Math, Science, History: Unraveling the Mystery

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Questions to Ask Yourself

As always, when deciding what classes you wish to take for the upcoming year there are essential questions you must first ask yourself:

Does it interest me? Will I be able to handle the workload? Will I be happy in this class?

1.Does it interest me?

By far the most important question! If a class does not seem interesting from the get-go, that does not necessarily mean you will find it repulsive later into the year. However, this does not mean to continue a class you have no enthusiasm toward (ex: if you found in Freshman year you don’t like studying biology, do not take AP Biology). Putting yourself through a course that you have no significant desire to take can put an unneeded mental and emotional strain on yourself.

2.Will I be able to handle the workload?

If you find yourself in a situation in which you feel that the workload of a class is too tremendous or overly difficult, it might be a good opportunity to reflect on how this class is affecting your social, mental, and physical health. Knowing your limit – and not over exceeding it – is the best tool you can have when looking to take a class.

3.Will I be happy in this class?

Mental and emotional health should be a top priority in the minds of students who are looking to move into higher level or newer classes. If you are dreading or know you will dread going to a class everyday, maybe that class is not for you. I know there are some classes you just can’t stand but are forced to take due to credit requirements, but there are often ways to fulfill these requirements without needing to exceed your personal work limit (ex: if you are not musically inclined but have to fulfill a fine arts requirement, instead of taking AP Music Theory look to taking an intro to art class).

Questions to Ask Your Guidance Counselor

You will soon have a meeting with your guidance counselor to select your courses for the upcoming year. A recommendation would be to have at least an idea of what interests you in terms of classes (ask yourself the three big questions) and to have some questions to ask your counselor that will make the process smoother. A few of these questions could be:

What would you say was the overall average of the class last semester/year?
Will this class fulfill any of my graduation requirements?
Will this class help me to pursue a career or college major that interests me?
Will this class fit in my schedule? (both in school and outside of school)

Questions to Ask Your Peers

Peer input is one of the best ways to understand and develop a sense for the style, difficulty, and rigor of a class. Look to people who have previously or are currently taking your desired class and ask a few questions about what the class is like day-to-day. I would advise getting multiple opinions before forming your own. Your artsy friend might not have loved chemistry but the boy who sits next to you in math might have loved it. We sent the following questions out to the student body and asked them to talk about the classes they’ve taken. Read their responses below!

What was/is the difficulty of the class?
Was the class focused more on day-to-day assignments or long term projects?
What is the testing style? (Multiple choice, Short Answer, etc.)
What is the teaching style? (Lecture, discussion, etc.)
Do you feel you have accomplished anything that will benefit a specific career or college major?

A Few Classes to Take a Look At

(Note: this data was collected and compiled through a google survey that was sent out to the student body. All responses come directly from YOU- the students of MLHS)

History

US History (Honors)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1-2
  Advice About Class: Take notes on everything, pay attention, and don’t mess up on any of the assignments. Even though textbook readings feel endless and torturous, try not to slack off with homework and you’ll be fine. DO THE READINGS. DO THEM. There are notes online that summarize the readings quite succinctly, but don’t JUST rely on them. Pay attention to discussions in class.
- Style of Class: It is mainly a lecture with a lot of note taking. Fair amount of note taking every class period with big discussions from time to time. Socratic Seminar (I took Mr. Ziccardi’s class).
- Benefit of Class: It will lead you to AP US 2, and can also help you with other courses, such as AP Government. You learn a lot of important American history.

AP Euro
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: One reading quiz every week, 2-3 in class essays and short answers every quarter. The writing assignments are all old AP exam questions.
- Advice About Class: There is no structure to this class. Get readings done at a reasonable time. Give yourself time to study and pay attention to the big themes of each unit.
- Style of Class: One assigned reading every week that is long and sometimes boring. No projects and papers, all reading and lectures. Lectures are based on PowerPoints and you should take notes.
- Benefit of Class: Readings are similar to the college workload. Knowing history is beneficial for college.

