Academics at ArtsWest

ArtsWest offers parents an innovative choice in education as an alternative to a system that makes it easier for a child to conform than to create. We foster creative confidence that infuses every discipline.

Each student in our school is personally mentored along his or her own educational path. This individualized curriculum accelerates core classes, leaving students time for creative exploration of music, drama, dance, art, photography and cinematography.

ArtsWest will be using the Harkness Method of instruction for a majority of our academic classes. This method originated 75 years ago at Phillips Exeter Academy. Innovative from its inception, Harkness has become a well-respected and much modeled method, especially in private college prep schools across the east.

The most obvious element of Harkness is the table, which is designed to allow teachers and students to be visually and verbally engaged with one another. This interaction is the primary element of the Harkness Method. It allows learning through discussion and discovery, as well as the development of a student's individual voice. With Harkness, students are challenged to actively discuss rather than passively digest; to discover answers and defend conclusions.

Phillips Exeter Academy Headmaster, Tyler C. Tingely, states "No one is hiding. Everyone speaks his or her mind, yet you each make each other question your assumptions...Suddenly, you're seeing the big picture and it's thrilling... The teacher is demonstrating to students how to learn rather than just what to learn."

This engaging method integrates with our belief that each student has within, the potential to excel both in arts and academics if only given the "passion to learn and the freedom to create!"

For more information on the Harkness Method or on ArtsWest, please call us at 938-5410.

*Effective for students beginning 9^th grade in 2008 or later
**Effective for students beginning 9^th grade in 2009 or later

Other requirements include academic guidance counseling (4 year learning plan), completion of a senior project to be designed by the counselor and student, completion of the ACT, SAT, or Compass by the end of 11th grade.

ArtsWest is committed to helping each student meet his or her educational goals. Our curriculum is college preparatory. Each student will be assigned a guidance counselor and an educational path will be developed in cooperation with the counselor and parents. This path will grow and change as a student progresses through school. Each student will be required to participate in preparation for college entrance exams, including practice SATs and ACTs, or Compass, beginning in their sophomore year. Beginning in a students junior year the counselor will help facilitate admissions to college. Juniors will be required, in compliance with state standards, to take one of these tests. In the fall of the students junior year the guidance counselor will work closely with the student to facilitate the process of applying for college, scholarships, and financial aid.

Participation in English classes is not necessarily based on grade level. but upon student interest and competency. Individual modifications may be made within each of these courses to meet student needs. For instance, an honors track may be worked out between a student and instructor in any of these offerings. Eight English credits and One Speech credit are required for graduation. Each of these course offerings will meet or exceed State of Idaho content standards, including textual analysis, vocabulary and spelling, critical and expressive writing processes and communication.

Class Supplies List

ArtsWest English Department Curriculum Overview

The objectives of the English Department at ArtsWest are to provide the thoughtful and efficient use of language, to develop the analytical skill needed for a critical appreciation of literature, and to expose students to major works of literary merit. All English courses require extensive work in reading, writing, and critical thinking. ArtsWest places emphasis on developing in students a love of reading and an ability to write clearly and persuasively. Our school provides a solid foundation in composition with particular instruction in grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and study skills.

Grades 7-9 incorporate writing skills using accurate descriptive details to enliven writing and to develop observational skills as a base for both imaginative and analytical writing. Students learn to express an opinion about a characters traits and to use accurate textual details and explanation to support that opinion. Students learn to use dialogue, detail, and vivid description in creative and personal writing.

Grades 10-12 build on this foundation by engaging students in the study of major literary authors, analyzing different cultural perspectives and literary styles represented in world and American literatures, exploring literary theory, and engaging in critical thinking as we explore multiple forms of text. Students will develop competence in written and oral conventions, literary response, literary analysis, and creative writing. The ultimate goal is an understanding of self, your peers, the text and the larger world around you. Students with strengthen their skills in group work and individual academic pursuits and concentrate on being aware of their metacognition.

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Grade 7:

Key applications in this grade include:

1. total writing process
2. grammar/mechanics/spelling
3. descriptive/narrative paragraphs
4. one long composition/several shorter reading responses
5. novel/short story/poetry/drama

This course introduces students to literary heroes and heroines found in many cultures and genres. Thematic issues serve to focus the discussion. The course emphasizes critical reading and character analysis in novels and short stories. While analytical writing assignments require students to use specific details to support topic sentences, personal writing assignments ask students to relate their own lives to the texts. Students also analyze and write poetry and learn the basics of grammar by identifying the parts of simple sentences.

