Online Public High School Program

WORLD HISTORY A*

World History (1 of 2) explores the key events and global historical developments from hunter-gatherer societies to the Industrial Revolution. It begins by analyzing early prehistoric people from the Paleolithic era to the Agricultural Revolution. The course follows the rise and fall of early empires and then considers the fall of the Roman Empire and its aftermath. Continuing through the Middle Ages, the course analyzes the Crusades, feudalism, the plague, and Asian empires. Next, it examines the impact of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation on human culture. It then examines conflicts between the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant and Catholic reformers and their effects. Examining the Age of Exploration, the course follows European explorers who sought new trade routes to Asia, the discovery of the Americas, the rise of joint-stock companies, the slave trade, and the emergence of the American colonies. It analyzes significant historical revolutions, including the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions, the Latin American revolutions, and the Industrial Revolution.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

WORLD HISTORY B*

World History (2 of 2) traces the developments of the last 250 years that have shaped the modern world. It begins by examining the origins of modern Western imperialism—or the building of empires, including the influence of the Industrial Revolution and reactions to groups based on culture and ethnicity. The course will analyze imperialism’s profound cultural, economic, and political impacts on Africa and Asia, including the rise of Japan. From there, it continues to examine how imperialism and nationalism contributed to the outbreak of World War I. It will consider how the Treaty of Versailles contributed to the rise of fascism in Europe and the start of World War II. The course will also analyze the changing, destructive nature of 20th-century warfare and atrocities such as the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

US HISTORY A*

US History (1 of 2) begins with the period of European exploration and the impact Europeans had on the lives of those native to North America. From there, the course traces the development of the English colonies in North America, the causes and effects of the American Revolution, and the ratification of the Constitution. Next, the course examines the causes of the War of 1812. Throughout the course, students analyze sectionalism through events such as westward expansion, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. The later part of the course examines the Indian Wars, immigration, and the Second Industrial Revolution. The course focuses on the ideas that shaped the history of those living in the United States.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

US HISTORY B*

US History (2 of 2) continues the story of the United States, encompassing the successes and failures of the nation in improving the human condition and espousing the unalienable rights that define the American spirit. It begins with the reform period during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Next, students examine World War I and the “Roaring Twenties economic boom.” After a study of the Great Depression and the New Deal, the course then traces America’s involvement in World War II and the Cold War, as well as proxy conflicts like the Vietnam War and the Korean War. Students learn about pivotal events in the second half of the 20th-century presidential administrations. The course examines domestic and global events as the United States emerges into the 21st century, including technological innovations, international communications, and terrorism. Along the way, the course explores some key individuals who contributed to the events and policies that have shaped the decades discussed within these lessons.

Honors Course Available

*Credit Recovery Course Available

ECONOMICS*

Economics explores principles that allow students to make informed decisions about personal finance. In this course, students develop a broader understanding of national and international economic decisions and policies. These principles will help students understand why economics impacts history, the distribution of wealth, and the quality of life for all members of society.

Credit Recovery Course Available

CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT

U.S. Government provides students with basic knowledge of the history and philosophy of the United States government and its principles, which guide our democracy. Students will examine the United States Constitution to answer questions and determine the facts of government. They will also focus on the functions and duties of the three branches of government. Students pay special attention to political participation, citizens’ rights and responsibilities, and world government systems. Students will study political institutions to explore the US government’s history, organization, and functions.

This course prepares students to take the Naturalization Test designed by the United States federal government. The course is for high school students to fulfill the requirements for graduation. Civics: Civic citizenship education empowers students to engage with the government and its democratic ideals through practical activities.

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IA*

English I (1 of 2) is the first semester of the ninth-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis using informational and literary texts. As students read the selections in this course, they explore textual evidence, identify themes and central ideas, make inferences, analyze word choice, and recognize figurative and connotative language in various texts. As part of the course, students read the early fantasy novel The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Students also compare portrayals of both literary and informational content in different mediums. Grammar and usage lessons cover context and word function as clues to the meaning and function of words in various domains and dialects. Students learn how figures of speech can deepen meaning and how reference materials help build vocabulary skills. Students also complete two Writing Projects: a personal narrative (memoir) and a literary analysis.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IB*

