Junior High Core Courses

Students are all in different places at this very important time in their lives. San Tan’s mission is to offer social and academic choices that inspire happiness and support success for all students. College and Career readiness opportunities are available as early as 7th grade.

At San Tan Charter School, academic excellence is more than just achieving good grades. It is about maximizing a student’s intellectual development through a strong course of study, and vast opportunities to participate in Honors, Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and other enrichment programs.

Review our Core Courses below and visit our Elective Courses to learn more about how San Tan Charter School supports our student’s college, career, and creative interests.

Gifted & Advanced Classes

The previous self-contained gifted class now has the option of moving as a cohort through advanced core classes which allows the teachers to set an appropriate pace and depth of content that meets the needs of each individual student.

Advanced Math students are offered the choice of accelerating to a math class that challenges their abilities accordingly.

7th Grade

Math II

Course 2 consists of a structured approach to a variety of topics such as ratios, percents, equations, inequalities, geometry, graphing and probability.

ELA 7 & Advanced

English Language Arts II will focus on the theme of choices and their effects on people’s lives. Throughout the course, students will extend their exploration on the role of personal voice in writing. They will look at the function of narrative elements such as plot, symbolism, theme, imagery, etc. Students will analyze audience, purpose, and point of view. Through consistent practice and learning strategies, students will continue to hone their reading and writing skills. Collaborative work will give students the opportunities to improve interpersonal communication skills as well as more formal presentation skills. Students should be aware that writing is a primary focus for this course.

Social Studies 7 & Advanced

Seventh grade students will be studying American history, spanning from Colonial America through the Civil War. Students will cover content ranging from the creation of the United States, the foundations of American government, the African slave trade, and the the Civil War. Students will utilize primary sources, secondary sources, and multimedia research to increase their ability to draw connections between the past and present, analyze socioeconomic trends, and further their understanding of civil society.

Science 7 & Advanced

Students will explore how forces cause changes in motion and how energy is transferred in geologic, atmospheric, and environmental processes. Students investigate forces and motion in a wide variety of systems, model how heat energy drives cycles in weather and climate, and explain how ecosystems maintain structure and stability. Student investigations focus on collecting and making sense of observational data and measurements using the science and engineering practices: ask questions and define problems, develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, use mathematics and computational thinking, construct explanations and design solutions, engage in argument from evidence, and obtain, evaluate, and communicate information. Students will focus on understanding phenomena though patterns, cause and effect, and structure and function.

8th Grade

Math III

Course 3 provides a solid foundation in order to fully prepare students for Algebra 1.

ELA 8 & Advanced

English Language Arts III focuses on the theme of challenge. Students explore challenges from multiple perspectives– personally, locally, and globally. Students focus on analysis of heroic archetypes and characters and character traits, while also reading and evaluating elements of both fiction and nonfiction texts. Students continue to hone their writing skills through projects such as writing essays to define a concept, persuade an audience, and present point of view. Students speaking, listening, and performing skills are enhanced with opportunities for both formal and informal presentations.  Students should be aware that writing is a primary focus for this course.

Social Studies & Advanced

Eighth grade students will be studying American history, spanning from the Great Depression through modern times. Students will cover content including, but not limited to, the Great Depression, World War Two, the Holocaust, the Cold War, and modern socioeconomic and political environments. Students will utilize primary sources, secondary sources, and multimedia research to increase their ability to draw connections between the past and present, analyze socioeconomic trends, and further their understanding of civil society.

Science 8 & Advanced

Students will describe how the constant interaction of stability and change and the process of cause and effect influence changes in the natural world. Students will apply energy principles to chemical reactions, explore changes within Earth and understand how genetic information is passed down to produce variation among the populations. Student investigations focus on collecting and making sense of observational data and measurements using the science and engineering practices: ask questions and define problems, develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, use mathematics and computational thinking, construct explanations and design solutions, engage in argument from evidence, and obtain, evaluate, and communicate information. Students will focus on understanding phenomena through cause and effect, stability and change, and energy and matter.

Advanced Placement

Course content, pace, and academic rigor is college level as adopted by the College Board program and is geared to enable students to pass the AP test. These courses provide credit toward high school graduation and students earn an additional grade point according to the weighted grade process. Check with prospective colleges regarding their AP credit policies. AP Testing fees apply.

Contact the Guidance Center for criteria and applications.

OFFERINGS:

  • AP American History
  • AP Biology
  • AP Calculus
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP English Language
  • AP English Literature
  • AP U.S. History
  • AP World History

Dual or Concurrent College Classes

Dual credit or concurrent credit classes are classes that are offered by Chandler Gilbert Community College on the Power Campus, online and at the CGCC campuses. These are college level classes that receive both college and high school credit. Students enrolled in these classes must meet both the expectations of the high school and the community college including any prerequisites and/or testing.

Please see the community college and/or our guidance office for additional details. Course fees and college tuition apply.