High School Course Catalog

Language Arts

• ​English I. Freshmen level English class covering vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing.
• English II. This course builds on the writing fundamentals acquired in English I, giving you a step-by-step approach to writing strategies and a writing process useful for advanced high school and beginning college writing. You’ll also begin your exploration of non-fiction literature. Prerequisite: English I or equivalent.
• English III. Experience hands-on the beauty of language, and understand the spirit, creativity and utility that makes a language great, and make that spirit and creativity an advantage to you when you use the language—whether for art’s sake or for practical applications. In this class you will complete a complex Research Project. You'll learn the secrets and power of a thorough but simplified step-by-step research writing process. Prerequisite: English II or equivalent.
• English IV.  This course allows the graduating senior to demonstrate his/her linguistic skills as well as prepare for post graduation, whether that be entering the work force or pursuing higher education. Prerequisite: English III or equivalent.
• English Essentials I. Students taking this class will focus on essential academic standards for high school freshmen English.
• English Essentials II. Students taking this class will focus on essential academic standards for high school sophomore English.
• Language and Study Skills. An interactive review/refresher of Study Skills, Grammar, Vocabulary, Sentence Construction & Punctuation, and Writing Concepts necessary for success in high school English. This course is powered by award-winning, research based BrainPop multi-media.
• Creative Writing. Creative Writing is designed to give students freedom to express individuality and creativity while practicing mastery of grammatical and mechanical skills necessary in becoming successful writers.
• Creative Writing Independent Study. This English elective class is designed for a mature, self-driven student who loves to write!  It allows a student with a love of creative writing, whether that love be for writing fiction short stories, poetry, song lyrics, a novel, or even collections of non-fiction narrative essays, this class is for you.  This class will allow you to study your preferred writing genre in depth, and it will help you explore the process of self-publishing your work in a physical book format or as an e-book. Prerequisite: Permission from the instructor.
• English Literature Independent Study. Voracious self-driven readers will LOVE this class.  Like science fiction?  Like fantasy?  Like true crime?  Want to prepare for college by reading Advanced Placement titles?  Design your own literature course!  This course is designed to be similar to a research paper course in that it is self-directed in the your choice of topic.  Pick your own "theme" and choose readings from different literature genres.  The course assignments will give examples, but you will be choosing your own theme and readings. Prerequisite: Permission from the instructor.​
  
  

Social Studies

• World Geography. The geography of our planet is a captivating topic: the Andes in Bolivia, the Atlas Mtns of Morocco, the fjords of Sweden, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, the kelp forests of the Pacific, the Cascade Mtns of the Pacific NW, the island of Cuba, the coral reefs of Fiji, the cloud forests of Venezuela, the Florida Everglades, the Geysers of Yellowstone, the Colorado River, the Sahara Desert, the beaches of South Africa, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the old growth temperate rain forests of the Oregon coast, the Ozark Mtns of Missouri and Arkansas, the Mojabe Desert, Siberia, and the Congo... all await our attention. This class is closely aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards.
• U.S. History. This course will focus on the role of the United States in the world from 1865 through the present. We will review the U.S. Civil War and will then move through the periods of post-war Reconstruction, the Progressive Era, World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, The Cold War, Social Change, the end of the Cold War, and the '90s to now. This class is closely aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards.
• American Government. This class will allow us to take a close look at the way American government functions. We will look at the way our government was established with the U.S. Constitution in the late-1700s (and how the Constitution still defines the way our government works today). We will look at the many limits that we place on government power such as the rights of citizens that cannot be taken away by government, the division of government into three branches, and way that federalism gives different powers to different levels -- national, state, and local -- of our government. We will look at the way government is funded through taxes, the way elections are used, and the way government is held accountable. Some comparative government assignments will look at how our government compares with others around the world. This class is closely aligned with the Colorado Academic Standards.
• Geography Essentials. Students taking this class will focus on essential standards for high school World Geography.  
• American Government Essentials. Students taking this class will focus on essential standards for high school Government.

