College Prep - Stepping
up to challenges for college
Academic Programs for Ages 14-18
If you are a bright, hard-working, and motivated student, Cushing’s College Prep Program offers a five-week learning experience to help prepare you to meet the challenge of a college-level curriculum.
Upon successful completion of the course you enroll in, Cushing will award you a full year’s academic credit. Of course, you must be in attendance for the entire session in order to receive credit.
NOTE: If you are seeking to transfer credit to another school, you should make prior arrangements with that school and notify the Summer Session Office of those arrangements.
You choose one of the following courses, from the humanities, mathematics, or the sciences. On a typical day, each College Prep course meets for five hours; students receive a total of 120 hours of instruction in their chosen course.
English
Responding to Literature Through Critical & Creative Writing
“Of all those arts in which the wise excel, Nature’s
chief masterpiece is writing well.”
— Duke of Buckingham Sheffield
(1649–1720), “Essay on Poetry”
Perhaps no other skill is as important to your academic and professional success as writing. In this course you and your classmates and teacher pay close attention to the writing process as well as to the different kinds of writing that allow you to
stretch your mind and talents.
The course draws upon a variety of acclaimed short
stories, essays, and a novel to illustrate various genres
of writing for different purposes. After reading
and discussing these works, you engage in expressive
writing that comes from personal experience, including
description and narration. You then turn to an
extensive study and practice of the different kinds of
expository writing, including definition, classification,
illustration, comparison and contrast, argumentation
and critical analysis. Frequent in- and out-of class
essays build your ease and effectiveness as a
writer.
Having gained a solid foundation in the various
modes of discourse and in the writing process itself,
you explore the world of writing by composing original
work in any of the creative forms that appeal to
you, including fiction, poetry and drama. By the end
of the course, you have built a portfolio of your
writing that is bound and, if you choose, shared
with the rest of your class. If you wish,
you may share your work with the entire
community at an all-school assembly in
the final weeks of Summer Session.
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A Literary Tour of New England
Most students read Thoreau at some point in
their academic career. How many read an excerpt
from Walden while sitting in front of Thoreau’s
cabin, looking out at one of the most famous bodies
of water in literary history? We have all marveled at
the poetic brilliance and rich cadences of Robert
Frost’s poetry. How would you like to read one of his
poems while sitting on the rock wall at his farm in
Derry, New Hampshire?
Of course, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
is a standard requirement of any rigorous course in
American Literature. Would you like to see the desk
on which he began his first serious work at the
beginning of his literary career, in the house he
rented from his neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson?
This course offers more than literature—it goes
beyond the written page to include hands-on experience
with the places, the people, and the culture in
which some of our greatest writers produced their
most renowned works. In addition to reading works
from such writers as Melville, Emerson, Hawthorne,
Thoreau, Dickinson and Frost, you may visit where
these writers lived, met one another, walked and
worked. Join us in this intensive tour of the greatest
imaginations and most historic monuments in our
nation’s history.
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History
United States History
Over 500 years in the making, the United States of
America was created by a wide diversity of people
from around the world, perhaps including your distant
or recent ancestors. In this class you examine the
emergence of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society in
British North America, beginning with the pattern of
colonial settlement and the development of American
culture. You will investigate the causes of the American
Revolution, the process of writing and ratifying
the Constitution and the development of a two-party
system of government.
The major political, economic, social and cultural
forces that shaped America are explored from the
early 19th century to the Kennedy years. You conclude
this intensive historical survey course with a
study of the emergence of the United States as a
world power from 1898 through two World Wars, the
Vietnam conflict and the break-up of the Soviet
Union. Materials include a textbook augmented by
secondary works, films, guest speakers, and original
source materials.
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Math & Sciences
Mathematics
Note: TI-83 graphing calculators are required for you
to bring as problem solving tools that are used throughout
these courses, along with computer technology. (These may
be purchased in the School Bookstore.)
Algebra I
Beginning with an intensive review of arithmetic
before moving on to the basic concepts of algebra,
you will learn all of the concepts that are typically
covered in a yearlong Algebra I course, including linear
and quadratic equations, the laws of exponents,
radical and rational functions, solving equations, and
inequalities. Not only will you build a strong algebra
foundation, but you will also sharpen your analytical
skills so that you are able to solve complex problems
successfully in future mathematics and science
courses.
