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Copyright Wooster School 2006
12th
Grade
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Senior English develops analytical and critical skills, fosters competent expository writing (particularly academic argument), nurtures both the critical and constructive intelligence, and encourages reflective habits of mind.
Both English 12 and AP English 12 are literature based but involve other visual and electronic media. Course objectives derive from the basic academic competencies outlined in 1983 by the College Board and the English standards published in Understanding University Success (2003, American Association of Universities and the Pew Charitable Trusts)
Both English 12 and AP English 12 explore sources beyond the texts; respect the existential knowledge and perspective of each student; allow student ideas a role in guiding learning; promote informed, open, focused class discussion; and support elaboration and revision of students' responses. In short, the goal is to create an environment in which students will engage actively in and take responsibility for their own learning.
When I Was Puerto Rican, Esmeralda Santiago
Go Tell It on the Mountain, James Baldwin
The Tempest, William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of King Lear, William Shakespeare
The Glass Menagerie
Grendel, John Gardner
All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce
The Needs of Strangers, Michael Ignatieff
The Youngest Science, Lewis Thomas
Articles, editorials, and essays selected from the daily press, periodicals, and scholarly journals as appropriate
FILMS: Viewed in whole or in part as appropriate and as time permits.
The Road from Coorain
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
All Quiet on the Western Front
King Lear
The Tempest
Waiting for Godot
Weapons of the Spirit: A Holocaust Documentary
Paragraph 175
GENRES:
Myth, Parable, Folktale
Essay
Short Story
Poetry
Drama
Memoir
LITERARY/RHETORICAL CONCEPTS:
genre, autobiography/memoir, parable, myth, legend, essay, rhetoric, narration, description, exposition, argument, point-of-view, voice, thesis, structure, irony, metaphor, allusion
reliable/unreliable narrator, intrusive narrator, first-person as witness, genre blending, epic, fiction, non-fiction,
conflict, plot, character, setting, narrative point-of-view, theme, motif, symbol, tone, mood
structure, production values, exposition, theatre of the absurd, flat characters, round characters, foil, choreography
archetypes, tragedy, comedy, satire, farce, romance, fantasy, naturalism, realism,
dramatic situation, metaphor, symbol, dialogic communication
argumentation( definition, techniques, history, formal and informal argumentation)
message, method, medium
WRITING:
rhetorical
situation (speaker/author, subject, audience),
personal essay (emphasis on the college essay),
review the "writing process": brainstorming, free-writing, discovery, invention, mode, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, proof-reading, stages/recursive
summary, paraphrase, precis, annotated bibliography;
the analytical/critical essay (taking a position)
dramatic monologue as response to poetry
creating effective review documents for exams
comparison of a novel and the film version of that novel
the extended essay based on literature in several genres and research in secondary sources
LANGUAGE:
Review the
structure of dictionaries, diction, denotation, connotation, dialect, levels of
usage, etymology, word attack skills, context
syntax: the sentence reviewed and reconsidered
figurative language, language and culture, etymology, the semantic field
THE INTERNET:
Students are expected as a matter of course to access the internet in order to enrich the critical, historical, cultural, aesthetic, and biographical contexts of individual readings. Specific assignments are given in order that students learn how to evaluate the validity and appropriateness of internet sites and gain understanding of the particular value of the internet in studying literature.
12th GRADE ENGLISH – ADVANCED
PLACEMENT
Advanced Placement English 12 differs from English 12 not in its fundamental goals to develop active readers, thoughtful writers, engaged participants in critical inquiry, but rather in the following ways:
the AP Literature and Composition Examination shadows the course
the language, techniques, and theories of literary criticism play a more prominent role in AP English 12
AP students are asked to sign a contract acknowledging that they will do approximately forty percent (40%) more work - reading and writing - than is required in English 12
AP English 12 is considered a "college level course" and therefore applies more rigorous performance standards.
Additional readings include:
The Secret Agent, Joseph Conrad
Selected readings in the history of literary criticism and in literary theory
Collateral reading in fiction, drama, and memoir selected by each student with the
teacher’s guidance
ENGLISH ELECTIVES AVAILABLE TO 10TH-12TH
GRADERS:
SHAKESPEARE ELECTIVE
This course will look at the life, times, and literature of
William Shakespeare. In addition to our
examination of the literary and thematic content of plays and sonnets, we will
also explore a number of ways Shakespeare's plays have been adapted to the
contemporary scene. Our survey of his
drama will include one comedy, one tragedy, and one history. The plays will provide surprising variations
on the themes of manhood, womanhood, freedom, virtue, royalty, war, love, and
cynicism.
Macbeth, The
Merchant of
Language devices:
Oxymorons, Types of Irony, Genre study, Scansion
Writing :
Sonnets
Some research on the Elizabethan Period
Expository writing to include
Comparisons
Character study
Plot analysis
Project on relevancy of Shakespeare to our times.
POETRY ELECTIVE
The design of poetry has changed over the centuries more radically than any other written genre. This course will examine the roots of these designs in the past as well as their sundry manifestations in the present. Students will be asked to complete a selection of independent projects including the presentation to the class of a contemporary writer, the production of their own poetry, and the explication of an established poet's works.
Introduction to poetry
The Top 500 poems
Poetry 180
Poetic devices:
Sound and image devices
Rhythmic devices
Shape
Rhyme scheme
Scansion
Writing:
Poetry
Expository essays
Comparative analysis
Two major projects and one public presentation
Study of an established poet
Study of an unestablished poet
Presentation of our own works
CREATIVE WRITING ELECTIVE
In this semester-long workshop, primarily devoted to student writing, participants will produce, read, discuss, and revise stories and poems. Students will strive for high productivity as well as explore various points-of-view, structures and elements of style. Instruction in creative writing will be augmented by readings of essays on the craft of writing, short stories, and poems by modern and contemporary authors.
Selected essays
Selected short stories
Selected poems
Writing:
Students write everyday.
The semester
culminates with two short fiction works (including one realistic fiction piece)
and assorted poems. Final written work
must meet publication standards for submission into a
THE LITERATURE OF WAR
War, as old as humankind, calls forth some of our greatest virtues - courage, loyalty, mercy, humility. It also reveals our capacity for cruelty, vindictiveness, and brutality. Since the beginnings of western literature, war has been richly represented. After reading selected classical and modern literature, each student will use both print and electronic resources to research and plan an individual course of reading and viewing that will reflect her/his particular historical and literary interests. Class work will consist of student presentations based on individual reading/viewing and discussions led by students. Throughout the course, attention will be paid to the representations, verbal and visual, of the wars, large and small, currently destroying the peace of the world.
LITERATURE OF THE SPIRIT
Frederick Buechner has said that "The word spirit has come to mean something pale and shapeless like an unmade bed.” James Baldwin wrote, "It is one of the greatest impulses of mankind to arrive at something higher than a natural state." Perhaps spirit is in T. S. Eliot's "still point in the turning world" or in the formula spirit = breath = life. This course will explore the representation of spirit within the Western tradition with an emphasis on modern and contemporary literature and film. It will test the idea that spirit rightly understood is "a release from the isolation of egotism, a passion for justice and an invincible conviction that hope and joy can be at home in this universe," and it will examine the oxymoron "evil spirit.”
ADVANCED PLACEMENT UNITED STATES HISTORY
GOALS
The basic format of the course is a chronological
survey concentrating on the development of the
SKILLS
Students:
are asked to read and prepare notes from their textbook. These assignments ensure that they are covering material on their own, train them to find the salient points and write concisely, and, if done properly, provide revision notes for the course.
are regularly assigned classroom essays. The purpose of these is to train students to build written arguments supported by factual material, and to present them in an organized, clear fashion.
during class, are encouraged to view historical events from different perspectives, and to recognize that it is not always possible to determine what the "right" course of action would be.
evaluate primary and secondary sources to help them read critically and recognize both bias and motive, and also serves to stimulate discussion about the creation and "truth" of history.
TOPICS
European exploration and colonization (15th and 16th centuries)
Interaction of Native American and European settlers
Development of American colonial government
Causes and consequences of slavery
The Revolutionary War
Creation of the
The Bill of Rights
Development of Political Parties
Westward Expansion
The Mexican-American War
Antebellum sectionalism and polarization
The Civil War
Reconstruction
Industrialization and the Rise of Big Business
Federal Indian Policy of the late 19th Century
Spanish-American War
The Progressive Movement
World War One
Social and Cultural movements of the 1920's
The Great Depression
The New Deal
World War Two
The Civil Rights Movement
Immigration and migration patterns in the
contemporary
The
influence of religion on
ELECTIVES
ECONOMICS
GOALS
This semester course for juniors and seniors introduces students to the vocabulary, analytical concepts, and techniques of the study of economics. Students will examine different theories of economic systems at the micro and macroeconomic levels and will investigate the underlying assumptions of these theories. Some consideration will be given to international economics and to analysis of current affairs.
TOPICS
Human Nature and Choice
[hc1][hc1]American Economic History from a blended economic, political, social perspective
Capitalism versus Socialism (Marx vs. Smith vs. Keynes)
Market Systems:
Financial Markets (banking, securities, bonds, currency)
Market Forces and Market Mechanisms
Time Frames (long run versus short run)
Social Implications (Efficiency versus Equity)
Globalization
Fiscal and Monetary Policy
SKILLS
Students:
are learning to pursue academics in a seminar format
are comparing different types of literature on the same topic
are learning to analyze and interpret secondary sources
are learning to apply economic philosophy to practical situations
are learning to evaluate choices
AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM
GOALS
This course is a semester elective for juniors and
seniors interested in the government of the
TOPICS
The
The Legislative Branch of Government: Congress
The Executive Branch of Government: the President, Departments, and Agencies
The Judicial Branch of Government: the Courts
State and Local Governments
Civil Rights
SKILLS:
Students will:
Develop an awareness of the processes and vocabulary of American government
Develop an awareness of current events and the political processes which underlie them
Be able to read, understand, and interpret the U.S. Constitution
Express well-informed opinions about political affairs
AREA STUDIES
GOALS
Area Studies offers an opportunity to focus in
depth on the history, geography, economic development, and political role of
two or three major geographic-political entities which play vitally important
roles in the world today and promise to be of critical importance to the
SKILLS
Students will:
Understand the nature and the source of various
types of political authority, and how these influence relationships with the
Know the various types of governments throughout the world, and understand the difference between limited and unlimited governments.
Have the opportunity to investigate in depth one issue central to each of these areas.
Share, in seminar fashion, the outcome of their research with the class.
Coursework
usually includes French IV
Honors,
French V AP, Advanced
French, Spanish IV
Honors, Spanish V AP, Advanced Spanish, or Basic Russian
FRENCH IV HONORS
This honors level course builds upon the skills and
knowledge acquired by the students during the three years of required language
study in the
French IV is conducted almost exclusively in French. Students' willingness to participate in class discussions is crucial to their success in this course.
GOALS
To continue to build upon a strong vocabulary and grammatical base
To improve students' communicative skills
To encourage students' daily participation in class discussions
To further develop writing proficiency by means of directed exercises, essays on a variety of topics, and a weekly journal
To learn to read new texts more globally and understand new vocabulary through context and cognates
To improve pronunciation skills
To further develop listening comprehension skills
To have students become more confident and aware of their ability to communicate in French, orally or in written form
To continue to expose students to French culture and to the French speaking world
To develop in students an appreciation and understanding of French literature through reading and discussion of short stories, novels or plays and magazine or newspaper articles
To enable students to present a subject of their own choosing with an oral class presentation followed by a question and answer session from their classmates, and with a 2 page minimum essay on the same topic
COURSE MATERIALS
Trésors du temps, student text and workbook
Le Petit Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
Excerpts from Les Lettres de mon moulin (Alphonse Daudet) assigned as summer reading
French in Action video program (episodes 39-52)
Films: Ponette, Le Petit Prince, Jean de Florette, Manon des sources
Documentaries on
TOPICS
Grammar
Review fundamental verbs such as être, aller, avoir, faire
Present indicative with depuis, il y a, voilà
Pendant with expressions of time
Present and imperative of verbs of regular verbs in -er, -ir, -re, -oir
Verbs with spelling changes
Consecutive verbs with or without preposition
Position of adverbs
Usage of on
Past tenses of the three verb groups
Conjugation and uses of the imparfait and passé composé
The pluperfect
The passé simple
Verbs conjugated with être or avoir
Agreement of the past participle
Position of adverbs with compound tenses
Direct and indirect object pronouns
Accentuated pronouns
Verbs of communication
Imperative with object pronouns
Conjugation, usage, and meaning of various tenses of the verb devoir
Forms and uses of the future and conditional
The formation and uses of the present and past subjunctive
Formation and usage of reflexive verbs
Reciprocal verbs
Past participle agreement
Causative faire
Qualifying adjectives
Negations
Present participle and gerund
Pronouns: possessive, relative, interrogative, demonstrative
Verbs of communication and expression
Indirect discourse
Culture, Literature, and History
Prehistoric art
Les monuments
mégalithiques de
Salient facts of
the history of
Legends of the period
French geography and history from pre-historic times
The transition from the French provinces to today's departments
Cave art
De
Le Vase de Soissons (Grégoire de Tours)
Les Gallo-Romains
The Druids
Astérix
Early medieval literature
Medieval art and ideas
Salient facts of French history from 50 to 1066 A.D.
