Twelfth Grade Overview

HUMANITIES
The Upper School Humanities Program seeks, through integrated instruction, to thoroughly satisfy curriculum requirements for grades 11/12 history and English at Woodlawn School, while simultaneously providing students significant and meaningful exposure to the visual and performing arts, music, architecture, and literature. Students are pushed to make critical connections between a rich variety of materials and sources in order to develop strong, well-informed notions about culture and identity.  Humanities classes also team with science, math, service, and elective courses whenever possible to further enhance the course content.

American Studies (2012-2013):

• American Studies: The American Studies course examines the history and culture of the United States from its early inhabitants and colonization through the early 21st century. At all times, students examine the country’s identity throughout history and with a look to the future. With an emphasis on group and individual project work, formal and informal writing assignments, as well as class discussion and debate, students develop into critical thinkers with the ability to articulate questions, distinguish fact from opinion, analyze and synthesize information, and write and speak intelligently about American literature and American cultural development.  More...

• AP U.S. History: This course is designed to provide a college-level experience and preparation for the AP U.S. History Exam.  An emphasis is placed on interpreting documents, mastering a significant body of factual information, and writing critical essays.  More... 
• AP English Literature and Composition: Throughout the year, we will engage in a college-level study of American writers of the 19th and 20th century and elements of literary composition. The literature that we read will offer a varied and informative portrait of American culture: from 1880-1960, from New York to Alaska. Our authors are male and female, black, white, and Chicano, wealthy and impoverished.  More...

European Studies (2013-2014):

• European History:  European History will address the cultural, political, diplomatic, social, and economic aspects of modern Europe, focusing primarily on period between the 15th century and the present day. In addition to developing an understanding of these principal themes, students will continue to develop the ability to analyze historical evidence, and to express that understanding and analysis effectively through writing and projects. More...
• AP European History: 
• AP English Language and Composition: This course is designed to engage students in a beginning-college level study of  composition.  We will work to develop continued sophistication as readers and writers, with special attention to developing a broader and deeper understanding of rhetoric and how language works. Students will develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening compositional skills. More...

MATH

• Discrete Math: This upper-level math course requires precalculus and aims to show students the practical application of mathematics in several important real-world situations.  Voting systems, polls/surveys, credit card verification, barcodes, optimization, statistical analysis, and the visual display of quantitative information are a few of the issues tackled in this class, in addition to historical figures in mathematics and the famous problems they posed or solved.

• AP Calculus: AP Calculus AB is equivalent to a college level 1st semester course in calculus. We focus on learning the principles and applications of limits, differentiation, and integration through verbal, algebraic, numeric, and graphical representations.  Applications to the physical and social sciences will be an integral part of the course.

SCIENCE

• Environmental Studies (2014-2015)
• AP Chemistry (2012-2013):  This second-year Chemistry course builds on the concepts and skills introduced in Chemistry I and prepares students for the AP Chemistry exam at the end of the year.  More...
• Physics (2013-2014): This course immerses students in the mechanics of motion, as well as the fundamentals of energy, electricity, and magnetism.  Physics builds on some concepts covered in Chemistry (e.g., quantum mechanics, wave/particle duality) and integrates nicely with Calculus (e.g., derivation of the laws of motion using integrals and derivatives).
• AP Biology (2013-2014)

SPANISH

• Spanish Literature and Culture
• AP Spanish Literature and Culture: In the AP Spanish Literature classroom, students will read from a broad spectrum of works written in various times and places and representing different literary genres.  Students taking the exam will be asked to perform specific types of tasks after months of analyzing the works on the reading list under their teacher’s guidance. Students who are ready to attempt the AP Exam will have acquired an in-depth familiarity with all of the works on the list, and in order to do well they must command a variety of skills. First of all, they should be prepared to write timed analytical essays. More..

SERVICE

• Capstone Project:  As senior students near the end of their Woodlawn experience, the Capstone Project provides the opportunity students to demonstrate their understanding and fulfillment of the school’s mission.  Students meet requirements throughout the year that address each part of the mission statement.  Through successful completion of the Capstone Project, students demonstrate their mastery of the school’s core values.  Thus, they are ready to move forward as graduates of Woodlawn School. More...

ELECTIVES

• Various:  Students have the opportunity to take one elective course each trimester.  Courses are offered in visual arts, performing arts, healthy living, sciences, and humanities.