Creative Writing

Dance

Math & Science

Music

Theatre Arts

Visual Arts

Core Academics

All students, regardless of specialty program, enroll in the following humanities curriculum, in courses appropriate to grade level. Courses designated AP/Honors are taught at the Advanced Placement level, with most students opting to take the AP exam.

English 7 - Introduces composition writing, which includes a study of basic grammatical structures, and a study of various genres of literature, including an introduction to the different elements of literature. (2 semesters required)

English 8 - Introduces various literary genres including the novel, the short story, drama and poetry. Emphasis is on the formal composition, its structure and form. (2 semesters required)

English 9 (Grade 9) - Presents a general study of different genres of literature, an introduction to essay writing, with analysis of each work and a review of grammatical structures. (1 unit required)

English 10 (Grade 10) - Surveys American literature from pre-Colonial through the 19th century, supplemented with important world literature selections. The composition focuses on the essay and a research paper. (1 unit required) 

American Literature (Grade 11) - Surveys American literature of the 20th century to the present.  Writing centers on development of the essay and the research paper. (1 unit required) 

British Literature (Grade 12) - Surveys British literature from the Anglo-Saxon to modern periods. Research paper is required. (1 unit required)

The ASFA Language Department offers French, Latin* and Spanish.

Language I - Introduces students to the civilization and geography of the country. The student learns basic grammar and writing skills and practices elementary conversation. (1 unit required)

Language II - Students progress in oral and written communication, in-depth culture study and introduction to literature. (1 unit required)

Language III - Emphasizes advanced grammar and conversation. Includes a broader examination of literature and history with an emphasis on composition. (1 unit elective - available as resources permit)

Language IV -  Emphasizes active communication through newspaper and magazine articles, contemporary fiction, poetry, and non-technical writing. Successful students will have strong command of vocabulary and structure, and will express ideas accurately and fluently. (1 unit elective - available as resources permit)

* Latin I and II currently offered on alternating year basis

Citizenship (Grade 7):  Examines the rights, duties, and privileges of citizenship. Students gather and share information about the foundations of government and representative democracy, civil rights and liberties, law and political participation; the course includes an examination of national, state, and local government, and stresses application to students’ individual lives. Students engage in a wide variety of learning activities. They learn and demonstrate greater skill in reading, writing, and research. (1 semester required)

Geography (Grade 7):  Provides a geographic foundation for understanding landscapes on which human history has evolved. The course explores the six essential elements of geography: the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and uses of geography. (1 semester required)

World History to1500 (Grade 8):  Examines the human experience from its origins to the 16th century. Included are study of the earliest civilizations in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe; the classical civilizations of Egypt in Africa, China and India in Asia and Greece and Rome in Europe; the major cultures as they developed after the classical period including the Middle Ages in Europe; and pre-modern developments in the major cultures from 1000 to 1500 B.C.E. The Renaissance in Europe from 1350 to 1500 C.E. provides the transition to the second year of World History and Geography. (1 unit required)

World History to Present (Grade 9):  Begins with the Renaissance and the Reformation, then proceeds through the periods of Absolutism and Enlightenment, the French and Industrial Revolutions, Nationalism, Imperialism, the World Wars, the Cold War and more. The course emphasizes reading, writing, and research, incorporating both orthodox and non-traditional activities for learning. (1 unit required)

Advanced Studies in United States History I (Grade 10):  Begins with the Age of Exploration and the Native American cultures. This course examines many cultural influences and ideologies that created a uniquely “American” culture, with attention to the geographical, cultural, political, economic, religious and artistic movements that shaped American society. The major periods addressed are: the Colonial Period; the Revolutionary Age and the Constitution; the Federalist era; the Jeffersonian/Jacksonian Eras; Manifest Destiny; the causes and effects of the American Civil War; and Reconstruction. Instruction includes individual and group research, debate, presentation, and the employment of current technology such as interactive digital video software and Internet sources to provide students with extensive opportunities to explore and analyze historical topics and interpretations. (1 unit required)

Advanced Studies in U.S. History II (Grade 11): Covers the events and people of the more recent past beginning with the post-Reconstruction U.S. and its shift into a more industrialized society. The course continues through the twentieth century to the present in a chronological study of major events, issues, movements, and leaders of the U.S. This is a college preparatory course and involves extensive lecture, supplemented by group work, video experiences and primary source readings and instructional methods to facilitate students’ pursuit of knowledge about the United States. Students may electively sit for the AP U.S. History Exam after completing ASUSH I and II. (1 unit required)

United States Government (Grade 12):  Focuses on the origins and functions of government as well as the intellectual influences in the development of representative democracy in America. Through a detailed study of the Constitution, students become knowledgeable of the structure and workings of government at all levels of nation and state. (.5 unit required)

Economics (Grade 12):  Provides a fundamental understanding of the principles of microeconomics including the function of supply, demand, and price determination in various market structures. Also provides a fundamental understanding of macroeconomic issues: government revenues and spending, money, banking, and the financial markets, the Federal Reserve System and monetary policy, national income, inflation, and unemployment. (.5 unit required)