Sample works included in grade 7:

The Miracle Worker
Animal Farm
The Call of the Wild
A Christmas Carol
A Midsummer Nights Dream
Poetry

Grade 8:

Key applications in this grade include:

1. total writing process
2. grammar/mechanics/spelling
3. letter writing/creative writing
4. two longer compositions
5. short stories/non-fiction/ drama/ poetry/novel
6. oral presentations

This course seeks to deepen understanding of character by exploring two themes: 1) how characters try to live up to ideal codes and 2) how the outer does not always reflect the inner-self. Students write analytical papers in which they use direct quotations from the texts to support their main ideas. They also write poetry and personal reflections that encourage them to connect literature to their own lives. Study of grammar and building on the foundation of skills acquired in seventh grade emphasizes the functions of complex sentences and their punctuation. Students apply grammatical concepts in their compositions.

Sample works included in grade 8:

To Kill a Mockingbird
Romeo & Juliet
House on Mango Street
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Poetry by Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and others
Selected Short Stories

Grade 9:

Key applications in this grade include:

1. Latin and Greek roots
2. vocabulary
3. grammar in technical and creative writing
4. research skills (library/internet)
5. textual analysis
6. identification of genre
7. various literary devices

This course introduces students to generative texts that form the foundation of Western literature, such as Homers Odyssey. Students read additional poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that relate thematically to these core books. Writing includes personal, imaginative, and analytical assignments. In particular, students learn to create and defend an argumentative claim with textual evidence and detailed explanation. Students build on the grammar concepts learned in the seventh and eighth grades by studying clauses, punctuation, and pronoun usage.

Sample works included in grade 9:

Bible
The Odyssey
The Iliad
Catcher in the Rye
Selected Short Stories by American and world authors
Poetry

Grade 10:

Key applications in this grade include:

1. genre/character/point of view/style/theme
2. more extensive analysis of texts
3. critical and technical writing

This course provides wide reading in world literature, organized around essential questions, themes, and literary genres. Writing includes narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive essays. Creative, critical, and research skills are developed. Students continue the sequential study of grammar and style begun in grades seven through nine.

Sample works included in grade 10:

Antigone
Othello or Macbeth
Jane Eyre
Gullivers Travels
Madame Bovary
The Cherry Orchard

Grade 11:

Key applications in this grade include:

1. American literature as an avenue to developing solid skills in literary analysis and primary and secondary source research
2. critical, technical, persuasive, and personal essay writing will be emphasized

Countries define themselves by the stories they tell. America is a nation of many narrativesso many that self-definition is somewhat elusive. Just as there is no single American experience or definitive American identity, there is no one story that ultimately represents this country. In this course, students will explore what it means to be American as they encounter a variety of storytellers who reveal themselves in novels, plays, essays, poems, and short stories. Readings range from the Puritans to Jefferson, the transcendentalists to Twain, and from twentieth-century masters such as Frost and Hurston to Cather and Fitzgerald. Students will aim for a high level of interpretive insight based on the careful examination of literary texts. We will explore great works of our national literature while placing a special emphasis on their historical and cultural contexts.

Sample works included in grade 11:

The Crucible
Huckleberry Finn
Harlem Renaissance Writers
The Great Gatsby
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Moby Dick
The Sound and the Fury
Beloved
A Streetcar Named Desire
The Scarlet Letter

Grade 12:

The senior seminar requires close reading, critical thinking, and clear presentation of the students views. The course emphasizes skills that will ensure a successful transition to the demands of college reading and writing. Emphasis will be on English and Modern Literature. Readings highlight characters who are isolated from or rejected by their societies, families, or peers for reasons such as class, race, gender, or lack of self-knowledge. Literary theory will be discussed so that students can effectively discuss the texts they read within a social and historical context. Texts may include works by writers such as Emily Bronte, Maxine Hong Kingston, Herman Melville, Toni Morrison, Phillip Roth, Franz Kafka and William Shakespeare.

SPANISH 1

A dynamic introduction to Spanish language and culture; the intention of the class is to first introduce listening and speaking, followed by reading and writing. The mode of instruction is Total Physical Response (TPR) and uses speech coordinated with action completely in the target language. A component of service learning will be included.

SPANISH 2

A continuation of Spanish language and culture; again using the TPR method, the intention of the class is to expand the student's ability to speak about the past and future in the target language. A component of service learning will be included.

SPANISH 3-ADVANCED CONVERSATION & COMPOSITION:

Students will continue to explore language and culture by discussing and writing about personal and relevant topics. The intention of this class is to create opportunities for students to express opinions, beliefs, and doubts in the target language. A component of service learning will be included

SPANISH 4-ADVANCED CONVERSATION, COMPOSITION & LITERATURE:

Students continue to gain expertise in language by discussing, reading and writing about contemporary Hispanic trends and culture. The intention of this class is to create greater challenges for students to explore advanced levels of communication in the target language. A component of service learning will be included.

