United States Academic Decathlon topics

The United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) is an academic competition for high school students in the United States. The Academic Decathlon consists of 10 events: Art, Economics, Essay, Interview, Language and Literature, Math, Music, Science, Social Science, Speech and Super Quiz. Each year, one of the ten subjects is chosen as the Super Quiz, which uses a different format than the other events. The topics and theme of the competition are released in March of every year, giving students time to prepare for the competition season which runs from November to April. The events are split up into two groups: the seven objective tests (Art, Economics, Language and Literature, Math, Music, Science and Social Science) and the three subjective events (Essay, Interview and Speech). They are designated as such because the former seven are multiple choice tests, whereas the latter three are graded by judges. Students are given half an hour to answer each multiple choice exam. These exams consist of 50 questions, with the exception of Math and Super Quiz which have 35 and 40 questions respectively.

Section from the Book of the Dead of Nany from the 2004–05 curriculum. Students were to memorize facts including that the whole scroll is 17 feet long, Nany was a ritual singer for Amen-Ra and that her coffin was a hollow wooden sculpture of Osiris.

Objective events

In general, the objective events follow a set organizational outline from year to year. Language and literature focuses on a single novel or a set of plays in addition to multiple short literary selections which tend to be poems or excerpts from short stories. The art and music sections include several selections with which students must familiarize themselves in addition to historical information. Economics remains fairly static; 85% of the material focuses on a standard course of macroeconomics and microeconomics<ref name="Econ 2008-2998>

and the remaining 15% focuses on the year's topic. For example, in 2005 the themed material covered the economics of ancient Ancient Egypt and Rome. The math curriculum, which includes general math, geometry, trigonometry, and differential calculus, has remained constant since 2002. Science and social science reflect the season's theme. Unlike the other events, there is no basic information that carries over.

Subjective events

The subjective events each have their own rules and allow the students more creativity than the objective subjects. In the speech event, a three-and-a-half to four-minute long prepared speech is delivered followed by a one-and-a-half to two-minute impromptu speech. The competitor has one minute to prepare for this impromptu talk, which must be based on one of three topics. Example prompts include, "It has been said about our modern times that, 'Invention is the mother of necessity.' Please discuss.", "Math has been described as the universal language. Discuss" and "Why is light, light and dark, dark?". In the interview, the students are asked a wide variety of questions in a formal environment. Questions range from, "Who is your role model?" to, "How would you alert someone that their zipper is down?". In both the speech and interview, the competitor is not allowed to reveal his hometown. In the essay event, students are given 50 minutes to write an essay responding to one of three or more prompts derived from the language and literature or the Super Quiz curriculum.

Super Quiz

The format of the Super Quiz differs from that of the other subject areas. Added in 1969, it offers a culminating championship event. The Super Quiz consists of a forty-question multiple choice test as well as an oral relay. This is generally referred to as the Super Quiz Relay, and is unique in that it is the only event viewable by the general public. The relay starts with the Varsity students followed by the Scholastic group and finally the Honors students. Each group is given 5 or 10 questions, depending on the format decided by the state coordinator. These questions are read aloud to the audience and are printed or projected for the competitors. After the questions and answers are read, the students are allowed seven seconds to select the correct answer. The answer is checked on the spot by a judge and scores are immediately displayed to the audience.

Themes

As the competition has evolved, more of the events have been tied into a central theme. The focus of the 2008–09 curriculum is Latin America, with an emphasis on Mexico. Language and literature is based on six short selections of literature as well as the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. Art focuses on the art of Mexico featuring, among others, Miguel Cabrera and Diego Rivera. The music event concentrates on Latin American music, including works by Manuel de Zumaya and Silvestre Revueltas. Social science and economics focus on the history and economy of Mexico respectively. The Super Quiz covers an introduction to evolutionary biology, the historical development of the theory of evolution, natural selection, speciation, mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, and evolutionary developmental biology. Information is also included on Charles Darwin's voyages, as well as his work in Latin America.

