School Year Courses:
Mathematics, SAT prep, Physics, Chemistry

Mathematics Courses

Grades 1 and 2

ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS

This course is offered once a week in one and a half hour session for the 1st grade and two hour session for the 2nd grade. The course is designed to help the youngest students to develop the basic arithmetic and analytical skills. The main emphasis is on word problems, logical reasoning, and measurements.

Grades 3 and 4

MATHEMATICS

This course is offered once a week in two-hour sessions. The main objective of this course is to lay mathematical background for the future success in studying mathematics. Students are provided with the necessary learning experience to develop computational and problem solving skills. Elements of algebra and geometry are first introduced in this course.

Grades 5 and 6

PRE-ALGEBRA

This course is offered once a week in two-hour sessions. This course provides a concrete approach to algebraic concepts while reinforcing numeric skills. After an intensive review of decimals, fractions and percents, students focus on linear equations, polynomials and inequalities.

Grades 6, 7, 8 and 9

ALGEBRA 1

A three-year comprehensive algebra course is offered once a week in two-hour sessions. During the first year students learn algebraic skills in the area of basic operations with polynomials, algebraic fractions, and irrational numbers. The extensive treatment of word problems and other applications aid students in developing good problem solving techniques. The second year of this course emphasizes the solution of equations and application to problem situations. Topics covered include intensive treatment of radicals, systems of linear and non-linear equations and inequalities, graphs. Students will use higher order thinking to strengthen their problem solving skills. Theory of functions studied during the third year completes this course. Other topics studied include permutations, arithmetic and geometric sequences, probability.

Prerequisite: PRE-ALGEBRA, or consent of the teacher.

GEOMETRY

A three-year complete course of geometry (two hours a week) is offered concurrently with our PRE-ALGEBRA and ALGEBRA I courses. First year topics include angles, polygons, parallel lines and congruence. Students will use deductive reasoning to write direct proofs in two-column format. Second year topics include similarity, circles, areas, and volumes. Students will be introduced to inductive reasoning, formal logic, and indirect proofs. Third year topics include constructions with straight edge and compass, trigonometry of right triangle, coordinate geometry, and solids.

Grades 9, 10 and 11:

ALGEBRA II with PRE-CALCULUS

This course is offered two times a week in two-hour sessions. Topics include but are not limited to a comprehensive study of trigonometry, rational, exponential and logarithmic expressions and functions. Vector algebra, polar coordinates, sequences and series are also studied in this course.

Prerequisite: ALGEBRA I and GEOMETRY, their equivalents, or consent of the teacher.

TRIGONOMETRY

This 16-weeks Trigonometry course is offered once a week in two-hour sessions. Topics include comprehensive study of unit circle, and radian measure; trigonometric equations and inequalities; trigonometric functions, their properties and graphs; formulas and trigonometric identities.

Prerequisite: ALGEBRA I and GEOMETRY, their equivalents, or consent of the teacher.

SAT I and SAT II PREPARATION

These courses are offered once a week in two-hour sessions. Students can take SAT I and SAT II prep courses concurrently with their regular math classes. SAT topics are thoroughly studied during the sessions, homework assignments are given after each class. Students are tested on the covered material each week, real SAT tests are given periodically to develop test taking skills.

Grades 10, 11 and 12:

CALCULUS

This one year course is offered once a week in two-hour sessions. The course begins with a review of functions, limits, and continuity as well as derivatives and integration and their applications. The course will focus on the study of the calculus of polynomial, rational, exponential, trigonometric functions. Calculus of vectors, infinite series and introduction to differential equations are also covered in this course.

Prerequisite: PRE-CALCULUS, ALGEBRA II, its equivalent, or consent of the teacher.

In the past 10 years every FSM student that took CALCULUS received a perfect 5 on the AP Calculus BC Exam which is a credit at most colleges.

Physics

PHYSICS

A concept-oriented course where the development of basic laws are discussed and the concepts involved are used to explain common phenomena. Topics covered are motion, Newtonian dynamics, waves, heat, electricity and magnetism. This course is designed to prepare students for Subject SAT II Physics test.

Chemistry

Chemistry

This course is designed to help student to do well in their study of chemistry and prepare them for Subject SAT II Chemistry test. Topics covered include: The Periodic Table, chemical reactions, chemical bonding, organic compounds, acids and bases, oxidation-reduction reactions, equilibrium.