Upper School

List of 10 items.

• Write it Right! Practical Writing Skills & Strategies

  Open to students entering grades 9–12.
  Class meets 8:00–11:00 am. June 24 through August 2. 

   

  Communication skills—especially writing—are the single most important advantage you can give a child. Future performance in school and in the workplace is greatly enhanced by the ability to speak and write well. This course provides a six-week writing tutorial: forming a topic sentence and thesis, methods of organization, using transitions, sentence variety, basic editing techniques, writing introductions and conclusions, supporting points, and along the way, the “art of being a student.” Students are taught elements of description, narration, comparison, persuasion, definition, division & classification, as well as the underlying grammatical structure of English—the building blocks of sentences. The course uses today’s technology and popular media, including YouTube videos, vlogs and discussion threads, films, art, popular lyrics, film music, and literary excerpts to teach critical thinking and foster creativity. This is an active participation course with lots of one-to-one attention in a supportive environment.

  
  Students get hands-on practice leading class lessons and reviews: if you can explain it to someone, you know it! By the end, students will have produced a body of written work to show for their efforts. All course texts and materials are provided. Come with a laptop, an iPad, or just pen and paper!

  
  Course created by The University of New Haven Senior Lecturer, Wes Davis, who brings decades of experience teaching every kind and level of writing from remedial to honors, from middle school to college.
  
  

  Cost: $2,200 (code #101)

• Atlantic Communities II: 1815–1945

  1 credit for Hopkins students entering grades 10–11.
  Class meets 9:00 am–1:00 pm, June 24 through August 2.
  
  

  In this second course of the Atlantic Communities sequence, the histories, societies and cultures of Europe and the Americas, along with those of Western Africa and the West Indies, continue to fuse together but the outlook is extended toward broader horizons. Students begin with the Industrial Revolution and end their study at the eve of the Cold War. The transformations of the Modern Age across the Atlantic Region, the development of liberalism as well as European and U.S. nation building including the tragedy of America’s Civil War are important points of focus. The course continues with WWI and the Russian Revolution. This is followed by an examination of the economic, political, and cultural reactions of the Great War in the 1920’s, which led to the global economic depression of the 1930’s, the rise of totalitarianism, and WWII. A research paper is a major requirement.
  
  

  Please note:
  

  • Hopkins students can take either AC II or AC III through the summer school but not both. One of these courses must be taken during the regular school year..
  • If you choose to take AC II in the summer before the 10th or the 11th grade, you WILL be eligible for AP US or AP European History as a junior or senior.
  • If you take AC II in the summer, you do NOT have to take an elective in the senior school, in addition to AC III or one of the APs.
  • If you take AC III or an AP History course, that will fulfill your history graduation requirement.
  • Each Atlantic Communities history class is limited to 12 students.

   

  AC II textbooks:
  Eric Foner’s Give Me Liberty, edition 6
  McKay, Hill, Buckler’s World Societies edition 12
  
  

  Cost: Credit $3,500 (code #105)

• Atlantic Communities III: The Global Community (1939–present)

  1/2 credit for Hopkins students entering grades 11–12. 
  Class meets from 9:00 am–12:45 pm, Monday - Thursday, June 24 through August 1.

  AC III finishes the core sequence in Hopkins History. The course starts with tensions arising among allies in World War II which then become the Cold War. Coupled with the end of the great colonial empires, that War created a new dynamic in world affairs as the United States and the Soviet Union attempted to manage global politics and economies. The Atlantic world grew closer together with increasing interaction and technology. The end of the Cold War brought another set of challenges in a world not so clearly divided. This course will look at fairly recent historical developments of global economies, ethnic cleansing as a “solution” to conflict, health crises such as AIDS, concerns for the health of the planet and environment, and the rise of religious fundamentalism. Students will become more familiar with the forces that have created the world they will inhabit as adults. (Prerequisite: Atlantic Communities II)

  
  AC III textbooks:
  Eric Foner’s Give Me Liberty, edition 6
  McKay, Hill, Buckler's World Societies, edition 12
  

  
  

  Cost: Credit $3,000 (code #106)

   

• Algebra 1

  Open to all students entering grades 8–9.
  Class meets 8:00–11:00 am, June 24 through August 2.  

  Using tangential concepts in probability, statistics and matrices as motivation, this course takes up a thorough treatment of the real number line, linear equations and functions, systems of equations, inequalities and absolute values, and elementary algebraic manipulations. This course serves as a preview of the full year Algebra 1 course. In some situations, it may be sufficient to fill gaps in understanding from a previous Algebra 1 course and affect placement for the fall. Prerequisite: Pre-algebra.
  
  

  Cost: $2,500 (code #131)

   
  

  Financial aid is not offered for Algebra I class.

  
  
  

• Geometry

  Open to students entering grades 9–11.
  Class meets 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, June 24 through August 2.  

