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M.E.T.S. Charter School will offer all students and staff equal education and employment opportunities regardless of race, color, creed, disability, religion, sex, ancestry, age, national origin, or social or economic status.
M.E.T.S. Charter School does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to its programs, services or activities, in access to them, in treatment of individuals with disabilities, or in any aspect of their operations. M.E.T.S. Charter School does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices. This notice is provided as required by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
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Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em. ~ William Shakespeare From Twelfth Night (II, v, 156-159)
All students are required to complete four years of English. In addition to these four required courses, M.E.T.S. Charter School will offer a wide variety of electives. Students are encouraged to select these courses in addition to the required ones. All English courses help prepare students to succeed on the Language Arts Literacy components of the HSPA, SAT and ACT.
Mandatory summer reading assignments are integral components of each required course.
This course is designed to develop and extend a student’s reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. These skills will be honed through a study of world literature, with an emphasis on the integration and synthesis of information.
A thematic approach provides students significant genre exposure. Students will begin the process to eventually master various forms of composition as well as increase competence in public speaking, listening, using technology, and analyzing different types of writing.
This course is designed to develop and extend a student’s reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. These skills will be honed through a study of major literary genres, with an emphasis on the integration and synthesis of information.
A thematic approach provides students with reoccurring genre exposure. The units for this course include: Oral Tradition, Self Discovery, Culture, Love and Relationships, and Political/Societal Awareness. Students will master various forms of composition and will increase competence in public speaking, listening, using technology, and analyzing different types of writing.
Students who qualify for this course will be expected to complete several independent, concurrent reading and writing assignments throughout the school year.
In their second year of English, students study American literature from colonial times to the present.
In addition to literature study, students receive instruction in more sophisticated learning, thinking, speaking, and study skills necessary for the preparation of formal writing and oral presentation. Special attention is placed on PSAT and HSPA preparation.
Major literary units include Colonial and Revolutionary, early national period, New England Renaissance and realism.
This course is primarily a survey of American literature. Topics will include the study of American writers, their literature, the influence of their literature on the culture, and the influence of the times on their ideas and writings. In addition, students will attempt to see the influence of this writing on media, culture, literature, and philosophy today.
This course is also designed to develop language skills through an integrated study of speaking, grammar, composition, and literature. The writing process is emphasized and students are expected to read critically.
Students are also expected to take notes from lectures and class discussions, and to be self-motivated and industrious.
Students must qualify for enrollment in this course.
Students study British literature from the Middle Ages to the present during their third year of English. Writing assignments are more complex and students are required to complete a research paper.
Students receive intensive instruction in preparation for taking the HSPA; SAT instruction is integrated into instructional units throughout the year.
Major units of study include the Anglo-Saxton and medieval periods, English Renaissance, seventeenth and eighteenth century, Romantic literature, and the twentieth century.
Students study British literature from the Middle Ages to the present during their third year of English. Writing assignments are more complex and students are required to complete a brief research paper.
Students receive intensive instruction in preparation for taking the HSPA, and SAT instruction is integrated into instructional units throughout the year.
Major units of study include the Anglo-Saxton and medieval periods, English Renaissance, seventeenth and eighteenth century. Students must qualify for enrollment in this course.
This course serves as the culmination of a student’s study of literature, grammar, composition, philosophy, the arts, and world cultures.
Students will read important works of literature from throughout the world, and emphasis will be placed on integration and synthesis of information. These five interdisciplinary thematic units will focus on study of cultural universals, philosophy, and stylistics: The Heroic Quest, The Individual in /vs. Society, Self-Discovery, The Quest for Immortality, and The Anti-Hero. Students will master various forms of composition and will increase competence in public speaking, listening, using technology, and analyzing different types of writing.
A senior thesis is required of all students.
This course serves as the culmination of a student’s study of literature, grammar, composition, philosophy, the arts, and world cultures.
Students will read important works of literature from throughout the world, and the emphasis will be placed on integration and synthesis of information. These five interdisciplinary thematic units will focus on study of cultural universals, philosophy, and stylistics: TheHeroic Quest, The Individual in/vs. Society, Self-Discovery, The Quest for Immortality, and The Anti-Hero. Students will master various forms of composition and will increase competence in public speaking, listening, using technology, and analyzing different types of writing.
A senior thesis is required of all students.
Advanced Placement English is a college level literature and composition course designed to enhance student appreciation and understanding of great literature and nonfiction ranging from its earliest beginnings to the present day.
Participants will learn to analyze and write effectively about this literature and its philosophical relationship tco contemporary experience, and they will have an opportunity to earn college credit from participating institutions.