La Chanson de Roland
Tristan et Yseut
L'art autour de l'an 1000
The
Religious art
The goals and consequences of the Crusades
The construction of the first cathedrals
The Hundred Years War
Medieval literature
La Farce de Maître Pathelin
La Ballade des Pendus (François Villon)
Medieval and religious art
Gothic and romanesque cathedrals
Stained glass windows
La
The Great Discoveries (compass, printing press)
The Renaissance
The Reformation and its consequences
The reign of King Henri IV
Art and the Loire Valley castles
Excerpt from Pantagruel and Jehan le Fou (François Rabelais)
Essay, "Contre le colonialisme" (Michel de Montaigne)
"Ode à Cassandre" (Pierre de Ronsard)
The Art of the Renaissance
The Castles of the Loire Valley
Le Grand Siècle ou l'Age classique
Richelieu and his legacy
Louis XIV
The
The Salons
"Le XVIIe Siècle"
Theater of the 17th century, excerpt from Act II of L'Ecole des Femmes (Molière)
Lettre à sa fille sur la mort de Vatel (Madame de Sévigné)
The architecture and painting of the 17th century
The furniture and
décor of
Le dix-huitième siècle
The Regency of Louis XV
The System of Law
The reign of Louis XV
The Age of Enlightenment
"Le XVIIIe siècle"
Excerpt from Candide (Voltaire)
Excerpt from Les Confessions (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
The architecture and painting of the 18th century
The furniture and décor of Le Palais de Versailles
Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette
France & America (War of Independence)
The General Estates
The taking of the Bastille
Excerpt from Voyages en France (Arthur Young)
Excerpt from Souvenirs (Mme Vigée-Lebrun)
La prise de la Bastille (Louis Deflue)
Art at the end of the Old Regime
Jacques-Louis David
Le Trianon
Art and revolutionary propaganda
The Great Fear
The abolition of privilege
The Constitution and the constitutional monarchy
War with
The Terror
What was brought by the Revolution
Les dernières heures de Louis XVI (Jean-Baptiste Cléry)
Art during the revolutionary period
L'Arbre de la liberté
The
Revolutionaries and Ancient
Napoléon et le début du XIXe siècle
Napoléon I, emperor
Napoléon as an administrator
Napoleonic Wars
Louis XVIII
The exile of Napoléon
Excerpt from Le Retour de Russie (Victor Hugo)
Excerpt from Les Mémoires d'outre-tombe (Chateaubriand)
"Le Lac" (Lamartine )
Art during Napoleon reign
Painting (David and Gros)
Furnishings: the Empire style
SPANISH IV HONORS
This honors level course depends on the skills and knowledge acquired by the students during the first three years of required language study in the Upper School. Students are expected to build upon their strong vocabulary, grammatical and communicative skills. Students are to develop greater self-confidence in expressing themselves orally. Students participate in class discussions based on the readings of authentic Spanish literature in the form of short stories, plays and poems. Writing skills are further developed as students express their ideas through creative essays and in their journals. The geography and history of several Spanish speaking countries are explored in this course. Spanish IV Honors is conducted exclusively in Spanish and students are expected to speak Spanish at all times. Students' participation is crucial to their success in this course.
GOALS
To continue to build upon a strong vocabulary and grammatical base
To enhance students' communicative skills
To further develop writing proficiency by means of directed exercises, essays on a variety of topics, and a weekly journal
To learn to read new texts and understand new vocabulary through context and cognates
To improve pronunciation skills
To further develop listening comprehension skills and ability
To have students become confident and aware of their ability to communicate in Spanish
To continue to expose students to Spanish culture and to the Spanish speaking world
To develop in students an appreciation and understanding of authentic Spanish literature through reading and discussion of authentic short stories, excerpts from novels or plays, and poetry
COURSE MATERIALS
Nuevas Vistas, curso uno
Student text and workbook, audio compact discs, and video program
Destinos video series (episodes 37-52)
Supplemental: Short stories from Album, an intermediate reader with authentic literary works.
Printed lessons, practice exercises, tests and quizzes from the website Learn Spanish (www.studyspanish.com)
Summer Reading - Historias de la Artámila (short stories), Ana María Matute
TOPICS
"Mis primeros versos" (autobiographical episode), Rubén Darío
"Primero de sucundaria" (autobiographical episode), Gary Soto
"Un cuentecillo triste" (story), Gabriel García Márquez
"La guerra de los yacarés" (story), Horacio Quiroga
de Platero y yo (prose poem), Juan Ramón Jiménez’
"Posada de las Tres Cuerdas" (folk tale), Ana María Shua
"La puerta del infierno" (legend), Antonio Landauro
"Mañana de sol" (play), Serafín y Joaquín Álvarez Quintero
de Paula (novel), Isabel Allende
de Versos sencillos (poem), José Martí
"La tortuga" (poem), Pablo Neruda
"El forastero gentil" (story), Sabine R. Ulibarrí
de "Valle del fuego" (essay), Alejandro Balaguer
de "Aydin" (story), Jordi Sierra i Fabra
"Romance sonámbulo" (poem), Federico García Lorca
Conversation
Expressing emotions
Talking about cause and effect
A past experience
Making a description
Making comparisons and contrasts
Talkng about what one should do
Presenting ideas and making connections
Expressing certainty and doubt
Talking about past evens
Asking for and clarifying an opinion
Talking about hypothetical situations
Expressing similarities and differences
Grammar
Nouns
Definite and indefinite articles
Adjectives
Accents (diacritical marks)
Narration (autobiographical episode)
Present tense
Preterit
Imperfect
Accents: the division of syllables
Present subjunctive
The subjunctive in nominal clauses
The subjunctive in adverbial clauses
Accents: the tonic accent
Imperfect subjunctive
Conditional
Future
Accents: syllables and accent placement
The infinitive
The gerund
Prepositions
Accents: dipthongs
Culture
Nicaragua: history and politics
Uruguay: history, Society of Uruguay
Argentina: European influence
Spain: Arab influences and politics
Present perfect indicative
Present perfect subjunctive
Pluperfect indicative
Pluperfect subjunctive
The sequence of tenses
Accents: palabras agudas
Chile: history and politics
Talking about poems
Presenting and supporting an opinion
Talking about someone in the past
Peru: history and politics
FRENCH V AP
French V AP is an elective course offered to those students who have successfully completed French IV Honors and to the students who are returning from the Year Abroad Program in Provence for whom the course is required.
The course is designed to refine and enhance the student's skills in speaking, writing, reading and listening comprehension to prepare them to understand and communicate effectively in any situation. Students' progress in those skills is due to the fact that they come to understand the interrelatedness of structure and functional communication and the importance of grammar to accurate communication. The course is also intended to prepare students for the Advanced Placement French Language Examination.
GOALS
To refine communicative skills in the four skill areas (speaking, writing, reading and listening comprehension)
To acquire a heightened understanding of Francophone cultures with an emphasis on the culture and literature of former French colonies
To enhance grammatical competence by reviewing previously learned structures and concepts and acquiring new structures and their uses
To be able to use basic thematic vocabulary and circumlocution to express complex ideas
To develop higher-order thinking skills and literary chronology, techniques, and interpretation
To speak French at all times and be able to discuss literature, newspaper and magazine articles, films, and videos
To be exposed to art and music and expected to share their views and ideas in class or in writing about these topics
To prepare for the Advanced Placement French Language Examination given in May
RESOURCES:
Une fois pour toutes (Longman)
Excerpts from The AP Student Book (Longman)
Spanish literature (see below)
SPEAKING
Students are expected to speak French at all times from the moment they enter the classroom. Conversation and discussion are the backbone of the class and daily practice is imperative.
Discussions focus on literature, short articles, films/videos, and current events. The students should be able to discuss, express personal opinions, including hypotheses and conjecture, using the subjunctive and si- clauses appropriately and correctly. To prepare for the AP exam students practice answering short questions and interpreting a series of pictures that together form a narrative. Students are expected to relate this narrative within two minutes. The rubrics used to grade the students on the exam measure the ability to use a wide range of vocabulary, understand and use grammatical structures, and demonstrate fluency, accuracy, and comprehensible pronunciation. The student is also given twenty seconds to respond to each of six questions or statements.
LISTENING COMPREHENSION
The class is conducted entirely in French enabling the students to listen to their peers, the teacher, guest speakers, films, videos, and tapes that are used specifically to further develop listening skills and prepare for a listening section in the AP examination. On the Advanced Placement French Language exam, students are asked to listen to short dialogues, narratives, statements or remarks and are expected to answer multiple choice questions about what they just heard.
The students in this class are expected to be able to understand the general idea of each presentation but also to identify more specific elements such as inflection, tone, and tenor. They should have acquired the ability to follow the essentials of conversation between educated native speakers, even those who use familiar or colloquial expressions, understand standard French from tape recordings, records, the radio or the telephone.
WRITING
Students are expected to be able to describe and narrate, present and defend ideas and points of view, organize arguments and consider opposing points of view, provide appropriate examples and draw conclusions from them, and provide introductory remarks, transitions, and conclusions in an essay.
In order to be able to do this, students must have a good control of most grammatical forms and processes. Vocabulary should be extensive enough to cover most topics, although gaps in vocabulary can be filled in with circumlocutions. In addition to showing good control of grammar and vocabulary, the student's essay should be organized, to the point, and always understandable.
TOPICS
Grammar
Grammar chapters from Une fois pour toutes are regularly reviewed. Exercises are assigned for each chapter and students' knowledge of the various topics studied is tested in chapter tests and semester examinations.
Gender of nouns
Definite, indefinite, and partitive articles
Verbs: indicative present, imperative, passive voice
Past tenses: Recent past, passé composé, agreement of past participles with compound tenses, passé simple, imperfect, pluperfect, passive voice in the past
Future and conditional
The verb devoir
The subjunctive
Object pronouns and accentuated pronouns
Possessive and demonstrative adjectives and pronouns
Interrogative adjectives, pronouns, and expressions
Relative pronouns
Negations and indefinite expressions
Adjectives, adverbs, comparative and superlative
Prepositions and conjunctions
Infinitive, present participle and gerund, indirect discourse
Vocabulary
Students are asked to learn the vocabulary from the following sources:
reading selections
videos, films, tapes
notes on the board from the teacher
AP list of vocabulary presented by specific topic (trees, flowers, transportation, farm animals, etc.)
Students in this course should have the ability to read expository and narrative French prose with good overall comprehension, to separate main ideas from subordinate ones and to recognize hypotheses, supported opinions, and documented facts. This ability should extend to the reading of literary texts - novels, essays, short stories, plays, and poetry - in their original form. Students are also expected to discriminate between different registers of language, to recognize many of their important cultural implications, and to appreciate stylistic differences and humor. They need to be able to draw inferences from material read.
Students need to comprehend high-frequency idiomatic expressions and to develop strategies for successful interpretation of unfamiliar words, idioms or structures, based on a broad general vocabulary and solid knowledge of grammatical forms and structures.
Because the course does not focus on particular texts, the teacher has the freedom to tailor the content to the needs and interests of the students in the class; therefore the specific reading material varies from year to year.
Each year students read five or six works chosen by their teacher among the following list:
La Gloire de mon père (Marcel Pagnol)
La femme du boulanger (Marcel Pagnol)
Jean de Florette (Marcel Pagnol)
Bonjour tristesse (Françoise Sagan)
Un certain sourire (Françoise Sagan)
La symphonie pastorale (André Gide)
Vipère au poing (Hervé Bazin)
Thérèse Desqueyroux (François Mauriac)
Thérèse Raquin (Emile Zola)
Pierre et Jean (Guy de Maupassant )
Une vie (Guy de Maupassant)
L'Etranger (Albert Camus)
Le diable au corps (Raymond Radiguet)
Les mains sales (Jean-Paul Sartre)
Les mouches (Jean-Paul Sartre)
Huis-clos (Jean-Paul Sartre)
L'alouette (Jean Anouilh)
Le père Goriot (Honoré de Balzac)
Rhinocéros (Eugène Ionesco)
En attendant Godot (Samuel Beckett)
Le vieillard et l'enfant (Gabrielle Roy)
Contes d'Amadou Koumba (Birago Diop)
In addition, students read excerpts from various short stories, poetry, and selections on the history, culture, and geography of the French-speaking world and articles from magazines and newspapers such as L'Express, Le Nouvel Observateur, Le Figaro, Le Monde, France -Amérique, Le Journal français d'Amérique
Summer Reading
Students are assigned a work of literature to be read in the summer preceding their entry in this class. They are also given specific guidelines on what their reading notes should include. These notes are to be handed in at the start of the school year. Class discussion and appropriate written assignments are also part of this assignment.
The summer reading assignment may be one of the following:
Trois contes (Gustave Flaubert)
Bonjour tristesse (Françoise Sagan)
Le Colonel Chabert (Honoré de Balzac)
Films
Each year a variety of films are viewed and discussed in class. The teacher chooses from the following:
La gloire de mon père
Le château de ma mère
Chocolat
Jésus de Montréal
Le vieillard et l'enfant
L'Afrique francophone
La rue Case-Nègres
La haine
Madame Bovary
La symphonie pastorale
En attendant Godot
SPANISH V AP
Spanish V AP is offered to those students who have successfully completed Spanish IV Honors and have demonstrated interest and enthusiasm in continuing to study Spanish. The course is also a requirement for those students who return after having participated in Wooster's Study Abroad Program in Valencia. The curriculum is designed to meet the goals of the AP Spanish Language Exam, which requires students to demonstrate a competency in listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish. All these skills are regularly integrated throughout the course.
GOALS
To comprehend formal and informal spoken Spanish
To acquire necessary vocabulary and control of structures to allow for effective reading of periodicals and literature
To further develop adequate reading strategies to decipher meaning using context clues and cognate recognition
To express ideas orally with accuracy and fluency communicating with essential vocabulary and circumlocution to express more complex ideas
To be able to compose analytical, creative, and reflective written passages
To broaden the understanding and appreciation of Hispanic culture including its literature, art, geography, history, and music
To be aware of and able to understand and discuss current events related to the Spanish-speaking world
RESOURCES
The Nuevas vistas, curso dos series (text, workbook, ancillaries) is used as the primary material for the course, however it is supplemented when necessary. The text is divided into six units, each focusing on a particular universal theme, which provides the basis for the literature, discussions, and writing.
SPEAKING
Students are expected to speak Spanish at all times once they enter the classroom. Formal discussions on a variety of topics form an integral part of each unit. Informal conversations that are drawn from students' personal experiences are incorporated into the class as well.
LISTENING
As students speak, they also practice listening to one another and to the teacher. In addition, a variety of sources such as video segments, films, and recordings are used as students learn to comprehend a variety of accents. Occasionally, guest lecturers are asked to speak to the class on cultural topics.
