Kelli Zellner
Reservoir High School Curriculum Chart
AP Composition
description; persuasion;
narration; exposition;
poetry; short fiction;
one-act plays;
memoir/creative
non-fiction
English Nine
writer's choices;
character; point-of-view;
language—figurative
and persuasive; theme;
personal narrative;
research = Holocaust
Algebra
data analysis; real
numbers; linear &
quadratic functions;
matrices; logarithms;
polynomials; rational
functions
Calculus
differentiation; motion;
average cost;
accumulation of
change; future value;
supply & demand;
population growth
College Algebra
trigonometry; statistics;
matrices; circular
functions; complex
numbers; normal
distribution; confidence
intervals
Anatomy & Physiology
Biology
life processes;
molecules; cells;
heredity; evolution;
populations;
homeostasis; energy
transfer
Chemistry
algebraic data analysis;
structure of matter;
kinetic theory of gases;
chemical equilibria;
thermodynamics;
chemical kinetics
human anatomy &
physiology; cellular &
anatomic structure;
functioning of body
systems
English Ten
tragedy; comedy;
romance; satire/irony;
search for self;
research = banned
books
American Government
Ancient & Medieval
Law & the Citizen
national, state, & local
5000 BC-1300AD:
American legal system;
government: structure,
intellectual, social,
criminal law; juvenile
principles, policies;
political, historical,
justice system; torts;
law; economics; current
economic, geographic
consumer, family, &
issues; groups, beliefs,
themes; Western &
housing law; individual
& ideas
Non-Western; Rome
rights & liberties
Career Research and Development
CRD I
CRD II
ESOL
interest & aptitude
meeting expectations;
interpersonal
discovery; careers;
working with others;
communication skills;
planning; finding &
assessing progress;
fiction & non-fiction
applying for jobs;
interpersonal works
reading; reading
communication skills;
skills; health & safety
strategies; oral
challenges of work
rules; managing money
presentation
Drama
Media
Drama
Television I & II
Band
voice; movement;
technical direction;
band literature of
scene-blocking;
editing; camera
various styles &
analyzing character;
operation; audio mixing;
historical periods;
costuming; make-up;
computer video
emphasis on
acting; criticism; play
engineering; scriptperformance; variety of
writing; production
writing; storyboarding;
instruments
Business and Computer Management
Computer Science
Principles of Business
Software Applications
Visual BASIC; QBASIC;
consumer economics;
keyboarding; word
Graphical User
marketing; finance;
processing; databases;
Interfaces; variables &
international business;
spreadsheets; desktop
constants; decision &
entrepreneurship;
publishing; Internet;
looping structures;
credit; savings;
multimedia
arrays; functions
investing; manage risks
presentation; HTML
Architectural Drawing
Communication Tech
historic & contemporary
desktop publishing;
design; CAD drawings;
print production; digital
plot, floor, section,
audio & video
electrical, & foundation
production; CAD;
plans; measuring;
Website development;
modeling;
careers in above areas
Visual Arts
Art
Photography
art as cultural
darkroom: developing,
expression; line, shape, enlarging, printing; early
color, form, texture,
photo apparati;
space, unity, light;
exposure control; print
drawing; painting; printmanipulation; famous
making; sculpture
photographers
Engineering Design
mechanical, electrical,
civil, & aerospace
engineering; simple &
complex machines;
electricity & electronics;
thermodynamics
Dance
Dance
ballet, tap, jazz,
modern; focus on
performance; dance
history; choreography;
aesthetics; anatomy;
improvisation
English
English Eleven
American literature;
transcendentalism;
Harlem renaissance;
modern and
contemporary; literary
criticism; résumé
Mathematics
Consumer Math
Differential Equations
car buying; budgeting;
taxes; credit; statistics;
careers; real estate;
buying & selling foods &
services; investments
linear equations and
systems thereof; series
solutions; numerical
methods; stability;
boundary value
Science
Earth & Space Science
oceanography; geology;
astronomy;
meteorology;
geography; history &
dynamics of earth;
science impacts society
Social Studies
European History
European civilization
from the Renaissance
period to present day;
Reformation;
Enlightenment; French
Revolution;
French
francophone history,
literature, culture & life;
differences &
similarities to American;
study various media in
language
Chorus
choral literature of
various styles &
historical periods; voice
control; alto, tenor,
soprano, bass; group
harmony & melody
Lifetime Fitness
health-related fitness
concepts; lifelong
physical education
activities; setting short
& long-term fitness
goals
Technology Education
Materials & Process
wood, plastics, metals,
and ceramics’ use in
production,
manufacturing,
construction, &
engineering technology
Culinary Sciences
food preparation; safety
& sanitary applications;
professional equipment
& tool operation;
techniques in food
service professions
English Twelve
social issues in
literature; books into
film; major British
writers; college
application essay
Environmental Science
natural resources;
human affect on
quantity & quality
thereof; pollution;
ecology; conservation
September 2005
Reading
study skills;
comprehension;
reading literature, for
information, to perform
a task, and in content
areas
Yearbook & Journalism
writing for, designing,
distributing, financing,
and evaluating
publications;
photography;
consumers of media
Geometry
logic & its symbolism;
postulates; theorems;
trigonometry;
coordinate &
transformational
geometry
Pre-Calculus
parametric, polar,
rational, & trigonometric
functions; conic
sections; data analysis;
vectors; sequences &
series; limits
Forensic Science
collecting & handling
specimens; crime
scenes; combined:
chemistry, biology,
physics, geology,
medicine
Psych. & Soc.