  A classic study of the development of geometry and its use of deductive reasoning and proofs, Geometry develops skills in visualization, graphic representation and the application of core geometric ideas. Relationships that exist between course content and the physical world are emphasized. Integration of synthetic, coordinate and transformation approaches also strengthen students’ understanding of algebra.  Preference will be given to Hopkins 9th grade students seeking to take this class for credit.  Students who want to use this class to preview Geometry Enriched will be considered in late May.  Hopkins students that take this class for academic credit can be placed in Algebra II for 10th grade, although not in the Enriched or Accelerated sections.  Please see the Math Department section of the Course Guide for further information about using summer work for math placement.  

  
  

  Cost: $3,500 (code #133) 

• Precalculus | Functions, Statistics & Trigonometry

  Open to Hopkins students
 entering grades 10–12.
  Class meets 9:00 am–12:00 noon, June 24 through August 2.  
  
   

   
  

  Precalculus serves as a transition between algebra and precalculus by integrating probability, statistical and algebraic concepts. Trigonometry and the use of functions and statistics to model real-world situations is a major theme. The TI-83 graphing calculator is required. Algebra II and Departmental approval is a prerequisite. One section will be offered with a cap of 12 students.
  
  

  Students who apply for Precalculus will not know about their acceptance until late May when the math department reviews your child’s work and evaluates readiness for acceleration.  A strong finish and a minimum of an A- must be achieved as an overall grade to be considered for this course.

  
  

  Ideal student for Precalculus : A current sophomore taking Algebra 2 and wants to take Enriched Precalculus AB as a junior.  A current junior who completed Algebra II in good standing and intends to take Introduction to Calculus as a senior.
  
  

  Cost: $3,500 (code #137) 

   

• Enriched Pre-calculus

  Open to Hopkins students
 entering grades 10–12.
  Class meets 9:00 am–12:00 noon, June 24 through August 2.

  Enriched Pre-calculus integrates algebra, geometry and trigonometry as a precursor to the study of calculus and concentrates on the fundamental areas of function, analytic geometry, and mathematical analysis. Technology allows the course to focus on problem solving and exploration. A TI-83 calculator is required. Departmental approval is required. One section will be offered with a cap of 12 students.
  
  Students who apply for Enriched Precalculus will not know about their acceptance until late May when the math department reviews your child’s work and evaluates readiness for acceleration.  A strong finish and a minimum of an A- must be achieved as an overall grade to be considered for this course.
  
  Ideal student for Enriched Precal: A current student taking Precal and intends to take AP Calculus AB the following year.
  
  

  Cost: $3,500 (code #139) 

• Digital Photography

  1/2 credit for Hopkins students entering grades 10–12.
  Class meets 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, June 24 through July 12. 

  Students learn the controls of a digital camera and techniques for improving images using Photoshop and other Adobe imaging software. By analyzing the formal and aesthetic properties of their own work as well as the work of accomplished photographers, students develop an ability to make intentional compositions that convey their unique way of seeing the world. Students must have a digital camera with manual aperture and shutter controls. Rental cameras are available.

  
  

  Cost: $3,000 (code #301)

• Robotics Engineering

  1/2 credit for Hopkins students entering grades 10–12.
  Class meets 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, June 24 through July 12. 

  This is a project-based learning course which will introduce students to robots and engineering in our technologically-advancing global society. The driving question for this class will be “How can robots make a positive impact and solve problems and challenges in our global community?” Working in guided inquiry teams, students will research and identify their community problem and work towards the goal of successfully designing, building, and testing a robot that can provide a viable, robust solution. Using the Engineering Design Process, students will learn how to logically and methodically progress through their identified challenge through the stages of robot design and develop an understanding for the iterative nature of problem solving. Students will learn how to build, code, and test an autonomous robot with motion and sensor control hardware. Students will also learn the fundamentals of machine learning and how to incorporate a trained neural network into their robot.

  
  

  Cost: $3,000 (code #302)

• Comprehensive SAT Review

  Open to students entering grades 10–12.
  Two 3-week sessions available:
  Session 1: June 24 through July 12
  Session 2: July 15 through August 2
  Class meets at 9:00 am–12:00 noon. 

  Designed to prepare students for both the Math and Verbal sections of the new SAT, this pragmatic course is based upon a simple and proven axiom that extensive practice and familiarity with the testing format(s) yields improved performance. Students will discuss and learn useful hints and techniques, review the most frequently tested concepts of mathematics, algebra, geometry, critical reading comprehension, writing and vocabulary, and apply such strategies in class during daily practice and debriefing sessions. Prerequisite: Algebra II. This class caps at 15 students.
  
  Session 1: June 24 through July 12, 9:00 am–12:00pm.

  Cost: $1,300 (code #143)
  
  

  Session 2: July 15 through August 2, 9:00 am–12:00pm.

  Cost: $1,300 (code #144)