Eye on ECCS: Advanced Course Offerings

 

NOTE: Occasionally throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

Students at Chaska High School and Chanhassen High School have a broad range of opportunities to challenge themselves academically as they explore and pursue their interests and passions. Some of these courses also offer students an opportunity to earn college credit while in high school.

In total, there are more than 40 advanced academic classes offered between Chaska and Chanhassen high schools. Integrated Arts Academy added AP Drawing for the first time this fall as well.

In the latest Eye on ECCS, we ventured into four AP classrooms to take a look at the learning.

AP CALCULUS BC

Yes, it’s as challenging as what you’d expect. AP Calculus BC is a continuation of AP Calculus AB, so the second-year calculus students in Sarah Roemig’s class at Chanhassen High School have a high level of understanding of the presented material. But it was a process to get there.

If you think about a math class, there is a problem, there is an answer, and in between there is show your work. In AP Calculus BC, it goes beyond that. There is a next question. There is a “why” is that the answer. 

“For the high flyers, this class might be the first time they’ve struggled. And that’s good for them to have that experience. They find out they might need to approach it a little differently than I have in the past,” Roemig said. “Most of them rise to the occasion. Some of them it takes a while, but they get there.”

Roemig said she’s made it practice before the first test to email all parents and guardians to prepare them for how their students may be feeling.

“I ask them to be supportive, and remind their student that even if they didn’t do as well as they’d like, they can do this. They just need to keep at it,” Roemig said.

With AP Calculus AB, four major concepts are studied: limits, derivatives, definite integrals and indefinite integrals. Skills are presented numerically, graphically, algebraically and verbally. 

AP Calculus BC covers the remaining topics of a one-year college course. Applications in physics, the calculus of power series, parametric functions and other topics specified by the College Board are included. The AP Calculus BC Exam covers the content of both AP Calculus AB and BC.

“Once they’re in BC, they know the drill. They know they’re signing up for a hard class. When they’re in AB, they know it’s going to be hard, but I think it’s more of a shock to their system,” Roemig said.

ENGLISH 10 PRE-AP ADVANCED

Among new classes for the 2024-25 school year is English 10 Pre-AP Advanced. This course has a high level of depth, rigor and independence aimed at students capable of performing several grade levels above average in language arts skills. Texts are more complex and students will be expected to analyze what is read with more depth and independence using the vocabulary of literary analysis in their discussions and writing. The focus will be on writers’ craft vs. reading comprehension. 

Visiting Jennifer Farrell’s class at Chaska High School, the lesson was centered around Marshall Davis Jones’ “Touchscreen” slam poetry. “Touchscreen” is described as a serio-comic poem about the ways in which technology is turning humans into zombies. Students first watched the video and were asked to describe Jones’s attitude and give examples of how they felt or what they thought before watching it a second time with text copy to circle or underline impactful words or phrases.

Students were then asked to think about the poem as an argument. What would the claim and evidence be?

Students reactions included:

• “(technology) has been removing our humanity by taking away the necessity for it.”
• “(technology) is deteriorating our humanity and making us more like machines.”
• “growing online presence and use of technology results in a lack of connection.”

Farrell said one of the focuses thus far this semester has been on the “value of virtue.”

CHEMISTRY+INTRO TO PHYSICS

Another new class at the high schools is Chemistry+Intro to Physics. The class covers all of Chemistry at a faster pace plus the essential Physics topics to be ready for AP Physics or AP Chemistry.

“We’ll get through the entire Chemistry curriculum by February, allowing us to get into Physics later in the year. The benefit of this class is that they are getting both in one school year. It puts their feet in the water in both, so they can decide whether they want to go into AP Chemistry or AP Physics in their junior year,” Chanhassen High school science teacher Ashley Flynn said.

Having an accelerated pace helps teach students study skills, Flynn said, as quizzes and unit tests are closer together. 

The latest unit test focused on metallic and hydrogen bonding, intermolecular forces, and chemical and structural formulas. Next up is moles. No, not the furry underground animal or dark spot on your skin. The mole is the base unit in the International System of Units for amount of substance.

AP DRAWING

Christina Keith looks at her role as more of an organized “theme facilitator or coach” for her AP art students at Chaska High School. 

Students, after multiple years in drawing and painting, are allowed space for experimental growth. Students have the opportunity to create more self-directed artwork. While some focus their work on abstract or landscape, others pull from within.

Summer, a senior student, is currently working on recreating a photograph of two family members.

“I love that there aren't any restrictions. In AP art, you have that creative freedom to create what you want. I’ve done a lot of stuff with my culture, Palestinian. I have a lot of pretty photos from when I was there, so I’ve tried to tie in my culture with some of my artwork. I feel like it tells a story, and I like to tell stories with my work,” she said.

Summer plans to do a landscape drawing of a city and a close-up picture of someone holding an olive, the native tree, in future works. While her current drawing is in pencil, she wants to use charcoal with some of her next projects.

Keith’s message in choosing works is subjects where students can sustain intent for nine months. Students create a digital portfolio of their work that will be submitted at AP testing time and may be used for College/Art School admission guidelines.

A complete list of advanced classes can be found on the district’s website.