Mathematics at ArtsWest is a journey into the world of patterns, symbolism, and application. Students will observe concrete situations and actively search for ways to explain what they perceive. Just like a foreign language, students will develop vocabulary to communicate with colleagues and discuss their ideas with each other. Like music, students will work with symbolic notation, which can quickly convey to the reader all necessary information. In fact, an emphasis is placed on learning mathematics in connection to all other subjects like music, art, history, science, language, and many more.

In the classroom, students will participate in class discussions, work in small groups, complete projects, and keep track of their own progress and learning throughout the year. Assignments will focus on the process of solving problems rather simply the achieved answer. Students will reflect on their problem-solving steps through verbal and written presentations. To help students record their understanding and develop their mathematics portfolio students will often provide written explanations of concepts using their own words.

Class Supplies List

Foundations for Algebra - Year 1 (grade 6 or 7)

This course prepares students for Algebra. Students develop concepts through investigations, application problems, patterns, group work, and practice exercises. Active participation is essential for success in this mathematics class as well as any class. Online support for the class is available.

Textbook: CPM Foundations for Algebra Year 1

Topics:

• Integers and integer operations
• Rational numbers (fractions), decimals, and percents
• Data interpretation and probability
• Solving one- and two-step equations
• Graphing in the coordinate plane
• Measurements and ratios
• Geometric topics of area, scale, similarity, angles, triangles circles, cylinders, and prisms.
• Real world applications

Foundations for Algebra - Year 2 (grade 7 or 8)

This course continues to prepare students for Algebra. Students develop concepts through investigations, application problems, patterns, group work, and practice exercises. Active participation is essential for success in this mathematics class as well as any class. Online support for the class is available.

Textbook: Foundations for Algebra Year 2 (CPM)

Topics:

• Data interpretation using scatter plots, line graphs, bar graphs, stem-and-leaf plots, and the box-and-whisker plots
• Working with graphs, graphing equations, operations with integers using patterns.
• Rational number (fraction) operations
• Probability with fractions, decimals, and percents
• Algebraic properties- order of operations and grouping terms, distributive property, and combining like terms
• Equations in the form of tables
• Solving equations and the balance of equations
• Graphing- rates of change and slope, and inequalities
• Geometric topics- area, surface area, and volume of shapes, relationship between lengths and perimeter and area, similarity of triangles, percentage and proportions, the Pythagorean Theorem, and two- and three-dimensional drawing
• Exponents, scientific notation, and exponential growth

Algebra 1

Textbook: CPM Algebra 1 Connections

Algebra 2 (grade 9 or 10 or 11)

Students expand their knowledge of Algebra with a more in-depth look at algebraic concepts and learn how to use those concepts as a tool to solve more complex problems. Topics build heavily from previous courses and require students to use multiple representations and comparisons. This course contains material extremely important for more advanced mathematic courses and is the minimum required math for college entrance. Beginning Algebra topics are reviewed briefly.

Textbook: CPM Algebra 2 Connections

Topics:

• Points, Lines, Planes, and Angles
• Reasoning and Proof
• Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
• Congruent Triangles
• Relationships in Triangles
• Proportions and Similarity
• Right Triangles and Trigonometry
• Quadrilaterals
• Transformations
• Circles
• Areas of Polygons and Circles
• Surface Area
• Volume

Geometry (grade 9 or 10)

Students develop the mathematical system of geometry and discover the many amazing properties it contains. While learning about the physical concepts in geometry, students will also develop logical/deductive reasoning and proof. The focus will be on Euclidean Geometry, however Non-Euclidean Geometry topics will be discussed.

Textbook: CPM Geometry Connections

Topics:

• Solving equations and inequalities
• Linear relations and functions
• Systems of equations and inequalities
• Matrices
• Polynomials and radical equations and inequalities
• Quadratic functions and inequalities
• Polynomial functions
• Conic sections
• Rational expressions and equations
• Exponential and logarithmic relations
• Sequences and series
• Probability and statistics
• Trigonometric functions

Trigonometry and Pre-Calc (grade 11 or 12)

Students begin with right triangles to develop the trigonometric ratios and expand on that knowledge to include trigonometric functions, identities, equations, and properties. An emphasis is placed on the geometric representation on concepts and a development from founding definitions. Related trigonometric topics are included and then followed by Pre-Calculus topics and an introduction to Calculus. Students will need a strong understanding of algebraic properties and graphing as well as geometry. After completing this course, students will be well prepared for Calculus.

