All students take

• English 12 only or English 12 and English Literature 12 or 12AP

Students choose four or five of the following:

• French 12 /Spanish 12
  
• Mathematics 12 or 11
  
• Geography 12
  
• Human Geography AP
  
• Geology 12
  
• World History 12
  
• Art History 12AP
  
• Comparative Government and Politics AP
  
• Economics 12AP
  
• Entrepreneurship 12
  
• Financial Accounting 12
  
• Computer Science AP
  
• Biology AP, 12 or 11
  
• Chemistry AP, 12 or 11
  
• Physics AP, 12 or 11
  
• Calculus AP, 12
  
• Psychology AP
  
• Environmental Science AP
  
• Studio Art AP
  
• Music Theory AP

English Language and Literature 12

In every grade, Brentwood students study a rich and fabulous selection of non-fiction prose, novels, short fiction, verse, and Shakespeare. All Grade 12 students examine the glorious history and development of English Literature, from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf. Students’ binders and minds will be full with biweekly essays in a variety of different styles, vocabulary and grammar exercises (senior students should be able to edit their own work for correctness, but many grammatical lessons of review and minutiae remain), glossaries of literary terms, presentations, and independent reading. The significant forms of writing in Grade 12 are the expository essay, the critical research paper, and the personal reflective essay.

Grade 12 students will sit in the provincial exam in both April and June, keeping their best mark.

Students who choose English 12 spend less time studying pure poetry than do their Literature 12 cousins, and more time honing the interpretational and language skills needed for the provincial exam. Students who opt for Literature 12 receive credit for both Language and Literature 12; the latter course and accompanying examination requires an intimate knowledge of approximately 50 of the greatest texts to ever touch paper. Literature 12 is not a course for students who do not enjoy poetry, language, or analysis; its workload is not for the faint of heart, but its rewards can be weighed in the soul.

Grade 12 Electives

Students choose four or five of the electives that follow:

Mathematics 12

Students generate and analyze exponential patterns. They solve exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric equations and identities. Graphing calculators are used to represent and analyze exponential and logarithmic functions. In the transformations unit students perform, analyze and create transformations of functions and relations that are described by equations or graphs. The topics of chance and uncertainty are introduced in the statistics unit where students ultimately solve problems using probability theory including permutations and combinations.

Calculus 12 AP

All students must possess a graphing calculator for use in this course, a course recommended for all students who will be required to take a calculus course (first year mathematics) at university. This is essentially a first year university course.

Functions and Historical perspective: A review of functions (this will be complemented by the Math 12 curriculum). Historical perspective. Origins of the calculus approach. Contributions by famous mathematicians.

Continuity and Limit Theory: Secants and tangents. Limiting position/limiting value/instantaneous value. Limit notation. One-sided and two sided limits. Continuous functions, discontinuities. Horizontal and vertical asymptotes, limits at infinity. Computation of limits.

The Derivative: Differentiation from first principles. Derivative notation: Techniques of differentiation: Power Rule, Product Rule, Quotient Rule (plus Reciprocal Rule). Higher derivative. The Chain Rule. Implicit differentiation.

Curve Analysis: Conditions for increasing, decreasing, concave up, concave down functions. Definition of point of inflection, critical point. Relative and absolute maxima/minima. First derivative test and second derivative test for classification of maxima/minima. Analysis of the properties of functions through: symmetry, intercepts, intervals of increase/decrease, infinite tendencies, asymptotes (horizontal, vertical, and oblique), concavity, points of inflection, periodicity. Applications of the Derivative: Applied maximum and minimum problems. Related rates. Kinematics — motion along a line. Rolle's Theorem. Mean Value Theorem.

Specific Functions: Inverse functions. Continuity/differentiability of inverse functions. Logarithmic and exponential functions (review of log laws). Derivatives of exponential and logarithmic functions. Derivatives of trigonometric functions. Derivatives of inverse trigonometric functions. L'Hopital's rule for indeterminate forms.

Integration: Analysis of the area problem. The indefinite integral. Integration formulae. Integral curves. Differential equations. Integration by substitution. The definite integral. The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Average value of a function. Slope fields.

Areas & Volumes: Area under a curve. Area between two curves. Reversal of variables/axes. Volumes of rotation computed by slicing (disks and washers) and cylindrical shells.

Techniques for Integration: Integration by parts, trigonometric integrals, cyclic integrals, partial fractions. Enrichment: trigonometric substitution.

World History 12, 1919-1991

World History 12 follows the BC provincial curriculum which covers the aftermath of World War I, the inter-war period, the causes, course and results of World War II, the post-1945 world to 1991, and the collapse of communism in the West. In addition to political events, social and economic issues, such as the changing role of women and the impact of technology, are explored.

