I. INTRODUCTION
Descriptions
for all courses offered by Ashland-Greenwood High School are included in this
catalog. Those descriptions, along with other information provided in
conjunction with each course description, are intended to assist students in
determining which courses are most appropriate in order to meet personal,
career, and post-secondary study needs.
Please understand that this course catalog is comprehensive. Essentially, that
means that not all courses listed will be offered every year. For a listing of which courses will be offered
for the succeeding school year, please refer to your course registration
materials.
Course
descriptions that are included in this catalog are grouped by subject area
(i.e. Fine Arts, Mathematics, etc.). All courses are worth five (5) credit
hours per semester unless specifically noted otherwise.
All course
descriptions follow the format indicated below; a discussion of format elements
follows:
TITLE
(course structure details)
description
PREREQUISITES:
"TITLE"
--> Each course is assigned a descriptive title.
"(course structure details)" --> This
information indicates whether the course is offered as a semester long or as a
year long course.
"PREREQUISITES:" --> Enrollment in many classes
requires students to have previously passed introductory coursework; those
prerequisites are listed. In some instances, concurrent enrollment in a given
class and its prerequisite will be allowed with administrator/instructor approval.
Prerequisites requiring a certain grade level standing should be interpreted to
mean that students desiring to take a given course must have reached at least
the grade listed.
Any
questions about a course listed in this catalog may be addressed to the teacher
currently teaching or most likely to teach the course, the school counselor, or
the principal.
ART I
(year long)
Introduction
to basic drawing (with pencil, charcoal, pastels, chalk, watercolors, and
tempera), printmaking with linoleum blocks, and three-dimensional sculpture and
pottery. Short lessons in art history will be integrated with practical
instruction.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
ART II (year long)
Enhancement of skills acquired in Art I, including painting techniques
(airbrush, watercolor, and acrylic). Art history lessons will continue.
PREREQUISITES: ART I or INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION
ART
III/IV (year long)
Individualized
instruction will encourage students to develop their own creative style. Media
will include pencil, conte, pastel, watercolor, ink, acrylic, airbrush, clay,
and printmaking. Students interested in art as a career or course of college
study will prepare a portfolio of their work. This course may be repeated.
PREREQUISITES: ART II or INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION
BAND (year long)
Performance oriented focus will include marching, concerts, and
competitions. Music study will cover many styles and forms of instrumental
music over the ages. Band students will make up the Pep Band, Jazz Band, and
small ensembles. Attendance at concerts and functions is a required part of
course enrollment.
PREREQUISITES: ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND PARTICIPATION or INSTRUCTOR
PERMISSION
CHORUS (year long)
Performance oriented focus will include local, conference, and district
concerts and competitions. Music study will cover all periods and styles (i.e.
sacred, secular, pop, etc.). Attendance at concerts and functions is a required
part of course enrollment. Choral ensembles, such as Swing Choir, are
extensions of Vocal Music; participation in ensembles requires enrollment in Chorus.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
ADVANCED CHORUS (year long)
Performance oriented focus will include local, conference, and district concerts
and competitions. Music study will
include advanced level pieces from all periods and styles (i.e. sacred,
secular, pop, and jazz). Attendance at
concerts and functions is a required part of course enrollment. Students will also learn advanced vocal technique
as well as rudimentary music theory.
PREREQUISITES: AUDITION WITH INSTRUCTOR
III. FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSES
SPANISH
I (year long)
Development
of basic oral, written, and listening skills for Spanish will be the focus via
emphasis on pronunciation, grammatical rules, dictation, and cultural
appreciation.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
SPANISH II (year long)
Continuation of skills development begun in Spanish I, with an
additional emphasis on oral, written, and listening fluency.
PREREQUISITES: SPANISH I
SPANISH III (year long)
Refinement and advancement of basic skills acquired in Spanish I and
II, with an additional emphasis on composition and reading.