U.S. History
learning; intelligence;
U.S. history from 1877
mental hygiene;
to the present:
personality; behavior;
reconstruction; Jim
relationships; norms;
Crowe; Progressive
roles; socialization;
Era; Industrialization;
group dynamics
WWI & II; Civil Rights
Languages
German
Latin
German history,
Roman mythology,
literature, culture & life;
history & culture;
differences &
Cicero; Aeneid; Latin
similarities to American;
poetry; development &
study various media in
structure of language
language
Music
Music & Society
Music Technology
Music of various styles,
compositional
genres, & historical
techniques; notation &
periods; relationship
sequencing software;
between music &
critique & analysis of
society; connection to
compositions
art, dance, & drama
Physical Education
Health
Specialty Sports
alcohol; tobacco; other
strategies; coaching
drugs; nutrition; fitness;
techniques; officiating;
mental health;
progressive skill
diseases; safety; first
development in various
aid; sexuality; personal
sports—ex: baseball;
& consumer health
lacrosse; basketball
Mechanical Drawing
Production Technology
measurement &
marketing; cost
dimensions; multi-view
analysis; layout &
& section drawings;
measurement; CAD; jig
surface development;
& fixture design; facility
technical illustrations;
planning; quality
architectural designs
control; packaging
Family and Consumer Sciences
Early Childhood (ECD)
Fashion Technology
child development &
textile construction;
educational theory;
history & psychology of
characteristics of
apparel; retail
infants & children &
merchandising;
guidelines for working
advertising software;
with them
business skills & trends
Physics
motion; force; energy;
waves; light; electricity;
magnetism; energy;
properties, changes, &
interactions of matter
World History
late middle ages to
present; significant
events concepts, &
understandings in
Western & NonWestern traditions
Spanish
Spanish & Hispanic
history, literature, life &
culture; U.S. Spanishspeaking life & culture;
differences &
similarities to American
Guitar / Piano
tone; tuning; instrument
care; styles; barre
chords; improvisation /
musical elements &
rhythms; 12-bard blues;
note & sight reading
Weights
human anatomy;
nutrition, weight-training
principles: circuit,
pyramid, supersets,
power cycles; safety &
proper technique
Technology Systems
biomechanics; digital
photography; structural
design; line production;
electromagnetism;
aerodynamics
Food & Nutrition
cooking techniques &
principles of basic food
preparation;
management;
consumerism; nutrition;
meal-planning
Sources: Howard County Public School System Catalog of Approved Courses 2005-06, Terri Jeffrey, Carol Askin, Eric Ebersole, Vernetta Myles, Katie Kol, Ann Rader, Debra Dear, and Keedra Brown.
Reflection: Creating a Curriculum Chart
Creating such a chart proofed difficult, but I am pleased with the result. I began to look through the curriculum documents for the
county but quickly decided that the course catalog would be a better source of information. The curriculum documents for all of
the courses taught at Reservoir total nearly 1,000 pages of educational jargon and skill-based language, which would not well
serve the purposes of this chart. The HCPSS Course Catalog, however, explains each course in brief paragraphs, focusing on
topics of learning. The audience for the catalog is parents and students, who want to know “What will I learn?” in each course;
therefore, I found it an ideal source of information. Reviewing the course catalog took a great deal of time. I spent five hours
highlighting portions of each course description to include in the chart. After discussing confusing areas of course descriptions
and which courses are actually offered at RHS with department heads, I began to create a structure for my chart that would make
it not only efficient and concise but also readably organized. I chose to color-code the different disciplines and to alphabetize each
row from left to right within the disciplines, labeling each course. The formatting of the chart was probably the biggest stumbling
block. I’d already worked on it for over two hours before I’d written a single word of what each course contains, and I’d guess I redid the placement of courses six or seven times as I found courses I’d over-looked or misplaced. My significant learning came in
understanding the depth and variety of electives offered at our school. I am often one of the people at school advocating for more
technical and vocational education (which I still believe our county has neglected), but I feel better about what options the
students do have after learning more about offerings in Technology Education, Business Management, and Family and Consumer
Sciences. We aren’t completely neglecting real-life education for our students after all.
Sources: Howard County Public School System Catalog of Approved Courses 2005-06, Terri Jeffrey, Carol Askin, Eric Ebersole, Vernetta Myles, Katie Kol, Ann Rader, Debra Dear, and Keedra Brown.