Topics, past and present

1982–1998

Season

Subject

Topic

1983–84

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

Olympic Games

1984–85

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

Futurism—Megatrends

1985–86

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

Immigration to the United States

1986–87

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

We The People: The Constitution of the United States

1987–88

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

History of Flight

1988–89

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

The U.S. Presidency

1989–90

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

American Indians: Our American Heritage

1990–91

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

Space Exploration

1991–92

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

"Habitat Earth"

1992–93

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

"A Diversity of Achievers"

1993–94

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

Documents of Freedom

1994-1995

Theme

Health, Wellness, and Biotechnology{{cite news|last=Pulaski|first=Lee|title=Chino students win in academic competition|work=Chino Valley Review|date= February 15, 1995|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EnEOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xYEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4851,454802&dq=academic-decathlon+health-wellness

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

Arrowsmith

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

Biotechnology: The Next Frontier

1995-1996

Theme

Competition and Cooperation

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

The Odyssey and Selected Works by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

The United Nations: Competition and Cooperation

1996-1997

Theme

Communication and Culture

Economics

Fine Arts

Language and Literature

William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion

Math

Science

Social Science

Super Quiz

The Information Revolution

1997–1998 season to the present

1997-1998

Theme

Subject

Topic

Looking Outward:
Forces Shaping Society

Art

Fundamentals of art and selected art objects from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Language and Literature

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Math

Algebra, geometry, trigonometry and differential calculus

Music

Music of the twentieth century

  • "Pierrot lunaire" by Arnold Schoenberg
  • "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber
  • "Music for strings, celesta, and percussion" by Béla Bartók
  • "Sinfonia India" by Carlos Chávez
  • "Romanian Rhapsody #1 in A Major" by Georges Enesco
  • "Concerto in F for piano and orchestra" by George Gershwin
  • "Symphony no. 4 in G Major" by Gustav Mahler
  • "Quartet for the End of Time" by Olivier Messiaen
  • "Vision Fugitives for Piano" by Sergei Prokofiev
  • "Che Gelida Manina" by Giacomo Puccini
  • "Alborada Del Gracioso" by Maurice Ravel
  • "Mazurka no.7, op.3" by Alexander Scriabin
  • "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky
  • "Ionisation" by Edgard Varèse
  • "Introduction to 'Tristan und Isolde'" by Richard Wagner
  • "Ballad of Mack the Knife" by Kurt Weill

Science

The structure and behavior of matter

Social Science

World events and new developments of the 1980s

Super Quiz

Globalization: The New Economy

1998–1999

Theme

Subject

Topic

Looking Inward:
Developing a Sense of Meaning

Art

20th century American and European Art (entirely from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection)

  • Still Life with Violin, 1913 by Georges Braque
  • Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio by David Hockney
  • White Center by Mark Rothko

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, macroeconomics, and investment methods and strategies

Language and Literature

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples replaced Siddhartha for the junior varsity competition.

Math

Geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus

Music

Opera

Social Science

Ancient Civilizations

Super Quiz

The Brain

1999–2000

Theme

Subject

Topic

Looking Forward:
Creating the Future

Art

Art focused on innovations in the Fine Arts. Featured pieces:

  • Figure of Striding Man Wearing a Kilt by an anonymous Egyptian sculptor
  • Madonna and Child Enthroned with (Four Saints) by Piero di Cosimo
  • Capriccio: An Island in the Lagoon by Canaletto
  • Empire Chair by Benjamin Latrobe
  • Port-en-Bessin by Georges Seurat
  • The Fairman Rogers Four-in-Hand by Thomas Eakins
  • Dining Chair by Frank Lloyd Wright
  • The Dream by Max Beckmann
  • Composition of Red and White by Piet Mondrian
  • Plate by Maria Martinez
  • White Lily by Alexander Calder
  • New Continent by Louise Nevelson
  • The Intimacy of Water by Romare Bearden
  • Goldfish Bowl II by Roy Lichtenstein
  • Burning Rods by Anselm Kiefer
  • Charm of Subsistence by Martin Puryear
  • Tanabata (Star Festival) by Kayama Matazó
  • Untitled by Alan Saret.

