Course Descriptions

CHA Departments
Digital Art

English
History
Mathematics
Science
Physical Education

CHA students also take...
Advisory
Internship
Enrichment
Advisory

CHA’s Advisory program focuses on empowering students to make positive academic and career choices based on their individual skills and interests. In Advisory students will learn to understand their own role in achieving success in high school and in life. Advisory groups are interest-based groups – students are matched to each other and their Advisor based on communicated interests. The first quarter Advisory program will focus on our students’ transition to high school. Our students will participate in hands-on community building lessons that are essential for the building of a positive and successful high school. Advisory meets two days per week for the entire year. The Advisor acts as the main point of contact between the school and the parents.

CREDITS: 1 credit per year


Internship

The Cambria Heights Academy internship program is designed to help our juniors develop and realize their full potential as young professionals.  The goal is to place an emphasis on succeeding academically and professionally. Students participate in a rigorous internship orientation program at CHA before they enter their internship sites. The second component of the internship orientation is having our students participate in a major community service project. This enabled students to be accountable and understand the meaning of being a positive community member. Overall, our internship program allows students to become aware of what it takes to be a successful member of the workforce. 

CREDITS: 1 credit per year


Digital Art

Digital Storytelling - 10thgrade

Learning is about collecting and generating information and ideas. How you communicate what you have learned with others is just as important. This course focuses on how people tell stories, both factual and fictional, in a way that is engaging, meaningful, and informative. Students will read, write, and use various forms of technology as they analyze and create stories.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year


Graphic Design – 10th grade

Graphic Design students will use computer applications including Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator to organize and present information in ways that are eye-catching and imaginative, and at the same time clear in meaning. As they work on individual projects, students will apply the design process to generate ideas, evaluate their pieces, and revise their work. Traditional art materials will sometimes be used in preparing for computer-based projects, or to create elements that will later be imported into the computer. Graphic Design is a year-long course. NOTE: Students will need a sketchbook for this course.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year


English

9th grade English is a literature-based course. Along with traditional reading and writing projects, students are challenged through authentic assessments that mirror the rigor of the real world. Although continued improvement in mechanical conventions and content skills are major goals of the course, the entire process of reading and writing is developed. Students are expected to think critically, analyze, and react to the literature that they read. These may take the form of oral, visual, technological, and collaborative work.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year

 

10th grade English is a two-semester course that is designed to build on the foundational knowledge and to refine skills students will need to be successful within ELA, across subject areas, and on the ELA Regents Exam. The curriculum is based on the new Core Standards, the newly-revised ELA Regents exam, and the New York State Core Curriculum. The 10th grade curriculum specifically focuses on the philosophy of the human condition: Is mankind essentially good or are we inherently evil? In addition to analyzing literature and nonfiction texts, students will be publishing their own writing in response to the aforementioned question. By the end of this course, students will be able to react critically to texts, write papers that analyze what they read, and argue and defend their opinion. NOTE: This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year


English Enrichment

English Enrichment courses are designed to meet the literacy needs of individual students. Students will work independently on online assignments from their English teacher. These assignments will address students’ strengths and target areas of growth as they develop their knowledge and skills in English Language Arts. These courses meet 2-3 times per week depending on the students’ specific needs.

CREDITS: Varies depending on student’s individual program


History

Global Studies - 9th-10th grade

Students take an intense and in-depth look at the development of humanity, the growth of global civilizations, and the evolution of various religions through the investigation and examination of primary source documents, music, art, and out-of-the-classroom experiences in Global Studies courses at CHA. Students thoroughly analyze, evaluate, and critique the establishment of various forms government around the world and across different eras of time, and judge the effectiveness of these governments. Through unit projects and exams, students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of critical elements and events in world history through the eyes of being a world citizen. Finally, all students will be expected to demonstrate a high level of understanding and analysis of key terms and people by completing an end-of-year project, which will include a research paper and a 5-8 minute technology based presentation of their research paper. NOTE: This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year

