rHS Academies & CTE Pathways

Architecture, Construction, & Engineering Academy

Academy Lead Teacher:  Ryan Blair

Description:  

The Redwood ACE Academy provides students with rigorous coursework in architecture, construction management, and engineering. This four-year program combines high-level, integrated academics, on-site laboratory experiences, workplace partnerships, study programs, and college opportunities.  An emphasis is placed on project-based learning, rigor, and relevance to the ACE industry fields.  Students will work with industry partners in school-based projects that will help ensure students are college and career-ready.

Courses:

Intro to Engineering Design (P)

This course is the entry level course for the Academy of Architecture and Engineering.  Students will dig deep into the engineering design process, applying math, science, and engineering standards to hands-on projects.  They work both individually and in teams to design solutions to a variety of problems using 3D modeling software, and use an engineering notebook to document their work.

Civil Engineering and Architecture (P)

Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA) is a high school level specialization course in the PLTW Engineering Program. In CEA students are introduced to important aspects of building and site design and development. They apply math, science, and standard engineering practices to design both residential and commercial projects and document their work using 3D architectural design software. Utilizing the activity-project-problem-based (APB) teaching and learning pedagogy, students will progress from completing structured activities to solving open ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills.

Construction Management (P)

Construction and Building Technology introduces students to construction processes and procedures. Students will learn about construction technology, construction materials, management, and project design. They will study building foundations, subsystems, and structures and learn how these systems are maintained, repaired or altered. Chapters on commercial, industrial, and engineered construction processes and procedures are also included.

Engineering Design and Development (P)

Engineering Design and Development (EDD) is the capstone course in the PLTW high school engineering program. It is an open-ended engineering research course in which students work in teams to design and develop an original solution to a well-defined and justified open-ended problem by applying an engineering design process. Students will perform research to select, define, and justify a problem. After carefully defining the design requirements and creating multiple solution approaches, teams of students select an approach, create, and test their solution prototype. Student teams will present and defend their original solution to an outside panel. While progressing through the engineering design process, students will work closely with experts and will continually hone their organizational, communication and interpersonal skills, their creative and problem solving abilities, and their understanding of the design process.

Academy of Law & Justice

Academy Lead Teacher:  Jennifer McFadden

Description:

The Redwood High School's Academy of Law & Justice seeks to improve students’ reading, writing, critical thinking, and speaking skills through an intensive academic curriculum that uses the law—its origins, purpose, use, and significant historical cases—as a framework to develop well-rounded, self-aware, community conscious and proactive citizens. The Law Academy’s highlights include:

• Strengthen our students’ academic foundation—We will improve our students’ ability to read for comprehension;  efficiently and appropriately conduct research and provide documentation and be academically responsible.

• Develop our students’ ability to critically analyze social issues—We will rigorously interrogate historical events to build our knowledge of cause and effect. We will critique and analyze literature to deepen our understanding of the underlying messages of significant authors of the law.

• Build our students’ capabilities as public persons—We will encourage, coach, and guide our students to become effective and confident speakers in public.

Courses:

Foundations of Law (P)

This course helps students to understand why we live under the rule of law, and how laws are created, enforced, interpreted, and changed. The course enables students to examine diverse areas of law, including criminal, civil, constitutional, and international. It also explores civil rights issues and the role of advocacy, civics, and the media in our legal system.

Foundations of Criminal Justice (P)

The Criminal Justice and Law curriculum provides students with an overview of the criminal and juvenile justice systems.  Students will learn how and why the criminal justice system functions. Students will explore diverse areas of criminal law, constitutional and civil rights, and how the system functions for adults and juveniles. Students will apply critical thinking and problem solving techniques by researching historical and political causes for legal issues and present on findings to essential questions, work in teams to analyze, reason, negotiate and develop questions for further study. Students will examine how the U.S. legal system compares with legal and political systems, philosophies, and practices of other countries. Students will learn about advocacy and policy by researching how individuals and groups, including young people, can take action to reform our legal system.

Constitutional Law (P)

This course will introduce students to the complexities of the Supreme Court and its role as the Constitutional arbiter in our political and legal system. Students will look at the origins of the court, its evolution as an agent of Constitutional Review, and the development of the process by which the court reviews cases and makes their decisions.

Advanced Civil Law (P)

This course is designed as the capstone course for the Law and Justice Academy. It is designed to advance the legal skills of students of the Law and Justice students. Areas covered include theories and practical application of civil law categories such as torts, Constitutional law, contracts, business law, real estate law, family law, wills, trusts, and estate law. The course will cover advanced preparations of real-world legal forms, court documents and filings, and client relations.  Legal research skills with case studies, writing concise legal briefs, and conducting client interviews.