WRITING
Paragraph topics throughout the year include commentaries and analyses of the literature, creative writing, and personal opinions and reflections. Students are expected to demonstrate proper style of writing including introductions, transitions, conclusions, and use of examples to support generalizations. Appropriate grammar usage and appropriate vocabulary are stressed and reviewed.
TOPICS
The core of the course is based on a variety of Spanish and Latin American works of literature. This includes excerpts from novels, short stories, poems, plays, and essays. Various cultural readings and selections from periodicals are used as supplements as well. A short novel is assigned as a "summer reading" assignment prior to the beginning of the course. The students are expected to take notes which they will use to discuss and write about the work during the first few days of class.
Summer Reading - Aura (short novel), Carlos Fuentes
"Trabajo del campo" (short story), Rose de Castillo Guilbault
"Soneto 149" (poem), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
"Lo que sucedió a un mozo que se casó con una muchacha de muy mal carácter" (story), Don Juan Manuel
"Cadena rota" (story), Gary Soto
"Naranjas" (poem), Gary Soto
"Una carta de Dios" (story), Gregorio López y Fuentes
"La muralla" (poem), Nicolás Guillén
"La fiesta del árbol" (excerpt from essay),
Gabriela Mistral
"Árbol adentro" (poem), Octavio Paz
"Paisaje" (poem), Federico García Lorca
"Meciendo" (poem), Gabriela Mistral
"Las abejas de bronce" (story), Marco Denevi
"Dicen que no hablan las plantas" (poem), Rosalía de Castro
El anillo del General Macías (drama), Josefina Niggli
"Cajas de cartón", (story) Francisco Jiménez
"Los dos reyes y los dos laberinots" (story), Jorge Luis Borges
Elements of a drama
del Popol Vuh (excerpt of Mayan myth), Jorge Luis Arriola version
"La historia de Quetzalcóatl" (Aztec myth)
"El casamiento del sol" (Maya myth), "Los primeros Incas" (Inca myth)
"El corrido de Gregorio Cortez" (ballad), Américo Paredes version
"Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes" (story), Gabriel García Márquez
Don Quijote de la Mancha (excerpt), Miguel de Cervantes
"El libro talonario" (story), Pedro Antonio Alarcón
"El soneto" (poem), Lope de Vega
"El delantal blanco" (drama), Sergio Vodanovic
Conversation
Describing heroic acts
Discussing generous deeds
Grammar and Usage
Subject pronouns
Direct object pronouns
Indirect object pronouns
Prepositional pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Possessive pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
Uses of capitalization
Accents (diacritical marks, dieresis)
Adjectives
Adverbs
Comparatives
Diminutives and augmentatives
Accent (palabras agudas, llanas, esdrújulas, sobresdrújulas)
Uses of se
Passive voice
Diphthongs, hiatus
Poetry: sounds and images
Rhetorical devices and style
Relative pronouns
Verb review from worksheets: preterit, imperfect, present subjunctive, future, conditional, compound tenses, imperfect subjunctive, si clauses, sequence of tenses
Culture
Cuba: history and culture
Mexican-Americans
Chile: geography, environmental concerns
Environmental concerns
Current events
Mexican Revolution (film)
Muralism
Pre-Columbian civilizations
ADVANCED FRENCH
This course is intended for those students who are interested in continuing to study French beyond the fifth year. The format of the course is similar to that of the AP language course. Students will continue to broaden their knowledge of French and Francophonic literature. Students will respond to the literature within-class presentations and in writing, thus expanding their analytical and critical skills in French. With departmental approval, a motivated student may prepare for and take the AP French Literature Exam.
ADVANCED SPANISH
This course is intended for those students who are interested in continuing to study Spanish beyond the fifth year. The format of the course is similar to that of the AP course. Students will continue to broaden their knowledge of Spanish and Latin American literature. Students will respond to the literature with in-class presentations and in writing, thus expanding their analytical and critical skills in Spanish. With departmental approval, a motivated student may prepare for and take the AP Spanish Literature Exam.
BASIC RUSSIAN
This semester course introduces the students to the rich Russian culture and language. This course covers the basic vocabulary and grammatical structures that enable students to understand oral and written language, and to communicate in Russian in simple, every day situations.
An important component of this course is fostering interest and appreciation of Russian culture. Through class discussions, individual research and presentation, video clips, original songs and films the students acquire a better understanding of the history and culture of Russia.
GOALS
To familiarize the students with the Cyrillic alphabet
To develop an understanding of basic vocabulary and grammatical structures in oral and written forms through listening, reading and speaking exercises
To foster writing proficiency through directed and creative writing
To develop a sense of confidence in speaking Russian and to take risks with the language
To develop an understanding and appreciation of Russian culture
COURSE MATERIALS
Russian, Face to Face, level 1 textbook and workbook
Films: The Face of Russia, From Czar to Stalin, Moscow and St. Petersburg, Burnt by the Sun
TOPICS
Conversation
Greetings and personal introduction
To introduce oneself
To ask someone's name
Simple greetings
Familiar/singular and polite/plural
Personal introduction
Identifying people and things
Finding out about people and things
Talking about the family
Asking and telling about locations
Asking locations, giving directions
Asking where certain places are
Expressing plurality
Giving directions
Telling where someone lives
Talking about activities
Expressing the object of actions
Saying that you understand or do not understand
Likes and dislikes
Talking about studying
Expressing opinions about actions
Expressing likes and dislikes
My friend
Talking about possessions and relationships
Expressing alternatives
The expressions for playing sports and musical instruments
Vocabulary
Classroom objects
Places in school
Family members
Names of classroom objects
Places in town
Russian stores and their names
Activities
School subjects
Hobbies
English words in Russian language
Grammar
Cyrillic alphabet
Interrogative and personal pronouns
Negative answers
Gender of nouns
Possessive adjectives
Prepositional case to tell location
Present tense of first conjugation
The plural of nouns
Accusative case of inanimate nouns
Action verbs
Adverbs to evaluate actions
Genitive of personal pronouns
Genitive singular of nouns with negation
verbs with accusative and prepositional cases
Culture
Introduction to
the history, culture and language of
Importance of learning the language in order to understand the people
Russian first names and patronymics
Educational system
in
Grades in Russian schools
The Russian family
Women in
Streets and squares in cities
Homes and apartments in
Higher education in
The study of foreign languages
in
Popular music in
Program of studies in Russian schools
Student Exchange Program
Introduction of Russian poets: V. Vysotsky and B. Okudjava
Coursework
generally includes Statistics, AB Calculus AP, BC Calculus AP, or AP Statistics
STATISTICS
SKILLS TO BE MASTERED
Data Analysis and Probability
Finding Measures of Center (mean, median, mode)
Simple Random Samples
Graphing
Displaying Data using histograms, dotplots, histogram, line graphs, boxplots, and scatterplots
SKILLS PRACTICED
Data Analysis and Probability
Analyzing raw data
Regression, Correlation, and extrapolation
Probability and Probability Distributions
Normal Distributions
Designing Surveys and Questionnaires
Technology
Curve fitting
Using the internet to gather data and research concepts
Using Fathom and Excel to perform statistical operations and facility data analysis
Taking a academic class via the web
Connections
Collaboration and Group Work
Designing and implementing a long term project
SKILLS INTRODUCED
Data Analysis and Probability
Sampling Distributions
Inference
Tests for Significance
Hypothesis Testing
Chi Squared
AB CALCULUS.
SKILLS MASTERED
Numbers
Estimating limits from tables
Describing asymptotic behavior in terms of limits involving infinity
Approximate rate of change from tables
Computation of integrals using Riemann sums, Trapezoidal Rule, and Simpson's Rule.
Finding the value of a derivative at a point
Use a local linearization of a curve to approximate a value
Algebra
Calculating limits using algebra
Understanding continuity in terms of limits
Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
Derivative defined as the limits of the difference quotient
Finding derivatives and antiderivatives, including implicit differentiation
Graphing
Estimating limits from graphs
Understanding asymptotes in terms of graphical behavior
Geometric understanding of graphs of continuous functions (Intermediate Value Theorem and Extreme Value Theorem)
Understanding of relationship between behaviors of f , its inverse and its derivative.
Understanding of the Mean Value Theorem and the its consequences
Slope fields
Reasoning
Understanding derivative as rate of change and integral as accumulated rate of change
Comparing relative magnitudes of functions and their rates of change
Relationship between differentiability and continuity
Problem Solving
Applications of derivatives, including graphing, related rates, max/min, velocity, speed and acceleration
Applications of integrals, including area under a curve, area between two curves, volumes of solids of revolution (shell, washer, disk and known cross sections, average value
SKILLS PRACTICED
Algebra
Separable differential equations
Derivatives and integrals of parametric equations
BC CALCULUS
SKILLS MASTERED
All material from AB Calculus plus the following:
Numbers
Convergence of series of constants, including geometric, harmonic, and alternating series
Algebra
Solving separable and logistic differential equations
Derivatives and integrals of parametric, polar and vector functions
L'Hospital's Rule
Techniques of antidifferentiation by substitution of variables, parts, and simple partial fraction decomposition
Improper Integrals
Ratio and Comparison tests for series convergence
Taylor and Maclaurin series
Radius and interval of convergence
Lagrange error bound for Taylor polynomials
Graphing
Slope fields (geometric interpretation of differential equations)
Problem Solving
Applications of derivatives, including graphing, related rates, max/min, velocity, speed, and acceleration
Applications of integrals, including area under a curve, area between two curves, volumes of solids of revolution (shell, washer, disk and known cross sections, average value, and arc length
SKILLS PRACTICED
Problem Solving
Use of integration in situations with variable factor products (such as work or pressure)
AP STATISTICS
SKILLS MASTERED
Data Analysis and Probability
Definition of probability
Simple probability
Definition of sequences and series
Sigma notation
Normal bell curve
Strength of model
Measures of central tendency, including mean, median, mode, and standard deviation
Interpreting data
Calculator
Curve fitting
Displaying univariate data
Graphing
Linear and non-linear equations
Algebra
Logarithms
Solving inequalities
SKILLS PRACTICED
Data Analysis and Probability
Compound probability
Random variable
Probability distribution
Statistical presentations
Independent vs. dependent events
Saves design
Binomial distribution
Graphing
Displaying bi-variate data
Venn diagrams
Technology
Fathom
SKILLS INTRODUCED
Calculator
TI-83 programming
Connections
Hypothesis testing
Coursework
generally includes Chemistry or Honors Chemistry, Advanced Physics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Psychology, Introduction
to Engineering,
Physics of Sports, Electricity, Chemistry and
Society,
Marine Biology, or Ecology. Note not all courses are offered every year.
ADVANCED PHYSICS
This is a college-level course requiring well-developed problem-solving skills. This course will be useful to students planning to major in science, engineering, or medical fields.
TOPICS
Measurement
SI units: unit conversions.
Measurement and uncertainty: accuracy and precision
Kinematics in One Dimension
Reference frames and displacement
Velocity and speed: vectors and scalars. Average and instantaneous velocity
Falling objects: gravity
Graphical analysis of motion
Kinematics in Two Dimensions
Addition and subtraction of vectors
Addition of vectors by components
SOHCAHTOA
Projectile motion - parabolic motion
Relative velocity
Motion and Force
Newton's laws of motion
Weight
Free-body diagrams
Friction, inclined planes
Circular motion and gravitation
Kinematics of uniform circular motion
Dynamics of uniform circular motion
Centrifugation
Universal gravitation
Work and Energy
Work done by a constant force
Kinetic Energy and the Work-Energy Principle
Potential Energy
Mechanical Energy and its conservation
Law of Conservation of Energy
Linear Momentum
Momentum and its relation to force
Conservation of momentum
Collisions and impulse
Conservation of energy and momentum in collisions
Elastic collisions in one dimension
Inelastic collisions in one dimension
Collisions in two dimensions
Rotational Motion
Kinematic equations for uniformly accelerated rotational motion
Rolling motion
Torque
Torque and rotational dynamics
Angular momentum and its conservation
Bodies in Equilibrium; Elasticity and Fracture
Statics - Conditions for equilibrium.
Stability and Balance
Elasticity - Stress and strain.
Fracture
Center of mass
Sound
Simple harmonic motion
Wave motion
Characteristics of sound
Intensity of sound: decibels
Amplitude related to intensity
Sources of sound
Vibrating strings
Vibrating air columns (Interference of sound waves; beats, Doppler effect)
Temperature and Kinetic Theory
Atomic theory of matter
Thermal equilibrium and the zeroth law of thermodynamics.
Thermal expansion - anomalous behavior of water below 4oC
Thermal stresses
The gas laws and absolute temperature
Kinetic theory and the molecular interpretation of temperature
Heat
Heat as energy transfer
Distinction between temperature, heat, and internal energy
Internal energy of an ideal gas
Specific heat
Calorimetry
Latent heat
Heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation
The Laws of Thermodynamics
The first law of thermodynamics: applications of the first law to simple systems.
The second law of thermodynamics: heat engines.
Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics
Order to disorder
Electric Charge and Electric Field
Static electricity; electric charge and its conservation.
Electric charge in the atom
Insulators and conductors
Induced charge; the electroscope
Coulomb's Law
The electric field: field lines, electric fields and conductors
Electric Potential and Electric Energy; Capacitance
Electric potential and potential difference: electric potential due to point charges.
Relation between electric potential and electric field
Equipotential lines
Capacitance: dielectrics, storage of electric energy
Electric Currents
The electric battery
Electric current
Ohm's law: resistance and resistors, resistivity
Electric power: power in household circuits, alternating current
ADVANCED PLACEMENT BIOLOGY
The Advanced Placement Biology course is designed as the equivalent of a college introductory biology course. The two main goals of this course are to help students develop a conceptual framework for modern biology and to help students gain an appreciation of science as a process. Primary emphasis is on developing an understanding of concepts rather than memorization of terms, recognition of unifying themes in biology, and an application of biological knowledge and critical thinking to environmental and social concerns.
