Courses Taught at Beit Hashita

English
(5 Hours per week)

This course is comprised of a chronological survey of British Literature from the Medieval Era (14th century) to the modern period. It includes the study of works from the following literary genres: epic, poetry, drama, short stories and novels. The study of each work will be accompanied by creative group projects. Emphasis will also be placed on the further development of grammar, writing and vocabulary skills, which will prepare students for the SAT examination. Specific works studied in the past include:

Hamlet by Shakespeare
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
Wuthering Heights by Emile Bronte
1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Textbooks: England in Literature by Pfordvesher, Veidemants, and McDonnell; Scott Foresman.
Building an Enriched Vocabulary Orgel.

Geometry
(5 Hours per week)

This is an extensive course in plane geometry with a strong emphasis on geometric proofs. Topics covered include: space geometry, lines and angles, deductive reasoning, congruent triangles, parallel lines, proportion and similarity, basic trigonometry, circles, area, and volume.

Textbooks: Geometry by Hirsch, Schoen, et al.; Scott Foresman.


Algebra II
(5 Hours per week)

Topics covered at a fundamental level include: real numbers, equations and inequalities, graphs and functions, polynomials and factoring, rational expressions, irrational and complex numbers, quadratic equations and functios, equations and numerical methods, logarithms and exponential functions and analytical geometry.

Textbooks: Algebra and Trigonometry - Structure and Method, Book Two by Dolciani, Sorgenfrey, Brown and Kane; Houghton Mifflin Co.


Pre-Calculus
(5 Hours per week)

The goal of this course is to deepen the students' knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Topics covered include: logic, integers, polynomials, polar co-ordinates, complex numbers, vectors, derivatives and combinatorials.

Textbook: Pre-Calculus and Discrete Mathematics by Peressini, Epp, et al.; Scott Foresman

Biology
(6 Hours per week)

Biology is the science of life. This course celebrates the diversity of life forms from the simple virus to the complex human being. Particular emphasis is placed on the concepts of evolution and scientific inquiry. The course includes substantial hands-on experience, laboratory work, critical thinking exercises, and problem solving opportunities.

Textbook: Modern Biology; Holt, Rinehart and Winston


Chemistry
(6 Hours per week)

Students observe chemical systems and stoichiometric relationships and then continue with the study of the development of the atomic model, quantum theory, periodity, bonding theory, carbon and hydrocarbons, solution and chemical equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, gases, redox reactions and radioactivity. Time permitting, topical studies of major elements and groups will be included. Laboratory work is an integral part of this course which stresses the practical application of the presented chemical principles.

Textbook: Modern Chemistry by Metcalfe, Williams and Castka; Holt, Rinehart and Winston.


Physics
(6 Hours per week)

This course combines theory and laboratory work. Topics covered include dynamics, electricity, waves and modern physics.

Pre-requisite: Algebra II

Textbook: Modern Physics by Williams Trinklein and Metcalfe; Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

United States History
(5 Hours per week)

This course is designed as a survey of the major events that shaped American history from early colonization attempts through the present. Topics include: the Revolutionary War, the building of the nation, the Civil War and Restoration, industrialism, World War I, the Depression, World War II and the Holocaust, and the post-war world. This broad chronological scope aims to link the subject matter to the present-day political and social realities. Students are introduced to primary sources and are trained in their analysis. Students are provided with the necessary skills to synthesize information acquired from a variety of sources and to present it in research papers and oral reports.

Textbook: American Voices by Berkin, Brinkley and others; Scott, Foresman & Co.


Global History
(5 Hours per week)

The period covered in this course ranges from the beginning of the French Revolution through the end of World War II. This tumultuous period offers the student the opportunity to explore the roots of many current events. Topics discussed include the rise of nationalism, militarism, imperialism and other forces behind world wide events. Through the sharpening of geography skills and the reading of primary sources, students learn to analyze historical events in their religious, social, economic and cultural context. Primary source material is also utilized to present a survey of historiography.

Textbooks: Medieval and Early Modern Times by Hayes and Clarke; Macmillan Publishing.
Modern Times by Hayes, Faissler and Walsh.


Geography and History of Israel
(5 Hours per week)

This course is designed to acquaint the students with the new environment in which they have immersed themselves. The geography studies include map work examining Israel in the context of the Middle East, geology, and Israel's physical features. The history studies include the historical, economic, political and social development of the country from settlement through the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 to the tremendous challenges that it faces today. An integral component of the course are the 24 on-site field trip days to areas under discussion. The field trips augment and enhance the formal classroom learning. During the year, the students are required to prepare short papers for classroom presentation on relevant topics. A comprehensive library is available to the students. The trips include a total of 120 hours of physical hiking.

