COMMUNICATIONS LEARNING STANDARDS
The ninth-grade student will present and critique dramatic
readings of literary selections and will continue to
develop proficiency in making planned oral presentations.
Knowledge of literary terms and forms will be applied
in the student's own writing and in the analysis
of literature. Students will be introduced to significant
literary works from a variety of cultures and eras,
from 1000 A.D. to the present. Increased requirements
for research and reporting in all subjects are supported
by the use of electronic databases and a standard style
sheet method to cite reference sources. Writing will
encompass narrative, literary, expository, and technical
forms, with particular attention to analysis.
MATH LEARNING
STANDARDS
ALGEBRA I
The standards below outline the content for a one-year
course in Algebra I. All students are expected to achieve
the Algebra I standards. When planning for instruction,
consideration should be given to the student's
cognitive level and readiness for dealing with abstract
concepts. Students should be helped to make connections
and to build relationships between algebra and arithmetic,
geometry, and probability and statistics. Connections
also should be made to other subject areas through practical
applications. This approach to teaching algebra should
help students attach meaning to the abstract concepts
of algebra.
These standards require students to use algebra as
a tool for representing and solving a variety of practical
problems. Tables and graphs will be used to interpret
algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities and
to analyze functions. Matrices will be used to organize
and manipulate data.
Calculators, computers, spreadsheets, and graphing
utilities (graphing calculators or computer graphing
simulators) should be used as tools to assist in problem
solving. Graphing utilities enhance the understanding
of functions; they provide a powerful tool for solving
and verifying solutions to equations and equalities.
Throughout the course, students should be encouraged
to talk about mathematics, to use the language and symbols
of mathematics to communicate, to discuss problems and
problem solving, and to develop their confidence in
mathematics.
HISTORY & SOCIAL
STUDIES LEARNING STANDARDS
WORLD GEOGRAPHY
The focus of this course is the study of the world's
people, places, and environments with historical emphasis
on Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
The knowledge, skills, and perspectives of the course
are centered on the world's population and cultural
characteristics, its countries and regions, land forms
and climates, natural resources and natural hazards,
economic and political systems, and migration and settlement
patterns. Spatial concepts of geography will be linked
to chronological concepts of history to set a framework
for studying human interactions. The course will emphasize
how people in various cultures influence and are influenced
by their physical ecological environments. Using texts,
maps, globes, graphs, pictures, stories, diagrams, charts,
and a variety of geographic, inquiry/research, and technology
skills, students consider the relationships between
people and places while asking and answering geographic
questions.
SCIENCE LEARNING STANDARDS
FOCUS ON EARTH SCIENCE
The Earth Science standards connect the study of the
Earth's composition, structure, processes, and
history; its atmosphere, fresh water, and oceans; and
its environment in space. The standards emphasize historical
contributions in the development of scientific thought
about the Earth and space. The standards stress the
interpretation of maps, charts, tables, and profiles;
the use of technology to collect, analyze, and report
data; and science skills in systematic investigation.
Problem solving and decision making are an integral
part of the standards, especially as they relate to
the costs and benefits of utilizing the Earth's
resources. Major topics of study include plate tectonics,
the rock cycle, Earth history, the oceans, the atmosphere,
weather and climate, and the solar system and universe.
|