TOPICS
Chemistry of Life
Water
Organic Molecules in Organisms
Cell synthesis and break down of macromolecules
Structures of biologically important molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) and their function
Free Energy Changes
Enzyme
Enzyme specificity
Regulation of enzyme activity
Cells
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells
Evolutionary relationships.
Membranes: model of the molecular structure of membranes
Mechanisms by which substances cross membranes
Subcellular organization
Structures of the various subcellular organelles
Factors that limit cell size
Cell cycle and its regulation
Mitosis
Mechanism of cytokinesis
Regulation of the cell cycle
Aberrations in the cell cycle
Cellular Energetics
Coupled reactions
The function of chemiosmosis in bioenergetics
Fermentation and cellular respiration
The role of oxygen in energy-yielding pathways
Photosynthesis
Photosynthetic adaptations that have evolved in response to different environmental conditions
Interactions that exist between photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Heredity
Meiosis and gametogenesis
The importance of meiosis in heredity
The relationship of meiosis to gametogenesis
Similarities and differences between gametogenesis in animals and gametogenesis in plants
Eukaryotic chromosomes
Inheritance patterns
Molecular Genetics
DNA and RNA structure and function
Similarities and differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes
Gene regulation: mechanisms by which gene expression is regulated in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Mutation: ways that genetic information can be altered. Effects of these alterations materials between cells.
Nucleic acid technology and applications: current recombinant technologies. Practical applications of nucleic acid technology.
Legal and ethical problems that may arise from these applications.
Evolutionary Biology
Early evolution of life: current biological models for the origins of biological macromolecules.
Current models for the origins of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Evidence for evolution
Mechanisms of evolution: role of natural selection in the process of evolution. Mechanisms that account for speciation and macroevolution.
Diversity of Organisms
Evolutionary patterns: major body plans of plants and animals.
Survey of the diversity of life: representative organisms from the Moneran, Fungi and Protista Kingdoms. Representative members of the major animal phyla and plant divisions
Viral structure and replication
Major steps in viral reproduction
Ways that viruses transfer genetic
Phylogenetic classification: distinguishing characteristics of each group (kingdom and the major phyla and divisions of animals and plants)
Evolutionary relationships: ways that scientists study evolutionary relationships among organisms. Ways that this information is used to classify organisms.
Structure and Function of Plants and Animals
Reproduction, growth and development
Adaptive significance of alternation of generation in the major groups in plants
Structural, physiological and behavioral adaptations: organization of cells, tissues, and organs determine structure and function in plant and animal systems. Adaptive features that have contributed to the success of various plants and animals on land.
Response to the Environment
Ecology
Population dynamics: models that are useful in describing the growth of a population
Communities and ecosystems: energy flow through an ecosystem is related to trophic structure
Elements cycle through ecosystems (ie. carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur)
Global issues: ways in which humans are affecting biogeochemical cycles
ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHEMISTRY
The AP Chemistry course is designed as the equivalent of a general chemistry course usually taken in the first year of college. The course emphasizes depth of understanding of fundamental concepts and principles and their utilization in solving general chemistry problems.
TOPICS
Structure of Matter
Atomic theory and atomic structure
Chemical bonding
Molecular Models
Nuclear Chemistry
States of Matter
Gases
Gas Laws
Kinetic Molecular Theory
Liquids and Solids
Phase diagrams
Solutions
Colligative properties
Reactions
Acid-Base reactions
Redox reactions
Electrochemistry
Stoichiometry
Equilibrium
Kinetics
Thermodynamics.
Descriptive Chemistry
Chemical reactivity of common elements
Organic Chemistry
Laboratory
Various activities that foster development of laboratory skills.
PSYCHOLOGY: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
This non-clinical course provides an introduction to human behavior, studied through cognitive, behavioral, psychoanalytic, and neurological theories. The wide range of topics covered includes theorists' contributions, abnormal psychology, treatment approaches, and cultural influences. Through lecture, homework, tests, class discussions, and presentations, students will have the opportunity to learn about how psychology is practiced today, how it has evolved, and the cultural impact it has had. Students will be required to do a research paper on an illness.
INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING
This is an elective course that introduces the principles of engineering.
TOPICS
Drawing - Civil Engineering
Measurement
Unit conversions
Scale drawings
Building from drawings
Drawing from a built structure
Forces, Statics and Materials - Mechanical Engineering
Vectors and scalars
Addition and subtraction of vectors
Addition of vectors by components
SOHCAHTOA
Forces
Hooke's Law
Elasticity of materials
Thermodynamics - Chemical Engineering
Laws of thermodynamics
Heat and heat transfer
Circuits - Electrical Engineering
Circuit components
Wiring and building circuits
Engineering Economics
Corporate fiscal analysis
ACTIVITIES
Build a structure out of legos. Do top, front, side view drawings.
Take a set of drawings and build the structure.
Draw top-view scale drawing of one of the science labs.
Design a water piping lay-out for the Chemistry Lab
Perform addition of force vectors lab.
Perform Hooke's Law lab.
Build a chair out of corrugated cardboard and masking tape - lightest chair that can hold a 220lb person.
Conduct Calorimeter lab.
Q = mc T lab - hot metal in cool water to determine the c of the metal
Assemble electronic project kits.
PHYSICS OF SPORTS
This is an elective course that introduces the principles of physics as it relates to motion in sports.
TOPICS
Vectors
Speed and velocity
Measurement
Unit conversions
Vectors and scalars
Addition and subtraction of vectors
Addition of vectors by components
SOHCAHTOA
LAB - Calculate your acceleration
LAB - Acceleration down the hill on various sleds
Newton's Laws of Motion
Equal and opposite forces
Force vectors
Force = mass * acceleration
Gravity
Friction
Projectile motion
LAB - Force on a skater
Momentum and Collisions
Calculation of momentum
Collisions
Elastic
Inelastic
Transfer of momentum
LAB - qualitative transfer of momentum in collisions
ELECTRICITY
This is an elective course that introduces the principles of electricity and electromagnetism. The emphases are:
Understanding the concepts and principles;
Relating the concepts and principles to our everyday lives; and
Experimental work.
TOPICS
Static Electricity
Electrical structure of matter, law of electric charges, conductors, insulators, transfer of electric charge, electrostatic series, electroscopes, charging by contact and induction, grounding, charge distribution on a conductor, lightning, electrostatic generators, electric fields, charge on an electron, photocopiers, electrostatic precipitators
Current Electricity
Electric current and electric potential, electric circuits, series and parallel circuits, Kirchoff's laws, Ohm's law, resistance, resistivity, power, cost of electricity, house wiring, effect of electricity on the human body
Magnetism and Electromagnetism
Early history of magnetism, law of magnetic poles, magnetic fields, Earth's magnetism, domain theory of magnetism, electromagnetism, field around a straight conductor and a coil, motor principle, applications of electromagnetism and the motor principle, electromagnetic induction, Lenz's law, electrical generators, AC and DC, transformers, electrical generation and distribution
SKILLS
Measuring, calculating, analyzing data, problem solving, general lab skills, lab reporting, metric system use
CHEMISTRY AND SOCIETY
This is an elective course that attempts to relate the effect of chemistry on our everyday lives. The emphases are
Understanding the concepts and principles
Relating the concepts and principles to our everyday lives
Scientific literacy so that reasoned judgments on societal issues can be made
.
TOPICS
Basic Chemistry Review
Elements, compounds, electrolyte, non-electrolyte, atoms, ions, molecules
Sub-atomic particles: proton, electron, neutron
Electron configuration, atomic number, mass number, isotopes
Nuclear Chemistry
Radioactivity, types of radiation, nuclear equations, nuclear fission and fission, the Manhattan project, energy in nuclear reactions, mass defect, binding energy, nuclear energy: the promises and the problems.
Oxygen and Hydrogen
Occurrence, discovery, preparation, physical and chemical properties
Oxidation, combustion, uses
Hydrocarbons
Alkanes, alkenes and alkynes
Properties, reactions, structures
Nomenclature
Uses
Petroleum
Chemicals, Pollution and the Environment
Air Pollution, ozone, CFCs
Water pollution, acid rain
SKILLS
Measuring, calculating, analyzing data, problem solving, general lab skills, lab reporting, metric system use
MARINE BIOLOGY
This course studies the interrelationship of living and non-living factors in the marine environment. The topics of study include ocean chemistry and physics, zonation, biological classification, pollution, and economics. This course requires two full-day field trips, a final paper, and presentation of the paper.
ECOLOGY
Ecology involves the study of how the components of the natural world interact. These components include climate, moisture, soil, plants, and animals. This course concentrates on populations, competition, and how environmental conditions affect speciation and species interaction. Field studies involve techniques used by ecologists to examine terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This course requires field trips, a final paper, and presentation of the paper.
SENIOR SEMINAR
TEXTS:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha New Revised Standard Version (3rd edition, published especially for use in colleges, Oxford University Press, 2001)
The Tao Te Ching, translated by Victor Mair from the Ma-Wang-Tui manuscripts (Bantam books, 1990)
Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich, a twentieth-century theologian.
Rashomon and Other Stories, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, translated by Takashi Kojima (Liveright Publishing, 1970).
Rashomon is a collection of short stories written Japan in the early twentieth century.
Lost in the Funhouse, by John Barth (Doubleday, 1968; Anchor Books edition, 1988).
Lost in the Funhouse is a collection of short stories written in the U.S. in the 1960's.
“Deathbird,” by Harlan Ellison (1972).
A short story by the American science fiction author.
Assorted poems, usually including "Dover Beach," by Matthew Arnold; "Fern Hill," by Dylan Thomas; and "The Windhover," by Gerard Manly Hopkins.
GOALS
To expose students to various parts of the Bible
To help students look at the Bible in an academic setting and manner.
To expose the students to literature not otherwise considered at Wooster.
To provoke students into thinking in ways they have not thought before.
QUESTIONS CONSIDERED:
What is the historical setting in which these texts were written? How may have that historical setting affected the content or the style?
What is each text saying about the nature of God?
What is each text saying about the nature of the individual? What are they saying about the nature of the individual's relationship with God?
What is each text saying about the individual's relationship with his social world? the natural world?
What is each text saying about the nature of truth?
What do you say about the nature of God, the nature of the self, the self's relationship with God, the self's relationship with the world, and the nature of truth?
WORLD RELIGIONS
ELECTIVE - ONE SEMESTER
TEXTS:
Religions of the World, Hopfe, Lewis M. and Mark R. Woodward,(ninth edition, Prentice Hall).
Various primary sources photocopied and distributed to the students.
GOALS:
To give students a basic knowledge of the tenets of the major religions of the world. To expose students to some of the methods and issues in the study of religion. To develop skills in reading religious texts.
TOPICS
Definitions of Religion and Basic Religions.
Religions originating in India: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism
Religions originating in China and Japan: Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto
Religions originating in the Middle East: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Each religion is not confined to its country of origin; thus, when discussing Buddhism for example, Chinese and Japanese Buddhism is considered, as well as Indian Buddhism.
For each religion, the following questions are posed:
What is the nature of the divine?
What is the nature of the self?
What is the nature of the world? Is it a prison or a paradise?
Should the world be lived in or transcended?
What is the meaning of salvation?
What is the means of salvation? Can the self save itself or is an outside agency necessary?
Does this religion have any monastic or ascetic elements?
Who are the important historical or legendary figures in this religion?
What is the foundational myth of this religion? What does it tell us?
What are the basic institutions of this religion?
What sectarian differences exist in this religion?
What are the important texts of this religion?
In addition and as time permits, some attention is given to modern theories of religions behavior. For example, the class has had fruitful discussions of Eliade's concept of "cryptoreligious" activity, that is, activity which the participants do not identify as religious, but which has many characteristics of religious behavior. We also might engage in a discussion of Tillich's concept of the "Dynamics of Faith."
ETHICS ELECTIVE - ONE SEMESTER
TEXT: A Short History of Ethics, by Alasdair MacIntyre.
TOPICS: The history of Western Philosophy is examined through the lens of ethics, although attention is also paid to metaphysics and epistemology. One day of each week is devoted to applied ethics, using situations suggested by various web sites.
ADVANCED ART
This is a one-semester elective class offered both first and second semester. It meets twice each week during the school day, once for 40 minutes and once for 70 minutes.
This is a class for students who wish to pursue their skills beyond Intermediate Art or for those whose commitment, motivation, and experience are at a level where they can bypass Intermediate Art with departmental approval; in such cases Advanced Art replaces Intermediate Art as a required class.
In this class, students strengthen their technical and creative thinking skills while working with various drawing and painting media.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art or the department's permission.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the class students should:
be versatile with drawing and painting media
be able to think independently and creatively
be able to perceive carefully
be able to resolve complex creative problems
have good technical control of the media
have a sense of individual expression
understand the value of daily practice outside the classroom
TOPICS
Methods:
Observation
Memory
Imagination
Approach:
Representational
Non-representational
Subject Matter:
Still-life
Landscape
Fantasy
Media:
Pencil
Graphite
Charcoal
Pen
Acrylic paint
Oil pastel
Brushes
Texture tools
Palette knife
Techniques:
Gesture
Contour
Shading
Highlighting
Blending
Layering
Texture
Impasto
Scumbling
Elements of design:
Line
Shape
Form
Value
Color
Space
Principles of Design
Movement
Repetition
Balance
Rhythm
Contrast
Emphasis
Unity
CONTEMPORARY ART
This elective course, which meets twice each week during the school day, once for 40 minutes and once for 70 minutes, combines contemporary art history with corresponding studio projects and field trips to local museums. Students acquire knowledge about contemporary artists through lectures and reading. Field trips give students first-hand exposure to artwork. Studio projects help students build on what they have learned and encourage experimentation and inventiveness.
Prerequisite: Intermediate art
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing this course students should be able to:
identify important art work and artists in contemporary art.
identify various media used by contemporary artists (e.g., video, installation, site-specific work).
incorporate their knowledge of various artists and media in their own work.
complete several projects based on this knowledge.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Contemporary artists working in different media will be discussed and projects will incorporate this information. Students will learn about and create work in two and three dimensions using a wide variety of materials. The course should encourage students to work in different media and experiment with new techniques.
