Birmingham University School - Equestria Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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Course of Study The curriculum of Birmingham University School is planned to offer the best possible preparauon for college entrance. It is the desire of the administration and faculty of the School that every student who graduates from BUS be able to enter the college of his choice and pursue any course of study with success. In order to do so, we believe that while in the lower grades--four through seven--the student must master the skills of reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic and obtain basic knowledge of history, geography, languages and science. In the upper grades--eight through twelve--he must receive both depth and scope in the traditional liberal arts: English, history, science, mathematics and languages. These requirements can be met in our program only by the study of these subjects each year. Thus, there are no electives at BUS, except that the student may choose the particular foreign language to be studied in each grade. Furthermore, there are no vocational courses, and extracurricular activities are limited to those that are of most certain educational value: student council, debate, athletics, student newspaper and yearbook. In pursuance of this course of study, each student in the lower grades studies six or more subjects each day. Beginning high school level courses are gradually being introduced into the eighth grade, leaving room for more advanced courses in the eleventh and twelfth grades. The present ninth, tenth and eleventh grade students are required to carry five academic subjects and approximately half of the students in the twelfth grade are carrying five. This requirement of five subjects will progress one grade each year, reaching the twelfth in 1962-63. As this required course of study becomes effective, more advanced courses will be offered in sciences, mathematics and history. Also, students will be permitted to choose between Latin and Greek for a minimum of two years of ancient language and among French. German, Russian and Spanish for a minimum of two years of a modern language. Those who begin in the eighth grade, therefore, will have five years of foreign language, as well as five years of high school level science courses. To make this type of curriculum feasible, each section of a grade is limited to a maximum of eighteen boys. This means that, in general, each class--except physical education--comprises eighteen or fewer. Each student receives individual supervision of his performance in the classroom and of his preparation of assignments. Homework is assigned with the expectation that each student will study diligently during the fifteen minutes of supervised study time at the end of each class, during his one or more study periods each day and at least two hours at home in the evening. Many students find that they need to devote more lime than that to study; others do more simply because they enjoy it. During the year of 1960-61 there are two sections of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, which permits assigning students to a section according to ability and academic progress. As the expansion of facilities permits, additional grades will be doubled until each grade has two or more sections. ( 8 ]

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Library The completely new and rapidly growing library already has over 1900 volumes, which concentrate in reference works, biography and classics--as well as an unusual selection of national and international magazines and newspapers. Reading Classes Available to all students are remedial reading classes. Staffed by instructors especially qualified in this field, these classes provide greatly increased speed and comprehension. [ '7 ]

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Subjects Taught in Each Grade Grade 5 Grade 9 English Grammar and Composition Arithmetic Geography North American Spelling Reading General Science Conversational French Physical Education Grade 6 Civics English Grammar and Composition Arithmetic Geography South American Spelling Reading General Science Conversational French Physical Education Grade 7 English Grammar and Composition Arithmetic History American Spelling Reading Geography World Conversational French Physical Education Grade 8 English Grammar, Composition, Reading, and Spelling Arithmetic or Algebra General Science Civics and American History Ancient or Modern Language Physical Education English Literature, Grammar, and Composition Algebra Ancient or Modern Language Biology Ancient and Medieval History Physical Education Grade 10 English Literature, Grammar, and Composition Algebra II Modern European History Chemistry Ancient or Modern Language Physical Education Grade 11 English Survey of American Literature, Grammar and Composition Plane and Solid Geometry American History including Alabama History Physics Ancient or Modern Language Physical Education Grade 12 English Survey of English Literature, Grammar and Composition Trigonometry College Algebra History of Philosophy Logic Ancient or Modern Language Advanced Science Physical Education [ '9 ]