PREREQUISITES: SPANISH II
SPANISH IV (year long)
Advanced study of the Spanish language, with an emphasis on individual
reading and conversational competencies. Students enrolling in Spanish IV will
practice conversational skills with Spanish III students and engage in directed
readings.
PREREQUISITES: SPANISH III
IV. HEALTH/PHYSICAL EDUCATION COURSES
HEALTH
( semester long)
Focus
on various health issues via units of instruction drawn from such topics as
personal health issues, CPR instruction, growth and development, emotional and
mental health, disease control and prevention, nutrition, substance use and
abuse, safety and accident prevention, community and environmental issues, and
consumer health issues.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
TEAM SPORTS I (year long)
Emphasis on rules, origins, and playing of basketball, volleyball,
soccer, flag football, flash football, and other sports. Students will also
engage in developing personal fitness regimens. This class may not be repeated.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
WEIGHT TRAINING AND CONDITIONING (year long)
Intended for students wishing to get in shape or stay in shape.
Activities will include weight lifting, aerobics, jogging, jumping rope, and
other conditioning exercises. This class may be repeated on a space available
basis.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
ENGLISH
SURVEY (year long)
Instruction
in grammar, usage, vocabulary, spelling, formal and personal writing;
literature study will follow a thematic approach to novels, poetry, short
stories, and drama.
PREREQUISITES: 9TH OR 10TH GRADE STUDENTS ONLY
AMERICAN LITERATURE (year long)
Via a survey approach, students will react to the standards of American
literature from a personal and historical perspective. Writing instruction will
be literature-based and will include narration, description, criticism, and
exposition.
PREREQUISITES: ENGLISH SURVEY
COMPOSITION (year long)
Study of the elements of composition with a real world focus. Writing
produced will: demonstrate understanding and analysis of printed materials;
address varied purpose, audience, and organization requirements; and, be used
as the basis for group interaction.
PREREQUISITES: ENGLISH SURVEY
EXPOSITORY WRITING (year long)
Coverage of the basics of the composition process via the levels of
sentence structure, paragraph development, and essay form and style. Elements
of expository production will include a variety of purposes (i.e. cause and
effect, persuasion, etc.) and forms (i.e. the essay and the research paper).
Elements of creative production will include personal journals, short stories,
poetry, etc.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
SCC COMPOSITION (year long)
This on-site dual enrollment course will provide college level
composition instruction. Students completing the course successfully will earn
5 credits per semester from AGHS and 3 credits per semester from SCC (with SCC
credits eligible for transfer to most four-year colleges and universities).
Students are responsible for paying tuition and fees; AGHS will purchase
textbooks.
PREREQUISITES: ACT COMPOSITE SCORE OF 19 OR BETTER; MUST PAY TUITION AND
FEES
THE CONTEMPORARY NOVEL (year long)
Novels studied will allow students to experience the major
psychological and sociological themes found in twentieth century fiction.
Writing instruction will be literature-based and will include narration,
description, criticism, and exposition.
PREREQUISITES: ENGLISH SURVEY
WORLD LITERATURE (year long)
Study of major works of non-American literature via an emphasis on
themes common to all literature. A survey text will be supplemented by selected
novels. Writing instruction will be literature-based and will include
narration, description, criticism, and exposition.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
SPEECH
AND DRAMA (year long)
Competitive
speech and drama activities will be the focus of this class. Students will
learn the basics of various forensics forms and theatrical techniques and have
numerous opportunities to apply that learning.
Participation in “Night of One Acts” and at least one competitive speech
contest is a required part of this course.
PREREQUISITES: ENGLISH SURVEY
CREATIVE WRITING/JOURNALISM (year long)
This class will cover the
basics of news writing, graphic design, photography, and creative writing
techniques. Participants will write
articles of the district’s online newspaper, design and sell advertisements for
the yearbook, create a portfolio of creative writing samples, and write feature
stories for the yearbook among other requirements.