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, microeconomics, and environmental economics

Language and Literature

''Novel

  • My Antonia by Willa Cather

Play

  • An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen

Selected poems

  • "The Mower Against Gardens" by Andrew Marvell
  • "The Deserted Village" (excerpt) by Oliver Goldsmith
  • "Steamboats, Viaducts, and Railways" by William Wordsworth
  • "The Horses" by Edwin Muir
  • "Foreclosure" by Sterling A. Brown

Math

Fractals, fractal geometry, and algorithms in the complex plane

Music

Music focused on breakthroughs in American Jazz. Featured pieces:

  • "St. James Infirmary" by Louis Armstrong
  • "Carolina Shout" by Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller
  • "Take the 'A' Train" by Duke Ellington
  • "Body and Soul" by Benny Goodman
  • "Jumpin' at the Woodside" by Count Basie
  • "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday
  • "Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie
  • "'Round Midnight" by Thelonious Monk
  • "My Funny Valentine" by Miles Davis
  • "Lonely Woman" by Ornette Coleman
  • "Once in a While" by Art Blakey, and Horace Silver
  • "Eat That Chicken" by Charles Mingus
  • "Ko Ko" by Charlie Parker
  • "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane

Social Science

Infrastructures Around the Globe: Suez Canal, Transmerican Railroad, Panama Canal, Alaska Pipeline, Channel Tunnel, Glen Canyon Dam, Three Gorges Dam, and the International Space Station

Super Quiz

Sustainable Earth

2000–2001

Theme

Subject

Topic

Understanding the Self

Art

Art focused on images of the self. Featured selections: Paintings

  • Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino by El Greco
  • Artist in His Studio by Rembrandt van Rijn
  • Pat Lyon at the Forge by John Neagle
  • Edmondo and Thérèse Morbilli by Edgar Degas
  • La Japonaise by Claude Monet
  • Madame Cézanne in a Red Armchair by Paul Cézanne
  • In the Loge by Mary Cassatt
  • The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit by John Singer Sargent
  • Ellen Day Hale
  • Postman Joseph Roulin by Vincent van Gogh
  • Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? by Paul Gauguin
  • Portrait of a Woman by Pablo Picasso
  • Schiele's Wife with Her Little Nephew by Egon Schiele

Sculptures

  • Portrait of a Man from Rome (c. 50 B.C.E.)
  • Guanyin from China (c. 580 C.E.)
  • Walking Woman (Femme qui Marche) and Annette, both by Alberto Giacometti

Masks

  • Deangle from the Dan people
  • Kifwebe from the Songye people

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, business organizations, and profiles in individual enterprise

Language and Literature

Novel

  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Poems

  • Sonnet 14 by John Donne
  • Andrea del Sarto by Robert Browning
  • There Was a Child Went Forth by Walt Whitman
  • My Name and I by Robert Graves
  • Theme for English B by Langston Hughes
  • Mirror by Sylvia Plath.

Math

Logic and set theory, numbers, combinatorics and probability, and application

Music

Music focused on sacred music from around the world. Featured songs:

  • "El Melej" by Alia Musica
  • "Al-'Ada" by La Sulamiyya
  • "Wir setzen uns mit Tranen nieder" by Netherlands Bach Society
  • "Bluebird Song" by Lena Clark
  • "Quen a Virgen Ben Servira" by Ensemble Alcatraz
  • "Nyamaropa yeVana Vava Mushonga" by Muchatera
  • "Arrullo San Antonio" by BMOSA
  • "Ngoma ra Mrongo" from Kenya & Tanzania
  • "Kriti: Ninnadanela" by Ramnad Krishnan
  • "Kecak" by Music for the Gods
  • "Move on up a Little Higher" by Mahalia Jackson
  • "O Magnum Mysterium" by Choir of Westminster Cathedral

Science

The Biological Self: biology of the cell, molecular genetics, and the immune system

Super Quiz

Concepts of the Self: Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion

2001–2002

Theme

Subject

Topic

Understanding Others

Art

Drawings

  • The Old Savoyard by Jean-Antoine Watteau
  • The Artist's Mother by Arshile Gorky