Textbooks: Geography of Israel by Orni and Efrat; Israel University Press.
History of the Land of Israel from 1880; Keter
The Arab-Israel Conflict by Gilber; Steimatzky
Carta's Historical Atlas of Israel
In The Shadow Of The Struggle by Birnbaum; Gefen.


The Bible As Literature
(3 Hours per week)

This course is designed to acquaint the student with the narratives, characters, and concepts of the Bible through its study as a literary text. The course includes a general overview of the different Biblical books, their canonization, as well as analysis of different texts. Text selections may be drawn from the following books: Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Prophets, Isaiah, Jonah, Psalms, Job, Song of Songs, Esther, Ruth, and Ecclesiastes.


Physical Education
(5 Hours per week)

This program promotes physical fitness and develops skills and stamina through individual exercises, track and field work, team sports and hiking. Facilities include a swimming pool, football fields, tennis courts, indoor gymnasium and basketball court. Students may participate in several intramural competitions in swimming and track and field throughout the year.

Three levels of Hebrew instruction are offered to meet the varying needs of the participants. All levels aim to improve conversational, vocabulary, reading, grammar and composition skills. Reading material is taken from the wealth of Hebrew literature as well as the daily newspapers. Discussion is centered upon Israel and its political implications for the world. Full advantage is taken of the school's Hebrew speaking environment to help the students absorb and practice the target language. A low student-teacher ratio allows teachers to monitor a student's individual progress.

Level I- No Hebrew knowledge is required for this level. Students are introduced to their immediate environment through learning the vocabulary that is relevant to it. By the end of the course, students will be able to read and discuss simple stories and news items. The will also have become acquainted with the basic grammatical structure of the language and the relationship between root words and their expanded forms. Students will be able to conjugate the more common verb forms.

Level II- This is an intermediate level course for students who already have basic reading and writing skills. The aim of the course is to enable students to converse more fluently, comprehend textual material, further explore the structure of the language, gain advanced grammar skills, and develop an enjoyment of reading in Hebrew. The newspaper is used as an aide in the teaching of reading without vowels as well as serving as a source of class discussions. Supplementary texts include traditional holiday material and a series of reading selections by modern Hebrew authors. Students are required to write compostions on a regular basis.

Level III- This advanced course is for students who speak Hebrew fluently. The emphasis of the course is placed upon the furthering of conversational, reading, grammatical, and writing skills.

Preparation for the new S.A.T. I is offered in English and Mathematics by our faculty throughout the year. The examination is given in Tel-Aviv in the spring. The P.S.A.T. will be administered to the students on campus in the fall.

The work program is an integral part of the educational program and provides the students with the opportunity to become contributing members of the kibbutz society. An effort is made to give as broad a work experience as possible to each student. The program inclues one full day per week during which students work in one of the branches of the kibbutz (industry, agriculture, or service) together with adult members. The students work for a few months in the same branch and are then transferred. The goal is not to produce factory or field workers, but to educate the students to be responsible, orderly, disciplined, and co-operative.
The work program serves to increase the areas of contact between the students and the general membership of hte kibbutz. This social contact not only deepens insights into kibbutz life and Israeli society as a whole, but also greatly enhances the learning of spoken Hebrew. The combination of study and work greatly impacts the students' education and impresses upon them the value which kibbutz ideology places on work.

Creative Drama

(3 Hours per week)

The goal of this course is to develop group cohesion, heightened sensitivity to self and to others, creative expression, spointaneity, and self confidence. At the end of the course, students will make a dramatic presentation before their peers.

Survey of World Literature
(3 Hours per week)

A taste of a variety of literary works from ancient to modern times. Genres studied include epic, drama, poetry and short story. The selections are taken from Greek, Indian, Italian, French, English and Russian literature.

Textbooks: Classics in World Literature by Wood, McDonnell, Pfordvesher and others; Scott Foresman & Co.
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett


Foreign Language: French and Spanish
The ten hour per week Hebrew language course offered at Kibbutz Beit Hashita (see above) is mandatory for all students and satisfies the foreign language requirement of North American high schools. In rare cases where students request an additional foreign language (either French or Spanish), attempts will be made to arrange tutorials at an additional cost to parents. Such arrangements must be approved by the program directory prior to the start of the school year. If approved, students must bring copies of their home school's curriculum and two copies of their text and reading materials.