Tech Valley High School students take a
combination of traditional - physics, integrated algebra, etc. - and
non- traditional courses that are designed challenge the students
and prepare them to successfully navigate the 21st Century workforce
and halls of academia.
Below is a review of the non-traditional courses offered at TVHS.
Below is a sampling of are class descriptions.
Biotechnology
Great advances have been made in the field of
biology in recent decades that will continue to have a major impact
on our lives. Tech Valley Region is at the forefront of these
developments in biotechnology. To participate in these advances,
Tech Valley High school students enroll in Biotechnology, a 2.0
credit course, with one credit earned in Living Environment and the
second in Bioengineering. Biotechnology is defined as, “any
technological application that uses biological systems, living
organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or
processes for specific use.”Biotechnology students have the
opportunity to explore emerging fields of biotechnology including
bioengineering, advanced laboratory technology, and computer
modeling. Additionally, students will interact with biological
researchers working locally on the cutting edge of the field.
New York State MST Standards Addressed
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Standard 1: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering designs, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
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Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
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Standard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Environmental Analysis Grade 9
Environmental Analysis is an integrated course
where you will explore how people in the community and around the
globe are grappling with real issues related to environmental
change. In this course, you will master all of the New York State
standards for Integrated Algebra and Environmental Science.
Additionally, you will devise your own data-driven solutions to
several complex and pressing problems of today.
New York State MST Standards
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Standard 1: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
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Standard 2: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
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Standard 3: Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.
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Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
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Standard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
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Standard 6: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.
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Standard 7: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
11th grade English -“Literature and Society”
In this course students will critically analyze,
interpret, and evaluate works of literature (novels, poetry, short
stories, non-fiction and drama) by reading representative texts.
Ideas, reactions and understandings of the texts will be developed
and then demonstrated by oral and written responses to the readings,
and also applied in project work. The work of this course will
foster the growth of skills necessary to think, work and collaborate
effectively in the 21st century and to achieve a higher awareness of
literature and the values and connections it has for readers in
relation to social issues apparent in contemporary society.
This course fulfills the requirements for the new General Education
category of Humanities. The general criteria governing all General
Education courses is as follows: General Education courses offer
introductions to the central topics of disciplines and
interdisciplinary fields; explicit rather than tacit understandings
of procedures, practices, methodology and fundamental assumptions of
disciplines and interdisciplinary fields; recognize multiple
perspectives on the subject matter; emphasize active learning in an
engaged environment that enables students to be producers as well as
consumers of knowledge; promote critical inquiry into the
assumptions, goals, and methods of various fields of academic study;
they aim to develop the interpretive, analytic, and evaluative
competencies characteristic of critical thinking. The learning
objective for General Education Humanities courses that will be of
primary focus is the way in which students will analyze and
interpret texts, ideas, artifacts, and discourse systems, and the
human values, traditions and beliefs that they reflect.
11th Grade Writing Workshop
This class aims to help you develop and improve
on a broad range of writing skills that pertain to the kinds of
writing studied and assigned at TVHS. Additionally, it is designed
to elevate your awareness and understanding of the elements of good
writing by looking at how purpose, technique and structure each
contribute to the overall quality of a written piece. By design,
this class will devote significant time to the editing and revision
aspects of the writing process, and give you the opportunity to
build a writing portfolio by selecting individual pieces of assigned
writing over the course of the year for revising and polishing. Your
year-end writing portfolio will demonstrate what you believe to be
your best written pieces from the standpoint of technique, style,
form and overall function, and I believe will add valuably to your
year-end Digital Portfolio. To ensure that your writing reflects
quality and improvement over time, you’ll engage regularly in
critical self-reflection activities as well as peer review/feedback
sessions.
Inventing America
In this class we will be studying the history & governance of the United States. This course introduces main themes in the history of the United States from colonial times to the present. We will study our history by looking at and analyzing how people lived and acted and what it is that makes us unique as a culture. We will compare the different experiences of various ethnic, religious, and racial groups, social classes, and women. This course will focus on America’s spirit of innovation and ingenuity. During this course you will continue to work on the developing your skills in the TVHS learning outcomes and how they are relevant to the study of history.
10 % Time: An
individual project based on a concept designed and utilized by
progressive companies such as Google to encourage people to be
creative and think outside the box. Everyone who works at Google is
allowed to designate a certain portion of their work week to a
project of their own passion as long as it is related to information
technology. We will do the same in Inventing America, we will have
time designated every week in class for you to work on a project
that you design and implement. You will choose a new topic for next
semester. You must include in your proposal, a topic, a driving
question (what you hope to learn), and a plan of action. Your topic
and product are yours to design. Because this class is focusing in
the innovative spirit of the United States, your only requirements
are to use the theme of invention or innovation in the United
States.
State requirements:
This course fulfills the requirements for the
new General Education category of Humanities. The general criteria
governing all General Education courses is as follows: General
Education courses offer introductions to the central topics of
disciplines and interdisciplinary fields; explicit rather than tacit
understandings of procedures, practices, methodology and fundamental
assumptions of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields; recognize
multiple perspectives on the subject matter; emphasize active
learning in an engaged environment that enables students to be
producers as well as consumers of knowledge; promote critical
inquiry into the assumptions, goals, and methods of various fields
of academic study; they aim to develop the interpretive, analytic,
and evaluative competencies characteristic of critical thinking. The
learning objective for General Education Humanities courses that
will be of primary focus is the way in which students will analyze
and interpret texts, ideas, artifacts, and discourse systems, and
the human values, traditions and beliefs that they reflect.
GAME 2.0
Global Analysis and Media Explorations
(G.A.M.E.) is an integrated course in which you will closely examine
issues that currently affect the lives of individuals and
communities around the world from social, political and economic
points of view. Each project will combine learning content from both
English and Global History & Geography, and employ a wide range of
media. Games and simulations, where relevant, will be incorporated
into the projects. You can expect to have at least one main literary
text (fiction or non-fiction) assigned in each project, vocabulary
work, and individual written pieces that assess your understanding
of the project theme. In addition, you will at times be assigned to
select and read genre-specific texts related to a theme or topic we
are studying.
PhAT (Physics, Algebra 2 and Trigonometry)
This course integrates Algebra 2 & Trigonometry
standards with the study of physics. Typical projects would be…..
Global Analysis and Media explorations (G.A.M.E.)
GAME is an integrated course that closely examines issues that
currently affect the lives of individuals and communities around the
world from social, political and economic points of view. Projects
combine learning content from both English and Global History &
Geography, and employ a wide range of media. Games and simulations,
where relevant, are incorporated into the projects.
Fitt
Fitt class combines the New York State standards
for physical education and health, teaching students how to not only
maintain a healthy lifestyle through diet, etc., but also how to
perform Yoga, disc golf and other activities that require minimal
use accessories.
