HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM

First Year to Fourth Year (Grades Seven to Ten)

Westfields International School High School program fosters a lifelong love of learning and prepares students for productive experiences in college and beyond. Teachers are interested in how their students learn and in helping them establish learning strategies. Through our enriched curriculum, students gain knowledge and self-esteem. Students at Westfields embrace learning in an informal atmosphere of respect. Teachers become friends who care about what is happening to their students inside and outside the classroom, who encourage their students to think deeply, and to test themselves in all areas.

We are a caring and supportive community that helps students fully realize their potential. We exercise young peoples' minds and bodies, nurture their creativity, capacity for compassion, and sense of humor, and help them build an awareness of their responsibilities to their communities and the world. As a result, students grow exponentially while they are here. Relationships developed at Westfields between and among students, teachers, administrators and parents are often lifelong.

High School Curriculum

FILIPINO

The Filipino curriculum focuses in communicative language learning so that the learners can meaningfully express themselves in both oral and written communication. Philippine literature is adapted in its approach.

ENGLISH

The English Department Curriculum Framework provides a four-year program which affords students a wide spectrum of instruction. This instruction ranges from providing a non-English speaking student the instruction necessary to function in an English speaking environment to those skills necessary to succeed within a college or university environment.

The English core curriculum encompasses listening, speaking, reading, literature (including required CORE literature consisting of two selections from the traditional canon and one multicultural selection per year), spelling, vocabulary, study skills, usage, writing, and reasoning skills. Every student will also be given the opportunity to experience courses that provide challenges beyond the requirements of the core curriculum.

The English Framework provides a variety of enrichment courses designed to improve and/or enhance a student?s knowledge and appreciation of the language and literature. An independent study course allows students and teachers to develop an English course that is not offered in the regular instructional program, while flexibility within the English scope and sequence allows students to appreciate better the courses while choosing literature that best suit their needs and abilities.

SCOPE

The scope for the English curriculum includes literature from the following areas: Literature Organized by themes in 7th grade, Literature from Around the World; in the 8th grade, American Literature: in the 9th grade, and British Literature in the 10th grade.

WORLD LANGUAGES

CHINESE 1 (Grade 7)

Students in this course will:

 Begin to learn basic vocabulary and sentence structure needed to communicate in everyday situations.

 Listen and speak meaningfully in Chinese.

 Become acquainted with Chinese-speaking areas of the world

CHINESE 2 (Grade 8)

Students in this course will:

? Continue to build knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and sentence structure.

? Continue to improve communication skills.

? Become familiar with dining, shopping habits, and family life in China.

? Explore the cultural and historical sites of China.

CHINESE 3 (Grade 9)

Students in this course will:

? Speak, listen , read and write meaningfully in Chinese.

? Describe their present and future leisure activities, the weather and seasons, a city, and shopping.

? Begin to describe their daily routine.

? Continue to investigate Chinese culture.

CHINESE 4 (Grade 10)

Students in this course will:

? Continue to improve communication skills.

? Continue to describe their daily routine and good health habits.

? Talk about family celebrations, holidays and eating in the Chinese world.

SOCIAL SCIENCE

The major purpose of social science education is to prepare students to be humane, rational, understanding, informed, and participating citizens in a diverse society and in an increasingly inter-dependent world--students who will continue to progress toward a just society.

To function effectively as citizens of the community, Pampanga, the Philippines, and the world, students need to appreciate the Filipino heritage and their common human, historical, and cultural background, as well as to esteem their own and others' individual and group heritages.

To function effectively in society, the individual needs a breadth of knowledge about social situations and necessitates developing the knowledge and skills necessary to interact with others.

The individual needs an awareness of the ways in which other men and women have derived answers to the crucial questions of human existence. The individual needs the skills of acquiring and validating knowledge. The individual also needs the ability to appreciate the perspectives of others and to have the capacity for understanding multiple perspectives on historical and social phenomena. The individual must understand that the crucial questions of human existence are ethical as well as emotional and intellectual.

As participating members of a democratic society, men and women must know how to cope with social problems and how to use reason, evidence, judgment, and freedom of choice. They must be able to act with responsibility and to accept and respect the rights and dignity of others. The individual must have a well  developed value system and be willing to act upon it, either independently or as a member of a group

Each student is entitled to receive a broad, balanced, well-planned, and well-integrated series of learning experiences in the social sciences throughout the educational program. Instruction in the social sciences must be compatible with the developmental characteristics of young people.

GOALS

• Knowledge - the traditional and obvious sources of knowledge are the social science disciplines. The use of data, concepts, and generalizations is drawn from the various social sciences to understand how societies develop and function.
• Skills - are a major component of the social science program. The use of a variety of problem - solving skills is appropriate to social science disciplines.
• Values - values are enmeshed in all social institutions and in all matters of public policy. The understanding and appreciation of different social and personal values are an important function of the social science disciplines.
• Social Participation - the successful citizen of the nation and the world is one who can and does participate and interact in a variety of social situations.