English I (2 of 2) is the second semester of the ninth-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis using informational and literary texts. As students read the selections in this course, they review concepts such as textual evidence, themes and central ideas, characters, and inferences. They also learn new concepts, including rhetorical techniques, structure and style, and arguments and claims. Students read the dystopian novella Anthem by Ayn Rand as part of the course. Students also compare works from different periods to identify how later works use earlier ones for inspiration—grammar and usage lessons review context and word nuances. Students also learn about spelling conventions, style manuals, phrases and clauses, parallel structure, and colons and semicolons. They will also complete two writing projects: an informational essay and an argument essay.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IIA*

English II (1 of 2) is the first semester of the 10th-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and the analysis of informational texts, argument texts, and videos. As students read the selections in this course, they explore explicit and inferred meaning through textual evidence, identify central ideas and details that support them, evaluate arguments and claims, recognize organizational structures, analyze figurative, connotative, technical, and rhetorical language, and assess the effects of word choice on tone in a variety of texts. Students recognize and use different reference sources and review spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation rules, including semicolons and colons. Students learn new vocabulary, including domain-specific words, and identify context clues and patterns of word change with prefixes and suffixes. Students also complete two Writing Projects: an informational essay and an argument essay.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IIB*

English II (2 of 2) is the second semester of the 10th-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis of literary texts from around the world and across history. As students read the selections, they practice strategies to recognize textual evidence, identify themes, make inferences, analyze all aspects of characterization, and identify figurative language, figures of speech, and literary devices. As part of the course, students read the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles and write a character analysis based on one of the main characters. Language lessons review context clues and word nuances. Students also learn more about patterns that occur with affixes, evaluate the correct use of phrases and clauses, and identify parallel construction with gerunds and infinitives. In addition to the literary analysis essay, students complete a personal narrative essay.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IIIA*

English III (1 of 2) is the first semester of the 11th-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis using informational and argument texts. As students read the selections in this course, they explore textual evidence, identify central ideas and supporting details, make inferences, analyze word choice, and recognize figurative and connotative language in various texts. As part of the course, students read seminal US texts such as “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass and presidential speeches, court documents, and scientific articles. Grammar lessons cover context and word function as clues to meaning, spelling and hyphenation rules, and contested usage. Students learn how figures of speech can deepen meaning and how reference materials help build vocabulary skills. Students also complete two research-based Writing Projects: an informational essay and an argument essay.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IIIB*

English III (2 of 2) is the second semester of the 11th-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis using informational and literary texts. As students read the selections in this course, they learn about literary elements such as plot, setting, and character; themes and central ideas; and characteristics of poetry and drama. Students read the classic American play The Crucible by Arthur Miller as part of the course. Students also compare works from different periods to identify how later works use earlier ones for inspiration—grammar and usage lessons review context and word nuances. Students also learn about style manuals, phrases and clauses, parallel structure, and colons and semicolons. Students also complete two Writing Projects: a fictional narrative and a literary analysis.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IVA*

English IV is the first semester of the 12th-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis using informational and argument texts. As students read the selections in this course, they explore rhetoric, figurative language, theme and purpose, specialized vocabulary, text structure, word nuances, and more. As part of the course, students read seminal US texts such as the Declaration of Independence, presidential speeches, court documents, and articles related to innovative technology. Grammar lessons cover context clues, word patterns as clues to meaning, contested usage, and strategies for avoiding syntax errors. Students learn to make inferences, conduct research, evaluate evidence, and use reference resources. Students also complete two research-based Writing Projects: an informational essay and an argument essay.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ENGLISH IVB*

This semester covers in-depth literary analysis using narrative texts from British literature— from the Middle Ages through modern times. The course builds in complexity, covering explicit and implicit meanings, figurative language, literary devices, central ideas, themes, and narrative and structural elements. Students write a fictional narrative in the style of Gothic Romanticism and a literary analysis comparing or contrasting two texts from different eras of British literature. These short and extended forms of writing emphasize the writing process, from notetaking and outline-making to revising and editing for content and style.

*Honors Course Available

*Credit Recovery Course Available

PRE-ALGEBRA

Students will start with the review of integers and rational numbers. They’ll then move into properties of numbers, including working with exponents, roots, and mastering the order of operations. Students will learn about variables and how to simplify expressions and solve multi-step equations. Finally, they’ll study lines and linear equations, and along the way they will work with ordered pairs, the coordinate plane, and graphs.