The teacher, in conducting the class, serves as discussion leader, questioner, critic, and scholar, helping the members of the class assume much of the responsibility for their own learning.
Students who qualify for this course are required to complete assignments during the summer months.
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts of speech production and public speaking. Students learn to recognize and demonstrate the characteristics of an effective public speaker and are taught various types of delivery, including exposition, narration, demonstration, argumentation, and persuasion.
They learn to utilize the theory and practice of parliamentary procedure, speeches for special occasions, and are introduced to formal debate. They will learn the various types of delivery, including impromptu, extemporaneous, manuscript, and memorized. Memorization techniques are also addressed.
In preparing public presentations, students participate in research, individually and in groups. To overcome nervousness, students learn to utilize a variety of useful techniques, including relaxation exercises and expanded brainstorming. They learn to develop clear thinking, critical listening, and persuasive argumentation.
Writing for publication is rewarding, and students gain confidence as writers and editors when they design and print newsletters, magazines, and newspapers.
In this course, the emphasis is on writing for high school publications. Students will compose and edit articles, complete page layouts, and print the M.E.T.S. Charter School newspaper as part of their work in this course. Additionally, they will practice writing for other media, including literary magazines, journals, and television/radio.
Success on the SAT requires practice and gaining confidence in test taking. Students who approach this class seriously will benefit by increasing their vocabularies, enhancing their abilities to read for comprehension and for inference, and mastering the formats of the various sections of the SAT
This course is designed for students interested in the basics of clothing construction. Students are involved in pattern and fabric selection in the creation of garments, quilts, home furnishing, or crafts.
Sewing techniques include machine and simple hand stitching. Students are encouraged to complete projects selected according to their abilities and areas of interest. There are no prerequisites for this course.
Students looking forward to college, a career, or an apartment of their own are encouraged to take this course. The aim of this course is to assist students to set goals, identify the process of decision-making, use effective money management skills, and demonstrate practical techniques necessary when people are totally responsible for themselves.
Symmetry is a vast subject, significant in art and nature. Mathematics lies at its root, and it would be hard to find a better one on which to demonstrate the working of the mathematical intellect. ~ Hermann Weyl
All mathematics courses help to prepare students for success on the mathematics component of the HSPA, SAT and ACT.
This course is designed to establish a strong foundation in the language of mathematics. Algebra I serves as a prerequisite for all secondary mathematics courses.
A spiral approach will be given to solving equations. Students will solve equations involving fractions, decimals, and irrational numbers. Special emphasis will be placed on real-world applications. Students will thoroughly investigate linear and nonlinear equations, graphs and properties.
Emphasis will be placed on practical application involving other disciplines and industry. In addition, this course introduces the study of polynomials, factoring, and special products. Properties of positive exponents are developed with a brief introduction to negative and rational exponents. Rational expressions are explored and are applied to solving fractional equations.
This course concludes with the presentation and application of the quadratic formula.
PREREQUISITE: Algebra I and Geometry
This course extends the skills developed in an introductory algebra course. New topics are often introduced through application.
Topics to be studied in-depth include: the quadratic formula, advanced factoring, nth order roots, radical equations, synthetic division, complex numbers, and sequences and series.
Emphasis is also placed on SAT preparation. Graphing calculators are an integral component of this course.
PREREQUISITE: Algebra I and Geometry
This course covers all the topics of Algebra II with additional enrichment lessons included. Synthetic division, advanced verbal problems, advanced topics in factoring, and applications to science and consumerism are included.
Students are challenged with problem sets and enhanced theoretical development of abstract ideas. Students use graphing calculators when appropriate.
In this course students will develop spatial sense through experiences that enable them to recognize, visualize, categorize, represent, and transform geometric shapes, and to apply their knowledge of geometric properties, relationships, and models to other areas of mathematics and to the physical world.
Students will communicate mathematically using a variety of written, oral, symbolic, and visual forms of expression. Calculators, computers, models and geometric tools will be regularly used to enhance mathematical thinking, understanding, and power.
Students will develop an understanding of measurement and systems of measurement to describe and analyze quantifiable phenomena.
In this course, as in Geometry, inductive and deductive reasoning skills and methods of formal symbolic logic are developed.
Strong emphasis is placed on abstract thinking and other Core Curriculum Content Standards topics. Students also employ trigonometric identities and equations for single and multiple arguments, graphs of trigonometric functions, and vectors with physics applications.
Graphing calculators are an integral component of this course.
PREREQUISITE: Algebra II
Students are introduced to plane geometry and its applications. Using computer technology and graphing calculators, students study trigonometric functions, solutions to plane triangles, and vectors with physics applications.
