The school welcomes students from Grade 10 to 12.
Notre-Dame International High School's (NDIHS) current curriculum includes US High School as well as French language courses. NDIHS offers students an American-styled high school education in English, leading to the US High School diploma.
In addition to the American curriculum, the school offers French language courses to non native French speakers. Courses administered by the French school (Notre-Dame “Les Oiseaux”) and in French include:
All other courses are administered in English by the American program (Notre-Dame International High School).
2024/2025 course offerings will be available early September 2024.
AP Coordinator/Administrator: Mr Daniel MASON
Please Note: All courses are two semesters, except where noted. Course offerings are subject to change. Classes may be cancelled if they do not meet minimum enrollment requirements.
The English Language and Literature course focuses on giving students the skills necessary to use the English language for a variety of purposes and show students how to appreciate the core features of different literary genres and techniques. The classes are reading, analysis, and discussion-based, with a consistent writing element, regular group work, and in-class presentations, giving students the competence to understand and employ both expressive and analytical skills in the English language and the ability to converse and write about literature in a meaningful and relevant manner.
1) English 10 (Lang and Lit I)
Texts take center stage in the Lang&Lit I classroom, inspiring and preparing all students for close, critical reading and analytical writing. This course trains the reader to observe the small details in a text to arrive at a deeper understanding of the whole. It also trains the reader to appreciate authors’ sometimes-subtle choices, developing an awareness of how words produce effects and how the conventions of the English language are used for both precision and style. As writers, students focus first on crafting complex sentences, building this foundational skill; they then move on to producing well-organized paragraphs and, as the year progresses, more sophisticated, longer-form analyses.
UNIT 1 - Compelling Evidence - Essays and Arguments
UNIT 2 - Telling Details - Short Stories & Visual texts
UNIT 3 - Persuasion in Literature - Drama
UNIT 4 - Introduction to the Novel
UNIT 5 - Pivotal Words and Phrases - Poetry
UNIT 6 - Voice in Synthesis - Memoir/Graphic Novel
2) English 11 (Lang and Lit II)
Lang&Lit II builds on the foundation of the Lang&Lit I course, with an emphasis on the recursive moves that matter in preparing students for the challenges of college-level reading, writing, and discussion. While Lang&Lit I introduces the fundamental routines of close observation, critical analysis, and appreciation of author’s craft, Lang&Lit II requires students to apply those same practices to a new host of nonfiction and literary texts. As readers, students develop a vigilant awareness of how the poet, playwright, novelist, and writer of nonfiction alike can masterfully manipulate language to serve their unique purposes. As writers, students compose more nuanced analytical essays without losing sight of the importance of well-crafted sentences and a sense of cohesion. Each unit of Lang&Lit II culminates in a writing task that reflects the rigor of similar tasks they will eventually encounter on standardized writing exams, in AP English courses, and in college classes.
UNIT 1 - Moves in Argument - Essays and Arguments
UNIT 2 - Moving Characters and Evocative Settings
UNIT 3 - Big Stories for Huge Themes - Drama
UNIT 4 - Powerful Novels
UNIT 5 - Purpose in Poetry - Poetry
UNIT 6 - Life on the Page - Memoir/Graphic Novel
3) AP English Literature and Composition
The AP English Literature and Composition course is designed and taught thematically with an emphasis on core readings along with modern and contemporary selections that illuminate and expand upon a variety of themes. AP English Literature and Composition closely follows the requirements described in the AP English Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description (CED), including the fundamentals of literary analysis and introductory college composition. Each week students discuss and engage in a variety of writing activities focusing on argumentation, interpretation, analysis, rhetorical strategies, exposition, structure, and style. Students read and study a variety of novels, plays, poems, and short stories from the 16th century to the present. The course focuses on the experience of literature, the interpretation of literature, the evaluation of literature, and writing to develop stylistic maturity and sophistication.
4) Literature and Performance
The literature and performance course aims to explore the relationship between literature and theatre. The main focus of the course is the interaction between the literary skills of close reading, critical writing and discussion and the practical, aesthetic and symbolic elements of performance. The course is organized into four parts, each focussed on a different aspect of literature and performance. Together, the four parts of the course cover the critical study of literary and theoretical texts, the exploration of chosen approaches to a text, and the realization of texts in performance. Students engage with a wide variety of textual genres to explore the concept of transformation, examining the ways in which the contexts of production and reception shape meaning.
UNIT 1 - Drama - script to stage
UNIT 2 - Film - script to screen
UNIT 3 - Traditions, theories and styles - Eastern Practices
UNIT 4 - Poetry
UNIT 5 - Genre - Novels & Short Stories
UNIT 6 - Collaborative Project
1) U.S. History
This course loosely follows the AP U.S. History (APUSH) time periods and incorporates materials from both AP resources and the Choices Program from Brown University, tailored for high school engagement. Students will delve into texts thoughtfully and rigorously, analyzing and discussing a range of supplemental readings, articles, and primary historical documents. Interactive assignments and collaborative activities will play a key role, encouraging hands-on engagement with history.