AP Gov
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1-2. Tests every couple of weeks. The tests are multiple choice with AP style free responses.
- Advice About Class: Take detailed notes in class. Use your time in class wisely to get work done. There are also a lot of opportunities for extra credit.
- Style of Class: Focused on weekly assignments with heavy notes. Mix of open discussion and lecture. Very good blend for the material. There were some long term assignments for the bigger concepts (examples: the mock congress and the create a country project). Interactive teaching style.
- Benefit of Class: Great preparation for the AP exam. You learn very important and relevant information for day to day life. Would be helpful for poli sci/history/pre-law majors. I received college credit and it helped me realize that as a poli sci major, this is a career path I want to take. I feel much more prepared to engage in political debates and more politically aware.

APUSH
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1-2, small pop reading quizzes like every 2 weeks. Test questions are both AP style multiple choice and short answer from old AP exams.
- Advice About Class: Do the readings!! The quizzes are not an issue if you are on top of your work. Take your own notes and focus on key themes for the writing assignments.
- Style of Class: Both lecture and discussion/debates. Lots of reading. Occasional projects done in class and at home. Guided notes in class.
- Benefit of Class: GPA Booster. I learned a lot about American History which has informed my worldview. 10/10 recommend for Quiz Bowl players. The AP exam is very easy if you know how to write a DBQ. Taking AP World before this class makes it easy. Helpful if you will be a pre-law or history major. I got a 5 with minimal studying.

AP World: Modern
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 5, There are reading quizzes at least once a week and bigger writing assessments every so often, Weekly trust but verifies (reading quizzes) for readings, and around bimonthly DBQs, LEQs, and SAQs.
- Advice About Class: DONT PROCRASTINATE! Pay attention in class and definitely do all of the readings. Don’t mess up on the large assignments.
- Style of Class: Seminar style in class, extreme note taking recommended for readings…or you WILL fail. Lecture/ discussion with note taking.
- Benefit of Class: Learn time management. Possibly college credits and if you want to go to college for history you will have some knowledge about it already. It will prepare you for AP Euro, AP Art History, and several of the other AP histories. It also creates a better understanding of the different cultures around the world.

Honors Holocaust Seminar
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 3-4, 5 but they are not traditional quizzes, they are project-like assignments
- Advice About Class: Pay attention. Do the homework and pay attention in class. Note taking isn’t necessary, but is nice to have.
- Style of Class: Lecture/ discussion/ many notes and writing assignments. Variable note taking depending on personal ability
- Benefit of Class: More knowledge! The class covers a lot of interesting material. This includes philosophy, psychology, The Holocaust, its aftermath, its effect on the world, and much more. The class also broadens one’s mind to the horrors of the world, but shows how life lessons can be taken away from it. 10/10 highly recommend this class.

AP Econ (Micro/Macro)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 2-3. Some pop quizzes. The bigger quizzes and tests are usually a mix of AP style multiple choice and free response questions.
- Advice About Class: Do the readings when they are assigned and do not miss out on easy points! Sometimes you get a really bad grade on a test and you need those points to help your average.
- Style of Class: Lecture with some notes. Some long/group projects, but mostly small and individual. Information is all over the place. Readings assigned occasionally, a lot more during Micro.
- Benefit of Class: You learn personal finance, which is essential for life. You also learn a lot of interesting things about economies around the world and about important concepts like unemployment. It helps to take APUSH/AP US Gov before this class since it explains a lot about the US economy.