PREREQUISITES: JUNIOR STANDING AND INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION
APPLIED
MATHEMATICS I (year long)
Application
of arithmetic operations, problem-solving techniques, estimation of answers,
measurement skills, algebra, geometry, data handling, statistics, quality
assurance and control, computers, and graphing calculators to solve real-world,
job-related problems via a hands-on approach to teaching and learning math.
Successful completion of this course will prepare students for Algebra I;
additionally, two years of Applied Mathematics coursework will provide students
with the math skills found in Algebra I.
PREREQUISITES: INITIAL MATH PLACEMENT
APPLIED MATHEMATICS II (year long)
A continuation of skills development and refinement begun in Applied
Math I. Successful completion of Applied Mathematics II will make a student
eligible to enroll in all courses requiring Algebra I as a prerequisite.
PREREQUISITES: APPLIED MATHEMATICS I
ALGEBRA I (year long)
First step in the college preparatory math sequence. Topics include
order of operations, integers, equations, polynomials, factoring, inequalities,
rational expressions with percent, and other topics addressing rational
numbers, graphing, and applications.
PREREQUISITES: INITIAL MATH PLACEMENT
APPLIED GEOMETRY (year long)
Application of the hands on approach used in the applied mathematics
courses to the study of geometry. Students completing two years of applied
mathematics and one year of applied geometry will have met the mathematics
requirement for graduation.
PREREQUISITES: APPLIED MATHEMATICS II or ALGEBRA I
GEOMETRY (year long)
Inductive investigation of Euclidean geometry through the study of
elementary logic coupled with a thorough study of how points, lines, angles,
triangles, and polygons are related.
PREREQUISITES: ALGEBRA I or APPLIED MATH I/II (accompanied by instructor
approval)
ALGEBRA II (year long)
Continuation of algebraic study begun in Algebra I with attention to
algebraic proofs, factoring, first and second degree equations, graphing,
formulas, exponents, quadratic equations, polynomial equations, and irrational
numbers.
PREREQUISITES: ALGEBRA I and GEOMETRY (MAY BE TAKEN CONCURRENTLY WITH
INSTRUCTOR'S APPROVAL)
TRIGONOMETRY (1st semester)
Course topics include functions, rates of changes, fractal geometry,
trigonometric functions, vectors, complex numbers, linear transformations, and
matrices.
PREREQUISITES: ALGEBRA II
PRE-CALCULUS (2nd semester)
This course will complete the formal study of the elementary functions
begun in Algebra I and II and Trigonometry through a focus on the use of
modeling and problem-solving. Functions
covered include polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, rational, radical, and
their inverses. Polar coordinates,
complex numbers, and quadratic equations are also studied. Beginning in 2009-2010, dual credit from
Southeast Community College for College Algebra (MATH1150) will be available
upon payment of tuition and fees and upon successful completion of Pre-Calculus
with a grade of “C” or better. An ACT
Composite score of 23 or better is required for dual credit participation in
College Algebra.
PREREQUISITES: ALGEBRA II and TRIGONOMETRY
STATISTICS (1st semester)
This course will offer a study of the methods of summarizing and interpreting
data, elementary probability, and its relation to distributions. The meaning, importance, and application of
the normal and binomial distributions and the methods of random sampling,
testing of hypotheses, and analysis of paired data will be covered as well.
Dual credit from Southeast Community College for Elementary Statistics
(MATH1180) is available upon payment of tuition and fees and upon successful
completion of Statistics with a grade of “C” or better. An ACT Composite score of 23 or better is
required for dual credit participation in Elementary Statistics.
PREREQUISITES: ADVANCED MATH or PRE-CALCULUS
CALCULUS (2nd semester)
The topics of this course include limits, continuity, derivatives of
functions, the definite integral, and their real-world applications. Students will find and apply derivatives
numerically and represent derivatives graphically and symbolically. The relationship between the derivative and
the definite integral is developed and real-world situations involving rates of
change using difference or differential equations are modeled.