ART HISTORY
This course will offer students an opportunity to learn about the history of art from prehistoric to present times. Students will learn to discuss the formal elements of a work of art, two and three dimensional, and of architecture. Students will learn the historical and sociological context of the work.
MATERIALS:
Art, A Brief History by Marilyn Stokstad
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students should be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of art.
identify important paintings, sculpture and architecture in the history of art.
discuss the formal elements of paintings, sculpture and architecture.
prepare formal talks about a specific painting, sculpture or building.
use research methods and sources for art history.
identify some of the social, political and historical events that shaped the creation of the works.
TOPICS
Prehistoric Art:
Megalithic Art
Wall Painting
The Art of Mesopotamia and Egypt:
Egypt: Early, Middle and
Aegean Art:
Minoan
Mycenaean Civilization
Greek Civilization: Archaic, Early Classical, High Classical, Late Classical
Spread of Greek Art and Culture:
The Etruscans
The Neo-Babylonians
The Persians
The Hellenistic Period
Art of the Roman Republic and Empire:
Republican Empire
The Early Empire
The "Good" Emperors
The Late Empire
Jewish, Early Christian, and Byzantine Art
Early European and Islamic Art; Early Medieval Art
Romanesque and Gothic Art:
Romanesque Period
Gothic Period
Early Renaissance Art:
The
Italy: Architecture, Sculpture and Painting
High Renaissance and Reformation:
Mannerism
Baroque
Baroque and Rococo Art
Art of the Americas:
African Art
Neoclassicism and Romanticism
Realism to Impressionism:
Academic Art
Early Photography
Realism
Impressionism
Post-Impressionism through Early Modern Art:
Post-Impressionism
Expressionism
Cubism
Modern Art:
Art after World War I
Abstract Expressionism and the
Architecture
Contemporary Art
AFTER SCHOOL ART CLASSES
Monday Elective art classes are offered on a trimester schedule from 3:45 to 5:30 or 6:00 on Mondays. Students who are taking or have completed Intermediate Art may choose from a variety of after-school studio electives. Monday is Dedicated Arts Day and students wishing to take a Monday Elective are excused from sports on that day. Courses are designed to be on an introductory level (unless otherwise indicated). Prerequisites may be waived at the discretion of the individual teacher or the Department Chair.
DRAWING: POWER OF THE LINE
Fall: Still life and Landscape
Winter: Still Life and Figure Drawing
This course is an in-depth introduction to basic drawing concepts and techniques. The instructor gives specific assignments such as drawing exercises for hand-eye coordination and uses individual and group demonstrations and critiques as needed. Students are responsible for set-up and clean-up.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the class students should:
have a working knowledge of the fundamentals of drawing.
know how to transform a two-dimensional line into a three dimensional form.
be able to work with composition, perspective, and light using a variety of drawing materials.
TOPICS
Basic fundamentals of drawing:
Line
Basic shapes
Mass conception
Value scale
2-D to 3-D
Functions of light
Content
Juxtaposition
Basic techniques:
Line techniques
Perspective drawing
Human anatomy
Composition
Materials:
Newsprint and white drawing paper
Pencils, charcoal, soft pastels
Kneaded erasers
Masking tape, paper towels.
Set-up:
Paper on boards on tables or easels.
PAINTING: BRUSHWORK BOOGIE (Spring)
This course is an in-depth introduction to basic painting concepts and techniques. The instructor gives specific assignments and uses individual and group demonstrations and critiques as needed. Students will also investigate the work of past and contemporary artists and art movements. Materials are not provided; students are responsible for buying their own materials according to the list provided, bringing them to class, setting-up, and cleaning-up.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the class students should:
have a working knowledge of the fundamentals of painting
know how to care for the materials
be able to work with color
be able to develop a painting from conception to completion
TOPICS
Basic fundamentals and techniques of painting:
Color conception
Limited palette (primaries, black and white)
Brush stroke techniques
Paint application (opaque, transparent, translucent)
Color grounds
Under-painting
Composition
Materials:
Acrylic paint, gel medium
Brushes, palette, palette knife
Canvas paper or board
Masking tape, paper towels, rags
Oil pastels
Set-up:
Boards on easels and tables for paints
3-D: CONSTRUCTION
JUNCTION
Students explore the elements of 3-D design and construction by working with wood, plaster, cardboard, recycled or found objects, wire or cement. They create assemblages and structures using both additive and reductive techniques and incorporate the study of past and contemporary sculpture. The assignments and materials are based on the experience level of each student.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the class students should be able to:
develop an idea in a sculptural format.
use specific sculptural media to create a 3-D form.
appreciate and understand the concepts and elements of sculpture.
use the tools effectively and safely.
TOPICS
Elements of sculpture:
Shape
Form
Mass
Scale
Balance
Texture
Space
Physical properties of materials
Problem solving
Use of tools
Methods of construction
Subject Matter:
Forms in nature
Architecture
Organic/geometric forms
BOOK ARTS
Students will create one-of-a-kind artists' books using a wide variety of materials, creative bindings and multifaceted techniques. Themes will be discussed as well as creative definitions of a page. Students will learn and use at least one style to create a book which develops a theme of their choice.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this class students will
understand the processes and techniques used to create artists' books
be able to develop a theme
be able to organize and incorporate visual imagery as well as written expression
know how to create or find relevant materials and objects
be more skilled in the technical aspects of assembling a book.
TOPICS
Creating and representing imagery
Form:
Shape and style
Binding
Presentation
Materials:
Paper
Fabric
Boards
Adhesives
Tools
Methods:
Cutting
Folding
Stitching
Applying adhesive
Measuring
EXPERIMENTAL ART
This class provides the space, time, and materials for students to explore their creative process through visual or written expression. Students choose from specific exercises geared to enrich imagination, inventiveness, and playfulness. Students may also work on projects of their own design to explore special interests and experiment with a comprehensive theme and materials of their choice. Projects can be designed for one class or for long term. The class emphasizes process rather than product. Exercises adapt to specific interests and experience levels of the students.
OBJECTIVES
Upon the completion of this class students will
understand the process of divergent thinking.
have greater fluency in producing ideas.
be less judgmental regarding personal expression.
be more comfortable taking creative risks.
be more open to new ideas and new approaches.
TOPICS
Process
Materials
Methods of enriching creative thinking
POTTERY: IT'S JUST DIRT (Fall and Winter)
Using the potters' wheel as the primary tool, students will learn basic creative and technical skills needed to produce functional ceramic ware. They will increase aesthetic awareness by creating form and considering design, function, balance and color. The physical coordination that is unique to pottery alone is an excellent tool in developing confidence and personal style. Group demonstrations and independent hands-on work with the teacher will be the methods of instruction used.
MATERIALS:
Cone 6 clay-(50lb. per class). Assorted glaze materials. Tools: Sponges, loop tool, cutting wire, wooden tools, brushes, buckets, rubber kidney tools, instruction books.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
throw basic functional ware on the potters' wheel
use the various tools to cut, trim, adhere, and repair the clay
approach problems in an experimental way, by learning to overcome frustration and use mistakes creatively
integrate and use artistic concepts shared by other art media
TOPICS:
Learning to work the potters' wheel: The wheel is one of the basic tools used throughout civilization to create decorative and functional pottery. It turns mere mud into works of art that have lasted throughout the ages.
Basic control of the wheel: Students will learn to control the potters' wheel. The use of proper speed control, body alignment and pacing are vital to any success and will be addressed through out the class. Proper maintenance of the wheel will also be covered.
Centering and throwing techniques: Keeping the clay properly centered is key to any success and needs a good deal of repetitive practice. It is at this point that throwing techniques can successfully begin. Greater understanding of form and balance also develop naturally during the process.
Use of materials and tools: Students will discover how simple tools will be used to cut, trim, adhere or repair the clay.
Creativity and experimentation: Both are vital to the construction of a piece. Students will learn that limitations presented by the clay can be overcome, resulting in unique and attractive results. Satisfaction in creating unique functional items and pride in finding a new way to handle a problem are frequent in pottery and blend well with the repetitive techniques also needed.
Integrating skills from other areas of art: The skills students will use in the creation of a piece of pottery will draw upon those learned in a variety of areas. Three-dimensional concepts learned in sculpture will be expanded upon in the development of a pot. Drawing and painting skills are used in successful glaze decoration. Knowledge of how light plays off of a form and the ways it effects the mood of the object relates to concepts explored in photography and drawing. Form, balance, pattern, texture, mood, and self-expression, are intrinsic to pottery as they are to other art forms. Manipulation of tools, eye-hand co-ordination, abstract thinking, and focused concentration are also mutually shared.
Participation and practice: The course provides demonstrations and methods that build upon each other and need a proper progression. Students need as much time as possible to develop them and must be able to attend weekly and remain for the entire class. Students have access to the pottery studio with the approval of the WSAC office staff, and are encouraged to practice during free periods.
POTTERY II: MORE DIRT (Spring)
Pottery II continues the development of the creative and technical skills learned in Pottery: It's Just Dirt. Each individual continues from their own particular stage of development. Results will continue to vary greatly. The greater refinement of skills and techniques needed to create a wider variety of forms will be the focus of each student. Hand-building techniques and the use of more advanced techniques of decoration will be introduced as appropriate. Group demonstrations and independent hands-on work with the teacher will continue to be the methods of instruction used.
MATERIALS
Cone 6 clay-(50lb. per class). Assorted glaze materials. Tools: Sponges, loop tool, cutting wire, wooden tools, brushes, buckets, rubber kidney tools, instruction books.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
throw a variety of ceramic forms on the potters' wheel
use hand-building techniques
use advanced techniques of decoration
approach problems in an experimental way, by learning to overcome frustration and use mistakes creatively
integrate and use artistic concepts shared by other art media
TOPICS
Refinement of skills and techniques on the wheel
Hand-building techniques
Advanced methods of decoration
Creativity and experimentation: Overcoming frustration and solving problems are a part of the process of working with clay
Integrating skills from other areas of art: More control leads to a greater capacity to realize ideas, and the skills students will use in the creation of a piece of pottery will draw upon those learned in sculpture, painting, drawing, and photography. Form, balance, pattern, texture, mood, and self-expression, are intrinsic to pottery as they are to other art forms. Manipulation of tools, eye-hand coordination, abstract thinking, and focused concentration are also mutually shared.
Participation and practice: The course provides demonstrations and methods that build upon each other and need a proper progression. Students need as much time as possible to develop them and must be able to attend weekly and remain for the entire class. Students have access to the Pottery Studio with the approval of the WCSC Office Staff, and are encouraged to practice during free periods.
PHOTOGRAPHY I (Fall
or Winter)
With a soft approach to the technical, students will learn the fundamental concepts, techniques, tools and applications relevant to basic photography and the satisfaction of creating a good photograph. Included in this 10-week course will be an introduction to photographic printing and the workings of the black and white darkroom.
MATERIALS:
Camera: Format: 35MM. Students are not required to purchase professional level equipment. This course is taught in such a way to help the student make the best photograph possible using what they can afford to buy, borrow or already own.
Film: Black and White TMAX400, Kodak. Suggested because of its moderately fast speed and good latitude.
Paper: Ilford multigrade RC
OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of this class, students will:
understand the light: The bottom line in photography is light - the photographer's number one tool and one of the most misunderstood elements of photography. The word photograph means writing with light. In addition to content and composition, the true understanding of what takes place when light strikes the film is the most important concept in photography.
be able to find the light: It's almost always there. Finding the light often includes walking around the subject, moving the subject slightly or adjusting the camera position. Class demonstrations will be the training ground for seeing the direction of light that will become the foundation for any future photography course or endeavor.
be able to use the light: Whether it's window light, direct sun or open shade, students will learn to look before pressing the shutter. Through a variety of course projects, the students will become practiced at "seeing" light that will lead to a better understanding of what makes a good photograph.
be able to expose the film: Using what they own, students will learn how to best use their cameras to create good, printable negatives. Different films will be discussed and their appropriate applications.
be able to make prints: All students enjoy the excitement of seeing the latent image appear on paper.
Students will be taught and guided to produce photographs with the best print quality possible working with their own negatives with repeated emphasis on the proper handling of the negative.
TOPICS
The class begins with simple projects dealing with the use of available light. The subject matter of the photographs will be from a variety of sources such as portraits, pets, landscapes that include barns, old buildings and stone walls and events to tell a story through the use of the photographic image.
Seeing and finding light
Basic camera functions
Introduction to printing in the darkroom
Seeing the direction of light
Measuring and shaping the light
Darkroom techniques: dodging and burning in; the use of filters to control contrast.
Effective use of window light
Film processing
Storytelling with photographic images
PHOTOGRAPHY II (Spring)
After a short review of the technical aspects of the camera and darkroom, students in this 10-week course will dive right into assignments in the first class. These assignments draw from four major areas in the photographic industry: Portraiture, Fine Art, Commercial Art, and Photojournalism.
Emphasis remains on correct use of available light as it pertains to the subject matter and assignment as well as on the ability to compose through the viewfinder and to pre-visualize the shot. Students will learn the refinements of making a good print including the use of filters, spotting, and mounting the finished print for display.
MATERIALS:
Camera: Format: 35MM. Students are not required to purchase professional level equipment. This course is taught in such a way to help the student make the best photograph possible using what they can afford to buy, borrow or already own.
Film: Black and White TMAX400, Kodak. Suggested because of its moderately fast speed and good latitude.
Paper: Ilford multigrade RC
OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this class, students will:
understand the light: The bottom line in photography is light - the photographer's number one tool and one of the most misunderstood elements of photography. The word photograph means writing with light. In addition to content and composition, the true understanding of what takes place when light strikes the film is the most important concept in photography.
be able to find the light: It's almost always there. Finding the light often includes walking around the subject, moving the subject slightly or adjusting the camera position. Class demonstrations will be the training ground for seeing the direction of light that will become the foundation for any future photography course or endeavor.
be able to use the light: Whether it's window light, direct sun or open shade, students will learn to look before pressing the shutter. Through a variety of course projects, the students will become practiced at "seeing" light that will lead to a better understanding of what makes a good photograph.
be able to expose the film: Using what they own, students will learn how to best use their cameras to create good, printable negatives. Different films will be discussed and their appropriate applications.
be able to make prints: The excitement of seeing the latent image appear on paper.