Art History AP

AP Art History is designed to provide the same benefits to secondary school students as those provided by an introductory college course in art history: an understanding and enjoyment of architecture, sculpture, painting, and other art forms within historical and cultural contexts. In the course, students examine major forms of artistic expression from the past and present and from a variety of cultures. They learn to look at works of art critically, with intelligence and sensitivity, and to articulate what they see or experience.

Course content spans a broad spectrum: ancient through Medieval including pre-history, the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, early Christian, Islamic, Byzantine, early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic. The course also examines the Renaissance to present including 14th through 16th centuries, 17th and 18th centuries, 19th century and 20th century. In May, students will write the Art History Advanced Placement exam.

Geography 12

This course provides a detailed examination of our physical environment, including geomorphology, climatology, meteorology, soils, and natural vegetation. Human geography includes a study of energy resources, minerals, agriculture, transport and communications, industry, and land use choices. Map and photo interpretation also constitutes a significant part of the final examination which students write in June.

Human Geography AP

The course provides a systematic study of human geography, including a look at the nature of population, cultural patterns and processes, the political organization of space, agricultural and rural land use. Industrialization and economic development within cities and urban land use are also explored. The course teaches the use of spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human organization of space. Software programs that integrate data sets with maps of various kinds are employed to help students image and display patterns of human interactions and changes in resources. An appreciation of how to use and interpret data sets and geographic models is a major outcome of the course including aerial and satellite imagery on scales that range from the local to global. The geography of religion, ethnicity and language are explored from a cultural and historical perspective together with man’s impact on the planet and its ecosystems. The challenges posed by population pressures and economic development are considered from a global perspective as well as through case studies that illustrate particular relationships and principles. Critical thinking and the ability to extract meaning from data are key skills that are developed throughout the course.

French 12

The prerequisites for this class are Advanced French 10, French 11 Core or a strong immersion background. This class may contain former immersion students and strong second language students who will work well beyond the BC prescribed learning outcomes, especially in writing and grammatical understanding. Superior students may wish to challenge the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Spanish 12 Core

Listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills are emphasized, and supported by a sound grammatical preparation. This course is designed for the serious language student who aspires to communicate with a high level of fluency and mastery in Spanish and who wants to better understand the Spanish-speaking world. Students express preferences, give advice, describe activities, persuade, convince, ask and answer questions, express opinions, make predictions, and communicate precisely and concisely. This is done through a thematic approach. The topics studied are travel, health, the media, education, environment, current events and a variety of topics concerning society today. An historical and cultural look at Spain is also explored. Superior students may wish to challenge the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Biology 12

A thorough understanding of biology provides students with a foundation for studies in ecology, the environment and medicine. Biology 12 is an in-depth coverage of human biology. Topics include biochemistry, cell structure and function, and circulatory, digestive, excretory, nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems in the human body. The curriculum may include discussion of many medical issues and emerging biotechnology.

Biology 12AP

Advanced Placement Biology is a two-year course that gives credit for both Biology 11 and Biology 12. A solid understanding of the additional, in-depth material taught in this course may provide students with first-year biology credit in university. Successful completion of the Biology 11AP programme is a prerequisite for this course. Only serious science students with strong academic credentials should consider the AP option. In the second year of the course (12AP) students travel to the Bamfield Marine Research Station on the West coast of the island to study ecology through a variety of field and laboratory projects. The remainder of the first term is a study of human body systems before moving on in the second term to look at biology of plants and their evolution. Other advanced topics such as population genetics and the immune system are explored before a comprehensive review is conducted prior to the Advanced Placement exam in May.

Chemistry 12

This course is designed for students who intend to pursue physical science or engineering in university. Chemistry 12 is a physical chemistry course concentrating on quantitative and qualitative analysis of chemical equilibria. Reaction mechanisms, solubility products, acids and bases, oxidation and reduction reactions, and electrochemistry are all addressed in this curriculum. Although different in content, this material builds on the concepts covered in Chemistry 11. In addition, a thorough understanding of algebra will be required in this course because of its significant mathematical component.

Chemistry 12AP

Chemistry 12 AP covers all of the learning outcomes for both the provincial Chemistry 12 syllabus and the additional topics required for the AP syllabus. The latter includes some of the material and background developed in Chemistry 11 but also topics such as thermodynamics, entropy and enthalpy, free energy and the relationship of changes in these quantities to chemical reactions. Reaction kinetics is treated at a higher level and linked mathematically and empirically to reaction mechanisms. Acid –base chemistry and redox chemistry also receive more in depth treatment as do the concepts of bonding and equilibrium.