PREREQUISITES: STATISTICS
COLLEGE CALCULUS (year long)
Review of functions, introduction to limits, differentiation of
algebraic and trigonometric functions, applications, anti-differentiation and
the definite integral. A graphing calculator is strongly recommended. Dual credit from Southeast Community College
for Calculus and Analytic Geometry I is available upon
payment of tuition and fees and upon successful completion of College Calculus
with a grade of “C” or better. An ACT
Composite score of 28 or better is required for dual participation credit.
PREREQUISITES: TRIGONOMETRY and
PRE-CALCULUS
PHYSICAL
SCIENCE (year long)
Introduction
to matter (including its forms and changes), energy, electricity, motion, and
waves. Text-oriented discussion and lecture will be supplemented by extensive
lab work.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
BIOLOGY (year long)
Topics covered will include the five major units of biological science:
the scientific method; classification of plants, protists, and animals; human
biology; reproduction and heredity; and, ecology.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE STANDING
ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY (year long)
In-depth study of the structure (anatomy) and function (physiology) of
the human body through investigation of the major body systems (skeletal,
muscular, cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, and reproductive).
PREREQUISITES: BIOLOGY WITH A GRADE OF “B” OR BETTER OR PROFICIENCY ON STATE LIFE SCIENCE STANDARDS
CHEMISTRY
(year long)
Introduction
to chemistry through experimentation, observation, and quantitative analysis
rather than rote recall. Concepts include atomic structure, quantum mechanics,
molecular geometry, chemical energy and equilibrium, properties of elements,
environmental chemistry, and the chemistry beyond earth.
PREREQUISITES: ALGEBRA I (ALGEBRA II RECOMMENDED CONCURRENTLY) and 11TH
GRADE STANDING
PHYSICS (year long)
Study and application of velocity, acceleration, force, Newton's Laws,
light, harmonic motion, electricity, magnetism, and atomic/nuclear physics.
Mathematics work will include measurement, significant digits, exponential
notation, and vectors.
PREREQUISITES: GEOMETRY (ALGEBRA II RECOMMENDED CONCURRENTLY) and 11TH GRADE
STANDING
WORLD
GEOGRAPHY (year long)
Focus
on acquiring/applying basic geography skills (such as map, graph, and chart
reading) and an awareness of the location of continents, countries, major
cities, landforms, and bodies of water. The effect of geography on world
economics, politics , environmental factors, and
social interaction will be covered as well.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
AMERICAN HISTORY (year long)
Attention devoted to American history since the Civil War, with a
review of the formation of the United States, the Declaration of Independence,
and the Constitution.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE STANDING
ECONOMICS/CIVICS (year long)
Economics study will focus on supply, demand, pricing, various economic
systems, the Federal Reserve, U. S. banking practices, the Gross National
Product (GNP) and its components, and current world and national economic
issues. This Civics study will include an overview of the social, economic,
political, and judicial aspects of contemporary American society. Current events
in relation to text concepts will be incorporated.
PREREQUISITES: 12TH GRADE STANDING
PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY (year long)
A conceptual approach to the study of psychology via review of various
theories of human behavior, experimental methods and testing, and the relevance
of psychology to everyday life.
Sociology study provides an overview of the behavior and interaction of
man in terms of groups (or societal) behavior. Attention will be given to
social change, social class, social institutions, and economics.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
WORLD HISTORY (year long)
Upper level survey of various world civilizations including Western
(i.e. Greek, Roman, and Germanic cultures), Eastern (i.e. Chinese and Japanese
cultures), and African.
PREREQUSITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
IX. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COURSES
A. Agricultural Education
INTRO
TO FFA (year long)
A
comprehensive course taking an in-depth look at the history of the FFA as well
as the present direction of the organization. Students will learn leadership skills,
interpersonal skills, the FFA Creed, the FFA Motto, and what the FFA has to
offer. Students do not need to be interested in
farming or from a farm to be
in FFA. FFA offers a wide variety of experiences that will last a lifetime.
