WELCOME TO MRS. DiNATALE'S HOME PAGE

BUSINESS LAW - Understanding Law for Personal and Business Use

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is an elective subject for students in any curriculum.  Emphasis is on our American laws and legal system.  This course provides both traditional and multimedia instruction.   Teaching methods will include technology applications, lecture, cooperative learning tasks and debates.  Guest speakers will be invited to speak to students to discuss current topics relevant to the American legal system.  Students will explore ethics, the court system, constitutional rights, criminal laws, personal injury laws, and contract law.  There is a field trip to a trial court, and students participate in a mock trial.

OBJECTIVES:

To master the proficiencies for this course, attendance, consistent with Board of Education policy, is required in order to demonstrate skills, social interaction, and the interplay of ideas from student/teacher exchange.

The student will demonstrate the ability to consider the effects of an individual’s actions on other people, how one acts in accordance with the rules of law, and how one acts in a virtuous and ethically responsible way as a member of society.

The student will demonstrate the ability to explain the definitions of the court system, constitutional rights, criminal laws, personal injury laws and contract laws.  

Utilizing the Internet, technology applications, supplemental case readings, courtroom visits, and resource people, the student will successfully develop and participate in a mock trial to demonstrate an understanding our legal system.

The student will demonstrate an understanding of the court system, including courtroom participants, trial procedures, sentencing, and sanctions.

The student will identify key terms and cases in the American legal system

The student will demonstrate the ability to debate the adversary during a role-playing assignment.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

1.  Assigned textbook
2.  Websites
3.  Assigned reading

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Exams will count toward 40% of the grade
• Students are expected to:
•  Come to class prepared to participate fully in the learning experience.
• Attend class on a consistent basis and adhere to the school attendance policy.
• Use class work time to its fullest to prepare assignments.
• Follow class rules and school handbook rules.
• Meet assignment timetables and deadlines. Most assignments will be related to case studies, the textbook, oral debates, websites, and mock trials. 
• Students are required to attend class and to complete class work, cooperative learning projects, and homework assignments. 

GRADING CRITERIA 

Class work (debates, mock trials, cooperative learning projects) will count toward 30% of the grade.

Class participation will count toward 10% of the grade

Homework will count toward 20% of the grade.

LAW II - CRIMINAL JUSTICE

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is an elective subject for students in any curriculum.  Emphasis is on the American Criminal Justice System.  This course provides both traditional and multimedia instruction.   Teaching methods will include technology applications, lecture, cooperative learning tasks, and researching high profile crimes.  Guest speakers will be invited to speak to students to discuss current topics relevant to criminal justice.  Students will explore terrorism, social and biological explanations for criminal behavior, the most common crimes prosecuted in American courts, defenses to crimes, and the United States prison system.  There is a field trip to a criminal court, and students participate in a mock trial.

OBJECTIVES:

To master the proficiencies for this course, attendance, consistent with Board of Education policy, is required in order to demonstrate skills, social interaction, and the interplay of ideas from student/teacher exchange.

The student will demonstrate the ability to consider the effects of an individual’s actions on other people, how one acts in accordance with the rules of law, and how one acts in a virtuous and ethically responsible way as a member of society.

The student will demonstrate the ability to explain the definitions and causes of criminal behavior, to explain why crimes occur, and to explain the implications of committing a crime.

The student will demonstrate an understanding of how jails and prisons developed in the United States, and the role they play in American Society.  

Utilizing the Internet, technology applications, supplemental case readings, courtroom visits, and resource people, the student will successfully make an oral presentation indicating an understanding of the Criminal Justice System.

The student will develop knowledge of careers in the Criminal Justice System.

The student will demonstrate an understanding of the court system, including courtroom participants, trial procedures, sentencing, and sanctions.

The student will Identify key terms and cases in the criminal justice system

The student will demonstrate the ability to debate the adversary during a role playing assignment or a part in a mock trial. 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

1. Assigned textbook
2. CD-Rom
3. Websites
4. Assigned reading

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are expected to:

•  Come to class prepared to participate fully in the learning experience.
• Attend class on a consistent basis and adhere to the school attendance policy
• Use class work time to its fullest to prepare assignments.Follow class rules and school handbook r rules.
• Meet assignment timetables and deadlines. Most assignments will be related to case studies, the textbook, oral debates, websites, and mock trials. 
• Students are required to attend class and to complete class work, cooperative learning projects, and homework assignments. 

GRADING CRITERIA

Exams will count toward 50% of the grade

Class work (debates, mock trials, cooperative learning projects) will count toward 30% of the grade.

Homework will count toward 20% of the grade.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY FOR THE COLLEGE BOUND

This computer-based course will focus on developments in software packages.  The students will use a variety of business applications.  The students will develop knowledge of software applications, windows management, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, presentation programs, and Internet use.  Business uses will be explored as each application is presented.  The students will demonstrate how the different applications will apply to the courses they are currently taking or plan to take in the future at Hackensack High School.