U.S. History includes a curriculum ranging from Pre-Columbian Societies (1450) all the way through the 2000 Election. The major goal of this course is to instill an understanding and analysis of American History.
Period 1: 1491-1607: You’ll learn about Native American societies as well as how and why Europeans first began to colonize the Americas.
Period 3: 1754-1800: You'll explore the events that led to the American Revolution and the formation of the United States and examine the early years of the Republic.
Period 5: 1844-1877: You’ll learn how the nation expanded (US-Mexican War), and you’ll explore the events that led to the secession of Southern states and the Civil War.
Period 7: 1890-1945: You’ll examine America’s changing society and culture and the causes and effects of the global wars (Spanish-American War) and economic meltdown of this period.
Period 8: 1945-1989: You’ll learn about the Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States, the growth of various civil rights movements, and the economic, cultural, and political transformations of this period.
Period 9: 1980-Present: You’ll learn about the advance of political conservatism, developments in science and technology, and demographic shifts that had major cultural and political consequences in this period.
2) Economics (semester course)
We all live in a globalized world, where having a basic knowledge of economics is necessary to participate thoughtfully in civic life. Studying economics not only endows students with a powerful framework for understanding many of the institutions that impact our lives, it also allows them the basic tools to critically read and reflect on the discussions about these. A basic level of economic literacy is now a requirement for our students.
Unit 1: 2 weeks: Economics and choice
Unit 2: 3 weeks: Demand and Supply, and Prices, market structures
Unit 3: 2 weeks: Partners in the American Economy
Unit 4: 2 weeks: Money, Banking Finance
Unit 5: 3 weeks: The Role of Government
Unit 6: 2 weeks: The Global Economy
Floating Unit - 3 weeks : Personal Finance
3) US Government (semester course)
The course will cover political theory, the processes and institutions of federal, state, and local government, the influence of public opinion and media, and civil rights and civil liberties. Current political issues will also be discussed at length.
Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy
Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government
Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs
Unit 5: Political Participation
4) AP Human Geography
AP Human Geography introduces students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences.
Unit 1: Thinking Geographically
Unit 2: Population and Migration
Unit 3: Cultural Patterns and Processes
Unit 4: Political Patterns & Processes
Unit 5: Agriculture & Rural Land-Use
Unit 6: Cities and Urban Land-Use
Unit 7: Industrial and Economic Development
Unit 9: Research Project
5) World History Modern
World History Modern 1 is structured and begins with Unit 1 based on AP guidelines. In this first unit, we study the cultural, economic, political, and social developments that have shaped the world.
Unit 1 – The Global Tapestry c. 1200 to c. 1450
Unit 2 – China on the World Stage Case Study
Unit 3 – The Iranian Revolution -
Unit 4 – Independent Research Project of Student’s Choice based on time period
6) Ethnic Studies
This Ethnic Studies course is designed to help students become politically, socially, and economically aware of their personal connections to both local and global histories. By examining the histories of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, and culture, students will develop respect and empathy for individuals and foster solidarity with communities across the world. The course emphasizes the contributions and struggles of different racial and ethnic groups in their pursuit of liberty, equality, and justice, not only in the United States but also in a variety of global contexts. Students will explore the historical dynamics of power and privilege and analyze their impact on disadvantaged groups' ability to navigate societal structures that shape the human experience globally.
Units:
1. Introduction to Ethnic Studies
2. Migration, Movement, and Displacement
3. Power and Privilege
4. 20th and 21st Century Problems and Progress
5. Application and Action (Final Research Project)
8) Business
Business is a course divided into two main sections: personal finances and introduction to
business management. This design provides a double perspective that mirrors the supply-and demandeconomic principle or the bookkeeping double-entry principle.
Units:
Personal Financial and Economic Education
Introduction to Business Management
All math courses require the use of a TI – 83+, TI-84 or TI-84+ calculator. Students should have their own GRAPHING calculator. (NOTE: Faculty can provide only limited assistance on non-TI calculators).
1) Integrated Maths 10 (Algebra 2)
Algebra 2 is designed to build on algebraic and geometric concepts. It develops advanced
algebra skills including the study of functions, complex numbers, polynomial expressions,
exponential and logarithmic expressions, sequences, and series. The course also includes an introduction to trigonometry and statistical concepts.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Understand and apply the properties of algebraic structures.
