Our teaching staff is constantly
working to improve their methods and knowledge base, and we expect this
area to grow rapidly. Teachers have created a number of interesting
units for their classes, and for use by others interested in utilizing
the Internet. Here, you will find connections to courses and units
created by our staff. We hope you find them useful and interesting.
Some are free for use as you see fit, and others are actual courses, for
which you may need to pay a fee in order to have access to necessary materials.
Most of the fee-based courses are intended for the use of our students,
but anyone is welcome to register. If you have any questions or comments, you
may e-mail the webmaster, and we'll try to get back to you.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in this section
of the website have been written by the faculty and staff of PCHS.
Even though some of it refers to videos and pictures for insight, the basic
principle is the creative property of that faculty and staff. Though
educators are welcome to use these units (or segments of them) for class
activities, it is requested that proper respect and credit be given to
the authors. Any duplication of the written materials on these pages,
without the express written consent of the author, is seriously frowned
upon, and will be considered a violation of proper 'netiquette, if not
the law. Permission can be easily obtained by e-mailing the webmaster.
The Courses
of Mr. John T. Smith, Jr. Even though Mr. Smith passed
away during the Easter Season of 2002, his legacy of devotion to education
and the use of technology to advance the process live on. We have
attempted to "rescue" his files from the pages he constructed (stubbornly
using off-site servers to the end!) so that his courses could continue.
Requests for work and the submission of assignments will be transferred
to other teachers. If you are interested in taking one of these courses,
please contact the school, and a teacher will be assigned to you. John taught various English
classes, and sponsored the Crusader Chronicle, our school newspaper.
He was an avid reader, an aspiring author, and an extremely hardworking
individual. In his "spare" time, he constructed a number of intriguing
courses and exercises for our students. Each one of them varies somewhat,
but you will find some basic similarities in them all. (Many of the links are
"disconnected" until I can talk with our new principal about assigning
graders for the classes. In the meantime, I am working to convert
the pages from Angelfire to the school's website.)
HISTORY OF PARKERSBURG His final addition, a short course in the history of our home town.
Loaded with images. LEARNING ABOUT THE INTERNET An 8-week course with daily
assignments for learning to use the internet. CREATIVE WRITING Lessons on producing creatively
written literature. STAR TREK A Social Justice course
based on the values taught in episodes of the classic 1960's TV series. WORLD WAR TWO A course with units based
on a series of WWII videos of the men and ships that made WWII an event
that shaped our lives, as well as an overview of warfare in toto. SCIENCE FICTION Sci-Fi novels to read (14
in all) with worksheets for each book, resulting in independent-study credit. SCIENCE FICTION IN THE MEDIA Sci-Fi, as presented in
movies, TV, and other media, with worksheets and a project for credit. FANTASY TALES Thirty-two Fantasy novels
to read and analyze for credit. MYSTERY STORIES Mystery novels to read
and analyze, with a project to complete at the end for credit. ACTION-ADVENTURE STORIES A class in reading and
analyzing action and adventure novels. THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES A family values course,
based on the lessons taught by one of TV's most unusual (but moral) families.
The Courses of Mr. Michael Robert Hattman Though Mr. Hattman
is no longer our Principal, he remains interested in the advancement
and development of our school, and of education in general. To
that end, he continues to develop useful and important projects that
provide interesting alternatives for students and teachers alike.
The following represent some of his work that is available on-line.
Every Teacher is a Religion Teacher As part of our continuing process to
serve as positive examples to our students, this program began a
faith-based initiative that continues today. Our early
development is chronicled in this ground-breaking compilation of
exercises, activities, and journals. The data was transcribed for
the internet by Zach Zimmerman (Class of 2000), and can serve as a
framework by which any school can demonstrate their faith and values.
Teachers in the Movies His interest in both education
and movies has resulted in a unique site that combines the two.
Love movies? There is much on these pages to savor. Enjoy
education? You'll be amazed at the number of movies that have
portrayed teachers and the educational process in dramatic ways.
Whether you want to learn how to be a better teacher, or renew your
faith and energy in the valuable role that teachers play, this is a
great site to explore.
The Courses
of Mr. David E Woody Mr. Woody teaches the Senior
High Social Studies, and sponsors various groups around the school, from
Model United Nations to Jr. High Girls' Basketball. A man of eclectic
tastes, he likes to use the internet to expand the range of experiences
his students have available. In addition to the units shown here,
he is currently working on another decision-making unit based on the American
Revolution, updates of John Smith's work, and on-line lesson plans.
As the scope of our coursework
has increased, it has become obvious that there are simply not enough hours
in a year to cover everything we'd like to in each class. In order
to streamline the process, my students and I have generated pages from
our Unit Lesson Plans that "fill in the blanks" for items that they should
be exposed to, but may not have the time for. Over the next two years,
we will add a page for each of the eight units of each class I teach.
Students were admonished to limit their responses to three sentences, which
would give us basic background information, tell us why the person/place/thing
was important within its historical context, and then explain why we should
know them now. Eventually, I hope to have these connected to the
on-line version of the unit lesson plans we use in class.
A complete course in one of
the most advanced musical groups of our time, this site comes complete
with a worksheet that guides the student in listening exercises, thoughful
questions, and reviews of 14 major albums. As an adjunct Fine Arts
course, it forces the student to question the value of modern music in
an historical sense. It is worth 1/2 credit in Fine Arts.
A decision-making exercise,
in which the reader chooses to be either Hannibal or the Romans, and proceeds
through 15 scenarios which ask you to make the same decisions they did.
The worksheet helps students pick out important details as they progress,
and serves as a way to keep track of the decisions they have made.
Based on several historical books, I am proud that this site won an award
from the Classics Technology Center on the Web.
An ongoing and open-ended collaborative
project that connects Bible verses with stories from coaches and athletes
to remind us that we must have a firm philosophical foundation for our
leadership. Readers are welcome to contribute, and it is hoped that
some small amount of inspiration or comfort can be found in these lessons.
There are no worksheets, or any course credit, just an opportunity for
reflection.
A theoretical and
applied course in psychology as it applies to the High School
athlete. Students explore various approaches in the field, then
attempt to apply those approaches to their own performance.
Students keep a journal of their success, and participate in class
discussions about their process.
This series of
courses is designed to help students explore and develop their interests
in writing creatively. Mr. Woody and Mrs. Wildt developed Creative Writing I to lay the groundwork to
provide students basic skills in writing interesting stories and
essays. Creative Writing II (when it is completed) will take the
student into a more in-depth analysis of the techniques of creative
writers, allowing students to analyze and adopt successful
techniques. Creative Writing III (when completed) will provide
the student an opportunity to delve deeply into the techniques used by
Homer Hickam to make The Coalwood Way such an interesting book.