Languages

Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 7 majority 3-4
- Advice About Class: Lots of studying time required, more so than most put towards AP or Honors level classes. Get on the teacher’s good side and pay attention in class. Study very hard. If you have Mr. Krumholz for Spanish 2, some of his tests can be hard.
- Style of Class: Extreme homework every night and on weekends. In Spanish 2, there is minimal note taking, lots of lectures/discussions.
- Benefit of Class: Looks good to colleges.
Honors Spanish 3, 4
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 2-4
- Advice About Class: Study and pay attention! Pay attention and do a lot of self studying. Participate a lot in class and self study as the grammar can get tricky to grasp immediately in class.
- Style of Class: In Honors Spanish 4, there are a lot of discussions with practically no notes, very interactive. Some notes and independent learning. In Spanish Four Honors there is a lot of discussions and learning through hands on activities, stories and sometimes videos. As for notes, they will be rarely taken.
- Benefit of Class: I think I’ve become a lot better in Spanish as a result of Sr. Krumholz and Profe Larkin’s classes! Gracias! It will lead to AP Spanish and can make you multilingual if you go all the way. This class definitely exposes you to different ways to apply your prior knowledge of both the Spanish language and culture. In learning through conversation, literature and videos, it reflects what you will experience in the real world, which is extremely helpful. Because the class is also heavily grammar based, it will prepare you for AP.

Latin 1, 2
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 2-3
- Advice About Class: Focus on learning through the packets and use online resources.
- Style of Class: Various Activities of reading and writing Latin
- Benefit of Class: Easier to learn other languages. Understanding English vocabulary better. Reading Roman artifacts.

ASL 1, 2, 3
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 2
- Advice About Class: It can be an easy and fun course, but if you slack off and don’t pay attention all the time in class you will have a hard time. Pay attention to the signs and actually do the homework
- Style of Class: Discussion, videos (watching and making), homework not a crazy amount. No notes, just paying attention and interacting with peers.
- Benefit of Class: Being able to talk with everyone in the school and it’s a good language to know. Interaction with deaf peers, and memorization skills are improved.

AP French
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1-2 at most. Most grades are speaking/listening activities or projects. The quizzes and tests are infrequent and usually a mix of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answers.
- Advice About Class: If you are shy about speaking French in class or do not want to participate, this is not the class for you. Ask a lot of questions! The class is small so if you have a question, someone else probably does too.
- Style of Class: Discussion based class. You need to constantly participate and speak French. The projects are usually group projects. This class is focused on cultural comparisons and a review of past years of French. There are very few new concepts introduced. Not a lot of homework. You do a lot more high-level reading in French.
- Benefit of Class: Fulfills a foriegn language requirement in college. You are pretty well prepared for the AP test. You learn a lot about French culture in and out of Europe.

AP Spanish
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: Rarely any tests, some huge vocab quizzes. Your grade is mostly based on homework. Essays help prepare you for the AP exam.
- Advice About Class: Do your homework and be thorough with your work.
- Style of Class: Very discussion based. Almost no lectures.
- Benefit of Class: The discussions improved my Spanish and my public speaking skills.

Math

AP Calc (AB + BC)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 2-4
- Advice About Class: Work hard and do the work needed. This class is not meant for everyone, so if you’re on the fence you shouldn’t take it. AB may seem like the easier option, but that is not necessarily true. The class moves slower but the tests are difficult and it is a decent workload.
- Style of Class: There is a lot of notes. You should know what different Greek letters mean in math also. Notes and homework out of the book. Some opportunities for extra credit in AB (you will need them).
- Benefit of Class: Taking this course directly prepares you for physics and engineering, but can also develop high reasoning skills. Even if you don’t take the exam, it is helpful to know Calculus for college.

Algebra 2 (Honors, Enriched)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 2
- Advice About Class: Do the homework and study extra before tests. Pay attention in class and do the work. Seeing the teacher for extra help is beneficial.
- Style of Class: Ton of notes. Depends on teacher, but for my class (Mrs. Harrington) it is guided notes done with teacher as a class.
- Benefit of Class: It will lead to higher maths, with the highest being Honors Linear Algebra. It also develops crucial thinking and problem solving skills. Useful for applied engineering and higher level math and science courses.

