Honors Information

Honors

Students who seek additional academic challenge, with the approval of their parents, may choose to take honors classes.  These classes have a very rigorous format and there are high expectations for student performance. Students considering honors should have Grade of A or B in grade level classes, or currently be enrolled in honors classes.

7th Grade

ELA 15 Honors English Language Arts 7
This course is designed for advanced students with high ability and motivation. The rigorous curriculum emphasizes analysis of literature and informational text, student driven research through the application of critical thinking and problem solving. Students enrolled will be expected to collaborate with other students on a long term project.

MA 10 Accelerated Pre-Algebra

This course is an honors level mathematics course. Students will complete both seventh and eighth grade mathematics in one school year. Mathematical practices and modeling with mathematics are embedded into standards for accelerated pre-algebra. Instructional time and learning focuses on six critical areas: (1) developing understanding of proportional relationships; and (2) developing understanding of operations with rational numbers and working with expressions, inequalities, and linear equations; (3) Develop understanding of expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations; (4) Develop understanding of the concept of a function and use functions to describe quantitative relationships; (5) Analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures using distance, angle, similarity, congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem: and (6) Develop understanding of irrational numbers.

SC 19 Honors 7th Grade Science Prerequisite: Test scores 2 Sem.

This course is designed for students with high critical thinking skills and motivation who want the challenge of increasing science skills and methods. This course offers the challenge of higher academic rigor that are prerequisites for success in advanced 7th Grade science. These practices include experimental design, working appropriately with science tools, and data analysis. This course builds on and expands students’ understanding of physical, life, and Earth and space science. Specific core ideas include electromagnetic forces, gravity, Newton’s laws of motion, Earth’s structure and processes, and cellular biology.

SS 10 7th Grade Honors Social Studies Prerequisite: Test scores 2 Sem.

This course is designed for the advanced students with high ability and motivation. Following the 7th grade standards, emphasis is placed on critical thinking, research, and geography skills using cross-curricular integration.

8th Grade

ELA 16 Honors English Language Arts 8 Prerequisites: Test scores 2 Sem.

This course is designed for advanced students with high ability and motivation. The rigorous curriculum emphasizes analysis of literature and informational text, student driven research through the application of critical thinking and problem solving. Students enrolled will be expected to collaborate with other students on a long term project.

SS 20 Honors 8th Grade Social Studies Prerequisites: Test scores 2 Sem.

This course is designed for the advanced students with high ability and motivation. Following the 8th grade standards, emphasis is placed on critical thinking, civic engagement, economic concepts, and research skills using cross curricular integration.

SC 20 Honors 8th Grade Science Prerequisite: Test scores 2 Sem.

This course is designed for students with high critical thinking skills and motivation who want the challenge of increasing science skills and methods. This course offers the challenge of higher academic rigor that are prerequisites for success in advanced 8th Grade science. These practices include experimental design, working appropriately with science tools, and data analysis. This course builds on and expands students’ understanding of core ideas in physical, life, and Earth science. This course prepares students for ninth-grade honors SC23 Physical Science. Specific topics include atoms, energy transfer, Earth’s structures, and processes, heredity, and ecological diversity.

MA 27 Algebra I Prerequisite: MA10, test scores 2 Sem. — 1 Math Credit

Pre-Algebra Mathematical practices and modeling with mathematics are embedded into standards for algebra to include the study of number and quantity, functions, reasoning with equations and inequalities, and interpreting categorical and quantitative data. Instructional time and learning focuses on three critical areas: (1) Deepen and extend understanding of linear and exponential relationships; (2) Engage in methods for analyzing, solving, and using quadratic functions; and (3) Apply linear models to data that exhibit a linear trend.

MA 32 Honors Geometry 2 Sem. — 1 Math Credit Prerequisite: MA 27 and teacher recommendation 

Mathematical practices and modeling with mathematics are embedded into standards for honors geometry to include the study of congruence, similarity, right triangles, and trigonometry, circles, expressing geometric properties with equations, and geometric measurement and dimension. Instructional time and learning focuses on five critical areas: (1) Establishing criteria for congruence of geometric figures based on rigid motions: (2) Establishing criteria for similarity of geometric figures based on dilations and proportional reasoning; (3) Develop understanding of informal explanations of circumference, area, and volume formulas; (4) Proving geometric theorems; and (5) Solve problems involving right triangles. In addition, the curriculum includes rigorous proofs, algebraic representations of geometric concepts, transformational geometry and coordinate geometry.