2. Analyze and graph various types of functions and their transformations.
3. Solve polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric equations.
4. Apply concepts of sequences and series.
5. Understand and apply basic principles of probability and statistics.
Unit 1: Descriptive Statistics
Unit 2: Inferential Statistics
Unit 3: Synthetic and Analytic Geometry
Unit 4: Trigonometry
Unit 5: Sequences and Series
Unit 6: Linear Functions
Unit 7: Quadratic and Polynomial Functions
Unit 8: Exponential Functions
Unit 9: Logarithmic and Radical Functions
2) Integrated Maths 11 (Pre Calculus)
The course explores mathematical topics from the standpoint of graphical, numerical, and algebraic/symbolic representations. Topics covered include: equations and inequalities, functions and graphs, polynomial and rational functions, exponentials and logarithms, trigonometry, trigonometric identities, and brief introductions to derivation and integration.
Semester 1
Unit 0: Review: 2-3 weeks: Fundamentals for precalculus
Unit 1: Introduction to Functional Analysis 4 weeks: Domain and Range, Intervals for increasing, decreasing and constant functions, operations on functions, function composition, continuity and discontinuity.
Unit 2: Analysis of polynomial Functions:4 weeks Solving polynomial equations analytically,
graphically, polynomial inequalities, Synthetic Division, factor and remainder theorems, zeros of graphs and multiplicities, relative extrema, points of concavity, sketching graphs.
Unit 3: Analysis of Rational Functions: 3 weeks: , Vertical and Horizontal Asymptotes, Slant Asymptotes
Semester 2
Unit 4: 4 weeks: Exponential, Logarithmic, Logistic Functions: Exponential, Logarithmic, Logistic functions, Modeling, Graphs, Properties, Solving, Financial Math.
Unit 5: 5 weeks: Introduction to Trigonometric Functions: Angles, Triangles, Circular
Functions, Graphs of sinusoids, Tangent, Cotangent, etc., Composite Trig Functions, Inverse Trig Functions.
Unit 6: 3 weeks: Analytic Trigonometry: Identities, Proofs, Sum and Difference Identities, Multiple Angle Identities, Law of Sines and Cosines.
Unit 7: 3 weeks: Limits, Derivatives, Integrals: Derivatives and Integrals
3) AP Calculus AB
AP® Calculus AB is equivalent to a first-semester college calculus course. Topics include functions, limits and continuity, derivatives, and integrals. The course will focus on applying the skills and concepts of calculus to modeling and solving problems across multiple representations.
Unit 1: Limits and Continuity
Unit 2: Differentiation: Definition and Fundamental Properties
Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions
Unit 4: Contextual Applications of Differentiation and Rates of Change
Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation including Analysis of Functions
Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change
Unit 7: Differential Equations
Unit 8: Application of Integration
General Conditioning.
Students work to improve the five components of physical fitness:
This course may also include the following individual & team sports:
Students learn the rules and techniques of each sport and practice their skills in games and tournaments.
1) Integrated Sciences 10
Welcome to Integrated Sciences 1! This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to scientific understanding, primarily focusing on principles from the biological and natural sciences and applying these concepts to the physical sciences. By thoroughly studying cells and their systems, we will explore their impact on the biodiversity present on our planet today and examine the intricate connections between these subjects.
Our focus will extend to understanding the economic implications of scientific concepts. This course encourages critical thinking as we delve into the complex interactions that have shaped our world.
Unit 1: Basics of Science
Unit 2: Kingdoms and Earth’s Biosphere
Unit 3: Cells
Unit 4: Cell Energetics
Unit 5 Inheritance
Unit 6: Human and Plant Physiology
2) Integrated Sciences 11
Welcome to Integrated Sciences 2! This course aims to provide an interdisciplinary approach to scientific understanding, while focusing mainly on principles from chemistry and physics, to apply to the biological and environmental sciences. Through a comprehensive study of planetary formation, Earth's history and the physical formation on Earth that lead to our dependence on it today and the impacts we have on the planet; we will explore the intricate connections between these subjects. Our focus will extend to understanding the economic implications of scientific concepts. This course encourages critical thinking as we delve into the complex interactions that have shaped our world.
Unit 1: Review Summer Assignment - Basics of Science
Unit 2: Introduction to Planetary Sciences and the Biosphere
Unit 3: Atomic Structure and Compounds on the Periodic Table in relation to Earth’s Processes
Unit 4: Chemical and Physical Properties of the Environment
Unit 5: Work, Power and Energy
Unit 6: Population Dynamics and Demand on Global Resources
3) AP Biology
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology
All French classes are 5 hours a week. Per skill level classes.
1) French 1 (A1-A2) - French beginner
This course offers students learning activities allowing them to acquire the skills of
written and oral comprehension and expression corresponding to level A1 of the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), according to the global scale
of Common Reference Levels.
This level is an introduction to the French language and culture and allows interaction in
simple and concrete communication situations of daily life. At the end of this course, the
students will have acquired a knowledge of the basic elements of French, on the lexical,
syntactic, and grammatical levels, while respecting the phonetic specificities.