Geometry (Honors)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 4
- Advice About Class: Watch Khan academy videos before tests it’s actually a lifesaver and what saved my grade. Study your notes a lot. Do the study problems.
- Style of Class: There’s more notetaking in the beginning of the year, but overall not an insane amount and worksheets.
  Minimal note taking. Gives lots of examples. A mix. Some notes, some discussion, some practice
- Benefit of Class: I think proofs are just helpful in general for the rest of high school. This class introduces them and in a fun way too! Hard work. It teaches you how to work with shapes really well, and how to do proofs. If you plan on working with big structures or with small-scale model cars, this class would be for you.

Science

Chemistry (Honors, Contemporary)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 3.5
- Advice About Class: STUDY and pay attention. Also do the homework.. Don’t forget Nomenclature. Don’t slack on the homework and always ask if you don’t know what’s happening.
  For Contemporary Chemistry, you really need to pay attention and take notes. Depending on whether or not you’ll have an ICS person, she’ll take notes and post them online. If you have a hard time understanding something talk to the teacher or go on youtube and look up “The Organic Chemistry Tutor.” They post lessons and they have helped me so much.
- Style of Class: Extreme Note Taking + Demos. Lectures with notes and demos. For Contemporary Chemistry, lecture, minimal note taking, once a week labs
- Benefit of Class: Learning how to time manage. It will lead to AP Chem, and develop higher order thinking. It is also mandated to take. If you wish to go into a science field, you’ll know your elements and chemical reactions.

AP Bio
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1
- Advice About Class: Study on your own & take advantage of class downtime. Take advantage of AP Classroom. It does not prepare you for the AP test unless you do extensive self studying.
- Style of Class: PowerPoint (notes), case studies/labs. Lecture style.
- Benefit of Class: It relates to what I’d like my college major to be. A high score on the AP exam can get you college credit.

AP Physics (1, 2, C)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: We have tests and quizzes, but they aren’t frequent. We also have AP Friday (AP style physics questions with a time limit). In Mr. Merritt’s class, we usually have 2 quizzes per chapter and then a big test.
- Advice About Class: Try hard, stay focused, and ask questions! You get a lot of downtime in my physics class. Use this time to work on the homework in class and ask questions. There are also pop quizzes but you tend to have an idea of when they are coming.
- Style of Class: I’m in AP Physics 1 with Merritt. He teaches us sometimes (kind of lecture I guess?) and we also do a lot of independent work. It is expected that it gets done, and we go over it if we didn’t understand it.
- Benefit of Class: I’m not sure, but if you are thinking of pursuing physics or a STEM career, you should take the class. It is a lot of fun, and there are a lot of cool demos so don’t miss out on those!

Forensics
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 3
- Advice About Class: Write down the notes.
- Style of Class: Note taking, lecture (but very entertaining). Combination of note taking and hands-on activities/labs.
- Benefit of Class: Helps figure out what profession one might want to pursue. If you’re interested in crime scene investigation or law enforcement, this class might be helpful for you. Just know that there is a decent amount of calculation involved!

English

British Literature (Honors)
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1-3
- Advice About Class: Pay attention to your writing, proofread a lot.
- Style of Class: Discussion with minimal notes, writing assignments and comprehension questions
- Benefit of Class: It will lead to the AP English courses, as well as improve your literacy and grammar.

AP Seminar
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 1, if any
- Advice About Class: Be diligent when writing your essays, and be sure to have someone review it.
- Style of Class: 10% Discussion, 90% Individual work, 0% note taking. (THIS CLASS IS GREAT BECAUSE THERE IS NO LITERARY ANALYSIS OR SYMBOLISM)
- Benefit of Class: It’s an AP so that’s obviously good. Also, persuasive writing is a skill useful to everyone.

AP Language
- Average number of quizzes/tests per month: 4
- Advice About Class: Do not take this class if you don’t like writing. You have to write an in class essay every two weeks and do an AP style multiple choice as well.
- Style of Class: In class essays and participation. This class is more about writing, not reading. You discuss the book you are reading at the time, but it is not your traditional English class.
- Benefit of Class: I am learning to write more concisely. It also helps you write under time constraints and will help in college. Ms. Cesaro is a great teacher and you do so much practice for the AP test. Almost everyone got a 5.