List of 8 items.

• World History

  World History begins by going back to study human origins and comparing the theories of evolution with different cultural beliefs of creation. Students study ancient civilizations of India and China to examine the oldest practiced spiritual traditions still in existence. After the study of both ancient and modern India, students learn about Tibet and China and China’s relationship to the U.S. and the world. Then, students study the Middle East to gain awareness of cultures, chaos, and conflict in the region. Over the course of the year, students build a general working knowledge of the main events, ideas, characters, and relationships that have shaped world history. Throughout this course, students develop skills in critical thinking, reading, writing, note-taking, and public speaking.

• English 9 - Literature & Composition / Honors

  English 9 continues the preparatory emphasis begun at the eighth grade level. It is built around the study of American and world literature, expository and creative writing skills, and the fine-tuning of mechanics, usage, and style. Students gain critical thinking skills and develop an understanding of abstract thought as they discuss and write about what they have read. Through literature, students become exposed to new perspectives and learn to communicate their own thoughts orally and in writing.

• Integrated Math I

  Integrated Math I is the first year of a three-year course (Math I, II, and III) in the sequence of college preparatory mathematics. Instead of teaching each section as a separate course, Integrated Math spirals between the following mathematical subjects: Algebra, Functions, Geometry, Statistics and Probability, and Number and Quantity. Each section of the class will be accompanied by different applications that are a natural extension of the principles understood. The emphasis is on provoking thought rather than memorization. It aims to deepen and extend student understanding built in previous courses by focusing on developing fluency with solving linear equations, inequalities, and systems. These skills are extended to solving simple exponential equations, exploring linear and exponential functions graphically, numerically, symbolically, and as sequences, and by using regression techniques to analyze the fit of models to distributions of data.

• Integrated Math II

  Integrated Math II is the second course in the sequence of college preparatory mathematics. The course is well balanced between procedural fluency (algorithms and basic skills), deep conceptual understanding, strategic competence (problem-solving), and adaptive reasoning (extension and transference). It aims to formalize and extend the geometry that students have learned in previous courses. It also helps students develop the concepts of formal proof and explore the properties of two- and three-dimensional objects. On a daily basis, students use problem-solving strategies, questioning, investigating, analyzing critically, gathering and constructing evidence, and communicating rigorous arguments justifying their thinking. Under teacher guidance, students learn in collaboration with others while sharing information, expertise, and ideas. The Integrated Math II curriculum covers quadratic expressions and functions; comparing characteristics of linear, exponential, and quadratic functions; probability, factoring and trigonometry; equations of circles, chords and tangents. 

• Integrated Math III

  Core Connections Integrated III is the third course in the sequence of rigorous college preparatory mathematics courses. It aims to apply and extend what students have learned in previous courses by focusing on finding connections between multiple representations of functions, transformations of different function families, finding zeros of polynomials and connecting them to graphs and equations of polynomials, modeling periodic phenomena with trigonometry, and understanding the role of randomness and the normal distribution in making statistical conclusions. On a daily basis, students in Core Connections Integrated III use problem-solving strategies, questioning, investigating, analyzing critically, gathering and constructing evidence, and communicating rigorous arguments justifying their thinking. Completing Integrated Math III prepares students to cover the Pre-Calculus curriculum in the following year.

• Honors Physics with Lab

  In this course, students will be exploring the relationship between energy and matter through quantitative reasoning. Students will be learning and applying the laws of physics in this laboratory-based curriculum. In addition, this course will be supplemented with the fundamentals of chemistry and use environmental and theoretical science as a foundation of discussion exemplifying the union of the physical sciences. Labs are included in the course.

• Spanish 2

  Spanish 2 follows national and state standards and which upon completion, students receive one year of High School credit for Spanish and will be prepared to enter into Spanish 3. Students will develop intermediate-mid to high conversational use of complex grammar up through the subjunctive tense and writing skills in a highly communicative environment. Projects in ninth grade are highly challenging and rewarding as they are based on engagement with native speakers in the Santa Barbara area schools.

• Life Skills 9

  By providing students with detailed information and exploring current social issues, this course helps students develop and discover their personal values while navigating a healthy transition to adulthood. Through guest speakers, videos, individual exercises, and role-plays, students become more knowledgeable about community resources and are better able to make educated and responsible choices for the future. Students earn high school credit for Family Health.