PROFICIENCIES:

At the completion of this course students will:

1. Demonstrate business skills in the areas of windows management, word processing, graphics, PowerPoint, and spreadsheets
2. Demonstrate knowledge of theory associated with computer applications
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the windows environment
4. Demonstrate the ability to produce, edit and store documents
5. Demonstrate organizational skills in the preparation of projects.
6. Demonstrate the ability to use templates, menus, and help screens.
7. Demonstrate the ability to integrate different software packages for business use
8. Demonstrate the ability to conduct Internet research

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students will receive five (5) credits for successfully completing the course work.  A grade of “D” or higher must be achieved in order to pass the course.  The following criteria are used to determine the grade for the course:

A.     Computer Production Work and Class Participation – 40% of the grade

Evaluation of production work will be based on accuracy and correct use of software packages.  The teacher will evaluate each student’s participation based upon the degree to which each student follows instructions, applies the proper computer techniques, maintains a neat and orderly work area, arrives to class on time.

            B.     Projects – 60% of the grade

Projects will be assigned at the completion of each software application.  Projects will be evaluated by the criteria of each project.

C.    Midterm and Final Examinations

The midterm and final exam projects are averaged into the semester grades.

Any work missed when a student has been absent is to be made up in a reasonable period of time.  Usually one or two days are allowed for each day absent unless there are unusual circumstances, in which case the student is to request special arrangements with the teacher.  Students will be permitted to use the computers before and after school, during their lunch period, or unassigned times to practice, makeup work missed, or complete assignments not done during the regular class time.  Remedial instruction, if required, will be arranged between the teacher and student

WORD PROCESSING

OBJECTIVES - The students will:

• Demonstrate the ability to use the various features of the word processing software.
• Demonstrate the ability to perform the basic computer utility functions of duplicating and deleting documents
• Demonstrate the ability to use reveal codes function to edit text
• Demonstrate the ability to search for specific strings of text and use global search and replace
• Demonstrate the ability to utilize right justification, hyphenation, and block features to enhance output
• Demonstrate the ability to automatically number pages and format pages using headers and footers
• Demonstrate the ability to create text columns
• Demonstrate the ability to create macros
• Demonstrate the ability to use merging of primary and secondary files
• Demonstrate the use of various defaults of a word processing package
• Demonstrate the ability to change defaults, use advance keying techniques and be able to identify varied fonts
• Demonstrate the ability to develop advanced style techniques and utilize graphic images and template

• Demonstrate the ability to key in envelopes and labels

EXCEL

OBJECTIVES - The students will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of worksheet concepts
• Demonstrate the ability to create, save and exit a worksheet
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the difference between labels and values
• Demonstrate an understanding of formulas, cells, labels, copy, move, range and cell names by designing a worksheet
• Demonstrate the ability to use various printing options
• Demonstrate the ability to utilize additional formatting such as transposing data, freezing titles, splitting worksheets, creating new workbooks, copy and paste
• Demonstrate competency in using auto format, numerical data, what-if data tables, locking cells, and protecting a sheet
• Demonstrate enhancement of the worksheet by changing fonts, font sizes, typestyles, borders, and patterns

THE INTERNET

OBJECTIVE:  The students will:

• Demonstrate the capacity to use current search engines and web pages, and internet providers
• Demonstrate the use of components such as toolbars, loading or searching, online help, tutorial, and shortcuts
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply bookmarks, folders, and mouse usage
• Demonstrate using capture, copy and paste to text editors, downloading files, saving and printing and mailing from Web pages
• Demonstrate the ability to open and add to favorite folders, open web sites from favorite folders, organize and create favorite folders
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply the use of shortcuts and changing font size and appearance
• Demonstrate the ability to send and receive E-mail, to organize mail messages and use address books

POWERPOINT

OBJECTIVE:  The students will:

• Demonstrate the ability to create PowerPoint presentations using various features of the PowerPoint software program.
• Demonstrate the ability to create slide designs, slide layouts, and slide backgrounds
• Demonstrate the ability to create slide transitions
• Demonstrate the ability to create custom animation and action settings
• Demonstrate the ability to use the Internet to develop slide backgrounds
• Demonstrate the ability to use the Internet to import clipart, pictures, sounds, and music
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply music and sounds to slides
• Demonstrate the ability to successfully complete and present a PowerPoint presentation

WORKPLACE READINESS STANDARDS

·        Standard 1:  All students will develop career planning and workplace readiness skills

·        Standard 2:  All students will use technology, information and other tools

·        Standard 3:  All students will use critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

·        Standard 4:  All students will demonstrate self-management skills.