Students will be taught and guided to produce photographs with the best print quality possible working with their own negatives with repeated emphasis on the proper handling of the negative
TOPICS
The assigned projects will be executed using available light. These projects will touch on four major areas in the photographic industry to provide the student photographer with an overview of these types of photography. Strong emphasis will be on quality as well as quantity of light and composing through the viewfinder.
Seeing and finding light
Using the light.
Making prints
Seeing the direction of light
Commercial photography
Darkroom techniques: dodging and burning in; the use of filters to control contrast.
Photojournalism as storytelling
Street photography and single event photography
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND IMAGING (Fall)
This course will offer students an opportunity to create fine art using the computer. Students will study layout and design while manipulating text with layered images. Students will use digital cameras, scanners, the Internet, and graphics software to create a variety of projects including posters, brochures, and CD covers.
Prerequisite: Drawing and/or Photography.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of computer graphics.
identify the technology components and software used in computer graphics.
incorporate media forms including text, graphics, and images.
design posters, brochures, CD covers, and other projects as assigned.
use computer system, peripherals, and software variables and functions.
apply design concepts and computer skills to manipulate images, objects, text.
prepare completed projects for printing and/or publication.
understand ethical issues related to computer graphics and digital imaging.
evaluate information gathered for timeliness, authority, accuracy, validity and completeness.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Introduction to Computer Graphics
History and uses of Computer Graphics
Production value
Computer hardware
Imaging software
Composition and Design
Text
Introduction to Digital Cameras and Scanners
Peripheral hardware
Capturing, acquiring, and importing images
Storage
Manipulating Images and Adobe Photoshop
Layers and history
Filters
Tools
Background and lighting
Image modes and color
Printing and Publication
Resolution, canvas size, and file size
Large format printing
Electronic display and/or output
MATERIALS: CD-RW for saving finished projects.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
AND ILLUSTRATING (Winter)
This course will offer students an opportunity to create fine art using the computer. Students will explore their creative process as they become familiar with various illustration and graphics software. Students will learn to create illustrations using the computer as their canvas and tools.
Prerequisite: Drawing.
MATERIALS: CD-RW for saving finished projects.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of computer graphics.
identify the technology components and software used in computer graphics.
incorporate media forms including text, graphics, and illustrations.
design posters, brochures, book covers, and other projects as assigned.
use computer system and software variables and functions.
apply design concepts and computer skills to manipulate objects, illustrations, and text.
prepare completed projects for printing and/or publication.
understand ethical issues related to computer graphics and illustrating.
evaluate information gathered for timeliness, authority, accuracy, validity and completeness.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Introduction to Computer Graphics
History and uses of Computer Graphics
Production value
Computer hardware
Illustrating/graphic software - raster vs. vector
Composition, Design, and Text
Introduction to Scanners and peripherals
Peripheral hardware
Capturing, acquiring, and importing images
Storage
Manipulating Images and Adobe Illustrator
Basic concepts of drawing/illustrating programs
Lines and Shapes
Tools
Background and lighting
Color, text, and modes
Printing and Publication
Resolution, canvas size, and file size
Large format printing
Electronic display and/or output
ANIMATION (Spring)
Through flipbooks, claymation, and sequential drawings, students will explore the visual and narrative possibilities of animation. They will use the computer and digital camera to create short animated films from their artwork.
Prerequisite: Drawing, Photography, and/or Computer Graphics
MATERIALS: CD-RW for saving finished projects.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of animation.
identify the technology components and software used in computer animation.
incorporate drawings, 3D modeling materials, and text.
design flipbooks, thaumatropes, short computer animated sequences, and other projects as assigned.
use computer system and software variables and functions.
apply animation principles and computer skills to manipulate images and create moving pictures.
prepare completed projects for output.
understand ethical issues related to computer animation.
evaluate information gathered for timeliness, authority, accuracy.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Introduction to Animation:
History and mechanics of moving pictures (Flipbooks & Thaumatropes)
Production techniques
Cell to Stop Motion to Digital Convergence
Animation software
Output
Technical Issues:
Hardware
Software - raster vs. vector and display options
Image size, resolution, and compression
File formats
Peripheral devices
Capturing, acquiring, and importing images (Clay or Lego'mation)
Storage
Creating Computer Animation:
Storyboarding and timing
Lines and shapes
Tools
Background and lighting
Modeling and designing linear movement
Camera moves and views
Multimedia, Web, and Gaming Animation:
Interactive scenes and objects
File formats
Programming and software
VIDEO PRODUCTION
(Fall, Winter & Spring)
Students will learn the basics of editing and camera technique. Students will be grouped together to make a short video. The video can be a story with or without dialogue or a music video. At least 50% of the video must be original footage shot by the group. Images from other media, such as movies or television can be used.
Prerequisite: Photography
MATERIALS
Students must supply a tape if they wish to copy their project when it is complete.
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to plan, shoot, edit a short video.
TOPICS
Introduction to Pre-Production
Come up with an idea.
Create a shot list as a guide for shooting.
Arrange to shoot.
Introduction to Production
Load tape into the camera.
Operate the zoom lens.
Mount the camera onto a tripod.
Pan and tilt the camera.
Hand hold the camera.
Balance the camera for color.
Use camera in manual mode.
Compose shots. (Wide shots, Medium shots and Close-ups)
Introduction to Post-Production
Load tape into tape deck
Record videotape to the computer editing system.
Organize a project in the editing system.
Transfer material on CD into the editing system.
Organize material into bins.
Edit video clips together.
Layout audio to run along with the video.
Create titles in the editing system.
Use effects if desired.
Create transitions between shots.
Transfer finished sequence to videotape.
ART INTENSIVE
Sophomores, juniors, and seniors wishing to pursue further studies in art beyond Intermediate Art and the Monday Electives may take the Art Intensive program five days a week after school. Students may elect to take any of the offerings as an individual class.
Art Intensive courses offer after-school studio time in drawing, painting, paper patterning and printing, collage, photography, and video. Taking all five days of classes gives a student a well-rounded foundation in many visual arts media. These classes are rigorous yet small enough to respond to the needs and interests of the individuals enrolled. They are designed to give students practice in advanced skills and techniques, and to encourage experimentation and independent work. The content of courses varies each trimester to allow students to take consecutive trimesters. Each trimester culminates in an exhibit organized by the participating students.
Fall and Winter:
Monday 3:45-6:00: Monday elective
Tuesday 3:45-5:30: Photography
Wednesday 1:45-3:30: Working the 2-D Surface in Black and White
Thursday 3:45-5:30: Video
Friday 3:45-5:50: Figure Drawing
Spring:
Monday: Monday elective
Tuesday: Photography
Wednesday: Working the 2-D Surface in Color
Thursday: Video
Friday: Abstract Painting
Art Intensive: PHOTOGRAPHY (Tuesday: Fall, Winter, and Spring)
This photography class for Art Intensive students will offer accelerated beginning instruction as well as the more advanced techniques taught in Photo II. The content will be geared to the interests and levels of experience of the students enrolled.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art.
For the curriculum outline, please refer to Photo I under Monday Electives.
Art Intensive: WORKING THE 2-D SURFACE IN BLACK AND WHITE (Wednesday: Fall and Winter)
In this class, students learn to draw with both traditional and non-traditional media, with an emphasis on learning to see. Techniques taught range from blind and contour drawing to automatic drawing, and alternative printmaking techniques and collage; the study of master drawings and works on paper of different styles complement the lessons. The content varies according to the abilities and interests of the participating students.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art and Drawing or the equivalent.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the class students will:
understand the importance of careful perception.
draw with a more confident line.
be able to see and work with negative as well as positive space.
be familiar with drawing, alternative printmaking and collage techniques.
know and be comfortable using the basic materials of drawing.
have an understanding of the importance of light and shadow.
understand the possibilities of the black and white palette
appreciate drawings done throughout history
be able to analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Still life: Light and Shadow
Use of light source
Shadow screen
Found shadows
Still life/ figure: Contour
Blind and Contour drawing
Drawing with scissors
Geometric shapes/ organic shapes
Collage: Texture, pattern
Techniques using pencil, charcoal, ink
Paper patterning using rubbing, stamping, stenciling, transfers
Found materials
Proportion/Perspective/Composition
Art Intensive: WORKING THE 2-D SURFACE IN COLOR (Wednesday: Spring)
In this class students explore color, pattern and texture through mixing, blending, stamping, stenciling, and printing. They use paint, pastel, hand-printed papers, and watercolor to create both representational and abstract works on paper. Study of twentieth century painting and collage complements the studio work. The content varies according to the abilities and interests of the participating students.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art and Drawing/Painting or the equivalent.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon successfully completing the class students will:
understand the importance of careful perception.
be able to see and work with complementary colors, cool/warm colors
be familiar with painting, alternative printmaking and collage techniques.
know and be comfortable using the basic materials of painting
will know how to choose and care for their own materials.
have an understanding of the effect of light and shadow on color and will be able to work with value.
know how to blend, shade, and highlight in different color media.
understand the possibilities of the limited palette.
appreciate paintings done throughout history.
be able to analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Experimentation/exercises
Color experiments
Paper patterning
Quick studies
Sketchbook assignments
Building a painting/collage/ color drawing
Choice of subject matter or concept
Use of light source; natural light, or references to light
Composition and placement of objects or design elements
Drawing, under-painting, use of ground
Palette: limited palette, use of complementary colors, color balance, use of texture
Color mixing, blending, shading and highlighting
Art Intensive: VIDEO (Thursday: Fall, Winter, and Spring)
In this class students learn the basics of how to shoot and edit, write scripts, narrate tapes, and select music and effects. Each student produces or collaborates on an original video. This video class for Art Intensive students is geared to the students' levels of experience.
Prerequisite/Co-requisite: Photography.
For the curriculum outline, please refer to Video I under Monday Electives.
Art Intensive: FIGURE DRAWING (Friday: Fall and Winter)
In this class students learn to draw the figure from a live model. Instruction and progressive exercises focus on enabling the student to see and draw accurately. A nude model will be used.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art and Drawing
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing this course students will be able to:
Draw the figure from the live model with accuracy.
Complete studies of hands and feet.
Demonstrate knowledge of the skeletal and muscular structure.
TOPICS
Students will work in a variety of drawing media (charcoal, graphite, etc…). Exercises will use various length poses to build students' confidence and ability. Students will work at easels.
Art Intensive: ABSTRACT PAINTING (Friday: Spring)
Students will learn to develop a painting in which the subject matter is not represented realistically, but with geometric precision, different colors, fractured planes and distorted features. Students will also learn about creating paintings without any recognizable objects. The subject matter features colors, shapes, movement, design or action. The painting process combines elements and principles of art with personal expression. Works of various artists will be studied along with the specific steps and processes needed to create abstract art work.
Prerequisite: Intermediate Art and Painting or the equivalent
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the class students will be able to
find and organize sources for abstract imagery.
explore and experiment with personal methods of painting.
begin to understand ways of developing abstract thinking and expression.
have a greater understanding of the concepts of design, content, and color
TOPICS
Media
Acrylic paint
Brushes and other tools to manipulate paint
Canvas
Techniques
Collage
Color mixing
Viewfinder
Pattern
Subject matter
Nature
People
Still life
Expressionism
Minimalism
Conceptualism
Art Intensive: PORTFOLIO PREPARATION
Juniors and Seniors interested in developing a portfolio may sign up for Portfolio Preparation.
Portfolio Preparation supplements the Art Intensive program and is designed for students applying to art school. The portfolio program is a tutorial scheduled during the school day with a member of the art faculty requiring independent work outside the classroom. Students keep a daily sketchbook as well as work on finished pieces that they bring in for review and critique. Content is determined by the needs of the participating student.
Prerequisite/ Co-requisite: Art Intensive
Art Intensive: OPEN STUDIO
Students may arrange for extra studio time at the discretion of the individual teacher and the department chair.
WOOSTER APPLIED MUSIC PROGRAM
The Wooster Applied Music Program is a highly individualized, one-on-one instructional program in vocal and instrumental music. Students work with highly qualified musicians over the course of the school year and are guided in both the mechanics of performing on voice or an instrument and in the aesthetics of music. Music history and music theory may figure prominently in this study, but the primary concern is developing the skills necessary to be an effective and accomplished musician. These may include, but not limited to:
Reading standard music notation
Developing pitch discrimination
Learning to decipher and count rhythmic patterns
Learning scales and arpeggios
Studying etudes
Studying repertoire
The nature of this instruction varies from student to student and from instructor to instructor and is very much determined by the student's inherent talent and their commitment to home practice and improvement. The voice and each musical instrument pose different problems to the developing musician, and these are addressed by each instructor in a personal, focused and sequential manner.
Grading and evaluation is necessarily a subjective matter and is dependent on the instructor's perspective of the student's potential coupled with realistic expectations and evidence of effort to improve. Encouragement and motivation are always important aspects to the student-teacher relationship in this type of instruction and in many cases may actually outweigh the desire to produce polished musicians.
WOOSTER SINGERS
Students study repertoire and perform pieces of different periods and styles of music. The music they perform is written in SAB and SATB form, and students will be tested in order to be placed in the correct vocal range. Skills, including tonal production, note accuracy, phrasing/breath control, good posture, articulation, pronunciation, intonation, and well balanced ensemble singing, are emphasized. The rehearsal time frame is basically ½ hour a week. Due to the limited rehearsal time attendance is stressed, as is cooperation during the rehearsal. Upper School students who participate in Wooster Singers must demonstrate:
An enjoyment in singing
A commitment to singing well
A respect for quality of music
A respect for the skilled performance of music
A commitment to their ensemble
A personal aesthetic response to the music performed and heard
Good concert etiquette.