Credit Recovery Course Available

ALGEBRA 1A*

This course helps develop and strengthen students’ algebraic thinking and problem-solving skills. Students apply properties to simplify expressions with exponents and radicals, and they explore the relationships between rational and irrational numbers. Then students solve linear equations using inverse operations, and they write and solve linear equations that model real-world situations. As they explore linear relationships, they graph lines from equations and tables, and they write linear equations that represent given graphs. They also solve linear inequalities and graph them on number lines and in coordinate planes. Using their knowledge of linear equations and inequalities, students solve and graph systems of linear equations and inequalities. Next, students apply operations on polynomials and explore factoring quadratic expressions. Finally, students solve quadratic equations by factoring, using the quadratic formula and technology, and they work with systems that contain quadratic equations.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ALGEBRA 1B*

This course extends students’ algebraic understanding by applying what they know about linear and quadratic equations to the concept of functions. They also learn about square root and cube root functions, as well as absolute value, piecewise, and step functions. Students identify key features and interpret functions presented as equations, graphs, tables, and verbal descriptions, and they apply them to real-world problems. Key features are also used to compare different types of functions to each other. The focus then moves to performing transformations of functions. This allows students to explore how the structure of a function can be used to graph it by applying a transformation to a parent function. The course concludes with a study of statistics, which helps students to discover some of the interesting ways that math is used to explore the world.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

GEOMETRY A*

In Geometry (1 of 2), students build upon their understanding of geometric concepts by working through a variety of geometric problems, writing formal proofs, and constructing geometric figures. Transformations are used to explain the concepts of congruent and similar figures with a focus on the properties of congruent and similar triangles. These properties are proved as students become familiar with postulates, theorems, and formal proofs. The course wraps up with trigonometric ratios and their applications to real-world situations.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

GEOMETRY B*

In this course, students will use the Pythagorean theorem, distance formula, midpoint formula and slope formula to solve geometric problems and develop coordinate proofs.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ALGEBRA 2A*

In this course, students will review and expand on their knowledge of linear, quadratic, and exponential functions, as well as broaden their understanding of polynomial and rational functions. They will work with interactive text, delve into example problems, and watch engaging, instructional videos to enhance learning.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

ALGEBRA 2B*

In this course, students learn about and work with rational and radical equations, graph radical functions, and extend your knowledge of trigonometric functions. Students work with interactive text, delve into example problems, and watch engaging, instructional videos to enhance learning.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

COLLEGE MATHEMATICS PREPARATION A*

In this course, students model real-life situations with equations and inequalities, expand their skills with solving exponential equations with logarithms, and synthesize and generalize a variety of functions families. Each lesson of this course includes an interactive text, as well as example problems and related instructional videos.

Credit Recovery Course Available (Precalculus A)

COLLEGE MATHEMATICS PREPARATION B*

From construction to physics, the concepts in this course are used in a variety of real-world situations. In this course, students will learn how to make probability decisions, and how to use basic statistics and sampling processes to understand data sets and answer questions about samples and populations.

Credit Recovery Course Available (Precalculus B)

FINANCIAL MATH

Students learn to apply the skills they learn to solve real-life problem, and analyze current financial issues of taxes, loans, car leases, mortgages, insurance. Mathematical processes are used to study patterns and analyze data, algebraic formulas, graphs, amortization modeling. Schools may use this course independently or pair with Applied Mathematics to create a Math Models full-year course.

Credit Recovery Course Available

APPLIED MATH

Students examine how artists, video game developers, and musicians apply mathematical concepts to create and even how biologists use mathematics to measure the distances between cells and gain new insights about the body. Students apply concepts from geometry, functions, probability, and statistics. Schools may use this course independently or pair with Financial Mathematics to create a Math Models full-year course

*Credit Recovery Course Available

PHYSICAL SCIENCE A*

Physical Science (1 of 2) provides an introduction to the world of chemistry. Students will begin with an introduction to science as a whole and the basic methods and tools that scientists use to produce meaningful results. Students then will explore the structure and properties of matter and how it changes in response to energy. Next, students will practice reading and interpreting the information on the periodic table as well as chemical names, formulas, equations, and models. Students will also discover the types and properties of reactions, mixtures, solutions, acids, and bases. Finally, students will examine both the scientific principles and human applications of nuclear reactions. Throughout the course, students explore the historical perspectives and modern social implications of the course topics.