PREREQUISITES: 9th GRADE STANDING AND 1ST YEAR MEMBERS
ONLY
NATURAL RESOURCE SYSTEMS (year long)
First semester study will focus on natural resource management as a
means of managing the ecosystem. Attention will be given to wildlife and
habitats as well as common hunting and game management practices. Nebraska
Hunter Safety instruction will be offered to students who need to become
certified or as a refresher course for current hunters. Second semester work
will offer students an opportunity to experience crop production in a
controlled environment with attention given also to aquaculture.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE STANDING
AG SCIENCE (year long)
Course topics will include small and large animals, landscaping and turf
management, horticulture, food processing, and other science related
agricultural education emphases.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE
STANDING
WELDING, POWER, AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS
(year long)
This class will provide students with first hand practical knowledge of
different aspects of the welding industry as well as allowing students to
become proficient welders. Power and
mechanical principles applied in engineering fields will also be studied.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE
STANDING
AG LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND FINANCE (year long)
The study of the marketing of agricultural commodities via the
Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Students will learn about contracts and how to
effectively trade on the board using different
strategies; attention will also be given to mutual funds and investing. Second
semester study will address the business management of an ag
enterprise.
PREREQUISITES: 12TH GRADE STANDING
ACCOUNTING
(year long)
Introduction
to basic accounting principles and techniques necessary for recording the
financial operations of a business.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE STANDING
ADVANCED ACCOUNTING (year long)
A continuation of work begun in Accounting, with emphasis on acquiring
increasingly complex skills and on financial analysis. This course is taken on
an independent study basis.
PREREQUISITES: ACCOUNTING and PERMISSION OF THE INSTRUCTOR
GENERAL BUSINESS/BUSINESS LAW (year long)
Business Law study will offer a broad overview of the types, origins,
and applications of laws affecting business and consumers intended to be of use
to all students, with special attention on contract law and avoiding
litigation. General Business study will offer an introduction to business
concepts and trends applicable to all students in all phases of everyday life.
Topics to be covered may include career planning, consumer information,
banking, credit, investments, insurance, and financial management.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE STANDING
BUSINESS COMPUTER APPLICATIONS (year long)
This course will provide in-depth training in word processing,
spreadsheet, presentation, and database programs commonly used in various
career fields.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS (semester long)
This independent study course
will guide students step-by-step through the process of owning a business. Students will select a product or service to
sell, determine the customer base, market the product, obtain financing, manage
employees, and more. The course will
culminate with a student presentation.
PREREQUISITES: INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION
C. Career
Education
CAREERS/TRANSITIONS (semester
long)
This one semester course will assist students in developing: an understanding
of the world of work; skills needed to explore and use school and community
resources regarding post-high school plans; decision-making skills as those
relate to post-high school options; short-term and long-term career/college
plans; and, basic personal financial skills.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
D. Family and
Consumer Sciences
PARENTING/EARLY
CHILDHOOD (year long)
Overview
of the development of children from conception through the pre-school years,
intended to help prepare students for and make them aware of the oftentimes
overwhelming obligations of parenthood.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
HUMAN RELATIONS (year long)
Emphasis on the responsibilities of the adult in contemporary society
via study of dating, marriage, family crises, stress, suicide, death and dying,
parenting.
PREREQUISITES: 11TH GRADE STANDING
FOOD & NUTRITION (year long)
Focus on student health through informed decision-making regarding
choices in daily diet and developing basic cooking skills. Topics such as
eating disorders, weight control, meal planning, and nutrition for the athlete
will be discussed. Second semester study will allow students to develop and
refine cooking and food preparation skills.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATION (year long)
This course will expose students to new and emerging technologies that affect
their daily lives. A wide range of
technologies may be covered focusing on the instructional clusters of
communications, manufacturing, transportation, and construction.
PREQUISITES: NONE
WOODS SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY (year long)
Work place safety and the proper and safe use of
common shop tools will form the introductory focus for this course. Once students have passed all safety tests,
they will begin working in the shop and learning basic carpentry and
woodworking skills in order to produce quality projects.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE
STANDING
ADVANCED WOODS TECHNOLOGY (year long)
Students will review and continue work place and tool safety. Students will then research and design a
cabinet or piece of furniture, create a materials and
cost list, and then produce that project.