Wooster Singers give concerts during the year as well as performing for chapel services, and in the community.
MADRIGALS
Madrigals is a small group of select singers. In order to be in this ensemble they must be a member of the Wooster Singers, and pass an audition.
The audition is comprised of the following tests:
Tonality (intonation - singing in tune)
Pitch accuracy
Rhythmic accuracy
Tone quality
Pronunciation
Diction
Breath control.
Sight reading
Most importantly a positive attitude, cooperation, commitment to the group, and good attendance both in Wooster Singers and Madrigals is essential.
While in Madrigals students must:
demonstrate good posture and breath control
sing with accurate pitch throughout his/her ranges
sing with correct phrasing and appropriate expression
interpret correctly pitches, rhythms, and other notational symbols through singing
sing with good diction
sing accurately an appropriate part in an ensemble, with our without accompaniment
watch and respond to the directions of the conductor
demonstrate improved skill at reading music and growth in musicianship
Music of the traditional English madrigals to music of the contemporary period is performed. The skills learned in Wooster Singers are also stressed during the Madrigal rehearsals. The Madrigals perform in concerts during the year, and periodically sing for chapel services. On occasion the ensemble has been invited to sing in the Danbury community. In 2002, the group auditioned and was selected to sing at Carnegie Hall with the National Youth Choir. In 2005 the ensemble returned to Carnegie Hall and was again part of the National Youth Choir. Other auditions for special events are being planned. The ensemble rehearses one day a week for 40 minutes.
ENGLISH HANDBELL CHOIR
It is very important to know that playing in a bell choir is a true team effort. Each individual has their own part to play and when that part is not there the whole group is affected by the absence.
This course introduces the student to the enjoyable art of English Handbell playing and can enhance a student's appreciation of music. Music varying from classical to contemporary will be played. The ability to read music is an advantage, but during the course of the year they will learn to identify notes and thus learn to read music. They will learn to count rhythmic structures and to identify key signatures. Music varying from classical to contemporary will be played.
To be part of this group a student must:
be a dedicated team player/commitment to the ensemble
have a positive attitude
listen and follow directions
respect and care for the instrument
Most importantly good attendance to all rehearsals and concerts is essential.
Space is limited to approximately 12-14 students. The group rehearses once a week for 40 minutes, but plays for at least 2 concerts a year.
HISTORY AND APPRECIATION OF MUSIC
This course explores the development of Western music from Medieval times up to the Twentieth Century. Utilizing a text, lectures, videotapes and audio recordings, the major stylistic periods and representative composers and their works are studied. Basic elements of music are introduced and compositional forms are explored. Sociological, societal and economic influences on the art form are also discussed. History and Appreciation of Music is a prerequisite for the History of Rock and Roll and will prepare the student for the true American music of the 20th Century. Students are encouraged to continue with the History of Rock and Roll to receive the total history of music.
ELEMENTS
In order to more fully understand an art form based on organized sound, some comprehension of the basic elements of music is necessary. These include:
Pitch - the relative highness or lowness of sound determined by the speed of vibrations.
Dynamics - the relative loudness or softness of sound in music
Tone Color - the quality that distinguishes the sound of a flute from a violin
Rhythm - beat, meter, accent and syncopation, tempo
Melody
Harmony - consonance and dissonance, triads, arpeggios
Tonality/Key - scales, modulation
Musical texture - monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic
Music form - repetition, contrast, variation, binary and ternary song forms
PERFORMING MEDIA: VOICES AND INSTRUMENTS
An introduction to the various classifications of voice ranges and the primary musical instruments utilized in Western music. This includes:
Voice range
Women: Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Alto (or Contralto)
Men: Tenor, Baritone, Bass
Musical Instruments:
Strings -violin, viola, cello, bass (bowed), harp, guitar (plucked)
Woodwinds - flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone
Brass - trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba
Percussion - snare drum, bass drum, timpani, cymbals, mallets (xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, orchestra bells) tambourine, triangle, gong (or tam-tam), celesta, chimes
Keyboards - piano, harpsichord, organ, accordion
Electronic - Synthesizers, MIDI instruments
THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE (450-1600)
The Influence of the Church
Gregorian chant
Secular music
Organum
Origins of measured rhythm
The Madrigal
THE BAROQUE PERIOD (1600-1750)
Characteristics
Unity of mood - Ritornello form
Basso Continuo and figured bass
Terraced dynamics
The Baroque orchestra
Concerto grosso
Trio sonata
Origins of Baroque Opera
Cantata
Baroque Suite
Oratorio
Composers: Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Monteverdi
THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (1750-1820)
Characteristics of style
Contrast of mood
Dynamics and the piano
The end of the basso continuo
The Classical orchestra
Composers, Patrons, the Public; Social trends
Forms: Sonata-Allegro (Expositon, Development, Recapitulation)
Theme and Variations
Minuet and Trio
Rondo
Classical Symphony
Classical Concerto
Classical Chamber Music - the String Quartet
Composers: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
THE ROMANTIC PERIOD (1820-1900)
Characteristics of Romanticism
Individuality of style
Expressive aims and subjects
Nationalism and Exoticism
Program music
Expressive tone color
Harmony in Romantic music
Expanded range of pitch, dynamics and tempo
Forms: miniature and monumental
The Art Song
Opera
The Romantic Symphony
The Tone Poem - Symphonic Overture
The Symphony Orchestra, the Conductor
Composers: Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY/CONTEMPORARY MUSIC (1900 and beyond)
Characteristics - Diversity
Alternatives to the traditional tonal system
Contemporary Composers in society
Impressionism
Neoclassicism
Expressionism
Serialism
Minimalism
The influence of Jazz
Mixed media: Film scores, Dance scores, Performance Art
Composers: Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Bartok, Ives, Gershwin, Copland, Shostakovich, Glass, Reich, John Williams
INTRODUCTION TO JAZZ (time permitting)
Characteristics - Improvisation
Roots - Ragtime, Blues, Gospel
Origins: The social contrast of the beginnings of Jazz to the development of "Classical" European music
Basic styles:
Swing
Bebop
Cool Jazz
Free Jazz
Jazz Fusion
Composers/Performers: Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis
WOOSTER JAZZ ENSEMBLE (MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL)
A new music offering for Middle and Upper School students is the Wooster Jazz Ensemble. This course will introduce students to the art of jazz improvisation and how to develop and perform jazz repertoire. Students who have studied an instrument for two years or more, and know the basic fundamentals of music, such as major scales and the ability to read music are encouraged to audition for the group. The ensemble will use the Jamey Abersold Jazz series as well as published jazz ensemble arrangements. This course will meet for a full hour 1 day a week.
HISTORY OF ROCK AND ROLL
This is a course examining the multi-cultural birth, the controversial growth, and the ever-questionable maturity of the music we call Rock and Roll.
In the class we discuss the vast historical influences of the music, especially here in the United States, despite its relatively brief history. We discuss the political and cultural events that influenced the music and, in turn, the effects this music has on our society. And finally and most importantly, we listen to, analyze and discuss the music itself, examining elements both poetic and technical, including lyrics, rhythm, melody, harmony and instrumentation.
The text used is Rock Music Styles, A History, fourth edition, written by Katherine Charlton, and published by McGraw-Hill.
The sequence of study is chronological in concept, beginning with popular music in America, then focusing on the styles already in place in the early 1950's, Jazz, blues, folk, country, pop, gospel, when Rock and Roll was "born". An ethnomusicalogical approach is particularly important with significant emphasis placed on African and European influences. A running comparison with the social/political landscape is constant, especially when examining the civil rights and anti-war movements of the '50's and '60's. The development of technology is also recognized as an important influence.
MUSIC THEORY
Music Theory, a one-semester course, is designed for high school musicians who want to have a better general understanding of the language of music. Ideally it is intended for students who are currently taking private instrumental or voice lessons. The goal of Music Theory is to develop skills in the basic rudiments of music: melody, harmony and rhythm. The student will be trained in the following areas: music vocabulary, music reading, construction and recognition of all intervals and in ear training in the recognition of melodic and rhythmic patterns. The student must successfully complete this course to be eligible to study AP Theory.
TEXTS
Essentials of Music Theory, Books I, II and III by Surmani, Surmani and Manus,
Music For Sight Singing by Robert Ottman.
TOPICS
The Staff, Notes and Pitches
Treble Clef and Staff
Bass Clef and Staff
The Grand Staff and Ledger Lines (the middle notes)
Ledger Lines (low and high notes)
Note Values
Measure, Bar Line and Double Bar
4/4 Time Signature and Note Values
Whole, Half and Quarter Rests
2/4 Time Signature
¾ Time Signature
Dotted Half Note
Ties and Slurs
Repeat Sign, 1st and 2nd Endings
Eighth Notes
Eighth Rests
Dotted Quarter Note
Dynamic Signs
Tempo Marks
Articulation
D.C, D.S., Coda and Fine
Flats
Sharps
Naturals
Whole Steps, Half Steps and Enharmonic Notes
Tetrachords and Major Scales
The Sharp Scales - G and D Major
The Flat Scales - F and Bb Major
Key Signatures - The Sharp Keys
Key Signatures - The Flat Keys
The Remaining Major Scales with Key Signatures
Chromatic Scale
Intervals
Circle of Fifths
Perfect and Major Intervals
Minor Intervals
Augmented and Diminished Intervals
Solfege and Transposition
Sixteenth Notes
Sixteenth Rests
Dotted Eighth Notes
Common Time and Cut Time (Alla Breve)
3/8 and 6/8 Time Signatures
3/8 and 6/8 Time Signatures at Fast Tempos
Eighth Note Triplets
Incomplete Measures (Pick-up Notes) and Syncopation
Triads
Primary and Major Triads
Scale Degree Names
The V7 (Dominant 7th) Chord
Triad - 1st Inversion
Triads - 2nd Inversion
V7 Chord - 1st, 2nd and 3rd Inversions
Figured Bass
Major Chord Progressions
Minor Scales
Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales
Minor Triads
Augmented and Diminished Triads
The Primary Triads in Minor Keys
Minor Chord Progressions
Modes Related to the Major Scale: Ionian, Mixolydian and Lydian
Modes Related to the Minor Scale: Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian, Locrian
Harmonizing a Melody in a Major Key
Broken Chords and Arpeggiated Accompaniments
Passing and Neighboring Tones
Composing a Melody in a Major Key
Harmonizing a Melody in a Minor Key
Composing a Melody in a Minor Key
12-Bar Blues Chord Progression
The Blues Scale
Basic Forms of Music - Motive and Phrase
AB (Binary) Form
ABA (Ternary) Form
Rondo Form
AP MUSIC THEORY
This yearlong course is designed for the serious musician. The ability to read music and play an instrument is assumed and the successful completion of Music Theory is necessary. This course does not address itself specifically to performance, however, it provides ample opportunity for the developing musician to improve performance skills while gaining analytical, historical, and compositional perspective. Skills in analysis and evaluation are important because they enable students to recognize and pursue excellences in their musical experiences.
At the completion of this course, all students are required to take the AP test.
GOALS:
Understand the fundamentals of music.
Explore two-part and four-part voice leading and harmonization.
Study thoroughly melody, rhythm and texture
Learn to sight sing. This involves the ability to sing, spell and write all major and minor scales; the ability to write all major and minor key signatures, and the ability to recognize the key from the given signature.
Examine music from the Renaissance to the contemporary period.
Study specific compositions.
Foster in class composition and performance of music.
Promote student interest in developing compositional skills.
TEXTS:
AP Theory, Music In Theory and Practice, Vol. 1, by Bruce Benward and Gary White,
Music for Sight Singing, Robert Ottman.
TOPICS
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC
Notation
Notation of pitch - the staff
Letter names
The clefs
Octave identification
Accidentals
Intervals
Enharmonic equivalents
Notation of duration
The tie
The dot
Irregular division of notes
Meter signatures
Dynamic markings
History
Neumatic notation
Mensural notation
Present notation
Applications
Some directions for notation in manuscript
Scales, Tonality, Key, Modes
Important concepts
Scale
Diatonic scales
Solfeggio syllables
Major scale
Transposition
Minor scale
Scale relationships
Tonality
Key
Other scales
History
Medieval and renaissance periods (800-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Intervals and Transposition
Important concepts
Intervals and interval numbers
Perfect, major and minor intervals
Consonance and dissonance
Augmented and diminished intervals
Enharmonic intervals
Inversion of intervals
Compound intervals and simple intervals
History
Tuning systems
Applications
Fluency with intervals
Transposition
Methods of transposition
Chords
Important concepts
Harmony
Chord
Triad
Major triad
Minor triad
Diminished triad
Augmented triad
Scale degree names
Primary triads
Seventh chords
History
The development of harmony
Applications
Triads on scale tones
Triad inversion
Root position
First inversion
Second inversion
Triad analysis symbols
Seventh chord analysis symbols
Figured bass
Figured bass symbols
Popular music symbols
Summary
THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
Cadences and Nonharmonic Tones
Important concepts
Phrase
Harmonic cadence
Rhythmic cadence
Nonharmonic tones
Unaccented nonharmonic tones
Accented nonharmonic tones
Accented versus unaccented nonharmonic tones
Nonharmonic tones involving more than three pitches
Summary
History
Prior to baroque period (1300-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Melodic Organization
Important concepts
The motive
Sequence
Phrase
Period
Modification of the phrase
Other melodic organization
Melodic structure
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900_
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Texture and Textural Reduction
Important concepts
Texture
Texture types
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Applications
Analysis of texture
Textural reduction
Voice Leading In Two Voices
Important concepts
Voice leading
Species counterpoint
The cantus firmus
The counterpoint
Motion between voices
History
Applications
Characteristics of a good melody
Writing first species counterpoint
Principles for voice leading
Summary of the principles of species counterpoint
Voice Leading in Four Voices
Important concepts
Four-voice texture
Voice leading in four-voice texture
First-inversion triads
Second-inversion triads
History
Applications
Writing a soprano line above a bass line
Four-voice writing
Common chord progressions
Common errors
Summary
Harmonic Progression and Harmonic Rhythm
Important concepts
Harmonic progression
The relationship of chords
Chord progressions
Harmonic rhythm
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Applications
How to harmonize a tonal melody
The Dominant Seventh Chord
Important concepts
Dominant seventh chord
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Applications
Resolution of the dominant seventh chord
Circle progression
Noncircle progressions with resolution
Nonresolution of seventh factor
The Leading-Tone Seventh Chords
Important concepts
Leading-tone seventh chord
Progressions from vii 7 and viio7
Resolution of tritone and seventh factors
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Applications
Voice leading and the vil 7 and viio 7
Some pitfalls to avoid
Nondominant Seventh Chords
Important concepts
Analysis symbols
Nondominant seventh chords in major and minor keys
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Applications
Nondominant seventh chords in circle progressions
Noncircle treatment
Resolution of seventh factor
Summary
Modulation
Important concepts
Modulation
Closely related keys
Common chord modulation
Phrase modulation
Chromatic modulation
Other modulation types
Modulations in period construction
Analytical symbols for modulations
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Applications
Harmonizing melodies that modulate
Secondary Dominants and Leading-Tone Chords
Important concepts
Secondary dominants
Secondary leading-tone chords
History
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic period and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Assignments
Two-Part (Binary) Form
Important concepts
Formal divisions
Open versus closed formal divisions
Simple versus compound forms
Two-part form
History
Medieval period (500-1450)
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic period (1825-1900)
Post-romantic and impressionistic period (1875-1920)
Contemporary period (1920-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
Three-Part (Ternary) Form
Important concepts
Three-part form
Expanded ternary form
Rounded binary form
History
Medieval period (500-1450)
Renaissance period (1450-1600)
Baroque period (1600-1750)
Classical period (1750-1825)
Romantic, post-romantic, impressionistic and contemporary periods (1875-present)
Jazz and popular music (1900-present)
CHAMBER CONSORT
The Chamber Consort is an Upper School instrumental ensemble which rehearses the equivalent of 3 class periods a week and performs at least two concerts during the school year. Admittance to the group is by audition and every attempt is made to utilize whatever orchestration emerges, the primary criteria for admission being a degree of competence on an instrument and the ability to read standard music notation.