2) French 2 (A2-B1) - French intermediate
This course offers students learning activities allowing them to acquire the skills of
written and oral comprehension and expression corresponding to level A2 of the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), according to the global scale
of Common Reference Levels.
This level is an introduction to the French language and culture and allows interaction in
simple and concrete communication situations of daily life. At the end of this course, the
students will have acquired a knowledge of the basic elements of French, on the lexical,
syntactic and grammatical levels, while respecting the phonetic specificities.
3) AP French
Language and communication are at the heart of human experience. Students must become
linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in a pluralistic society.
The AP French Language and Culture course is equivalent to an intermediate college-level
course, mastering linguistic and cultural aspects of French-speaking world.
During school breaks, Nacel France offers you to attend intensive French language courses in various regions of France: Rouen, Lyon, and Montpellier. Summer French language courses in Paris are also organized before school starts.
Electives are not offered every semester; they are subject to scheduling requirements.
1) Art
In this class, we will explore different artistic notions through art creation, using various materials, mediums and techniques, while working either individually or in small groups.
Scope and Content:
a. Unit 1 - Representation (introducing oneself, pre-assessment)
b. Unit 2 - Body
c. Unit 3 - Space
d. Unit 4 - Animation
e. Unit 5 - Volume
Painting, drawing, collage…
2) STEM - Computer Science
3) International Politics
The course explores global citizenship and government, democratic government, the origins and evolution of the United States Government.
Unit 1: The state and Globalisation
Unit 2: Global governance: Political and economic
Unit 3: Global governance: Rights and environmental
Unit 4: Power and development
Unit 5 : Comparative theories
Unit 5: Regionalism and the EU
4) Forensic science and Crime Scene (spring semester)
Forensic Science is an exciting field that combines scientific principles with investigative techniques to solve crimes and analyze evidence. This introductory course will cover various branches of forensic science, including anthropology, chemistry, genetics, engineering, and crime scene surveying. Through hands-on activities, projects, and discussions, students will learn the fundamental concepts and methods used by forensic scientists to aid law enforcement and the justice system in solving criminal cases.
Forensic science is a one semester course and will cover the following topics below. Each unit will cover two to three weeks of class in time instruction. Therefore it is important that students follow and keep up to date with topics covered in class.
5) Philosophy
This course is focused on investigating the nature of (philosophical) reflection. We will be reflecting on reflection itself: What is involved in being a self-reflective individual? What are some of the benefits of reflecting on our beliefs and values? What are some of the costs? What is the best way to engage in self-reflection? In fact, what is it about us humans that makes us capable of reflection in the first place?
Unit 1: Introduction of Justification and Reflection
Unit 2: The value of illusion: Nietzsche
Unit 3: The Illusion of Individuality
Unit 4: Methodology and doubt, Descartes:
Unit 5 Ethics and Ambiguity, Ursula Le Guin
Unit 6: Facing the Absurd. Nagel
Unit 7: Self examination: Frankfurt
This comprehensive health education course is designed to provide high school students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions about their physical, mental, and social well-being. The course will cover a wide range of topics, including stress and psychological health, relationships and communication, nutrition and exercise, drugs, sexuality and pregnancy and childbirth, immunity and infection, STDs and AIDS, cardiovascular disease and cancer, and environmental health. Students will engage in laboratory activities to enhance their understanding of the topics and will learn and adhere to safety protocols during these activities.
Unit 1. Nutritional, Exercise and Cardiovascular Health
Unit 2. Stress, Psychological Health, Relationships and Communication
Unit 3. Environmental Health, First AID and Cancer
Unit 4. Substance Abuse and Addiction
Unit 5. Sexuality and Abuse
Additional Online Classes:
The school approves online classes offered by Edmentum.
Edmentum may offer the below listed AP classes. All AP courses are NCAA-approved.
Here is the list of AP Courses for SY 23-24 :
• Advanced Calculus AB A/B
• Advanced English Literature & Composition A/B
• Advanced U.S. History A/B
• Advanced Government and Politics A
• Advanced Biology A/B
• Advanced Chemistry A/B
• Advanced Environmental Science A/B
• Advanced Computer Science A
• Advanced French A/B
• Advanced Spanish A/B
• Advanced Macroeconomics
• Advanced Microeconomics
• Advanced Statistics
• Advanced Psychology
Edmentum's course offerings are to be downloaded here.
Students may eventually attend an online class to complete their schedule if need be. A contract must be signed between Notre Dame International High School, the student and Edmentum. Students cannot enroll in such a course without the school's prior approval. The school monitors the student's progress on Edmentum.
Our Admission Counselors are available to assist you.
Please provide us with your information, and we will reach out to you promptly.