In addition, special emphasis is placed on the study of conics, solutions of equation systems, and series. Previously learned algebraic skills are reinforced throughout the course as preparation for Calculus.
Graphing calculators are an integral component of this course.
PREREQUISITE: Algebra II and Geometry
This course is designed for Juniors having completed Algebra II Honors and Geometry/Trigonometry Honors. This is a full-year course that begins with a review of algebraic techniques. Students study polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions and graphs.
The course also includes applications of trigonometry, systems of equations and inequalities and an introduction to analytic geometry. Extensive work is done with graphing calculators and computers, whenever applicable.
This course is a prerequisite for Advanced Placement Calculus.
PREREQUISITE: Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus or Honors Math Analysis
The first half of this full year course focuses on the introduction to limits, continuity, derivatives by definition, and formal differentiation. Students study applications of maxima-minima theory including curve tracing and related rates.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, students learn to solve a wide variety of problems from mathematics, science, economics, and business with the support of computer technology and graphing calculators.
The second half of the course is dedicated to the study of anti-differentiation and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, and the theory and methods of integrations for the algebraic and transcendental.
PREREQUISITE: Honors Math Analysis
Students study the topics outlined in the College Board’s current syllabus for AB Calculus. This includes limits, derivatives, definite integrals, anti-differentiation, slope fields, areas and volumes using integration, related rates, optimization, and extrema.
Students learn to apply graphical, numerical, analytical, and verbal approaches to solving problems. Students also learn to use their graphing calculators to find complete graphs of functions, identify roots of equations, and calculate numerical derivatives and integrals.
Students prepare throughout the year for the AP exam by solving open-ended questions and multiple-choice problems from previous exams.
PREREQUISITE: Algebra II and Geometry
This Senior mathematics course will prepare students for college-level Probability and Statistics courses. These college courses are often requirements for many college majors.
Special emphasis will be placed on behavioral and political science and business applications. Microsoft Excel and the TI-83+ graphing calculator are integral tools of this course.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to describe events using statistics; organize and summarize data; determine probability of compounded events; analyze and draw appropriate inferences from data; and use systemic listing, counting, and algorithmic methods to solve real-world problems.
Success on the SAT requires practice and gaining confidence in test taking. Students who approach this class seriously will benefit by increasing their test taking skills and mastering the formats of the various mathematics sections of the SAT
Music is the vapor of art. It is to poetry what reverie is to thought, what fluid is to solid, what the ocean of clouds is to the ocean of waves. ~Victor Hugo
Open to students of every grade.
The chorus sings all types of music from Broadway to classical to popular. Performances include concerts and field trips to local schools and organizations. Occasional rehearsals (usually 2–3 per year) occur outside normal school hours, especially before the winter and spring concerts.
This course may be taken for the full year, or for the fall or the spring semester for 2.5 credits only. Previous singing experience or knowledge is unnecessary.
If I rest, I rust.. ~ Martin Luther
Physical Education courses are designed to promote an awareness of the importance of health, physical fitness, coordination, muscle development and skill towards the enjoyment of physical education by all students. Beyond traditional course content, the ninth grade Health curriculum introduces students to conflict resolution skills along with decision-making skills through its Character Education program component.
The Adventure Education component in Physical Education grades 9 through 12 challenges students physically, intellectually, and emotionally to do things they never thought were possible. Through the completion of the proposed activities students are taught the inherent simplicity of adventure education, which builds confidence, self-esteem, and group awareness.
These experiential education activities, requiring the development of team building and negotiation skills relate to the Workplace Readiness Skills and Core Curriculum Content Standards. The opportunity for personal growth is provided in a supportive and highly structured framework. The composite effect of these programs is consistent with the holistic approach to wellness adopted by the Physical Education Department.
Students participate in a diverse curriculum, which is designed to encourage students to pursue a lifetime of physical fitness. Cardiovascular endurance, muscle development flexibility and coordination are stressed in all grades.
Emphasis on individual skills and team sports take place during ninth and tenth grade classes. Eleventh and twelfth grade classes emphasize lifetime sports and carry-over activities.
This course focuses on areas of personal hygiene, family living, and nutrition.
Conflict resolution skills and decision making skills are introduced and practiced with emphasis on enhancing communication living cooperatively, and respect for the differences of others. Students focus on health areas that emphasize self- understanding and the development of self-concept. The development of human relations skills that improve and enhance self-confidence, assertiveness, and problem- solving.
Students are encouraged to use these skills to help each other in a positive, supportive way. This Senior health program is intended to prepare students with challenges of adult life. Major topics include: drug and substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexually transmitted diseases.