Credit Recovery Course Available

PHYSICAL SCIENCE B*

Physical Science (2 of 2) introduces students to the world of physics. They will start by building a foundation of what it means to be scientific by describing the ways scientists think, communicate, and do their jobs. Next, students will cover important aspects of motion and force, including the motion of fluids and how motion relates to Newton’s laws. Building up from these fundamentals, students will explore the topics of thermodynamics, energy, work, and machines. The nature and properties of waves are covered next, and then students end by examining electricity and magnetism. Throughout the course, students will parallel their investigation into the scientific method with a course project that introduces them to the field and processes of engineering.

Credit Recovery Course Available

BIOLOGY A*

This biology course covers the basics of biochemistry and how it relates to life, which enhances students’ understanding of biology. Biology allows students to understand the organisms that are all around them and how they affect certain systems on Earth. It also helps students understand themselves on a biological level. Students use logical thinking to identify relationships and draw conclusions. They evaluate topics in biology to better understand the basics of biochemistry, cells, membranes, cell division and reproduction, energy and metabolism, and photosynthesis.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

BIOLOGY B*

This biology course covers the basics of genetics and the technology used to better understand it. Students will discover how organisms have evolved due to natural selection. They will also explore ecology, including how matter and energy flow through organisms and their ecosystems, and learn to see a bigger picture of the biological world they live in.

During this course, students will apply ethical guidelines to biological research, as well as engage in argument about the ethical implications of current biotechnology. Students will also be able to model the flow of matter and energy in ecosystems and understand how changes to the flow affect organisms in their environment. Overall, students will evaluate topics in biology to better understand the basics of genetics, DNA and the genetic code, genomics, evolution, and ecology.

Honors Course Available

Credit Recovery Course Available

SPANISH 1A*

In this introductory course, students will be introduced to the basics of the Spanish language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will learn how to introduce themselves and others, talk about interests and hobbies, ask for directions, and more!

In addition to learning the language, students will also learn about the cultures of some Spanish-speaking countries. They will learn about daily life in Mexico, the history of Spain, cultural traditions in Argentina, and more!

Students will participate in discussion boards, speaking practice, a culture project, and a speaking project.

Credit Recovery Course Available

SPANISH 1B*

This course is the second semester of year one of Spanish. Students will continue with the introduction to the basics of Spanish language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will learn how to discuss school subjects, various professions, daily routines, and likes and dislikes.

 

In addition to learning the language, students will also learn about the cultures of Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Cuba. Students will learn about the history, traditions, and practices of each of these countries.

Students will participate in discussion boards, speaking practice, a multimedia writing project, and a speaking project.

Credit Recovery Course Available

SPANISH 2A*

This course is the first semester of year two of Spanish. Students will continue with the introduction to the basics of Spanish language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will learn how to discuss social relationships, climate, various animals, fables, holiday customs and traditions, and outdoor activities.

In addition to learning the language, students will also learn about the cultures of Paraguay, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Bolivia. Students will learn about the history, products, traditions, practices, and perspectives of each of these countries.

Students will participate in discussion boards, speaking practice, writing a fable in Spanish and a speaking project which will have the students ask questions, start, and end conversations.

Credit Recovery Course Available

SPANISH 2B*

This course is the second semester of year two of Spanish. Students will continue with their acquisition of the Spanish language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will do so by participating in discussion boards, speaking practices, writing projects, and speaking projects. Students will learn how to discuss a variety of topics such as transportation, extracurricular interests, significant historical figures of various countries, professions, cuisine, clothing, health, and technological advances. Students will be able to discuss these topics in the present, past, future, and conditional tenses, as well as the present subjunctive mood.

In addition to learning the language, students will also learn about the cultures of the Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Uruguay, and Panama. Students will learn about the history, cultural products, traditions, practices, and perspectives of each of these countries.

Credit Recovery Course Available

SPANISH 3A

Spanish 3 (1 of 2) is the first semester of year three of Spanish. Students will continue with their acquisition of the Spanish language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Discussion Boards, speaking practice, a writing project, and a speaking project offer further practice of these skills. Students will explore the topic of writing in Spanish by learning about informative, argumentative, and descriptive texts, as well as the creative writing process. They will also learn about significant historical events in Spanish-speaking countries, as well as cultural products, practices, philosophies, and public spaces. Students will be able to discuss these topics in the indicative and subjunctive moods as well as the imperative.

