Mandarin 1 is a two-semester course designed for beginners. No background in Mandarin is presumed or required. Mandarin 1 introduces students to the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in Mandarin Chinese. As students gain knowledge, understanding and fluency, the communication in class will be conducted in Mandarin only. By the end of the year, students are expected to pronounce the sound of Mandarin with reasonable accuracy, and to understand and sustain simple conversations in Chinese. Students will be exposed to Chinese culture in order to develop an understanding of and appreciation for different cultures and people, customs, behavior and traditions.
Spanish 2 Honors
Spanish 2H is an accelerated course designed to challenge the student who, during his/her first year, has actively participated in class, mastered the grammar and vocabulary presented in level one and/or demonstrated the ability to advance more rapidly than the average college preparatory student. The teacher will aid students in acquiring the following skills: increased oral proficiency on a variety of topics, an expanded vocabulary, the ability to read selections appropriate to intermediate level students and increased ability to write essays. The course materials are designed to stimulate conversation and to perfect that skill, striving to imitate the native speaker’s pronunciation, accent, and rhythm, as the student’s abilities increase. Students will also become more informed about some of the contemporary problems and difficulties affecting Hispanic communities. Students will further develop their ability to express themselves in spoken and written Spanish.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA
Spanish 3 Honors
Spanish 3H is an advanced language course designed for students identified during their first two years as those superior Spanish students, who wish to become fluent in Spanish and prepare themselves for Spanish 4 AP. Students will practice the major grammar structures previously studied, as well as more complex grammar concepts, including expanded uses of the subjunctive mood. Considerable emphasis will be given to enriching the students’ active vocabulary and increasing their ability to comprehend and express themselves in spoken and written Spanish. Students will be required to speak in Spanish in a variety of situations ranging from class discussion to oral presentations and situations. Students will be able to read with comprehension selected short stories and newspaper and magazine articles. They will also become more informed about some of the contemporary problems and difficulties affecting Hispanic communities. This class is conducted in Spanish, and students are expected to speak Spanish at all time.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA and UC/CSU GPA calculations
Spanish 2
Spanish 2 is a language course designed for students who have successfully completed their first year of Spanish. It is a two-semester course which aims to improve the student’s ability to speak, read, and write in Spanish, to systematically review grammar previously studied, and to master new concepts in Spanish, and to enhance the student’s knowledge of the cultural diversity of the Spanish-speaking world. The emphasis on improvement of oral skills will be considerable, and the student will be encouraged to speak in Spanish on a variety of topics and in a number of situations ranging from question and answer to oral presentations and/or situations.
Spanish 1 Accelerated
This course is designed for incoming freshmen who have some experience in Spanish but did not place in Spanish 2 Honors at St. Ignatius. Since these students already have some basic skills in Spanish, they will review and/or learn, at an accelerated pace, the vocabulary and grammar structures taught in a regular level one course. Significant emphasis will be placed on improving students’ speaking and writing skills. They will acquire an expanded vocabulary, a deeper understanding of grammatical concepts, increased reading proficiency, improved oral expression, increased aural proficiency, the ability to write short compositions, and further knowledge of Spanish and Latin American cultures.
Spanish 1
Spanish 1 is designed for the beginning Spanish student. No background in Spanish is expected. Comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills are developed simultaneously from simple to more complex sentence structures. The language skills are presented in a logical progression so that the student learns by practice both in the classroom and at home with the help of on-line tutorials. The learning process is based on the active participation of each student in a variety of formats. Students learn essential vocabulary, basic structures of the language, and cultural aspects of Latin America and Spain. By the end of the course, each student has the ability to do the following: ask questions and answer them affirmatively or negatively using present tenses; arrange proper word order; speak and write clearly; write short compositions; and use common idiomatic expressions.
Algebra 1
Algebra 1 is a traditional course in elementary algebra with an emphasis on solving problems. The course falls into four basic parts: 1) the four operations on real numbers and their use in the solution of simple equations and related problems; 2) polynomials, factoring, and fractions, leading to the solution of more complicated problems; 3) inequalities, functions and relations, and systems of open sentences; and 4) irrational numbers and quadratic functions and equations. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
Algebra 1 Accelerated
The course follows the general goals and objectives of the regular Algebra 1 course. In addition, advanced topics of algebra are introduced: absolute value equations and inequalities, linear programming, polynomial functions and their graphs, analytic techniques to explore various curves, and an introduction to topics of geometry and trigonometry. Finally, students will be given challenging problems appropriate for an accelerated course. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
Algebra 2 Honors
This course is offered to entering freshmen who have demonstrated mastery of Algebra 1 content. The course includes in-depth analysis of higher degree polynomials; analysis, interpretation and graphing of rational functions, including asymptotic behavior; an in-depth consideration of the conic sections, including transformations. Students who successfully complete Algebra 2 Honors typically enroll in Precalculus Honors after the completion of their Geometry course. A Texas Instruments TI-83 or TI-84 series graphing calculator is required.
*Class receives honors weighting in SI weighted GPA
Cura Personalis
Cura Personalis (translated from Latin as “Care for the Whole Person”) is a required one-semester course for freshmen focused on a multi-dimensional understanding of personal wellness. Students explore a variety of topics in the areas of mental health, social health, drug & alcohol awareness, sexual health, and physical fitness. Students are encouraged to explore their own personal values and beliefs while also learning new information and identifying resources that support each student’s aspirations to maximize their potential. Throughout the semester, students are instructed in mindfulness, including the establishment of a meditation practice. Cura Personalis is a Pass/Fail class that does not impact a student’s GPA.