ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 1 Prerequisite: Dept. recommendation Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course emphasizes vocabulary development, oral communication, and grammatical structure. It is for the student with little or no knowledge of English. Students will complete approximately 20-30 minutes of homework per night.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 2 Prerequisite: ESL 1/English Proficiency Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course emphasizes reading and writing skills, vocabulary, language structure and usage, as well as conversational skill. Students will be expected to read, discuss, and write about assigned short stories. Students will complete approximately 20-30 minutes of homework per night.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 3 Prerequisite: ESL 2/English Proficiency Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course emphasizes vocabulary, reading and writing skills, grammar usage, as well as speaking skills. Students will be expected to read, discuss, and write about assigned novels. This course follows the English 1 curriculum.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE 4 Prerequisite: ESL 3/English Proficiency Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course emphasizes vocabulary, writing skills, reading comprehension skills, grammar usage and speaking skills. Students will be expected to read, discuss and write about the novels they are assigned. This course follows the English 2 curriculum.
TRANSITIONAL ENGLISH A Prerequisite: ESL 4 or Trans. English B and teacher recommendation Open To: Grades 10-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	The curriculum of this course follows the READ 180 program. The READ 180 program focuses on building students’ reading level. A mix of whole group instruction, small group instruction, and independent reading opportunities enhances students’ interest in reading. Students should experience increased vocabulary and reading fluency by the end of the course.
TRANSITIONAL ENGLISH B Prerequisite: ESL 4 or Trans. English A and teacher recommendation Open To: Grades 10-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	The curriculum of this course follows the READ 180 program. The READ 180 program focuses on building students’ reading level. A mix of whole group instruction, small group instruction, and independent reading opportunities enhances students’ interest in reading. Students should experience increased vocabulary and reading fluency by the end of the course.
ESL SPEECH Prerequisite: Qualify for ESL services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course is designed for the ESL student who would like to become more conversant in English. Through a variety of activities and assignments, students will facilitate conversations in English as well as be part of small group discussions, panel presentations, and interviews. Students will also learn anxiety reducing strategies to mitigate public speaking fears. The students will be expected to present one or two formal speeches by the culmination of the term.
ESL U. S. GOVERNMENT Prerequisite: Qualify for ESL services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course helps the student to understand how our government is organized, how it operates, and the relationship of the citizen to the government. Included are the federal, state, and local governments, with emphasis on individual rights and responsibilities.
ESL U.S. HISTORY Prerequisite: Qualify for ESL services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	In this course, the development of the American nation and society is surveyed. It emphasizes an understanding of ideas, ideals, and events in order to better appreciate and understand the present. Maps are used to show political geography.
ESL LAW AND YOU Prerequisite: Qualify for ESL services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course will introduce students to the fundamental rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States. The course will examine laws, procedures, and relationships that provide for effective communities
ESL STUDY SKILLS Prerequisite: Qualify for ESL services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course is open to students in grades 9-12 who are enrolled in ESL/bilingual classes. The course is designed to help students become successful learners and positive contributors in the classroom. Students will reflect on positive classroom behavior, experience the concept of positive interdependence in a cooperative setting, and explore effective methods of time management, organization, and presentation of written work. Students will set personal goals for behavior and learning and will be evaluated on their progress through a learner’s portfolio
BILINGUAL (Spanish) WORLD STUDIES Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course focuses on selected regions of the world such as Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. It emphasizes how history, geography, economics and politics shape human interaction over time. Sample topics include what goods and services a society produces, how persons or groups get power and retain or lose it, how humans adjust to climate and terrain where they live, and what tools and methods people use to solve problems.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) U.S. HISTORY Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course examines the development of the American nation and society is surveyed. It emphasizes an understanding of ideas, ideals, and events in order to better appreciate and understand the present. Maps are used to show political geography.