Paintings

  • The Combat Of The Giaour And Hassan by Eugène Delacroix
  • Woman At Her Toilette by Berthe Morisot
  • The Herring Net by Winslow Homer
  • A Sunday at La Grande Jatte-1884 by Georges Seurat
  • At The Moulin Rouge by Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec
  • Portrait Of Picasso by Juan Gris (José Victoriano Gonzalez)
  • American Gothic by Grant Wood

Printmaking

  • The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai
  • Mao by Andy Warhol

Sculptures

  • Armored Guardian (tomb figure) from China (Tang Dynesty)
  • Plaque Of A Warrior Chief from Nigeria (Benin Kingdom)
  • The Bronco Buster by Frederic Remington
  • Golden Bird by Constantin Brancusi

Textiles

  • Nulhaku (Na Drama Robe) from Japan (Momoyama period)

Fixed Media

  • Untitled (called Hotel De La Duchsse-Anne) by Joseph Cornell
  • Lincoln by Robert Rauschenberg

Economics

Economics basics, relationships, taxation, labor markets, and behaviors. Also included a feature on several prominent historical economists.

Language and Literature

Novel

  • Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Poems

  • Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare
  • Modern Love: Sonnet 17 by George Meredith
  • "We and They" by Rudyard Kipling
  • "The Death of the Hired Man" by Robert Frost
  • "A Woman Mourned by Daughters" by Adrienne Rich
  • "A Far Cry from Africa" by Derek Walcott

Math

Algebra, geometry and statistics.

Music

Music focused on the country music genre (1920's to the present). Featured songs:

  • The House Carpenter by Mrs. Texas Gladden
  • Sallie Gooden by Alexander "Eck" Robertson
  • Eighteen Hammers by Johnny Lee Moore and 12 Mississippi Penitentiary Convicts
  • Single Girl, Married Girl by The Carter Family
  • Waiting For A Train by Jimmie Rodgers
  • A Cowboy Has To Sing by Roy Rogers
  • New San Antonio Rose by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys
  • Bluegrass Breakdown by Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys
  • Lovesick Blues by Hank Williams Sr.
  • I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash
  • Walkin' After Midnight by Patsy Cline
  • Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache) by Buck Owens
  • Still Feeling Blue by Gram Parsons
  • Our Town by Iris Dement

Science

Light, sound and waves.

Super Quiz

E-communication: The Internet & Society

2002–2003

Theme

Subject

Topic

Understanding the Natural World

Art

Romantic, Realist, Impressionist, and Asian Art, including

  • Two Men Comtemplating the Moon by Caspar David Friedrich
  • Salisbury Cathedral by John Constable
  • The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet
  • Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur
  • Four Poplars on the Banks of the Epte River near Giverny by Claude Monet
  • Fan Mount: The Cabbage Gatherers by Camille Pissarro
  • Arques-la-Bataille by John Henry Twachtman
  • The Oxbow by Thomas Cole
  • Heart of the Andes by Frederic Edwin Church
  • The Rocky Mountains: Lander's Peak by Albert Bierstadt

Economics

Fundamentals of economics; micro- and macro-economics; a special section on "The Economics of the Natural World"

Language and Literature

Novel

  • Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Poems

  • "To Daffodils" by Robert Herrick
  • Excerpt from The Prelude by William Wordsworth
  • "Ode to a Skylark" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
  • Excerpt from "Forest Hymn" by William Cullen Bryant
  • "The Tropics of New York" by Countee Cullen
  • "The Métier of Blossoming" by Denise Levertov

Math

General math, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry

Music

Music of the Romantic Era, featuring the following works:

  • Symphony No. 5 (3rd & 4th movements) and Symphony No. 6 (4th movement) by Ludwig van Beethoven
  • March to the Scaffold (4th movement of Symphonie fantastique) by Hector Berlioz
  • William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini
  • Étude Op. 10, No. 12 ('Revolutionary Study') by Frédéric Chopin
  • Symphony No. 1 (1st movement) by Johannes Brahms
  • Anvil Chorus from Il trovatore (Act 2, Scene 1) by Giuseppe Verdi
  • Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
  • Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
  • March of the Toreadors from Carmen by Georges Bizet
  • Symphony No. 1 (1st movement) by Felix Mendelssohn
  • 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • Symphony No. 1 (4th movement: Stürmisch bewegt- Energisch) by Gustav Mahler
  • Also Sprach Zarathustra: Sunrise (Op. 30) by Richard Strauss

Social Science

The Natural World as it Shapes Human History: early cultures in the Americas, technology and the natural world, the impact of natural disasters in U.S. history, and the preservation of nature.

