8th Grade Information Night

Many exciting choices meet Career and Technical Education requirements. The best introductory business class for 9th or 10th-grade students is World of Business. The best choice for a 9th grade student to meet the technology requirement is Information Technology.

We have many other courses to guide students in exploring economics, finance, marketing and management that will prepare them for adult life, employment, college, or a career in business including Marketing, Business Management, Entrepeneurship, Wealth-Building, Financial Management, Digital Design, Video Production, Accounting, and Business Economics. Our computer courses are listed under Technology Computer Education.

The Social Studies Department provides students with a variety of courses and opportunities to develop their writing and thinking skills. The department also offers a variety of opportunities outside the classroom such as National History Day and We the People Competition. Freshmen meet district requirements by taking one semester of Civics and one semester of Geography; these district requirements can also be met by taking Advanced Placement Human Geography. Students interested in taking AP Human Geography must be able to read at a high level and work at a quick pace. Sophomores meet district requirements by taking one semester of World History. Most sophomores at LSE register for both semesters of World History, which meets the history requirement for UN-L and other universities. Advanced Placement World History is an option open to sophomores through seniors. Students enrolled in AP World History are expected to read a college text, do extensive work outside of class, and keep a rigorous course pace. Juniors meet district requirements by taking a full year of U.S. History. Students interested in taking Advanced Placement U.S. History must be able to read college level texts and work at a fast pace, with an expectation of an average of one hour of homework per night. Seniors meet district requirements by taking one semester of Government and Politics and fulfilling twenty hours of community service, five of which will be completed during the semester they are enrolled in the course, the other fifteen hours may be completed as early as the summer of their junior year.

Students will also need to meet district requirements by taking one semester of a Human Behavior course which can be met in the Social Studies Department by taking either Psychology or Sociology, or these can be elective courses. Psychology offers one semester, two semesters, regular course work or Advanced Placement options. Sociology offers regular coursework or a Differentiated option. Students will also need to meet district requirements by taking a one-semester Economic Education course. This can be met in Social Studies by one semester of Economics or Advanced Placement Economics, or this can be an elective. Other elective offerings in Social Studies are Criminal Justice and History of Sports.

The LSE World Language Department offers courses in French, German and Spanish. Students will learn and practice interpretive, interpersonal and presentational skills, including speaking, listening, reading and writing in the target language. Cultural context and information (both historical and modern) provide students the opportunity to learn about the countries and people studied. World Language classes are elective credits, and are often an entrance requirement for colleges and universities. Many universities require two years of study (in one language) for application, and successful completion of four years in high school may fulfill the graduation requirement at some institutions. Many post-secondary institutions grant credit for courses taken at the high school level, for example after taking an AP course and exam or by completing a placement exam. Students may save on tuition costs by taking as much language as possible during high school. Other advantages include increased academic achievement, learning about other cultures, and many cognitive benefits. When choosing which language to study, students should consider things like potential college majors, future career plans, personal interests/preferences, and family/heritage. Students should take the language they feel they would enjoy the most, as the difficulty level in each is relatively equal.

Freshmen have several opportunities in Performing Arts at Lincoln Southeast High School. Freshmen interested in Choral Music are encouraged to enroll in Singing Knights, one of eight choirs at Southeast. This choir provides students with foundational learning experiences in singing and musicianship. Freshman strings students are encouraged to enroll in Freshman Orchestra, which is open to all students. Students interested in band are encouraged to register for Marching Band first semester and Concert Band during 2nd semester. Auditions are held in January for band students during their band classes at their middle school. For more information on LSE’s Instrumental Music Program, visit www.lseband.org. Students can get involved in Drama Club and after-school productions, both on stage and back stage. Students can also take Theatre and Technical Theatre classes to gain more experience about the entire theatrical process while earning their fine arts credits. LSE Performing Arts also offers Beginning Guitar and Music Technology classes for those students interested in non performance based courses. They are open to freshman, with no prerequisites expectations.

The graduation requirement for Physical Education is 10 credits. Fitness for Life is designed primarily for freshmen (prerequisite for 9th graders) and is the foundation for all the P.E. credits. The high school Health requirement is 2.5 credits, which is met by taking Health Education.

The LSE Science Department course offerings are aligned with Nebraska and National Science Standards. In addition, there are electives to meet career and personal enrichment needs. Freshmen usually enroll in semester courses of Geoscience and Physical Science. Students of higher ability may choose to enroll in Differentiated (Honors) levels of these courses. In the sophomore year, Biology (or Differentiated Biology) is the normal course, followed by Chemistry (or Differentiated Chemistry) in the junior year. The senior year for college bound students is usually Physics (or Differentiated Physics). Electives include Differentiated Anatomy and Physiology, Astronomy, Environmental Studies, Forensic Science and Environmental Chemistry. Students who plan a career in science or a related field may elect AP Chemistry, AP Physics, as well as courses specifically related to health occupations such as Medical Terminology. Incoming freshmen may apply to be selected into a sequence allowing students to enroll in Differentiated Biology as freshmen. Freshman choosing this option should know that Differentiated Biology is a sophomore level course. Students choosing this path are making a commitment to enroll in science courses all four years of high school. This allows them to select any of the advanced courses in their senior year after Chemistry and Physics in the sophomore and junior years. These students will still be required to complete Differentiated Geoscience, thus having more than four years of science before college. Weighted courses include the differentiated levels of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, along with Anatomy and Physiology, AP Chemistry and AP Physics.

Available Family and Consumer Science (FCS) classes include:

9th graders: Interior Design, Culinary I, Clothing, Textiles, and Design, Life Span Development;

10th graders: All the above courses, Culinary II and III, Families and Crisis, Infants and Toddlers, Preschool and School-Age, Introduction to Health Science and Relationships.

11th and 12 graders: Human Behavior

All students wishing to enroll in engineering classes begin with Engineering Design 1. Students may then choose Engineering Design 2, then proceed to Advanced Engineering/Architecture (Civil Engineering and Architecture). It is highly recommended to take the Engineering Design courses consecutively. Also, students interested in Architecture can take the Architectural Design class. LSE students interested in Woodworking and Manufacturing classes should begin with Woods Manufacturing 1. Upon completion of this class, students may choose to enroll in Woods Manufacturing 2 and then proceed to Advanced Woods Manufacturing & Cabinet Building.

Robotics 1 uses multiple hands-on experiences to demonstrate how POWER is used, ENERGY is produced and MECHANISMS are utilized to move projects from point A to B faster, further, and more efficiently. Through individual and group projects, students will be challenged to engineer, construct and test projects (robots) using mechanical, electrical, wind and chemical power. Students may advance their skills further in Robotics 2 and even compete in computations in Robotics 3 courses.

Introduction to Construction students will have the opportunity to examine various areas and careers using hands-on skills used in the construction industry. We encourage all students to explore the areas of SKILLED & TECHNICAL SCIENCES. Students will learn hands-on skills that have the potential to open job and postsecondary opportunities as well as provide lifetime skills.

Placement for incoming 9th graders (current 8th graders) will be made by your 8th grade teacher. Here are some guidelines teachers use:

Class taken in Grade 8: Course 3

GRADE RECEIVED and RECOMMENDED 9th GRADE COURSE (Received Credit)

B or better: Algebra
C+, C or D+: Algebra or Algebra with support based on teacher judgement of student needs
D or F: Algebra With Support

Class taken in Grade 8: Diff Algebra

GRADE RECEIVED and RECOMMENDED 9th GRADE COURSE (Received Credit)

B or better: Diff Geometry
D+, C or C+: Reg Geometry
D: Repeating Algebra Recommended
F: Must Repeat Algebra