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Geometry
In this intensive geometry course, you will:
- solidify your understanding of the properties of two and three-dimensional figures,
- work with visual perceptions of three-dimensional
figures
- develop skills for effective use of deductive reasoning as a primary problem-solving tool.
Some of the topics you will cover include: parallel
lines and planes; properties of triangles, quadrilaterals
and circles; congruent and similar triangles, area
of polygons; trigonometry and coordinate geometry.
Successful completion of Algebra I is a prerequisite
for enrolling in this course.
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Algebra II
If you are in transition to higher level math, enrolling
in Algebra II is an excellent choice for the summer.
Topics investigated in this course include linear relations,
quadratic functions, exponents, and logarithms
and their applications. Successful completion of both
Algebra I and Geometry is a prerequisite.
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Precalculus
Have you ever wondered how your previous mathematics
courses fit together? In College Prep Precalculus
not only will you review important concepts
from algebra, geometry, and basic trigonometry, but
you will also explore how they interconnect and
pave the way for delving into higher-level mathematics.
Topics covered in this course include functions
(linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic)
and their graphs, trigonometric functions, conic
sections and systems of equations. Successful completion
of Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II is a
prerequisite.
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Calculus
If you have maintained an honors (85% or higher)
average in Precalculus and would like to challenge
yourself mathematically this summer, Calculus is the
perfect course for you! Some of the topics you will
master include:
- functions and their graphs,
- limits of functions,
- the derivative and applications thereof,
- related rates, extrema, implicit differentiation,
- L’Hopital’s rule, antiderivatives, the definite integral
and applications thereof,
- logarithmic and exponential functions and othertranscendental functions,
- techniques of integration and a review of practice Advanced Placement questions.
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Sciences
Biology
During the first two weeks of Biology, you become
familiar with the chemical structures within cells.
The second two weeks emphasize the basic principles,
terminology and methodology of genetics. In
the final week, you study complex organisms and
systems. How these systems work to maintain homeostasis
(dynamic balance) and to respond to stresses
placed upon them becomes the major emphasis by
the end of the course.
Throughout, you learn to use various methods of scientific
investigation while collecting data, making
careful observations and interpreting results. You
spend significant time in the laboratory, where you
become familiar with research instruments including
microscopes, spectrophotometers, pH meters, conductivity
meters, analytical balances, water baths
and Van Doren bottles.
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Chemistry
Chemistry deals with the myriad of substances that
make up our environment, their relationships to
each other and their transformations. You begin the
study of chemistry by learning about the units of science,
the manipulation of numbers in science, types
of matter and atomic theory. You then master the
symbols, formulas and equations that make up the
language of chemistry and explore the ways in which
they are used.
Kinetic theory, with particular application to the
states of matter, lays the foundation for further investigation
of thermodynamics, solutions, kinetics and
equilibrium, acids and bases. At the end of the
course, special topics are introduced.
The laboratory plays an important role in this course
because experiments are designed to enable you to
use standard chemical equipment and procedures.
Successful completion of Algebra II and Biology is a
prerequisite.
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Physics
In this course you develop a thorough understanding
of mechanics and the major conservation laws of
energy and momentum. You come to understand and
appreciate these ideas as you apply them to the
workings of the universe. Toward that end, you study
the principles of electricity, optics and Newtonian
mechanics.
Through experiments and labs, you learn to organize,
manipulate and summarize experimental data into
charts, graphs and tables, propose and justify a
sequence of steps leading to a solution, and evaluate
the advantages and disadvantages of a solution to a
physics problem. Successful completion of Algebra
II, Chemistry and Trigonometry is a prerequisite for
enrolling in Physics.
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World Languages
Intermediate Mandarin
If you have worked assiduously in your beginning
or beginning intermediate Mandarin course all year
and are concerned about forgetting your characters,
stroke order, syntax, and tones over your summer
vacation, or if you wish to accelerate your proficiency
in Chinese, Cushing’s new intensive intermediate
Mandarin course may be just what you need to
achieve your goals.
What is more, with small classes, dedicated teachers,
plenty of practice, and myriad opportunities to learn
about Chinese culture—cooking, film, art, music,
and everyday life—, you will not only bolster your
skills and fluency, but you will increase your confidence,
which will translate into more success in
Mandarin once the school year begins. Successful
completion of a beginning Mandarin (Level 1) course
is a prerequisite.