Super Quiz

The Blue Planet: Beneath the Surface

2003–2004

Theme

Subject

Topic

America: The Growth of a Nation

Art

Early American Art

  • Monticello - Thomas Jefferson
  • Cardinal Grosbeak - John James Audubon
  • ''The Last Race, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony - George Catlin
  • ''Dover Plain, Dutchess County, New York - Asher B. Durand
  • Family Group before United States Capitol - Unidentified Portrait Painter
  • Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way - Emanuel Leutze
  • Palmer-Epard Cabin - Unidentified Architect
  • Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California - Albert Bierstadt
  • The Last of the Tribe - Hiram Powers
  • A Visit from the Old Mistress - Winslow Homer

Native American Art

  • Bowl (Sikyatki Style) - Sikyatki Cultural Group
  • Taos Pueblo - Pueblo Nation
  • Scenes of Plains Indian Life - Cadzi Cody
  • Cape - Anishinabe Cultural Group

Photography

  • Pimos Indians, Arizona - Elias Bonine
  • Grand Canyon of the Colorado - William Henry Jackson
  • Pueblo Scene - Forman Hanna
  • Winter Sunrise, Sierra Nevada from Lone Pine, California - Ansel Adams

Economics

Fundamentals of economics; micro- and macro-economics; The U.S. Economy in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century

Language and Literature

Novel

  • Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather

Shorter Selections

  • Speech on the Signing of the Treaty of Port Elliott, 1855 - Chief Seattle
  • "The White Man's Foot" from The Song of Hiawatha - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  • "Pioneers, O Pioneers!" - Walt Whitman
  • "O Black and Unknown Bards" - James Weldon Johnson
  • "The Ballad of William Sycamore, 1790-1871" - Stephen Vincent Benét
  • "A Story of How a Wall Stands" - Simon Ortiz

Math

General math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus

Music

  • "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" - Stephen Foster
  • "Camptown Races" - Stephen Foster
  • "Ojos Criollos, Danse cubaine" - Louis Moreau Gottschalk
  • "The Union" Concert Paraphrase on National Airs - Louis Moreau Gottschalk
  • "Andante moderato" from String Quartet in E minor - George W. Chadwick
  • "A Deserted Farm" from Woodland Sketches, Op. 51 - Edward MacDowell
  • "The Washington Post March" - John Philip Sousa
  • "The Entertainer" - Scott Joplin
  • Variations on "America" - Charles Ives
  • "American Salute" - Morton Gould
  • "Rhapsody in Blue" - George Gershwin
  • "Allegro giocoso" from Two Sketches Based on Indian Themes - Charles Tomlinson Griffes
  • "Fanfare for the Common Man" - Aaron Copland
  • "Adagio for Strings" from String Quartet, Op. 11 - Samuel Barber

Science

Botany

  • Botany as a Science
  • General Characteristics of Plants
  • Plant Physiology
  • Plant Reproductiona and Life Cycles
  • Plant Phyla
  • Plants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  • Plant Ecology
  • Plant Genetics

Super Quiz

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

2004–2005

Theme

Subject

Topic

Exploring the Ancient World

Art

Ancient Near Eastern Art

  • Standing Male Worshipper - Sumer
  • Human-headed winged lion (lamassu) - Assyria
  • Panel: striding lion - Neo-Babylon
  • Vessel terminating in the forepart of a lion - Iran: Archaemenid Persia

Ancient Egyptian Art

  • Status of Demedji and Hennutsen - Old Kingdom
  • Model of a Riverboat - Middle Kingdom
  • Section for the "Book of the Dead" of Nany - Third Intermediate Period of Egypt

'''''Art of Ancient Aegean Civilizations (Cyclades, Minoa, and Mycenaea)