Mathematics

• Pre-Algebra - The goals for this math course are content mastery and growth. Students will learn how to do mathematical problems consistent with their individual knowledge base and Colorado's Math Standards for skills prior to Algebra I. 
• ​Algebra I - This course will focus on topics such as writing, solving and graphing linear equations, inequalities, absolute values, and systems of linear equations, inequalities and absolute values. Students will also work with multiple representations of linear and exponential functions with a review of exponents, including exponential growth and decay. 
• Geometry - This course focuses on basic geometric principles. Major themes and topics include transformations, angle relationships, line relationships, properties of triangles, polygons, circles, 3D shapes, introduction to trigonometry, logical arguments and deductive reasoning, and real world applications of geometric modeling. 
• Algebra II - This class focuses on representation and modeling, algorithms, and reasoning and communication. Students will learn how to explore functions in more depth, deal with exponential functions, take quadratics to the next step, work with linear systems and matrices, work with logarithms and inverse functions, apply more knowledge to polynomial functions and their properties, identify circular functions, apply trigonometric function properties and work with conics. Probability and statistics will also be addressed. Prerequisite: Algebra I.
• Financial Literacy - (only 0.5 credit) - This course provides students with an understanding of personal finance and business related concepts through a mathematical lens. Topics include investing, credit, banking, mortgages, employment, income taxes, budgeting, and planning for retirement. Many mathematical concepts are reviewed during this course. 
• Probability and Statistics - This course focuses on the basics of probability and statistics. Major themes and topics include tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data, probability concepts, and real-world applications for the topics of study. 
• AP Statistics - AP Statistics emphasizes statistical sampling techniques and ways of describing data collected, including determining whether or not the data is clustered in a meaningful way. Also included will be normal probability distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and a study of probability. This course is a common requirement for many college majors.
• Pre-Calculus - Precalculus is a thorough development of equations, functions, their graphs, domains, ranges, and composites of functions. Families of functions studied include: exponential, logarithmic, polynomial, rational, trigonometric. Relevant applications offer the opportunity to apply the learning of each of the family of functions. Trigonometry is the study of ratios based on similarity of right triangles using both degree and radian angle measure in the unit circle. Students study trigonometric equations and the applications of periodic functions in a wide variety of fields. The law of sines and the law of cosines are used to solve for unknowns in triangles.
• ​AP Calculus - Calculus is the study of functions and their behavior. Topics studied include limits, continuity, derivatives, mean value theorems, antiderivatives and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.  These will give the student powerful tools for understanding the behavior of functions, and will also provide students with the ability to solve problems in which the important quantities are in a state of continuous change. Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus

  Science
                Core Sciences (listed in order of complexity)

• ​Physical Science. Physical Science class incorporates introductory Chemistry and introductory Physics in a general science class. Includes a lab component.
• Earth Science. Students learn and practice earth science skills and concepts reflected in the Colorado Model Content Science Standards. Topics to be covered include volcanoes, mountains, earthquakes, plate tectonics, rocks & minerals, erosion, weathering, earth’s history, climate, weather.
• Biology. Biology, (from Latin, meaning the study of life), provides an essential understanding of living things and how they interact with each other and the world around us. From the tiniest cell, to largest population, discover patterns and processes of the living world. Prerequisite: Either Physical Science or Earth Science, or demonstrated high academic performance as an 8th grader. Recommended for all college bound students.
• Chemistry. Chemistry is all about elements (naturally occurring and man made) and how they react with one another.  Most of the time, its all about electrons.  But, we will touch on on some nuclear reactions as well. A knowledge of how elements react with one another, helps us to understand and make use of chemistry. Prerequisites: Biology, Algebra I. Recommended for all college bound students.
• Biology II.  This course furthers the study of biology, (from Latin, meaning the study of life), provides an essential understanding of living things and how they interact with each other and the world around us. Biology II combines the benefits of a quality text resource with the unique opportunities of an online environment to present a course for high school students that focuses on science as content and process. Biology II focuses on flora and fauna - the plants and animals in our world. Prerequisite: Biology I. Appropriate course for college bound students.
• Environmental Science. This college-prep level course is designed to acquaint you with the physical, ecological, social, and political principles of environmental science. The processes of science are used to analyze and understand the inter-relationships between humans and the natural environment.  This is a college-prep level class that involves critical examination of current environmental problems. Prerequisite:  Successful completion of Biology I. Recommended for students wanting to experience environmental science at the introductory college level.

