New Curriculum Introduced

To Meet with Suggestions of State Education Board.

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WON’T INTERFERE WITH PREVIOUS ENROLLMENT

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Students Attending Last Year Not. Affected by Innovation,

But May Conform Thereto.

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The opening of the New Ulm high school on Monday, August 31, will mark the beginning of a simplified high school course of study for the entering Freshmen. This new course of study has been introduced to meet with suggestions of the State Board of Education. It will not affect the plans of students who were enrolled in the local high school during the past school year, although the Juniors and Sophomores will be given an opportunity to shift their enrollments from the old to the new courses, provided the schedule will not interfere with such changes. It is anticipated, however, that the students enrolled in the high school, one or more years, will continue the courses which they have already selected.

Five Courses Were Offered.

In past years, five courses have been offered students of the local high school, including:

Latin Course–Ninth Grade: English I, Algebra, Latin I, and one elective subject. Tenth Grade: English II, Geometry I, Ancient History, and Latin II. Eleventh Grade: English III or Public Speaking, Latin III, Modern History, and one elective. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Latin IV, Civics 2,American History 1, and one elective.

English Course–Ninth Grade: English I,Algebra, and two electives. Tenth Grade: English II, Geometry I,Ancient History, and one elective. F Eleventh Grade: English III, Public Speaking, Modern History and Physics. Twelfth Grade: English IV,Civics 2, American History 1, and two electives.

Scientific Course–Ninth Grade: English I, Algebra, Biology, and one H elective. Tenth Grade: English II,Geometry I, and two electives. Eleventh Grade: English III or Public Speaking, Chemistry, Algebra II (1), Geometry II (2), and one elective. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Civics 2, American History 1, Physics, and one elective.

Commercial Course–Ninth Grade: English I, Algebra, Commercial Arithmetic, Commercial Geography 2, and one elective. Tenth Grade: English II, Geometry I, Bookkeeping I, and one elective. Eleventh Grade: English III or Public Speaking, Book–keeping 2 or Commercial Law 1, Economics 2, Typewriting I, and Stenography I. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Civics 2, American History 1, Stenography II, Typewriting II

Domestic Science Course–Ninth Grade: English I, Algebra and Home Economics I (two credits). Eleventh Grade: English III or Public Speaking, Chemistry, and two electives. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Civics 2, American History 1 and two electives.

Many Elective Subjects.

The elective subjects provided under the old five-course system included the following:

Ninth Grade Commercial Arithmetic, Commercial Geography, Shop I, friends at Winnipeg, Canada. Latin I, Home Economics I (two credits), and Biology.

Tenth Grade–Shop II, Bookkeeping I, German I,Ancient History, Latin II, Home Economics I or II (two credits), and any Ninth Grade elective.

Eleventh Grade–Bookkeeping 11, Stenography I, Typewriting I, Mechanical Drawing, Modern History, Public Speaking, Chemistry, German II, Commercial Law, Economics, Geometry II, Algebra II, Home Economics II (two credits), and any Tenth Grade elective.

Twelfth Grade–Physics, Stenography II, Typewriting II, Home Economics III (two credits), and any Eleventh Grade elective.

Consolidated Into Three.

The five old courses heretofore offered high school students here, have been consolidated into the following three courses:

General Course–Ninth Grade: English I, Algebra, General Science and one elective subject. Tenth Grade: English II, Geometry, Modern History, and one elective. Eleventh Grade: English III, American History, Biology or Physics, and one elective. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Social Science, Chemistry, and one elective.

Commercial Course–Ninth Grade: English I, Algebra, General Science, and Bookkeeping I. Tenth Grade :English II, Modern History, Bookkeeping II, Commercial Law (first semester), and Commercial Geography (second semester).

Eleventh Grade: English III, American History, Typing I and Stenography I, and one elective. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Social Science, Typing II and Stenography II, and one elective.

Home Economics Course–Ninth Grade: English I,General Science and Home Economics I (two credits). Tenth Grade: English II, Modern History, and Home Economics II (two credits). Eleventh Grade: English III, American History, Biology, and one elective. Twelfth Grade: English IV, Social Science, Chemistry, and one elective.