Physics 12

This course is designed for students who intend to pursue physical sciences, astronomy or engineering in university. Physics 12 covers a broad range of classical physics material including kinematics and dynamics in multiple dimensions, circular motion and dynamics, gravity, statics and electromagnetism. Additional material such as quantum mechanics may be covered if time permits.

This integrated course requires a thorough understanding of Physics 11 and an aptitude for mathematics. Due to the emphasis on problem solving – both on theoretical problems and in the laboratory – the course is challenging to some students.

Physics 12AP

Advanced Placement Physics is a two-year course that gives credit for both Physics 11 and Physics 12. Successful completion of the additional material taught in this course may provide students with first-year physics credit in university.

Only serious science and mathematics students with strong academic credentials should consider the AP option. In order to cover all of the material for this broadly based course, students must be prepared to learn concepts at an accelerated rate. Students will be required to write both the provincial exam and the AP exam for this course.

Geology 12

In Geology 12 students learn about the physical environment of the Earth through a variety of means including the examination of rocks and natural features, both in the classroom and in the field. Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are explained and compared in terms of their formation and composition. The Earth’s resources are considered in terms of mineral deposits, coal, petroleum and natural gas and their economic significance in our changing world. The development of the Geological Time Scale is explained and discussed with reference to relative and absolute age dating techniques and the fossil record. Plate tectonics and a study of the Earth’s internal processes is a key part of the course in explaining ancient and modern phenomena such as continental drift, mountain building, earthquakes and volcanic activity. The surface processes and the hydrosphere are also considered together with the features and processes associated with weathering, different types of erosion and glaciations. The course has strong links to both the Geography 12 curriculum and Environmental Science AP.

Economics 12AP

This senior level course will examine the current economic issues affecting Canada/ USA while looking outside of our borders to the role that we can play in the ever extending global marketplace. The course will focus on Macroeconomics but students will first examine some Microeconomic components that deal with simple supply, demand, opportunity cost, scarcity and productivity. Macroeconomics issues that will be discussed are economic growth, stability, employment and international trade. Considerable emphasis will be spent on the measurement of the economy and the implications of decisions made by major institutions such as the Central Bank, Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments. Students will write the Advanced Placement exam in Macroeconomics.

Entrepreneurship 12

This senior level course will allow the students to be immersed into the theory and practical aspects of Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship in the last two decades has been looked at and considered a salve for many of the economic ailments of our times. In addition to extensive study of theory, the students will participate in “Project Innovation “ which will challenge them to run a business for a brief period with minimal funding, experience or help. The students will face some very interesting challenges and situations which will make the theory presented later more meaningful. For a large part of the year the students will be required to create a venture from scratch and then implement that venture during the annual Brentwood Regatta in April. Students invest their own money and reap the benefits of their diligence and creativity. This project gives all of the students’ practical experience in many of the problems and challenges the entrepreneur faces each and every day.

Financial Accounting 12

Students in this senior level course will look at many aspects of accounting, but equally important will be the students’ exposure to the discipline required in accounting and the ethical implications in the overall business and economic community. Some of the key areas of study will be include basic accounting principles and the accounting cycle. Students will be expected to distinguish the basic forms of business ownership, be aware of the various career opportunities and accounting designations and become familiar with the use of computer technology in the accounting process and report generation. Students also study internal control systems in the management of a business, the analysis of a financial system of a business by reviewing financial statements and develop an understanding of the stock market activity and terminology. For practical experience the students will be involved in the accounting side of the school store and assist the students in the Entrepreneurship 12 classes as they plan and run their businesses.

Psychology AP

Psychologists are interested in every aspect of human thought and behaviour. This explains why there are more than a dozen sub-fields of contemporary psychology. Psychology AP introduces students to the systematic and scientific study of core concepts and theories concerning such mental processes as consciousness, learning, development, personality, testing, and intelligence. As students investigate normal and abnormal perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and actions, they will learn and employ the methods used by psychologists. This study should enable students to recognize psychological principles encountered in everyday situations, and to apply the concepts to explore their own lives.

Environmental Science AP

A broad understanding of the basic principles of ecology and the physical and chemical systems of our planet underpins this course which then goes on to explore contemporary issues within this context. Students are encouraged to research and debate the latest data on climate change, desertification, habitat loss and species extinction. Projects focus on solutions to minimize the negative impacts of poor environmental practices on ecosystems. Students are also encouraged to take an active role in the school’s Environment Club and to participate in field trips.

Comparative Government and Politics AP

This course covers an introduction to comparative politics, sovereignty, authority and power; political institutions; citizens, society and the state; political and economic change and public policy. Six countries form the core of the AP exam: China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Russia. Students are encouraged to analyze and critique political systems and their historical records as well as gain an appreciation of media influences and cultural bias.

The political spectrum in all its hues and the machinery of government form a backdrop for discussions on current world events and future trends.