 

American History – 10th grade

Students in CHA’s American History course will analyze the major events in the history of the United States of America from the age of the explorers through present day. The course looks at the very first settlements in America, the development of the New World, the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, slavery, the Civil war, reconstruction, the great immigration at the turn of the 20th century, the impact of manufacturing, the creation of unions, the rise of the women’s and civil rights movements, and the great wars of the twenty-first century. NOTE: This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year


History Enrichment

History Enrichment courses are designed to build the content knowledge and literacy needs of individual students. Students will work independently on online curriculum that will address their unique strengths and needs as they build their background knowledge and develop writing skills. These courses meet 2-3 times per week depending on the students’ specific needs. History enrichment courses will begin Quarter 2.

CREDITS: Varies depending on student’s individual program


Mathematics

Integrated Algebra - 9th-10th grade

The goal of the Integrated Algebra Course is to assist students in mastering essential mathematical knowledge and in deepening their critical thinking skills. Students will study number sense and operations, algebra, measurement, and statistics and probability. NOTE: This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year

 

Geometry - 9th-10th grade

The goal of the Geometry Course is to assist students in mastering essential mathematical knowledge and deepening their critical thinking skills. They will study the basic tools of geometry, geometric relationships and constructions, and develop the ability to present valid arguments in written form, justified by theorems. This course will prepare students for the Geometry Regents Exam. This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year

 

Mathematics Enrichment

Mathematics Enrichment courses are designed to meet the math needs of individual students.  Students will work independently on online curricula that will address their unique strengths and target areas for growth. For some students, this may involve more challenging math problems, while, for others, various online content will be used. Results from diagnostic and interim assessments will be utilized to develop the curriculum for each student.

CREDITS: Varies depending on student’s individual program

 

Science

Living Environment - 9th-10th grade

Living Environment is a comprehensive, two-semester, introductory biology course that includes a mandated laboratory component. The topics covered include: life characteristics, scientific method, biological tools, cells, plants and animal physiology, classification of organisms, reproduction, Mendelian and modern genetics, evolution and ecology. The course is designed to prepare students for the Living Environment Regents Exam. To be eligible to take the Living Environment Regents Exam, a student must complete all laboratory activities to the satisfaction of their teacher, with a complete set of each student’s finished labs kept on file, as mandated by the State Board of Regents. NOTE: This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year

 

Earth Science- 9th-10th grade

Earth Science is a comprehensive, two-semester, introductory course that includes geology, astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, and environmental science. It also includes a mandated laboratory component. The topics covered include: rocks and minerals, landscapes, weathering and erosion, insolation, earthquakes, earth’s history, the solar system and the stars. The course is designed to prepare students for the Earth Science Regents Exam. To be eligible to take the Earth Science Regents Exam, a student must complete all laboratory activities to the satisfaction of their teacher, with a complete set of each student’s finished labs kept on file, as mandated by the State Board of Regents. NOTE: This course will terminate in a Regents exam.

CREDITS: 2 credits per year

 

Science Enrichment

Science Enrichment courses are designed to meet the specific science needs of individual students. Students will work independently on online curricula and assignments from their science teacher. Enrichment targets students’ specific areas for growth. These courses meet 2-3 times per week depending on the students’ specific needs. Science enrichment courses will begin Quarter 2.

CREDITS: Varies depending on student’s individual program

 

Physical Education

The course is designed to provide students with the essential knowledge and skills needed to identify, analyze, and evaluate their physical activity. Students will possess knowledge of physical and written assessment in psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains. Students will also participate in the “Fitness Gram” which is a program used to assess students’ health on a yearly basis. This course also engages students in the use of technology periodically specifically geared toward physical education.

CREDITS: .58 per semester

NOTE: Students are required to take and pass PE EVERY SEMESTER of high school, except during the semester they are programmed for Health Education.