culture. Students will learn in complementary ways: first, from listening, reading, and speaking; then, from studying the mechanics of language, grammar and phonetics. Most of class time will be devoted to oral activities, which will help students to comprehend and think in French. These will include guided and free conversation, interviews, role-play,  etc. Other activities will include writing and grammar exercises.

As the best way to learn French is to hear it and speak it every day, we will rarely use English in class. The first and most important rule this year will be to try hard to speak French in class. This means that there will be plenty of false starts, mispronunciations and mistakes; making mistakes is an essential part of the process. It is important that we support each other and work together as a class during this process. Students should try their best to join the class conversation, have fun, and discover this new language and culture!

Latin IV:

The goal of Latin IV is to transition into reading authentic and unabridged Latin prose via the text Fabulae Faciles. After this reader, students will read excerpts of authentic prose from Roman authors, including selections from Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita, Caesar’s De Bello Gallico, and Seneca’s Epistulae Morales. Over the course of the year students learn the remainder of central grammatical and syntactical concepts from Classical Latin and will practice advanced grammar and syntax to gain fluency in reading Latin texts. Additionally, we will discuss Roman history, geography, and culture to provide context for the texts as well as improve our understanding of Latin and the Roman world. Our approach in Latin IV is to continue building on skills and knowledge acquired in Latin I, II, and III by focusing on advanced use of the language to build confidence and fluency.

Poetry:

Poetry uses words to create a new vision in the reader/listener; it is the process of connecting imagination to  language. The craft and art of poetry is based on structure--patterns of meaning, sound, and form. In this  class we will explore the function, vocabulary, and form of poetry. We will learn about images, metaphors,  rhythm, rhyme, and meter. We will familiarize ourselves with the basic forms of poetry and practice  manipulating these tools to create our own poetry. 

We study poetry because word craft is an art and a tradition that is a vital component of many civilizations.  To create poems, we must know and understand the creations that have come before. All poets stand upon  the shoulders of a great poetic tradition of images, music, and form. 

A good deal of the work in 9th Grade Poetry consists of reading, hearing, memorizing, and discussing some of the best poetic works of our Western tradition. Writing poetry grows out of engaging with the wisdom and  skill of great poets. 

Each topic will be covered in class and through homework. Students will be responsible for reading poems aloud. Students will regularly complete in-class assignments based upon a given topic or prompt. These writings will be developed as in-class and homework assignments. Students will write their own poems using the form and technique focused upon in each unit, while also incorporating concepts from previous lessons.

Music:

This course aims to further develop an understanding and appreciation for music through building music literacy, exposure to Western classical and folk music, and engagement in the music-making process. Like other arts courses, this includes the opportunity to be involved in the process of creating something truly meaningful and beautiful. This course is divided into three essential components: Music Theory, Music Appreciation, and Music Performance.