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                         Additional science classes available

• Astronomy. Take a tour of our universe, exploring its many wonderful features along the way.
• Basic Biology. This class exposes students to basic concepts in high school biology.
• Basic Science. This class exposes students to the basic concepts across earth, life, and physical sciences. 
• Credit Recovery Biology. This class is for students who have previously taken and failed a biology class but would like to review the important concepts in biology at the high school level. Prerequisite: Must have previously failed a high school biology class.
• General Science Essentials. This class engages students in the essential, important concepts of introductory chemistry, earth science, and biology. It is designed to present high school level content in a condensed, easy-to-read format.​

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Electives

• eDynamic electives (over 50 electives -check them out!)
• ​Art I - Explorations in Art. Explore various media and techniques in art.
• Capstone Class. This class guides the student through the process of developing and completing a major project. A Capstone Class is a great college prep class and resume builder. It also can be used for meeting the new state graduation requirements if a student's state assessment scores are below the minimum the state requires to show graduation readiness.
• Career and Technical Internship. This course is designed to help students search for, apply for, acquire, document, and get the most positive experience out of a career & technical education (CTE) internship.
• Culinary Arts. This class will introduce you to the science and pleasure of cooking. You will learn and practice a variety of techniques. You will also prepare a variety of dishes – some will be specifically assigned, others you will choose from a list of options.
• Drivers Education.  Students can earn one semester elective credit for completing a Drivers Education program. The rules governing Drivers Education are set by the state. Some students will be eligible for taking Drivers Education online without driving with a driving school instructor. Others will have to have "Behind the Wheel" training with a driving school instructor. Regardless, all OLA students can earn the credit for completing a Drivers Education program. This class explains how to complete a Drivers Education program.
• Film Studies. You will learn to watch movies actively and critically.  Also, you will learn to think, speak, and write critically.  These skills will be demonstrated by film reviews written in essay form. 
• Fly Fishing. This is a Guided Independent Study class focusing on the art of fly fishing. Students will learn, practice, and master essential casts and will learn about a variety of fly patterns.
• Great Women in History. In this class students examine twelve women who have made a significant impact in history.   
• Health and Wellness. This is an introductory elective course to basic health and wellness.  In this class you will learn various ways to improve your health and achieve wellness.  We may know what a healthy life looks like but what is wellness?  Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.  Wellness is more than being free from illness, it is a dynamic process of change and growth for physical, mental, emotional,and social well-being.  Enjoy learning how to make your life more healthy and fulfilling.
• Hunter Safety. You can earn a total of one semester elective credit (0.50 credit) by completing this online Hunter Education class and by earning your Hunter Safety card. If you complete the online class but don't earn your Hunter Safety card you can earn 0.25 credit. The online class teaches you the knowledge you need to have; you earn your Hunter Safety card by learning and demonstrating the skills you need to have. The online Hunter Education class is free. You will have to pay a small fee to attend a hands-on skills session and obtain your Hunter Safety card.
• Independent Study. An independent study is a class a student takes to learn more about an area of interest to the student when a school doesn't already have a class addressing that topic or the student has taken all the classes the school offers for that topic and the student wants to explore the topic at an even deeper level. An Independent Study can also offer a student a pathway for earning credit while engaging in a hobby, skill, or other area of interest that might not seem to fit the traditional mold of a class topic. In an Independent Study, there is not set, pre-developed curriculum. The class guides the student through the process of creating a learning plan describing four essential components of an Independent Study: What do I want to learn? How will I learn it? How will I demonstrate what I've learned? How will my learning be assessed? Students taking an Independent Study must demonstrate a high degree of initiative and motivation. 
• Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).  In this class, students start developing career goals and work on their plan for post-graduation. This class is a state requirement for high school students.
• Intro to Drawing. In this one-semester class, students learn the Five Basic Skills of drawing (Perception of Edges, Perception of Spaces, Perception of Relationships, Perception of Lights and Shadows, and the Perception of the Gestalt). Students complete all exercises in The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
• Introduction to Photography. A portfolio based introduction to photography. Requires access to a camera (digital recommended).
• Keyboarding. This course, through Typing Agent, is an intensive course that will teach beginners how to keyboard correctly and teach more experienced students to keyboard faster. Covered are: alphabetic keys, punctuation, numbers and symbols.
• Music for Listeners. In this class, students explore and interact with music, focusing on Music .as a vehicle for expression of human thought and emotion, the ways people have created music in the past and how music is created today, different styles and genres of music, tools to approach music critically and discover more about the architectures of music.
• Physical Education. To earn your PE credit, you must log a minimum of 130 hours of parent-approved active physical activity for 1.0 credit (one year credit) or 65 hours for 0.5 credit (one semester credit). This can be a mix of many things, such as going to the local recreation center and working out, running, skiing or snowboarding, hiking or backpacking, jogging or brisk walking. If you are unsure as to whether your activity qualifies, please contact the director.
• Teen Parenting. This class is open to teens who have or are expecting a baby. I provides important information about healthy parenting.
• Work Study. Earn high school credit while working a wage earning job that is not related to a CTE Internship (see that class above).