SCOPE

The scope for the social science curriculum includes content from the following areas: Anthropology, Philippine History and Philippine Government, World History, World Geography and Cultures, Economics, Psychology and Sociology.

MATHEMATICS

Within the broad curriculum, each student has the right to receive preparation in logical thinking and mathematical methods. This preparation should be sufficient to meet the needs of each student and provide the foundations necessary to function successfully as an adult. Students will be provided with the basic, fundamental concepts and skills that are needed in everyday living. As part of that, a strong background will be provided for those who will continue their advanced academic work.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:

• To develop skills for counting.
• To develop the abilities to use mathematics for problem-solving in theoretical situations and daily living.
• To develop skills for representing, analyzing, and solving problems.
• To apply problem-solving skills in daily living.
• To develop skills for using calculators, computers, and other devices in solving problems.
• To develop the abilities to compute with accuracy and efficiency.
• To develop skills for using number operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).
• To develop skills for using the properties of numbers in computation.
• To develop the abilities to use geometric concepts.
• To develop skills for using the properties of geometric figures.
• To develop skills for interpreting data.
• To develop the skills for using standard units of measurement.
• To develop the abilities to use the concepts of measurement.
• To develop skills for estimating.
• To develop the abilities to use the concepts of probability and statistics.
• To develop skills for using patterns of numbers in problem solving.
• To develop skills for graphic representations of mathematical relationships.
• To develop skills for interpreting data.
• To make recommendations based on inferences.
• To develop skills for using coordinate geometry.
• To develop skills for recognizing and using geometric figures in the environment.

SCOPE and SEQUENCE

Students who enter high school will adhere to the following sequence: in the 7^th grade, Fundamentals of Mathematics (Introduction to Algebra and Geometry); in the 8^th grade, Algebra; in the 9^th grade, Geometry and Trigonometry; and in the 10^th grade, calculus and Descriptive Statistics.

SCIENCE

The world has become an increasingly complex place governed by laws and theories other than those political or economic. The Science department is dedicated to not only enriching a student's understanding of the natural and physical world but to enable students to have a most positive interaction with the environment. It is our fondest hope, that with this excellent training in the sciences, students may pursue any of these and related fields and thus make a deep and wise impact on our fellow humans and the occupants of this planet, our only home.

GOALS

• Develop in students the habits of intelligent inquiry, thoughtful research, organized experimentation, and critical analysis. This shall include developing skills to express scientific ideas clearly, interpreting data, and organizing a diverse body of material into a coherent whole.
• Encourage students to use these acquired skills in other academic disciplines and everyday life.
• Foster in students a spirit of cooperative learning.
• Develop students' enthusiasm about and confidence in the ability to succeed in the sciences.
• Prepare students with sufficient breadth and depth in the sciences so as to maximize their potential for excellence in any future scientific endeavor.
• Gain perspective and understanding of the natural world and the students' role in it.
• Develop in students a sense of the absurd.

Four year- long courses of laboratory science are required for graduation. The science courses include Integrated Science, Biology and Environmental Science, Chemistry and Physical Science.

Physical Education Program

The physical education requirement is 4 units of non-academic credit, one unit each year. Students must enroll in the following courses:

1. Physical Education and Fitness (Grade 7)

Students in this course will:

? Develop an awareness of methods to improve ones present level of physical fitness.

? Be given the opportunity to improve present physical fitness level through individual, dual and team activities.

? Acquire knowledge of the history, rules and regulations in the activities covered.

2. Strength and Conditioning (Grades 9 and 10)

Students in this course will:

? Understand and demonstrate proper weight training and power lifting techniques.

? Understand how strength, speed, power, flexibility and agility are related.

? Design and demonstrate a personal strength training program.

? Determine proper nutritional goals.

3. Recreational Sports (Grade 8-9)

Recreational Sports perpetuates a rich tradition of friendly, competitive athletics for everyone in the Westfields community. We view recreational sports as a way for the community to come together, participate in athletics, and use as a rallying point for social life at Westfields. Our program offers several different sports guaranteed to promote fitness and a competitive edge. Sports include basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton, and more.

One sport or one-trimester activity per year will satisfy this requirement.

4. Dance (Grades 7)

The dance department consists of five levels and a performance group. Students learn modern dance, jazz, and ballet techniques, and have classes in anatomy, choreography, dance history, and special styles such as hip hop and tap.

5. Aerobics / Music (Grade 10)

This course emphasizes cardiovascular fitness through involvement in aerobic exercise to music, power walking, running and step aerobics. Specific muscle toning exercises will be taught; along with the units in monitoring pulse rate, body fat, nutrition, and anatomy and the function of specific muscle groups. A brief aqua aerobics unit will also be included.