Textbook: Advanced Mathematical Concepts- Precalculus with Applications (Glencoe 2006)

Topics:

• The Trigonometric Functions
• Graphs of Trigonometric Functions
• Trigonometric Identities and Equations
• Vectors and Parametric Equations
• Polar Coordinates and Complex Numbers
• Conics
• Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
• Sequences and Series
• Combinatorics and Probability
• Statistics and Data Analysis
• Introduction to Calculus

AP Calculus BC (grade 11 or 12)

The study of calculus begins with an intuitive introduction through the examination of graphical problems like the tangent line problem and area under the curve problem. Other topics such as limits are developed through numerical data analysis. Topics are initially motivated by trying to solve specific conceptual problems and only afterwards do students begin representing concepts algebraically with functions and crunching problems. Once students understand the development of the calculus concepts and attain proficiency in procedural skills, students must use calculus to solve application problems represented verbally. Students must apply their knowledge and respond to these real-world examples verbal, illustrating their understanding of what the mathematics represents and symbolizes in the situation by providing justification to their solution (such as in applied max and min word problems, related rates, and exponential and logistic growth models). An emphasis is placed on the connection between all of these representations (graphical, numerical, analytical, and verbal), strengthening students understanding of the concepts and ability to apply them.

Textbook: Calculus: A New Horizon Brief Edition (6th Edition) (Howard Anton)

Topics:

• A review of functions
• Limits and Continuity: The Building Blocks of Calculus
• The Derivative
• Properties and Derivatives of Inverse, Logarithmic, and Exponential Functions
• Using the Tools of Calculus
• Application of the Derivative
• The Integral: Indefinite and Definite Integrals
• Application of the Integral
• Techniques of Integration
• Mathematical Modeling with Differential Equations
• Sequences, Series, and Convergence
• Polar, Parametric, and Vectors: Analytic Geometry in Calculus

Introduction

The goal of science education at Arts West is to insure that each student is equipped with the scientific knowledge and understanding necessary to assume his or her role as a scientifically literate member of todays complex society. Whatever the students life goals may be, scientific literacy is critical for personal decision making and participation in civic and cultural affairs. Students who are scientifically literate share the following traits and abilities: *

• the ability to ask, find, or determine answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday experiences
• the ability to describe, explain, and predict natural phenomena
• the ability to read and understand articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social conversation about the validity of the conclusions
• the knowledge and ability to identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions and express opinions that are scientifically and technically informed
• the ability evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it

To be scientifically literate, one must understand the nature, methods, and applications of science. To that end, the following topics be incorporated in all science instruction at Arts West:

• Science as a human endeavor
• The process of scientific inquiry
• Nature and history of science
• Populations, resources and environments
• Science in personal and social perspective
• The role of science and technology in society

The goal of the social science department at ArtsWest is to produce citizens who have an exceptional ability to analyze, and if they wish confront, contemporary and past issues in the world through a deep understanding of history, culture as well as social, political and economic forces. In addition, students will be encouraged to foster a lifelong interest of history and social studies. These courses are designed to be innovative, exciting and rigorous. It is the departments goal that all students finishing the social science sequence can successfully compete against students entering top-tier universities. To this end students will:

• Understand the significance of the past to their own lives, both public and private and to their society
• Distinguish between the important and the inconsequential, to develop the discriminating memory needed for discerning judgment in public and private life
• Perceive past events and issues as they were experienced by people at the time, to develop historical empathy as opposed to present-mindedness
• Acquire at one and the same time a comprehension of diverse cultures and of shared humanity
• Understand how things happen and how things change and how human interactions matter
• Understand the interplay between change and continuity
• Prepare to live with uncertainties and that not all problems have solutions
• Grasp the complexity of historical causation and avoid abstract over generalizations
• Recognize the importance of individuals who have made a difference in history, and the significance of personal character for both good and ill
• Appreciate the force of the non-rational, the irrational and the accidental in history and human affairs
• Understand the relationship between geography and history
• Read widely and critically in order to recognize the difference between fact and conjecture, between evidence and assertion

Students will also work to enhance their academic and cognitive skills and abilities in these courses. They will learn and hone their ability to:

• Analyze textual and non-textual sources
• Speak publicly
• Trace events
• Synthesize information
• Describe events
• Recall information
• Actively read and view
• Gather data
• Evaluate
• Conduct research
• Formulate a hypothesis

The Social Science department will be working closely with the other departments, especially Language Arts, in an effort to integrate our curriculum, eliminate redundant assignments and to allow students to take advantage of multiple teachers. This will permit students to turn classroom projects into finely crafted products.

