High School Grade 9 Curriculum
English & Language Arts
The curriculum focuses on literature and composition. Our goal is to help students develop the necessary skills for success in college and careers and become leaders in their future roles. We emphasize the importance of solid writing skills to express complex ideas clearly. Students practice writing effective sentences and paragraphs and progress to writing in various essay styles, including character analysis, persuasive writing, and compare and contrast. Additionally, we aim to enhance our students’ critical reading skills to comprehend and evaluate the ideas of others. Our readings encourage students to explore diverse settings, people, and questions beyond their own experiences to gain a better understanding of themselves and the world. Furthermore, we strive to assist students in not only applying these skills practically but also enriching their lives through a love of language. The literature studied encompasses fiction, poetry, and drama from various periods and cultures, as well as nonfiction works.
Our comprehensive standards-based LA curriculum follows The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.
Math- Algebra 1
Algebra 1 marks the beginning of math courses designed for higher education, building upon and expanding students’ previous math knowledge. It equips students with the tools to solve problems and think critically about the world. Expanding upon previously taught math knowledge, students will delve into new types of functions in preparation for future high school math courses. This course covers an in-depth study of variables, rational numbers, rational expressions, solving equations and inequalities, relations and functions, linear equations and their graphs, systems of equations and inequalities, polynomials and factoring, exponents and exponential functions, quadratic functions and equations, radical expressions and equations, and statistics. Moreover, it focuses on problem-solving and modelling real-world situations, using traditional and technology-based methods for their exploration.
Our comprehensive standards-based math curriculum is aligned with the Common Core Math Standards
Biology
Biology includes a study of living organisms and vital processes. Themes that are covered in this course include scientific skills, ecology, biochemistry, cellular processes, genetics, evolution, classification of organisms, as well as plant and human body systems. The course includes laboratory experiments designed to reinforce course content.
Our comprehensive standards-based Science curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Global Geography
Global Geography explores major contemporary global issues, using the discipline of geography, in an attempt to answer the question, “How did the world arrive at its current state at the beginning of the twenty-first century?”. The course teaches students about the discipline of geography, establishes important year-long expectations related to skills and understandings, including the concept of interdependence; the unique planet Earth, its ecosystems, the planetary state of health, and the relationship between humans and natural disasters; the measures of quality of life, population distributions and densities, and vital statistics; and looks at patterns of urbanization, models of urban structure, growth trends, and urban improvement strategies. The major geographical regions studied are the USA and Canada, Latin America, Europe, Russia and the Republics, Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Antarctica. Global Geography students will also be expected to employ research methods appropriate to the discipline of geography.
Technology- Computer Science
Our high school students study computer science skills that prepare them for introductory college-level programming. They explore object-oriented programming languages and software, with a focus on Java for a wide range of applications. The course introduces software engineering and design as students learn Java in preparation for AP® Computer Science A (AP® CSA). Students also learn the fundamentals of object-oriented programming (OOP) as they consider the overall design of their programs. As an AP testing center, our school offers students the opportunity to take the AP Computer Science A exam.
Additionally, students acquire skills in design technology. They learn to create solutions in the form of models, prototypes, products, or systems. Using 3D printers and design software, they bring creative ideas to life. Students can further explore these topics in our DP Design Technology course as part of the IBDP high school diploma program.
Physical Education
Working in groups, being leaders and followers, rights of others, fairness, rule compliance, speed accuracy, skill development, baseball, volleyball, soccer, track, swimming, tennis, and surfing.
Second Language
Hebrew, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic – depending on the number of sign-ups.
Third Language – Mandarin (Mandatory)
This course introduces students to standard Mandarin Chinese language and is designed for students with little to no prior knowledge of spoken or written Mandarin. Students in this course focus on learning essential vocabulary, practicing pronunciation, and understanding simple grammatical structures. This knowledge prepares students to effectively communicate in Mandarin on a limited range of topics related to everyday situations. Students practice listening and speaking in real-life situations, learn to read and write Chinese characters, and examine how culture and language interact in China. In-class activities and course assignments aim to assist students as they develop the oral proficiency and confidence necessary to initiate simple conversations.
Music History
This course is designed to teach about the history of music; its evolution and impact throughout the years. Emphasis is also placed on developing a keen understanding of music through speaking, reading, and listening to music. Students learn musical terms, definitions, and other musical concepts. Music is then presented from a historical perspective with an emphasis on prominent composers and musical periods/styles. Ideas, customs, and political climates in relation to each musical period are examined. Students are introduced to famous artists and study each time period of music history by reading, listening to recordings, watching films, concerts, etc. Offering specific inputs on diverse music genres like opera, famous classical artists and their music, the history of soul, blues and rock, etc., helps gather an understanding of the global cultural and historical music history context. Music history projects are often finalized with different, varied presentations.
Art History
Art History is a course that studies the history of art from 8000 B.C.E. to the present. This course involves a study of how art has impacted society and world history. The central and key enduring questions that are addressed in this course include the following: What is art, and how is it made? Why and how does art change? How do we describe our thinking about art? Through these essential questions, students uniquely explore the big ideas of Art History, effectively and precisely articulating an artwork’s meaning and function, its maker’s methodology, and the ways it reflects and affects its historical and cultural context. With these enduring questions as the foundation, the Art History course is organized into ten cultural and chronological units, emphasizing daily practice of questioning techniques, methods of discussion, analytical paradigms, guided discovery, and independent learning. These strategies and techniques enable students to develop critical thinking and visual literacy skills with which they can deeply extract meaning from any artwork they encounter throughout their lives.
Economics (Microeconomics & Macroeconomics)
Microeconomics is an introductory course that focuses on the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual economic decision-makers. The course also develops students’ familiarity with the operation of product and factor markets, distributions of income, market failure, and the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.
Macroeconomics is an introductory course that focuses on the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole. The course places particular emphasis on the study of national income and price-level determination; it also develops students’ familiarity with economic performance measures, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Students learn to use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.
Psychology
The purpose of this course is to investigate why human beings think and act the way they do. This is an introductory course and will cover a wide range of topics. Students will be expected to expand on and explore various topics. The course introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. While considering the psychologists and studies that have shaped the field, students explore and apply psychological theories, key concepts, and phenomena associated with such topics as the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning and cognition, motivation, developmental psychology, testing and individual differences, treatments of psychological disorders, and social psychology. Throughout the course, students employ psychological research methods, including ethical considerations, as they use the scientific method, evaluate claims and evidence, and effectively communicate ideas.
Politics
Students will study the purposes, principles, and practices of American government as established by the Constitution. Students are expected to understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens and how to exercise these rights and responsibilities in local, state, and national government. Students will learn the structure and processes of the government of the state of Tennessee and various local governments. The reading of primary source documents is a key feature of the United States Government and Civics standards.
SAT®
An integrated system of tests including the SAT. T.H.I.S provides prep courses and serves as a test center for the examination.
Advanced Placement® (AP®)
An undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations for high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere worldwide may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain qualifying scores on the examinations. THIS offers AP courses and tests.