Elective Subjects–German I, German II, Ancient History, Latin I, Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, Higher Algebra (1/2 credit), Solid Geometry (1/2credit), General Home Economics, Manual Training I, Manual Training II, Mechanical Drawing, and Glee Club and Orchestra. The latter two electives are given not more than one credit for the entire four-year high school course. All other elective subjects count one credit except as otherwise indicated.

Two Subjects Added.

The subjects have been so shifted hat these three courses will include all the subjects offered in the five old courses, and two additional ones-General Science for the Freshmen, and a course in Social Science for the Seniors. The subject of Public Speaking has, in accordance with recommendations of the State Department of Education, been consolidated with Junior English (English III),which is a compulsory subject in that grade. Neither will credit henceforth be given for Typewriting separately from Shorthand. These two subjects must be taken in conjunction, if credit is expected.

Three Courses in One.

The new General course is a consolidation of the old Latin, English and Scientific courses. By choosing proper electives, students can make this course serve a variety of purposes o fit individual needs and desires. It can be used as a college preparatory course, for it includes the constants (compulsory subjects) and electives which are necessary as entrance requirements to the various colleges of the state and schools of the University of Minnesota.

Great Flexibility.

Using the General course as a basis, the students who expect to study engineering, will be advised to choose the following electives: Manual Training in the Freshmen year, Biology in the Sophomore year, Physics in the Junior year, and Algebra and Solid Geometry in the Senior year, with an additional elective, Mechanical Drawing, in either the Junior or Senior year, if an average of 85 per cent has been maintained in the previous year’s work.

The students who, after graduation, plan on entering a medical department, will be advised to choose the following electives in this course: German I in the Freshmen year, German II in the Sophomore year, Biology and Physics in the Junior year, and Chemistry, Higher Algebra and Solid Geometry in the Senior year.

Prospective dental students will be advised to select the same electives as prospective medical students, while young people desiring to take up the study of pharmacy, following graduation from high school, will be advised to substitute Latin for German in the above choice of electives.

Prospective law students can fulfill all the requirements for university entrance by graduating from the General course, with Latin I and II, and Ancient History as electives. Those young people who are planning a career as teachers, will take the General course, choosing Manual Training or Home Economics subjects as electives. Girls desiring to enter nurses’ training, can secure the necessary preparation by taking either the General or the Home Economics course.

May Provide for Trades.

Young men who expect to enter the trades or other vocational occupations, will select the General course, with Manual Training and Mechanical Drawing as electives. If the suggestions of the State Department of Education are carried out, the usual Manual Training subjects will be altered so as to include more material pertaining to general industrial training. Instead of being mainly a course in woodworking, as has been the case heretofore, it will also include forge work, sheetmetal work, electrical wiring, printing, cement work and other trade training.

Commercial Course.

The Commercial course is intended primarily for students who plan to become stenographers and clerks. However, it will serve as a preparatory course for college, if Geometry is selected as an electory course for college, if Geometry is selected as an elective in the Sophomore year.

Variables in one course may be selected as electives in all others. A variable is a subject required in one course, but not in others. For example, Bookkeeping is a variable, being prescribed in the Commercial course, but not in all courses. An elective is a subject which is not prescribed in any course. For example, Ancient History is an elective subject in all courses. A constant is a subject required in all courses. For example, English is required in all courses.

Other Recommendations.

The State Department of Education has further recommended that Ancient History be offered as a Freshmen elective, instead of as a constant or a variable in any of the courses. The new Modern History course devotes about one-fourth of the study time to a review of Ancient History as a background for the Modern History. These recommendations also transfer American History from the Senior year to the Junior year and make it a whole-year subject, which is to be followed in the Senior year with a whole year of Social Science, including subject matter which deals with modern citizenship, social and economic problems.

General Science is introduced and made a constant in all courses for the Freshmen year. Mathematics is made an elective in the Home Economics course, instead of a constant, as it used to be.

Mainly Affect Freshmen.

All of the changes referred to above have been made in accordance with recommendations of the State Department of Education. They mainly pertain and affect entering Freshmen, although Sophomores and Juniors may, at their discretion, shift from the old to the new plan. Seniors are in no wise affected by the changes.

The recommendations of the State department have been prompted by an effort to provide subject matter which is of the greatest vital importance to young men and young women as future citizens of this country.

Brown County Journal,

August 21, 1925

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