ESL & BILINGUAL (Spanish) U. S. GOVERNMENT Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services and/or ESL services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course helps the student to understand how our government is organized, how it operates, and the relationship of the citizen to the government. Included are the federal, state, and local governments, with emphasis on individual rights and responsibilities.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) CONSUMER EDUCATION Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course addresses budgeting, savings and investments, credit, auto ownership, comparative shopping for goods and services, housing, insurance, taxes, and individual consumer skills.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) THE LAW AND YOU Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course will introduce students to the fundamental rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States. The course will examine laws, procedures, and relationships that provide for effective communities.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) INTRO. TO ALGEBRA Prerequisite: Recommendation and bilingual qualification Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course is designed to ease the transition from arithmetic to algebra. Major emphasis is placed on fundamental problems of mathematics while basic abstractions of algebra are introduced and mastered. Word problems are also given special attention throughout the course.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) ALGEBRA 1 Prerequisite: Recommendation and bilingual qualification Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This is a first-year course in algebra using real number operations, variables, exponents, and graphing to solve equations, inequalities, and other types of algebraic problems. The course work will be incremental in nature and will stress the cumulative review process as a means of mastering the topics presented. A scientific calculator is required with the TI-30XIIB or TI-30XIIS being recommended
BILINGUAL (Spanish) ALGEBRA 2 Prerequisite: Recommendation and bilingual qualification Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	Algebra 2 is a continuation of Algebra 1. Algebra 1 topics are reviewed and expanded to include such topics as complex numbers, systems of equations, variations, advanced graphing, and introductory trigonometry. The applications of algebra in such fields as geometry, trigonometry, and chemistry will be emphasized. The coursework will be incremental in nature and will stress the cumulative review process as a means of mastering the topics presented. A scientific calculator or graphing calculator is required.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) GEOMETRY Prerequisite: Recommendation and bilingual qualification Open To: Grades 10-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course covers all aspects of geometry. All of the standard elements of geometry will be introduced visually, analytically, inductively and finally deductively. The students will make conjectures and then investigate those conjectures in a variety of ways. Geometric concepts will be connected to students’ daily lives and to other disciplines such as art, architecture and technology
BILINGUAL (Spanish) BIOLOGY Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course focuses on the study of living things and their relationship to the environment. The first term is a basic introduction to biology and its tools. Students will learn how to use the microscope and will be introduced to the classification system. They will study the five kingdoms into which all living organisms can be placed. The human body and its systems will be studied the second term.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) CHEMISTRY Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course focuses upon data analysis, mathematical computations, and reading that are developed through a study of matter, atomic structure, chemical formulas, chemical reactions, periodic properties of elements, chemical bonding, and the behavior of atomic particles in accordance with the Kinetic Theory of Matter. Connections to relevant societal and technological issues are emphasized.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) PHYSICS Prerequisite: Qualify for bilingual services/ Intro. to Alg. Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 2 terms Credits: 1.0	This course focuses upon the attainment of knowledge and understanding of fundamental physics principles. As with any of the science department's courses, skills such as science reasoning, experimental design, laboratory procedural and problem solving are integrated and developed through a study of physics topics. The topics themselves include linear and rotational mechanics, electricity and magnetism, waves, and other modern topics.
ESL and BILINGUAL (Spanish) HEALTH Prerequisite: Qualify for ESL and/or bilingual services Open To: Grades 9-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course deals with the development of good physical and mental hygiene. Nutrition, growth, first aid, and human sexuality are some of the topics covered.
BILINGUAL (Spanish) SAFETY EDUCATION Prerequisite: ESL 2/English Proficiency Open To: Grades 10-12 Length: 1 term Credits: 0.5	This course stresses driving techniques, the philosophy of safety and collision prevention, and practical application of behind the wheel skills. Each student will receive a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction and 3 hours of behind the wheel instruction to qualify for the Cooperative Driver Testing Program certificate. Students must have passed 4 of 8 classes in the last two terms.

*Note: A course fee of $350 and $20 for an instructional permit is required. This fee will be waived if there is a current (dated July/August 2009) MHS fee waiver on file. The $20 permit fee is paid to the Illinois Secretary of State and cannot be waived.