Because the type of ensemble is impacted by the talent and ability of the participants as well as the instruments in the group, every year is different. The fundamental focus of the ensemble is the artistic process of rehearsing and refining a musical composition for performance. This involves the basics of playing correct pitches and rhythms, matters of articulation, dynamic contrast, phrasing, stylistic components, and ensemble balance.
Teamwork and cooperation with peers is emphasized as is respect for a director. Various aspects of chamber music, including working without the aid of a conductor are often addressed. Individual responsibility - bringing instrument and music to class, being properly prepared, being on time - is also stressed.
While the primary focus is on "classical" music, improvisation and contemporary music are sometimes addressed, as are various types of folk music. The overall intent is to produce competent, sensitive musicians who can effectively function in a small ensemble situation.
Sometimes composing, arranging, and orchestrating are addressed, depending on the timing of performance obligations and the abilities of the participants.
Because individual practice at home is a requirement for being properly prepared for rehearsal, and because the ongoing pursuit of technical improvement is a part of the serious study of music, private instrumental instruction for each participant is absolutely necessary.
CONTEMPORARY IMPROVISATION ENSEMBLE (CIE)
This all year course is an instrumental rock/jazz group. The scope and sequence is fairly basic. The students start by examining the instrumentation. The number of players and their instruments of choice can have a tremendous influence on repertoire. Once a tune has been chosen, the process of putting together an arrangement begins. This always includes learning specific rhythms, chord voicings and extensions, and scales and/or modes that work over the various chords. Learning to be a team player is extremely important. Realizing that each part, be it a supporting part or a featured roll, all have equal importance in completing the bigger picture.
The librarians provide instruction in grades 10 to 12 as is
required by classroom teachers. This includes
specialized research instruction for a specific project, bibliographic
instruction, and evaluation of resources.
Students learn to apply gathered information to critical thinking
skills.
In twelfth grade, lessons using technology occur during regularly scheduled classes in the five major disciplines. From these, students gain practical skills in using computers to retrieve, produce, organize, synthesize, and analyze information, and develop solutions to different types of problems. Word processing, spreadsheets, Internet, and database skills are emphasized. Students may also have opportunities to use CD-ROMs, DVD players, digital cameras, and scanners. Computers are available to students at various times throughout the day, after school, and on Saturday mornings in the new computer lab and in the JDV Library.
The following Information Technology courses are open to twelfth graders as electives.
INTRODUCTION TO WEB DESIGN
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of web design. Students will begin the term by evaluating a variety of web sites and discussing the elements of excellent design. Students will then learn Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the programming language used to make documents for the World Wide Web. After gaining a solid understanding of the essential HTML commands, students will move on to Macromedia Dreamweaver, one of the industry's leading Web site design editing tools. As a final project, students will produce a functional web site.
TOPICS
Web Site Evaluation
The students will evaluate effective and ineffective web sites.
HTML Fundamentals
The students will write HTML code with a text editor.
Using html tags, the student will do the following efficiently and effectively:
Format text
Insert images
Use local and remote links
Set body and background attributes
Create and modify tables
Apply appropriate tag attributes
Create line and paragraph breaks
Use headings
Control the appearance and alignment of text and graphics
Use named anchors
Link an email address to a web page
Macromedia Dreamweaver Fundamentals
Using Dreamweaver , the student will do the following efficiently and effectively:
Define a local site.
Use templates
Format text
Insert images
Use local and remote links
Set body and background attributes
Create and modify tables
Apply appropriate tag attributes
Create line and paragraph breaks
Use headings
Control the appearance and alignment of text and graphics
Use named anchors
Link an email address to a web page
Publish his or her site to a web server
AP COMPUTER SCIENCE
The AP Computer Science curriculum is based on the topics covered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Computer Science A test. The cases are noted where the course goes beyond the scope of the AP test.
OBJECT-ORIENTED
PROGRAM DESIGN
The overall goal for designing a piece of software (a computer program) is to correctly solve the given problem. At the same time, this goal should encompass specifying and designing a program that is understandable, can be adapted to changing circumstances, and has the potential to be reused in whole or in part. The design process needs to be based on a thorough understanding of the problem to be solved.
Objectives: Program Design
Read and understand a problem's description, purpose, and goals.
Apply data abstraction and encapsulation.
Read and understand class specifications and relationships among the classes ("is-a", "has-a" relationships).
Understand and implement a given class hierarchy.
Identify reusable components from existing code using classes and class libraries.
Objectives: Class design
Design and implement a class.
Design an interface.
Choose appropriate data representation and algorithms.
Apply functional decomposition.
Extend a given class using inheritance.
PROGRAM
IMPLEMENTATION
The overall goals of program implementation parallel those of program design. Classes that fill common needs should be built so that they can be reused easily in other programs. Object-oriented design is an important part of program implementation.
Objectives: Program Implementation
Recognize programs that effectively use Encapsulation and information hiding
Become proficient with using the following parts of the Java language:
Primitive types vs. objects
Declaration
Constant declarations
Variable declarations
Class declarations
Interface declarations
Method declarations
eter declarations
Console output (System.out.print/println)
Program Control
Methods
Sequential control
Conditional Statements
Iteration
Recursion
Java library classes (included in the A-level AP Java Subset)
PROGRAM ANALYSIS
The analysis of programs includes examining and testing programs to determine whether they correctly meet their specifications. It also includes the analysis of programs or algorithms in order to understand their time and space requirements when applied to different data sets.
Objectives: Program Analysis
Categorize errors: compile-time, run-time, logic
Identify and correct errors
Understand and modify existing code
Extend existing code using inheritance
Understand error handling
Understand runtime exceptions
Analyze algorithms with respect to comparisons of running times (Using "Big-Oh" notation) [Beyond the scope of the AP Computer Science A test]
DATA
STRUCTURES
Data structures are used to represent information within a program. Abstraction is an important theme in the development and application of data structures.
Objectives: Standard Data Structures
Employ the following data structures in a program
Simple data types (int, boolean, double)
Classes
One-dimensional arrays
Array Lists
Objectives: Advanced Data Structures
[Beyond the scope of the AP Computer Science A test]
Employ Two-dimensional arrays following data structures in a program
Interpret program code that uses a TreeSet structure.
STANDARD ALGORITHMS
Standard algorithms serve as examples of good solutions to standard problems. Many are intertwined with standard data structures. These algorithms provide examples for analysis of program efficiency.
Objectives: Standard Algorithms
Write and interpret programs that perform the following operations on standard data structures listed above
Traversals
Insertions
Deletions
Write and interpret programs that use sequential search.
Interpret programs that employ Binary search. Identify its uses and limitations.
Differentiate between the following sorting methods from algorithmic and efficiency perspectives
Selection
Insertion
Mergesort
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACES [Beyond the scope of the AP Computer Science A test]
Most modern programs that interface with human users do so with graphic components rather then the terminal based interface taught in the AP Computer Science exam. Using graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with their own developed software forces students to consider external design requirements.
Objectives: Graphical User
Interfaces
Use the following java graphical components to implement a graphical user interface
Applets
Frames
Panels
Buttons
ComboBoxes
ActionListeners
MouseListeners
Graphics draw methods
Use Java documentation resources to learn other graphical components as needed.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES [Beyond the scope of the AP Computer Science A test]
The software life cycle includes requirement specification, program design, software implementation, and then system testing. Software can be developed individually or, more commonly, by a team. Building a large software project that takes weeks, rather than hours, allows students to connect all that they have learned throughout the course. It also gives them the experience (and pleasure and pain) of seeing a process from beginning to end.
Objectives: Development Processes
Create specifications for building a software game
Write a design document that includes GUI specification and class relation diagrams.
Design, implement and test the game software
Design, implement and test an "intelligent" opponent software
Manage the development process for:
Individual development projects
Team based projects.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS AND IMAGING (Fall)
This course will offer students an opportunity to create fine art using the computer. Students will study layout and design while manipulating text with layered images. Students will use digital cameras, scanners, the Internet, and graphics software to create a variety of projects including posters, brochures, and CD covers.
Prerequisite: Drawing and/or Photography.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of computer graphics.
identify the technology components and software used in computer graphics.
incorporate media forms including text, graphics, and images.
design posters, brochures, CD covers, and other projects as assigned.
use computer system, peripherals, and software variables and functions.
apply design concepts and computer skills to manipulate images, objects, text.
prepare completed projects for printing and/or publication.
understand ethical issues related to computer graphics and digital imaging.
evaluate information gathered for timeliness, authority, accuracy, validity and completeness.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Introduction to Computer Graphics
History and uses of Computer Graphics
Production value
Computer hardware
Imaging software
Composition and Design
Text
Introduction to Digital Cameras and Scanners
Peripheral hardware
Capturing, acquiring, and importing images
Storage
Manipulating Images and Adobe Photoshop
Layers and history
Filters
Tools
Background and lighting
Image modes and color
Printing and Publication
Resolution, canvas size, and file size
Large format printing
Electronic display and/or output
MATERIALS: CD-RW for saving finished projects.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
AND ILLUSTRATING (Winter)
This course will offer students an opportunity to create fine art using the computer. Students will explore their creative process as they become familiar with various illustration and graphics software. Students will learn to create illustrations using the computer as their canvas and tools.
Prerequisite: Drawing.
MATERIALS: CD-RW for saving finished projects.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of computer graphics.
identify the technology components and software used in computer graphics.
incorporate media forms including text, graphics, and illustrations.
design posters, brochures, book covers, and other projects as assigned.
use computer system and software variables and functions.
apply design concepts and computer skills to manipulate objects, illustrations, and text.
prepare completed projects for printing and/or publication.
understand ethical issues related to computer graphics and illustrating.
evaluate information gathered for timeliness, authority, accuracy, validity and completeness.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Introduction to Computer Graphics
History and uses of Computer Graphics
Production value
Computer hardware
Illustrating/graphic software - raster vs. vector
Composition, Design, and Text
Introduction to Scanners and peripherals
Peripheral hardware
Capturing, acquiring, and importing images
Storage
Manipulating Images and Adobe Illustrator
Basic concepts of drawing/illustrating programs
Lines and Shapes
Tools
Background and lighting
Color, text, and modes
Printing and Publication
Resolution, canvas size, and file size
Large format printing
Electronic display and/or output
ANIMATION (Spring)
Through flipbooks, Claymation, and sequential drawings, students will explore the visual and narrative possibilities of animation. They will use the computer and digital camera to create short animated films from their artwork.
Prerequisite: Drawing, Photography, and/or Computer Graphics
MATERIALS: CD-RW for saving finished projects.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successfully completing the course students will be able to:
identify important events and people in the history of animation.
identify the technology components and software used in computer animation.
incorporate drawings, 3D modeling materials, and text.
design flipbooks, thaumatropes, short computer animated sequences, and other projects as assigned.
use computer system and software variables and functions.
apply animation principles and computer skills to manipulate images and create moving pictures.
prepare completed projects for output.
understand ethical issues related to computer animation.
evaluate information gathered for timeliness, authority, accuracy.
analyze and critique finished work.
TOPICS
Introduction to Animation
History and mechanics of moving pictures (Flipbooks & Thaumatropes)
Production techniques
Cell to Stop Motion to Digital Convergence
Animation software
Output
Technical Issues
Hardware
Software - raster vs. vector and display options
Image size, resolution, and compression
File formats
Peripheral devices
Capturing, acquiring, and importing images (Clay or Lego 'mation)
Storage
Creating Computer Animation
Storyboarding and timing
Lines and shapes
Tools
Background and lighting
Modeling and designing linear movement
Camera moves and views
Multimedia, Web, and Gaming Animation
Interactive scenes and objects
File formats
Programming and software
No Health classes are offered in twelfth grade. Required
health courses are taken in prior school years, ending in tenth grade.
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Copyright Wooster School 2006