Credit Recovery Course Available

SPANISH 3B

Second Semester: Students will continue acquiring the Spanish language through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students explore Spanish-language literature by learning about notable authors and by reading and analyzing selected poems and short stories. They will also learn about behavioral norms in different Spanish-speaking cultures in a variety of social contexts. Students will be able to discuss these topics in the indicative and subjunctive moods in a variety of tenses.

Credit Recovery Course Available

 ART HISTORY: ORIGINS

In this course, students will journey through time, learning about prehistoric and ancient art, ancient Mediterranean and medieval art, and early European art from the Renaissance through Rococo. They will also learn how to read art and interpret it on a basic level. Since art is best learned through experience and expression, you will have opportunities to experience the art and react to it through discussion boards and projects. The goal of this course is to show how art relates to your life.

ART HISTORY: MODERN

In this course, students will journey into art history begins in the late 1700s. At this time in Europe, political upheavals and scientific and technological advances had led to exploration, innovation, and great wealth for many. As they travel forward from this time to the present, they will study important Western art movements, artworks, artists, and architecture. They will then look at art of the past and present from a global perspective, with travels to China, Japan, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, India, and back to the Americas.

Along the way, they will have many opportunities to respond personally to all things art and share their insights with their peers through discussion boards. Three projects provide various important interactions with the art, the artists, and the movements.

BEGINNING DRAWING

In Drawing, students will experiment with several different art materials and tools to see what each tool can do best. Students will explore ordinary things around them to become more observant of the structures and meanings of things which can be seen in your home and community.

Your work will be your own study of the forms, textures, movements, and patterns of the things that you see everyday.

Each project and each lesson is based on the one before it; so always do the lessons in the order they are given. Be sure to follow the directions exactly regarding which materials, sizes, and subject matter to use for each project. Each lesson will be a study of a new way of drawing. The examples given will show only the method and materials to be used, never the same subject or size as the project assigned. The examples are never to be copied. An example will only show one way of using the technique described.

By becoming more observant, by experimenting with new materials, and by exploring a variety of methods, students will continue to grow in artistic skill and enjoyment.

Beyond fundamental skills are various levels of creativity. Each lesson provides room for expressing the technical skill learned in a unique, creative way.

BEGINNING PAINTING

This course introduces students to classical and contemporary painting, techniques and concepts, with emphasis on the understanding of its formal language and the fundamentals of artistic expression. Painting from still life, landscape, and life models from observation will be geared towards realism; at the same time, various other painting styles could be explored.  Color theory, linear perspective, compositional structure, figure/ground relationships, visual perception, spatial concepts, and critical thinking skills will all be emphasized. Students will study and research major painting styles and movements in historical context. The hope is that students will use this global approach to develop a “critical eye” in evaluation of contemporary painting.  Acrylic and watercolors are the mediums used in this class. The main emphasis of this course is to encourage and nourish individuality and creativity.

Please be aware that this course includes depictions of nudity, as many art movements celebrated the human form. Many important and influential works of art include nudity, and it would be nearly impossible to teach art history without including them. Given the subject matter, the course is extensively visual.

ART HISTORY: ORIGINS

In this course, students will journey through time, learning about prehistoric and ancient art, ancient Mediterranean and medieval art, and early European art from the Renaissance through Rococo. They will also learn how to read art and interpret it on a basic level. Since art is best learned through experience and expression, you will have opportunities to experience the art and react to it through discussion boards and projects. The goal of this course is to show how art relates to your life.

ART HISTORY: MODERN

In this course, students will journey into art history begins in the late 1700s. At this time in Europe, political upheavals and scientific and technological advances had led to exploration, innovation, and great wealth for many. As they travel forward from this time to the present, they will study important Western art movements, artworks, artists, and architecture. They will then look at art of the past and present from a global perspective, with travels to China, Japan, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, India, and back to the Americas.

Along the way, they will have many opportunities to respond personally to all things art and share their insights with their peers through discussion boards. Three projects provide various important interactions with the art, the artists, and the movements.

BEGINNING DRAWING

In Drawing, students will experiment with several different art materials and tools to see what each tool can do best. Students will explore ordinary things around them to become more observant of the structures and meanings of things which can be seen in your home and community.

Your work will be your own study of the forms, textures, movements, and patterns of the things that you see every day.

Each project and each lesson is based on the one before it; so always do the lessons in the order they are given. Be sure to follow the directions exactly regarding which materials, sizes, and subject matter to use for each project. Each lesson will be a study of a new way of drawing. The examples given will show only the method and materials to be used, never the same subject or size as the project assigned. The examples are never to be copied. An example will only show one way of using the technique described.