Class Supplies List

Grade 7: Introduction to Physical and Cultural Geography

In this course students will be introduced to the basic concepts and terminology of geography. Students will also begin to understand the world they live in via exposure to and analysis of contemporary events which are having an impact on the world today. Students will gain a deep understanding of the cultures they are studying via literature, art, music, film and perhaps food.

Areas Studied:

• North America
• South America

Issues addressed in depth:

• Climate change
• Culture
• World religions
• Migration

Grade 8: World Geography

In this course students will continue to apply the skills, knowledge, and abilities they mastered in the previous course to the physical and cultural geography of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Students will continue to stay abreast of current events through the reading of national and international newspapers and periodicals.

Areas studied:

• Africa
• Asia
• Europe
• Australia and Oceania

Issues addressed in depth:

• Genocide
• Colonialism
• Overcoming oppression

Grade 9: World History, the Ancient World to 1700

This course is a world history course. Students will learn the History of early man, as well as those of the ancient civilizations of the Middle East, China, India, the Americas, Africa and Europe. Students will learn the interplay of these civilizations especially during the Age of Discovery. Students will understand the social, political, economic and cultural histories of the areas studied through the reading and viewing of primary source documents, art, music and drama. Students will conduct research of an historic figure or event of their choosing and present their findings to the class.

Selection of class projects/ activities:

• Building the human city
• Participating in Athenian Democracy
• Participating in a Spartan hoplite
• Traveling along the Silk Road
• Selection of primary sources:
• Hammurabi's Code
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• The Apology of Socrates
• Caesar's Commentaries
• The Prince

Grade 10: Modern World History

This course takes students from the European enlightenment to the present day. Students will learn why the modern world is considered "modern". Students will trace the development of the industrial revolution, neo-imperialism, democratic ideals and major turning points including such as the French Revolution and the two world wars. Students will research a major development in modern world history. Students will demonstrate mastery of this content in a mode of their choosing.

Selection of class projects/ activities:

• Discussion among philosophers on enlightenment ideals
• Identifying and comparing neoclassical, romantic, and realist art to see how it reflected changes in life during the industrial revolution
• Experiencing trench warfare

Selection of primary sources:

• Triumph of the Will
• Communist Manifesto
• Iron Curtain Speech
• All Quiet on the Western Front

Grade 11: United States History

Students will study the United States from the founding of the first colonies to the present. Students will pay especial attention to the affects of major turning points in American history including: the revolutionary war, the Civil War, World War I and II, urbanization in the 1920s, the Cold War, Vietnam War, and advances in technology.

Selection of Class projects/ activities:

• Working in a factory during the industrial revolution
• Participating in a lunch counter protest
• Tracing the historical roots of a contemporary issue

Selection of primary sources:

• The Autobiography of Ben Franklin
• The Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution
• The Federalist Papers
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• The Grapes of Wrath
• Letter from Birmingham Jail

Grade 12: Economics

Economics is about choice. Students in this course will understand how economic choices and principles affect their lives and the lives of people around the world. This course will give them the tools to be smart consumers, and evaluators of economic policies. Finally, students will be able to evaluate our economic system in light of other countries' systems and against our own ideals.

• Selection of Class activities/ projects:
• Taking part in a labor-management dispute
• Building a stock portfolio
• Creating a school lunch menu

Selection of primary sources:

• Looking Backward
• The Wealth of Nations

Grade 12: Government

Students in this course will learn the theoretical foundations of politics, as well as the framework and development of the American political system. Students will examine and evaluate the processes and institutions and public policies of the American political system. Students will also research the nature of public opinion and the implications of the nature of public opinion for American democracy.

Selection of Class activities/ projects:

• Taking a citizenship test
• Creating a constitution
• Implementing a public opinion poll
• Researching national legislation

Selection of primary sources:

• The Republic
• Leviathan
• The Second Treatise on Government
• The Articles of Confederation
• The Constitution
• Federalist Papers
• A Brave New World
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Bakke v. The Regents of the University of California

Electives:

History, Culture and Current Topics of Mexico and Latin America

This course is designed to enhance students' understanding of Latin American history with a special emphasis placed on Mexico and Mexican-American relations. The course will look at the cultural achievements of ancient civilizations of Meso-America, the fight for independence by Latin American countries, the relationship between the US and Latin American countries, as well as Mexican-American history.

Selection of class activities/ projects:

• Examining Aztec codex images
• Identifying different types of Latin American music and discussing African, European, and indigenous influences
• Evaluating NAFTA