  • Statuette of a Woman - Cylcades
  • Palace at Knossos - Minoa
  • Stirrup jar with octopus - Mycenaea

Ancient Greek Art

  • Statue of a kouros (youth) - Archaic period
  • Amphora (jar), Side A: Kithara Player - Classical period
  • Grave stele with a family group - Classical period
  • Statuette of a veiled and masked dancer - Hellenistic period

Ancient Etruscan and Roman Art

  • Chariot - Etruscan
  • Cubiculum (bedroom) from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor - Republic period
  • Statue of a Boy - Early Roman Empire
  • Arch of Constantine - Late Roman Empire

Economics

  • Fundamentals of economics
  • Microeconomics
  • Macroeconomics
  • International trade and Global Economic Development
  • The Economies of Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman)

Language and Literature

Plays by Sophocles

  • Antigone
  • Oedipus the King
  • Electra

Shorter Selections

  • Excerpt from Book XXII of the Iliad - Homer
  • Allegory of the Cave - Plato
  • "Ode on a Grecian Urn" - John Keats
  • "Musée des Beaux Arts" - W. H. Auden
  • "To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph" - Anne Sexton
  • "Siren Song" - Margaret Atwood

Math

  • General Math
  • Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Trigonometry
  • Differential Calculus

Music

Music focused on the Classical Era with the following selected pieces:

  • "Voi che sapete" from Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • String Quartet in D Major, op. 64, no. 5, "The Lark" finale: vivace - Joseph Haydn
  • String Quartet in G, K. 387, molto allegro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • String Quintet in G Minor, K. 516, adagio non troppo - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Symphony no. 44 in E Minor, "Trauersinfonie" allegro con brio - Joseph Haydn
  • "Son imbrogliato io già" from La Serva Padrona (The Maid as Mistress) - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
  • Symphony no. 104 in D, finale, spiritoso - Joseph Haydn
  • Die Schöpfung (The Creation), Recitative and Chorus: "In the beginning" - Joseph Haydn
  • Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488, allegro - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • "Ah taci ingiusto core" from Don Giovanni - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, "Eroica" allegro con brio - Ludwig van Beethoven
  • String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, op. 131 Presto (scherzo) - Ludwig van Beethoven
  • String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, op. 131 Allegro (finale) - Ludwig van Beethoven

Social Science

Emerging Empires in the Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome

  • Ancient Mesopotamia: Sumer, Akkad, Ur
  • Ancient Egypt
  • Minoa
  • Mycenae
  • Ancient Greece
  • Roman Empire

Super Quiz

From Empty Space to Incredible Universe: The Sky Is Not the Limit

2005–2006

Theme

Subject

Topic

The European Renaissance: Renewal and Reform

Art

Early to Mid Fifteenth-Century Italian

  • St. Mark by Donatello
  • Ospedale degli Innocenti (Foundling Hospital) by Filippo Brunelleschi
  • The Holy Trinity by Masaccio
  • The Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi

Mid to Late Fifteenth-Century Italian

  • Giuliano de' Medici by Andrea del Verrocchio
  • The Nativity by Luca della Robbia
  • Sant' Andrea by Leon Battista Alberti
  • Adoration of the Magi by Sandro Botticelli

Sixteenth-Century Italian

  • David by Michelangelo
  • Palazzo Farnese by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger
  • Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo de Vinci
  • The Small Cowper Madonna by Raphael
  • The Holy Family by Bronzino
  • Venus with a Mirror by Titian

Renaissance Outside of Italy

  • The Annunciation by Jan van Eyck
  • Adam and Eve by Albrecht Durer
  • Sir Brian Tuke by Hans Holbein the Younger
  • Madonna and Child with Saint Martina and St. Agnes by El Greco

Economics

  • Fundamentals of economics
  • Microeconomics
  • Macroeconomics
  • International trade and Global Economic Development
  • The European Economy During the Renaissance

Language and Literature

Plays

  • Antony and Cleopatra and Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Shorter Selections

  • "They Flee from Me That Sometime Did Me Seek" by Sir Thomas Wyatt
  • Sonnet LIIII by Edmund Spenser
  • "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love" by Christopher Marlowe
  • Sonnet 30 by William Shakespeare
  • "The Sun Rising" by John Donne
  • "Of Travel" by Francis Bacon

Math

  • General Math
  • Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Trigonometry
  • Differential Calculus

Music

The music in this year's curriculum was broken up into two sections: Music in the Early Renaissance ( c. 1450–1520 C.E.)

