Secular Curriculum
Language Arts
Students will display increasing knowledge of literature and literary elements while becoming more independent readers, writers, speakers and evaluators of information.
Literature – The student will:
- Identify, analyze, and demonstrate increasing knowledge of the structure and elements of fiction and non-fiction through oral and written means
- Demonstrate understanding of the author’s purpose in choosing a genre
- Demonstrate increasing competency in the use of reading strategies, study skills and research techniques while carrying them over to and using them in the content areas
- Demonstrate an increasing ability to use and apply higher level thinking skills in a variety of situations
Language – The student will:
- Write multi-paragraph compositions with increasing competency for audience, purpose, organization, content, and where appropriate, provide detailed support from a text or other source
- Demonstrate increasing competency in editing their writing
- Demonstrate his/her increasing awareness and understanding of various language styles in literary works
- Continue to develop an advanced vocabulary and use it in his/her reading, writing and speaking
- Obtain, evaluate and use information from a variety of sources and media
- Use appropriate techniques for written and oral presentations and develop criteria to assess their effectiveness
- Demonstrate and apply knowledge of rules for informal and formal small and large group discussions
Mathematics
Students will explore mathematical ideas in depth in ways that foster their curiosity about math. Using real world applications whenever possible, math instruction connects other disciplines and provides opportunities for students to communicate their knowledge of mathematical concepts. The student will:
Number Sense
- Understand, represent and use numbers in a variety of equivalent forms (integer, fraction, decimal, percent exponential, expanded, ratio, proportions, scientific notation, etc.)
- Use and apply fractions, decimals, percents, etc. in everyday situations (i.e. discounts, sales tax, tips, interest)
Patterns, Relations and Algebra
- Analyze and represent patterns using tables, graphs, and symbolic expressions
- Interpret data from a table and write an algebraic expression representing the rule/function
- Evaluate algebraic expressions (linear and quadratic equations)
Geometry and Measurement
- Identify and use appropriate geometric terms
- Solves geometric equations
- Identify two and three-dimensional shapes based on their properties
- Calculate area, perimeter, volume of various shapes in problem solving situations
- Use basic tools to measure and construct geometric figures
- Evaluate data analysis, statistics and probability
- Estimate, make and use measurements in real-world situations
- Describe and compare data sets using the concepts median, mean, mode and range
- Use data to explore and predict future outcomes
- Make theories, statements, conclusions and recommendations based on tendencies and characteristics of data sampled
Science
Students will know the names, shapes and uses of the different pieces of lab equipment. They will be able to use lab equipment in order to complete a lab experiment and will follow the basic rules of lab safety. Using the scientific method of hypothesizing, searching, experimenting, data collecting and concluding, students will expand their knowledge and experience of the scientific world in order to produce learning applications in the following concepts:
Life Science – The student will:
- Understand the parts and functions of both plant and animal cells
- Compares and contrasts single cells vs. multicellular
- Understand criteria for classifying organisms, kingdoms, etc.
- Analyze each body system, understand the function that it performs and how it interacts with other systems
- Understand that DNA provides heredity information which is contained in genes
- Demonstrates the steps of meiosis and mitosis
- Interprets and illustrates the energy flow in a food chain, energy pyramid or food web
Social Studies
Students will learn in greater detail and depth the history of the United States - European exploration, colonization, foundation and emergence of the American government, military conflicts, writing and adopting of government documents (i.e. Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, etc.), Pre-Industrial Age (1790-1860), slavery issues/Civil War, technological advances and how it impacted society, social changes (reforms, civil rights, women’s rights, etc.), and in-depth studies of administrations of George Washington through Abraham Lincoln.