Typical Course of Study for Grade 12

Arts Guide

Note about high school arts curriculum: High school curriculum generally requires some sort of study and credit in the arts. Most schools offer experiences and study in a variety of areas in the arts. Some examples are:

Animation
Architecture
Casting
Ceramics
Choral music
Computer graphics and applications
Construction
Dance or other creative movement
Digital arts
Drama (including mime, storytelling, and technical aspects of theater)
Drawing
Film
Graphic design
Improvisational music
Instrumental music
Metal Sculpture
Mosaics
Painting
Photography
Printmaking
Sculpture
Textiles and fiber art

In the study and practice of any of the performance or visual arts, students encounter such topics as:

Skills of watching, listening, and responding to works of art
Background and elements of particular art form
Understanding of the processes and techniques of particular forms
Principles of design
Vocabulary of particular art forms
Interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of works of art
Reflecting on own experiences and creations or performances
Art history
Well-known artists and works of visual or performing art form
Cultural contexts and expressions of art
Style, materials, and techniques used in a work of art
Generating questions about a work of art
Considering messages and purposes of a particular work of art
Responding orally, in writing, or some other way to works of art
Contributions of artists to society
Careers in art
Discipline and mindset for improving and developing skills in art
Fostering of creativity and self-expression
Development of artistic awareness, imagination, perception, skill
Experimenting with a variety of media, forms, and techniques
Solving design problems
Use of digital media and tools for producing, viewing, or responding to art
Polishing and furthering personal skills in a chosen area of art
Participation in collaborative discussions about works of art
Participation in collaborative creation of works of art
Proper safety procedures for activities in the specific arts

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Health and Safety Guide

Gaining, analyzing, and applying health information
Knowledge about and use of available health services
Health choices and long-term consequences of choices
Benefits of, practices for, and personal responsibility for health
Personal health profile and plan
Interrelationships of physical, mental, and social health
Impacts of social pressures on physical, emotional, and social health
Marketing and advertising effects on health behavior
Structure, functions, and interdependence of major body systems
Causes and effects of poor body image
Eating disorders and their prevention and treatment
Changes in anatomy during puberty
Role of hormones in growth, development, and personal health
Reproductive processes; healthy development of fetus
Consequences of sexual activity
Strategies to resist pressures to become sexually active
ofhealthy relationships and dating behaviors
Lifelong strategies for identifying and preventing depression and anxiety
Myths and facts related to disease transmission and prevention
Laws relating to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and other controlled substances
Treatment options for drug and other addictions
Basic safety rules for daily and recreational activities
Understanding of first-aid procedures and emergency response
Use, abuse, and effects of medications, tobacco, alcohol, and other controlled substances
Relationship between tobacco, alcohol, or illegal drugs and such unsafe situations as date rape, sexually-transmitted disease, and drinking and driving
Preventing the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs
Prevention of and response to deliberate and accidental injuries
Reasons and ways to avoid violence, gangs, weapons, and drugs
Skills to identify, avoid, report, and cope with potentially dangerous situations
Positive and negative characteristics of social groups, gangs, clubs, cliques
Development of self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-control
Appropriate ways to express emotions
Positive social interactions with peers, in home, and in the community
Bullying, alternative behaviors to bullying, and appropriate responses to bullying
Strategies for resolving conflicts with peers and others
Getting personal support from family

LANGUAGE ARTS

Cite evidence from text to support analysis of both explicit and implicit messages within the text
Cite evidence from text to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
Identify the theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development
Identify in detail a series of events described and the relationships among them
Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history or social studies
Summarize literary and informational or explanatory texts
Follow a multistep written procedure when performing science or technical tasks
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several sources
Analyze how characters develop and how this advances the theme or plot
Analyze how a text unfolds a series of events and the connections among them
Determine meanings and effects of words, phrases, or symbols as used in a text
Analyze how the author’s structural choices, order of events, and use of time create specific effects, such as tension or surprise
Analyze a particular point of view or experience reflected in a work of world literature
Analyze how an author transforms source material from an earlier work by a previous author
Determine author’s purpose or point of view and how rhetoric is used to advance that purpose or point of view
Integrate quantitative or technical information presented in text form with information expressed visually
Explain how visual and multimedia elements help to contribute to the meaning or tone of a text
Compare the point of view or claims of two or more authors on similar topics
Identify and evaluate the argument, reasoning, and evidence in a text
Analyze and compare various accounts of a subject told in different media
Analyze significant U.S. (or home country) historical and literary documents
By the end of the academic year, read and understand grade-level literary and informational texts (including history/social studies, science, and technical subjects) independently and with proficiency