The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them. ~ Sir William Bragg
Students develop an awareness of the order and the sensitive balance that regulate the life of all organisms. The relationship of people to plants and animals is studied. Other topics include human physiology, health, environment, and heredity.
Students consider the application of biological principles to social and economic factors. Students use Internet technology resources to research various biological topics and present laboratory data I n graphs designed using Microsoft Excel.
Students have a laboratory period each day.
This course will emphasize investigation and inquiry as a means of understanding the interrelationships of human systems and other living things.
Lab experiences complement the major biological concepts in botany, zoology, and ecology. Topics to be covered include biochemistry, cell physiology, animal and plant reproduction, and vertebrate and invertebrate development. Labs will emphasize problem-solving and critical thinking.
Students are expected to complete a minimum of one major project per marking period that relates to a topic covered in that marking period. In addition, a final, original independent research project using the scientific method must be completed on any acceptable biological topic before the end of the year.
Students have a laboratory period each day.
PREREQUISITE: Biology and completion or concurrent enrollment in Algebra II.
Chemistry is a laboratory course that focuses on the study of the composition of matter and its changes.
The course provides a detailed study of solid, liquid and gaseous states. Chemical bonding, kinetics, equilibrium, oxidation-reductions and qualitative and quantitative analysis are explored. This course stresses chemistry’s relationship to mathematics and physics.
This course is important for students who are considering further studies in science or fields related to science.
PREREQUISITE: Honors Biology/Biology and Algebra II
Chemistry is a laboratory course that focuses on the study of the composition of matter and its changes.
The course provides a detailed study of solid, liquid and gaseous states. Chemical bonding, kinetics, equilibrium, oxidation-reductions and qualitative and quantitative analysis are covered. The course stresses chemistry’s relationship to mathematics and physics and is important for students who are considering further studies in science or fields related to science.
In-depth mathematical applications are integrated throughout the course. This course maintains a rigorous pace and students are required to complete several independent research assignments.
PREREQUISITE: Two years of science; two years of mathematics including Trigonometry or three years of Mathematics with concurrent enrollment in a Trigonometry course.
Physics is designed to impart an understanding of physics principles and to enable a student to solve a variety of problems in the areas of mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, optics, and electromagnetism. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving skills and experimentation.
Students participate in a double lab period one day per week and are required to complete projects that apply the basic laws of physics. This course is designed for the student who may be planning on a career in the math/science fields.
Students completing studies in biology, chemistry, and physics are best prepared to pursue scientific and engineering collegiate study; therefore, Advanced Placement courses are available in Advanced Placement Biology, Advanced Placement Chemistry, and Advanced Placement Physics.
Typically these courses are taken in grades 11 and 12, depending on when students complete the college preparation level prerequisites. Students participate in a double laboratory period each week.
History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, visualizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity. ~ Cicero
All students are required to take four years of social studies.
World Cultures is an introductory course that provides a foundation of knowledge and social studies skills. Through the exploration of various primary documents and historical themes each student will gain a global perspective of the interaction and interdependence of various cultures.
Throughout the academic year students will develop and hone the following skills: writing an historical essay, critically analyzing current events, predicting future global trends, and presenting unique concepts and ideas as they relate to global history.
United States History I is designed to build upon the knowledge and social studies skills gained in preceding grades.
Through the exploration of various primary documents and historical concepts, each student will prospectively achieve a thorough understanding of the importance of active participation in the democratic American society.
Honors United States History I is designed to build upon the knowledge and social studies skills gained in preceding grades.
Through the exploration of various primary documents and historical concepts, each student will prospectively achieve a thorough understanding of the importance of active participation in the democratic American society.
In addition to this knowledge, the refinement of research compilation skills, historical essay writing and persuasive speaking will be a constant focus throughout the course.
This course focuses on United States history from World War I to the present. Emphasis is placed on political, social, and economic issues including national and international events.
The students are expected to read and comprehend information from their text, finding similarities between the past and the present. Topics covered include issues such as wartime and government controls over individual freedoms, civil rights, social movements such as woman’s rights, Vietnam and its effect on the political and social aspects of this country. Economic problems will also be addressed such as the Great Depression and the resulting Roosevelt revolution.
This course focuses on United States history from the years 1914 to the present. Emphasis is placed on political, social, and economic issues including national and international events.
The students are expected to read and comprehend information from a college level text, and find similarities between the past and the present. Topics covered include issues such as the fundamentalist movement of the 1920’s, civil rights, Amistad Bill, wartime and government controls of individual freedoms, economic depression and attempted solutions, and the Vietnam War and its effect on the political and social aspects of America.
