Classes I

From Secondheaven

Current revision as of 02:57, 1 February 2008

Classes and classwork in Japanese schools are very uniform. A homeroom is visited by the teachers that instruct their course, and their courses, save two fundamental tracks of learning, are completely uniform up until their third year.

On the class schedules, these periods where students group together are indicated in all caps, and allow for a plug + chug method of class determination - where there's HISTORY, please plug in a history, ecetera.

Years 1 and 2

First and second years can choose whether they are studying:

• World History or Japanese History
• What Art Elective they're taking

Students of the same year will travel to different classrooms to reflect their choice. World History students will take it together regardless of their homeroom number.

Mandatory Subjects

The following subjects are courses that all students have to take if they are a Year 1 + 2.

• Math
• Business
• Science
• The Humanities (Lit + Culture)
• English
• Japanese
• PE
• History Choice
• Art Choice

For Year 2s, the following subject is also mandatory:

• Home Ec

Subject Choices

As previously stated, Years 1 + 2 have to choose a History and an Art course.

For Art, students can choose the following:

• Music
• Art
• Writing

For History, students can choose the following:

• World History
• Japanese/Local History

Third Years

In the third year, students choose which subjects they'd like to focus on in University, and spend a good deal of their class time with fellow third years with similar interests.

Third years must first choose between two paths, Science or Humanities. For each path, they'll have to make further choices, so please read carefully the sections below.

Science

A Third Year that chooses the Sciences path gives up their Art Electives. They also have a much more formulaic schedule, focusing on the ground subjects they've had these years and adding in more fine-tuned scientific focus.

Mandatory Subjects

The courses all Science Majors must take are:

• Science
• Business
• Math
• English
• Japanese
• Anthropology
• PE
• History Choice
• Science Choices

Subject Choices

For Science, students stick with their original History choice of World or Japanese/Local History. However, they must also pick two science courses:

• Chemistry
• Biology
• Physics
• Physical Sciences

Humanities

Humanities students are those interested in the arts or music. They intend to follow the more spiritual and/or artistic paths in university, and focus on their alternative skills.

Mandatory Subjects

The Mandatory Courses for a Humanities major are:

• Humanities
• English
• Japanese
• Business
• Math
• PE
• Anthropology
• History Choice
• Humanities Choices

Subject Choices

Humanities must pick two of the following:

• Japanese Literature
• World Literature
• Art
• Music
• Writing

For History, they are still in the same choice as they picked in their Year 1.

Passing Periods

Though Classes do vary at times for how long they are, passing periods are uniform. Ten minutes between each class. Since students do not often leave the classroom, this ten minute period is spent talking with friends, visiting other friends in different classrooms, adorning hair, or otherwise getting ready for the next class. Each desk, since sat in daily by students, is often personalized - one can TELL that is "Sei's desk," for instance.

Lunch is again, often held within the classroom - so the classrooms really are as uniform and as central to the government of the school as possible!