2024 – 2025
Learning Strategies & Literacy Courses
Course & Program of Studies
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School seeks to provide students with the opportunity to engage in a broad variety of enriching educational opportunities. The elective courses described in the Program of Studies offer students the opportunity to develop and pursue their interests through the individual choice of a variety of learning experiences that augment the core academic and technical curricula.
In addition, some enriching courses may be required for students who, through testing, have demonstrated specific areas that need improvement. These required electives are specifically geared to enrich student learning in targeted areas.
Literacy Courses (9th and 10th Grade)
These courses support and strengthen achievement in core curriculum subjects through disciplinary literacy strategies, media literacy, and digital literacy. In a vocabulary-rich classroom, students will increase comprehension of informational and complex texts, learn to determine the authority of online resources, increase efficacy in using databases and create digital presentations to showcase their learning.
Learning Strategies
Math Strategies I is a course designed for freshmen who have a demonstrated weakness in certain mathematical skills. This course will review all basic operations, fractions, decimals, and percentages. Simple equations, order of operations, patterns, graphs and ratio and proportions are also topics that will be covered. The main objective of the course is to provide students with additional mathematical skill-building time to afford them the best possible chance to earn a proficiency rating on the Sophomore MCAS Math test.
Math Strategies II is a continuation of Math Strategies I for designated sophomores. In addition to the skill building component found in the Math Strategies I course, students will focus on review of Algebra and MCAS Math Test preparation. Students will incorporate test-taking strategies, and focus on improving their performance on open-response questions. This course will have a strong focus on skill building, vocabulary, test-taking strategies and MCAS Math preparation.
This course is designed to contribute to preparing students for the tenth grade English Language Arts (ELA) MCAS test. The course will focus on multiple choice and open response test taking strategies and will emphasize improving critical reading skills, increasing vocabulary use and using textual evidence in writing. Students will learn these skills via the use of such strategies as understanding prefixes/suffixes, annotating texts and evaluating peer writing. Students will be required to maintain a binder of work that will count as their final portfolio grade for the course.
This course designed to contribute to preparing students for the tenth grade English Language Arts (ELA) MCAS test and the grade 11 English class. The first and second trimesters of the course will focus on ELA MCAS long composition test taking strategies and will emphasize evaluating composition prompts, organizing an essay and developing a thesis statement and topic. The third trimester will focus on SAT preparation, MLA formatting and research strategies. Students will learn these skills via the use of such strategies as creating a composition outline, sequencing ideas and evaluating peer writing. Students will be required to maintain a binder of work that will count as their final portfolio grade for the course.
The Biology I strategies course prepares students for the Biology MCAS test. The course will begin with an understanding of the scientific method and test taking skills. Students will encounter standards in the areas of The Chemistry of Life, Anatomy and Physiology, Cell Biology, and Ecology. Students will apply test-taking strategies to sample multiple choice and open response items.
The Biology II strategies course is a continuation of the Biology I strategies course that prepares students for the Biology MCAS test. Students will encounter standards in the areas of Cell Biology, Genetics, Evolution and Biodiversity, and Ecology. Students will apply test-taking strategies to sample multiple choice and open response items. The Biology MCAS will be taken at the end of this course.