Students will be required to submit a critical analysis of a book of historical merit the first marking period, complete a debate for the second marking period, and submit a senior thesis of eight to ten pages for the third marking period.
This completes the sequence of study of United States history and includes units of study based upon the following themes: Human Rights, Human Nature, Prejudice and Discrimination, Genocide, The Holocaust, Moral Courage, and Responsibility.
Students will use a variety of sources provided by the teacher such as readings from the State curriculum on Holocaust education, curriculum from the Southern Poverty Law Center, various periodicals, and video material.
This course is a graduation requirement.
The time period studied in this United States history course begins in 1492 and culminates with the 1980s.
Since this is not an introductory course, units of study are presented in an overview fashion with a considerable amount of independent assignments.
Students who qualify for this course are expected to complete summer assignments.
The intent of this course is to enable students to understand and recognize the influence of Europe on the political, economic, and social structures of today’s world. Please note that this course requires a considerable amount of independent reading and writing assignments.
Students that qualify for enrollment in this course are expected to complete summer assignments.
Students will examine the discipline of sociology as the study of the interaction of groups of people, and its implications to society and individuals.
The key units include: culture, cultural adaptation and variation, socialization and cultural conformity, social organizations and institutions, dominant — minority relations, social change and social problems.
This course is open to all students in grades 10-12.
Students learn about basic economic principles with particular emphasis given to the structure and dynamics of the American economy.
Beginning with an orientation to economics, students explore such topics as recession, inflation, supply and demand, foreign trade, the use of economic indicators, the stock market, and the role of government in the economy.
This course is open to all students in grades 10-12.
Every day you make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an over-lengthening, every-ascending, every-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb. ~ Sir Winston Churchill
This course introduces students to the traditional drafting graphic language used in industry to produce working drawings. Students practice and refine traditional hand skills through line weight and lettering on drawings.
Emphasis is on orthographic projection, section views, isometric, and basic modeling. Students considering a career in technology, engineering and industry would benefit from the foundation gained in this course.
PREREQUISITE: Technical Drawing
This course is an advanced technical drawing class that includes sheet metal development, machine drawing, and technical illustration.
Students continue the use of computer programs to generate and solve advanced problems. Students involve themselves in the design/program solving process in the development of new ideas and products.
PREREQUISITE: Technical Drawing
This course introduces students to the fascinating world of architecture. Home planning and design, floor arrangement, exterior design, and other considerations that are factored into home design are covered.
PREREQUISITE: Technical Drawing, Engineering Drawing, and Architectural Drawing.
This course is designed for advanced drafting students interested in specializing in an area of drafting, design or engineering.
Independent study and individual research projects are the central elements of this course. Projects result in a set of drawings for a portfolio related to an area of interest.
Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides. ~ Rita Mae Brown
M.E.T.S. Charter School will offer world language instruction in Spanish. World language courses will address the expectations established by the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.
Students learn the basic concepts of Spanish using an aural-lingual-visual method to attain some communication competency and proficiency in each of the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students begin their study of Hispanic cultures.
Students increase their communication competency in the four language skills and apply them in realistic situations. Hispanic cultures receive more intensive study and additional time is spent on career opportunities.
Class is conducted in Spanish whenever possible.
Students continue to develop their communication competency in the four language skills, but at an accelerated pace.
They learn extensive new vocabulary and advanced grammatical structures, and read many selections dealing with Hispanic cultural themes.
Class is usually conducted in Spanish.
Students develop additional proficiency in the four language skills. Students are expected to master extensive vocabulary, read more advanced materials, and engage in conversation at a higher level of proficiency.
Class is usually conducted in Spanish.
Students increase their vocabulary base and gain proficiency in utilizing advanced grammatical structures. Emphasis is given to utilizing advanced grammatical structures and oral expression.
Students receive intensive practice in the four language skills. Complex readings highlight various aspects of Hispanic cultures.
Class is usually conducted in Spanish.
In the fourth year of study, students assume a very active role in using Spanish for communication purposes. Emphasis is given to oral expression and students spend extensive time on the study and discussion of Hispanic culture.
Students are encouraged to reflect upon the linguistic, cultural, and practical applications of their study of Spanish.
As the culmination of the Spanish honors program, special emphasis is given to proficiency in oral communication. Class is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Students increase their vocabulary and learn sophisticated grammatical structures. Advanced readings highlight various Hispanic cultural themes. Students are encouraged to reflect upon the linguistic, cultural, and practical applications of their study of Spanish.
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