Participate in collaborative discussions on a variety of grade-level topics
Express ideas clearly and respectfully in group discussions
Follow agreed-upon rules and preparation procedures for discussions
Ask questions and respond to others, building on others’ ideas
Integrate into speech preparation diverse sources of information in a variety of formats
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of rhetoric and evidence
Identify an argument, claims; evaluate the soundness of reasoning and evidence
Present claims or information in logical sequence supported with relevant facts and details
Use clear pronunciation and appropriate eye contact and volume when speaking
Add multimedia and visual components to clarify ideas in presentations
Adapt speech to a variety of tasks, showing command of formal English

Use context clues to determine word and phrase meanings
Use word structure clues to determine meanings of unknown words
Use relationships between words to better understand each word’s meaning
Use references (print and digital) to determine or verify a word’s meanings, or to find its pronunciation or part of speech
Interpret and use figurative language in context
Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations
Distinguish shades of meaning among related words
Distinguish among connotations of words with similar denotations
Learn and use grade-level general academic vocabulary

Show a command of conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
Correctly use conventions of English when writing (capitalization, punctuation, and spelling)
Make effective choices of language for meaning and style when writing or speaking
Know the difference between formal and informal English and when to use each

Write arguments supported with clear reasons and relevant evidence, including arguments in history, social studies, science, and technical topics
Write informative or explanatory pieces developed with relevant details, including arguments in history, social studies, science, and technical topics
Write narrations that include details, put events in order, and provide a conclusion
Produce writing appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience
Strengthen writing by getting feedback, revising, editing, and rewriting
Add dialogue and descriptions to develop characters and events
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
Contribute to collaborative group writing projects
Conduct short and sustained research projects on a topic through investigation
Draw and cite evidence from a variety of texts to support analysis
Assess the credibility and accuracy of sources
Quote or paraphrase data and conclusions while avoiding plagiarism
Include evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis
Regularly produce clear writing for a variety of tasks, purposes, and audiences (including writing in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects)

MATHEMATICS

Pre-Calculus
Statistics & Probability

Exponents and scientific notation
Radicals and rational exponents
Polynomials
Factoring polynomials
Rational expressions
Linear equations and inequalities
Quadratic equations
Systems of equations
Graphs of linear equations
Lines and slopes
Distance and midpoint formulas
Vectors and operations on vectors
Matrices and operations on matrices
Applications of matrices
Basic functions and properties of functions
Interpreting and analyzing functions
Combinations of functions
Graphs of functions
Transformations of functions
Modeling with functions
Complex number system
Arithmetic operations with complex numbers
Quadratic functions and applications
Polynomials functions and graphs
Zeros of polynomial functions
Rational functions and graphs
Polynomial and rational inequalities
One-to-one functions
Inverse functions
Exponential functions
Logarithmic functions
Properties of logarithms
Logarithmic and exponential equations
Exponential growth and decay
Logistic growth and decay
Modeling with exponential and logarithmic functions
Trigonometric functions
Trigonometric equations
The unit circle
Angles and their measure
Right triangle trigonometry
Trigonometric identities and proof
Trigonometric functions of any angle
Law of Sines and Law of Cosines
Graphs of sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, cosecant, and secant functions
Inverse trigonometric functions
Applications of trigonometric functions
Sum and difference formulas
Double-angle and half-angle identities

Definition of statistics and data
Statistical questions
Summarizing and representing data, including with technology programs and models
Interpreting models of data
Definitions of mean, median, and mode
Computation of mean, median, and mode from a data set
Shape, center, and spread of data sets
Extreme points in data
Relative frequencies, possible associations, and trends
Relationships between data items
Variance and standard deviation
Line of best fit to a given data distribution
Mean and standard deviation to estimate population percentage
Correlation coefficient of two variables
Sampling distribution and population distribution
Random sampling
Evaluating random processes
Margin of error for random sampling
Uses of statistical data
Making inferences from surveys, observations, and experiments
Conditional probability
Probabilities of compound events
Probabilities of mutually exclusive and non-mutually exclusive events
Probabilities for independent events
Probabilities for dependent events
Permutations and combinations
Expected value of a random variable
Interpreting results of probability experiments
Odds in favor and odds against an occurrence
Using probability to make decisions
Using probability to solve real-world problems