PREREQUISITES: WOODS SAFETY AND
TECHNOLOGY
LANGUAGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION
(year long)
This class will build the skills necessary to understand what is being
communicated through architectural drawings and documents and to, in turn,
convey ideas, duties, and tasks to others in a form consistent with industry
standards. Over the course of the year,
students will learn the language of the drafting and construction world and
learn the basics of construction techniques.
PREREQUISITES: 10TH GRADE
STANDING
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN AND
PRE-CONSTRUCTION (year long)
This course will provide an overview of the process used in design and
pre-construction via application of problem-solving and critical thinking
skills needed to identify the relationship and available resources and project
requirements. Intensive use of computer
assisted drafting software will engage students in developing detailed
architectural plans.
PREREQUISITES: LANGUAGE OF
ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION
Several courses referenced above for Language
Arts and Mathematics offer students the opportunity to earn college credits
from Southeast Community College in addition to high school credit counting
toward meeting graduation requirements.
For those specific courses, AGHS will provide the necessary textbooks
with students responsible for payment of tuition and fees.
In addition, students may elect to register
for online college coursework available from any number of institutions
(including UNL, SCC, Peru State College, and MCC among others). Successful completion of such online work may
also be counted toward meeting high school graduation requirements. For online coursework, students will be
responsible for payment for textbooks in addition to tuition and fees costs.
XI. SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA CAREER
ACADEMY PROGRAMS
Ashland-Greenwood
High School, along with 21 other schools in eastern and central Nebraska,
participates in the Southeast Nebraska Career Academy Program (SENCAP). SENCAP represents a partnership between Southeast
Community College, Educational Service Unit #6 (Milford), health care
providers, high schools, businesses, and industry in Saunders, Saline, York,
Fillmore, and Lancaster counties which provides students with the opportunity
to explore a specific career field and earning college credit while still in
high school.
In career
academies, students not only take college-level courses and get a head-start on
degree programs, they also visit various worksites, participate in
job-shadowing experiences, and learn skills that will help them be successful
in pursuing the career field of their choice.
For
2009-2010, career academy programs will be made available in the fields of Health
Sciences, Education, and Business.
Enrollment in an academy will require students to take at least one
college course per semester at an off campus location (AGHS students attend
class in Lincoln); each academy will have a program of study allowing students
to participate for two consecutive years.
Academy courses are offered during the regular school day, with AGHS
student schedules adjusted to allow for full participation in academy programs
and activities. Credits earned from
Southeast Community College will transfer to other community colleges or
four-year institutions.
Students
accepted for enrollment in a SENCAP program will have tuition and fees paid for
through special funding arrangements; needed textbooks will also be provided. Enrollment in any SENCAP program requires
completion of an application form and final approval by AGHS and SENCAP
officials. Interested students are
encouraged to visit with the counselor for more details and to secure an
application form.
XII. OTHER COURSE LISTINGS
TEACHER
ASSISTANT (year long)
Duties
include assisting teachers in preparing bulletin boards, supervising/tutoring
students, correcting assignments, etc. Students wishing to be TAs must attach a
note from a staff member indicating acceptance of the student as a TA for the
following year. Only seniors are eligible for teacher assistant assignment. No credit is earned for this course
assignment.
PREREQUISITES: 12TH GRADE STANDING AND STAFF ACCEPTANCE NOTE
STW: WORK EXPERIENCE COMPONENT (year long)
Program allowing for elective credits to be earned via employment, with
credits earned determined by hours worked over the course of a semester.
Students must meet all criteria for participation in the program prior to
registering for Supervised Work Experience; contact the guidance office for
that information.
PREREQUISITES: 12TH GRADE STANDING and GUIDANCE OFFICE APPROVAL
STUDY HALL (year long)
Students may elect to register for one study hall period rather than
take a full load of classes. No credits are earned for study hall.
PREREQUISITES: NONE