By becoming more observant, by experimenting with new materials, and by exploring a variety of methods, students will continue to grow in artistic skill and enjoyment.

Beyond fundamental skills are various levels of creativity. Each lesson provides room for expressing the technical skill learned in a unique, creative way.

BEGINNING PAINTING

This course introduces students to classical and contemporary painting, techniques and concepts, with emphasis on the understanding of its formal language and the fundamentals of artistic expression. Painting from still life, landscape, and life models from observation will be geared towards realism; at the same time, various other painting styles could be explored.  Color theory, linear perspective, compositional structure, figure/ground relationships, visual perception, spatial concepts, and critical thinking skills will all be emphasized. Students will study and research major painting styles and movements in historical context. The hope is that students will use this global approach to develop a “critical eye” in evaluation of contemporary painting.  Acrylic and watercolors are the mediums used in this class. The main emphasis of this course is to encourage and nourish individuality and creativity.

Please be aware that this course includes depictions of nudity, as many art movements celebrated the human form. Many important and influential works of art include nudity, and it would be nearly impossible to teach art history without including them. Given the subject matter, the course is extensively visual.

ART HISTORY: ORIGINS

In this course, students will journey through time, learning about prehistoric and ancient art, ancient Mediterranean and medieval art, and early European art from the Renaissance through Rococo. They will also learn how to read art and interpret it on a basic level. Since art is best learned through experience and expression, you will have opportunities to experience the art and react to it through discussion boards and projects. The goal of this course is to show how art relates to your life.

ART HISTORY: MODERN

In this course, students will journey into art history begins in the late 1700s. At this time in Europe, political upheavals and scientific and technological advances had led to exploration, innovation, and great wealth for many. As they travel forward from this time to the present, they will study important Western art movements, artworks, artists, and architecture. They will then look at art of the past and present from a global perspective, with travels to China, Japan, Africa, Oceania, Southeast Asia, India, and back to the Americas.

Along the way, they will have many opportunities to respond personally to all things art and share their insights with their peers through discussion boards. Three projects provide various important interactions with the art, the artists, and the movements.

BEGINNING DRAWING

In Drawing, students will experiment with several different art materials and tools to see what each tool can do best. Students will explore ordinary things around them to become more observant of the structures and meanings of things which can be seen in your home and community.

Your work will be your own study of the forms, textures, movements, and patterns of the things that you see every day.

Each project and each lesson is based on the one before it; so always do the lessons in the order they are given. Be sure to follow the directions exactly regarding which materials, sizes, and subject matter to use for each project. Each lesson will be a study of a new way of drawing. The examples given will show only the method and materials to be used, never the same subject or size as the project assigned. The examples are never to be copied. An example will only show one way of using the technique described.

By becoming more observant, by experimenting with new materials, and by exploring a variety of methods, students will continue to grow in artistic skill and enjoyment.

Beyond fundamental skills are various levels of creativity. Each lesson provides room for expressing the technical skill learned in a unique, creative way.

BEGINNING PAINTING

This course introduces students to classical and contemporary painting, techniques and concepts, with emphasis on the understanding of its formal language and the fundamentals of artistic expression. Painting from still life, landscape, and life models from observation will be geared towards realism; at the same time, various other painting styles could be explored.  Color theory, linear perspective, compositional structure, figure/ground relationships, visual perception, spatial concepts, and critical thinking skills will all be emphasized. Students will study and research major painting styles and movements in historical context. The hope is that students will use this global approach to develop a “critical eye” in evaluation of contemporary painting.  Acrylic and watercolors are the mediums used in this class. The main emphasis of this course is to encourage and nourish individuality and creativity.

Please be aware that this course includes depictions of nudity, as many art movements celebrated the human form. Many important and influential works of art include nudity, and it would be nearly impossible to teach art history without including them. Given the subject matter, the course is extensively visual.

AP COURSES

AP English Language and Composition

AP English Literature and Composition

AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus BC

AP Biology

AP Chemistry

CREDIT RECOVERY

Our Credit Recovery courses are designed to serve students seeking to recapture credit for courses previously taken. Our credit recovery courses are the same scope and sequence as original credit courses, however, some teacher-graded assignments have been removed from the course to accelerate the student’s path.