SCIENCE - PHYSICS

Force
Thermal Energy Transfer Processes

Laws of conservation of energy
Energy transfer
Energy in chemical processes
Measurement and mathematics for physics
Force and calculations of force
Force fields
Kinematics
Statics and dynamics
Relative motion
Concepts of distance, displacement, speed, average velocity, instantaneous velocity, and acceleration
Relationships between force and motion
Gravitation
Friction
Momentum
Definitions of energy and forms of energy
Work and energy

Laws of thermodynamics
Electric fields, currents, and circuits
Magnetism
Wave properties and behaviors
Real-world applications of wave behaviors
Light
Wave-particle duality
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic spectrum
Nuclear structure and processes
Atomic and nuclear phenomena
Real-world atomic and nuclear applications
Quantum phenomena
Particle physics
Safe practices during investigation

SOCIAL SCIENCE

Government
Economics

Foundations of the U.S. government
Major traditions informing the founding of the U.S.
Characteristics of and political ideas behind a constitutional government
Contributions of key individuals to the founding political philosophies
Federalism
U.S Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other significant documents
Amendments to the Constitution; the amendment process
Structure of the U.S. government
Powers of the federal and state governments, and shared powers
Historical conflicts over the roles of state and federal governments
Executive branch: structure, powers, functions, agencies, and cabinet
Legislative branch: structure, powers, functions, committees
Judicial branch: structure, powers, functions
Limits on the powers of government and on each branch
Checks and balances; separation of powers
How laws are made
The U.S. Supreme Court; key court decisions
State and local governments
Other governmental agencies and organizations
Voting, campaigns, and elections; voting rights
Electoral college and electoral processes
Political parties and the political process
Government finances and taxes
Policy making process
Fiscal policy
Social and domestic policy
Foreign and defense policy
Economic policy
Environmental policy
Influence of political parties, interest groups, public, and media on public policy
Civil rights and civil liberties
Equality and due process
Personal liberties and social responsibility
Personal liberty and safety
Responsibilities of citizens
Freedom of the press
National security
Military service
Social welfare
Impact of science and technology on government and society
Key issues facing the government
Compare political systems with other countries
International relationships and interconnectedness

Market economy; free enterprise system
Characteristics of the United States economy
Kinds of resources; scarcity of resources
Economic decision making
Costs and benefits
Allocation of goods and services
Incentives
International trade and exchange rates
Specialization
Markets and prices; role of prices
Supply and demand
Profits and losses
Competition and market structure
Economic institutions
Other institutions that influence economics
Jobs, employer and employee issues, rights of workers
Human productivity
Business cycles
Moral, ethical, and legal business issues
Money and inflation
Interest, credit, and debt
Income
Investment
Entrepreneurship
Economic growth; measuring economic performance
Economic role of government in a market economy
Government failure
Economic fluctuations and economic indicators
Unemployment and inflation
Fiscal and monetary policy
Global economic dependence
Effects of technology on economies and economic practices
World financial issues
Comparison of economic systems
Personal financial literacy

TECHNOLOGY

Technology Guide

General goal for high school students: Use technology within all content areas to collaborate, communicate, generate innovative ideas, create original works, and investigate and solve problems.

Demonstrating proficient keyboarding skills
Understanding of operating system tools, applications, and storage devices
Use of a variety of common applications and productivity tools
Creating products combining text, images, sound, music, and video
Creating and publishing stories, games, animations, problems, and solutions
Creating Web pages
Use of spreadsheet and concept-mapping software
Use of interactive tools to design polls or surveys to gather data
Making contributions to blogs, wikis, and other digital collaborative forums
Use of online databases or simulation software to interpret and predict trends
Increasing knowledge about many cultures through digital content
Communicating with multiple audiences through a variety of formats and media
Increasing understanding of a local or global issue
Researching and using information fluently
Choosing appropriate search engines, directories, and online applications
Selecting appropriate, relevant sources for a purpose or audience
Analysis and synthesis of information to make decisions or develop solutions
Assessing the credibility and validity of online sources
Use of bibliography tools to cite sources from digital sources
Reporting and sharing results or solutions
Exploring ways to receive feedback from multiple, appropriate audiences
Demonstrate understanding and avoidance of potential online dangers
Understanding health hazards of frequent technology use
Demonstrating safe and legal use of online sites and information
Use of passwords, virus prevention, and other protective procedures
Understanding risks of social networking sites; safe sharing of personal information online
Understanding privacy issues and how data are kept and available publicly
Practicing ethical and respectful behavior online
Careful, responsible use and maintenance of digital equipment
Demonstrating openness to learning new technologies and procedure