Freshman Foundations (Career Explorer) (Period 4)

Welcome to Freshman Foundations—a course unlike any other you will take in high school.As an incoming 9thgrader, you are beginning a new stage in your academic career at a new school with new people. This class is designed to help you navigate all these new experiences in two major ways.

First, because high school can be a challenging and sometimes overwhelming academic transition, this class will provide you with the resources and skills you’ll need to be successful, confident, and independent in allof your classes. Together, we will sharpen the academic and organizational tools you will use for the rest of your time in high school and beyond including organization and time management; active reading, writing, and critical thinking skills; note-taking; effective presentation practices; and basic research skills.

Second, this class will provide you with the time and space to think deeply and critically about exactly the kind of person and student you want to be in this new community. Be prepared to reflect on yourself, your life, and the world around you. In addition, get ready to leave this class with a clearer vision of what you want to accomplish, and concrete ideas about how to make that vision a reality.

In short, this is a class about success—what it is, what makes it, and how we can achieve it. In tackling this big topic over the course of the semester, our work will be guided by the following questions:

• How should we define success?
• What makes someone successful?
• Why do some people succeed while others fail?
• How can I create maximum success for myself?