Language Arts

9th Grade Language Arts

The ninth-grade language arts course at Archer High School transitions students from middle school reading and writing to the rigor of high school-level language arts instruction with a focus on improving reading and writing skills. Students will learn to perform analysis tasks on various texts, as well as draft and revise informational, narrative, and argumentative essays. Critical reading and analytical skills are fostered through a variety of texts including short stories, nonfiction, poetry, drama, novels, and speeches.

Math

Correct math placement at the ninth-grade level is a crucial step in success toward graduation.  Math teachers will make recommendations for students based on their current class, math achievement, and results from the End of Course test in the spring.  

 All students currently taking 8th-grade math will be placed in Algebra:  Concepts and Connections.  Students taking Accelerated Algebra will be recommended for either Geometry: Concepts and Connections or Accelerated Geometry: Concepts and Connections.

Algebra:  Concepts and Connections

This course is designed as the first course in a three-course series. Students will apply their algebraic and geometric reasoning skills to make sense of problems involving algebra, geometry, bivariate data, and statistics. This course focuses on algebraic, quantitative, geometric, graphical, and statistical reasoning. In this course, students will continue to enhance their algebraic reasoning skills when analyzing and applying a deep understanding of linear functions, sums and products of rational and irrational numbers, systems of linear inequalities, distance, midpoint, slope, area, perimeter, nonlinear equations and functions, quadratic expressions, equations and functions, exponential expressions, equations, and functions, and statistical reasoning.

Geometry:  Concepts and Connections

This course is designed as the second course in a three-course series. This course enhances students’ geometric, algebraic, graphical, and probabilistic reasoning skills. Students will apply their algebraic and geometric reasoning skills to make sense of problems involving geometry, trigonometry, algebra, probability, and statistics. Students will continue to enhance their analytical geometry and reasoning skills when analyzing and applying a deep understanding of polynomial expressions, proofs, constructions, rigid motions and transformations, similarity, congruence, circles, right triangle trigonometry, geometric measurement, and conditional probability.

Accelerated Geometry:  Concepts and Connections

This class will cover all topics from Geometry:  Concepts and Connections as well as select standards from the Advanced Algebra:  Concepts and Connections course.

Science

Biology

This course is designed as the second course in a three-course series. This course enhances students’ geometric, algebraic, graphical, and probabilistic reasoning skills. Students will apply their algebraic and geometric reasoning skills to make sense of problems involving geometry, trigonometry, algebra, probability, and statistics. Students will continue to enhance their analytical geometry and reasoning skills when analyzing and applying a deep understanding of polynomial expressions, proofs, constructions, rigid motions and transformations, similarity, congruence, circles, right triangle trigonometry, geometric measurement, and conditional probability.

Social Studies

World Geography

World Geography is designed to provide students content knowledge and skills necessary to understand the world around them .  Students will gain a greater understanding of the interrelated nature of political, cultural, and environmental issues.   There is an emphasis placed on preparing students for the skills necessary to pass the Gateway Social Studies later in their academic career.  Themes of World Geography include:

• Historical Geography 

• Physical Geography 

• Political Geography 

• Economic Geography 

• Cultural Geography

AP Human Geography

The Advanced Placement program in Human Geography is a college-level course that is designed to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of the Earth’s surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to interpret human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice. The objectives in this course follow the College Board syllabus, preparing students for the optional AP exam at the conclusion of the school-year in which college credit can be earned.