  • Quam pulcra es (Motet) by John Dunsatable
  • "Gloria" from Missa Se la face ay pale (Mass) by Guillaume Du Fay
  • Absalon, fili mi (Motet) by Josquin de Prez
  • "Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys" (Chanson) by Guillaume Du Fay
  • "Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen" (Lied) by Heinrich Isaac
  • "El grillo" (Frottola) by Josquin de Prez

Music in the High Renaissance ( c. 1520–1600 C.E.)

  • "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" (Chorale) by Johann Walter
  • "Agnus Dei" from Missa Papae Marcelli (Mass) by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  • "Sing Joyfully Unto God" (Anthem) by William Byrd
  • O magnum mysterium (Motet) by Tomas Luis de Victoria
  • "Tant que vivray" (Parisian Chanson) by Claudin de Sermisy
  • "Solo e pensoso" (Italian Madrigal) by Luca Marenzio
  • "Now is the Month of Maying" (English Madrigal) by Thomas Morley
  • "Come Heavy Sleep" (Lute Song) by John Dowland

Science

  • Anatomy Overview
  • Principles of Support and Movement
  • Human Control Systems
  • Maintenance of the Human Body
  • Endocrine System and Medical Imaging Techniques

Super Quiz

The European Renaissance: Renewal and Reform

2006–2007

Theme

Subject

Topic

China and Its Influence on the World

Art

The featured works were: Tripod Ritual Vessel, Pendent in the Form of a Dragon, Female "Long-Sleeve Dancer, Spirit Jar (Hung Ping), Exalted Gathering in the Green Woods, Boy Leading an Ox Along the Farm Path, Boddhisttva Kuan-Yin, Verse in Cursive Script, Bamboo and Rocks, Book of Sudhana, Taihe Dian, Imperial Throne, Empress's Twelve Symbol Robe, Blue-and-White dish, Pillow, Official Seal, Cricket Container, Cosmetic Case, and Mirror Stand

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, macroeconomics, microeconomics, areas, international trade and development, Chinese economic history

Language and Literature

The featured novel was The Good Earth. I Watered My Horse, Sent to My Two Little Children, The Terrace in the Snow, Half of Me is Aching, Kubla Khan, and The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter

Math

Music

Social Science

Super Quiz

An Introduction to Climatology

2007–2008

Theme

Subject

Topic

History of the Civil War

Art

There were 18 selected works chosen from museums in Washington D.C. They were: Watson and the Shark , Mississippi Boatman, The Lackawanna Valley, The Boating Party, Shaw Memorial, The Westwood Children, The Seine, A Visit from the Old Mistress, The Sick Soldier, Cañon de Chelle, Walls of the Grand Cañon about 1200 Feet in Height (Wheeler Survey), two from National Museum of American History , a Frederick Douglass ambrotype, and Lyndhurst for George Merritt, Tarrytown, New York

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, including general topics in macro- and microeconomics and international trade and global economic development, slavery, and the economics of the U.S. Civil War.

Language and Literature

The featured work was The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. There were also six shorter works: The Gettysburg Address, Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln, Narrative of the Life (excerpt), An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts, O Captain! My Captain!, and The Unsung Heroes

Math

General math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and differential calculus.

Music

There were 14 selected works:

Science

Infectious disease

Super Quiz

The Civil War

2008–2009

Theme

Subject

Topic

Latin America with a focus on Mexico

Art

There were 18 or 19 selected works: "Olmec Figure Sitting with Spread Legs, Standing Female (Jalisco) and Standing Female (Ancient Michocán), View of the Street of the Dead Showing the Plaza of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, Tikal: Temple of the Giant Jaguar, Mosaic Skull and Jaw, Codex Huejotzingo (Painting 5), Untitled (Our Lady of Guadalupe), Don Juan Joachín Gutiérrez Altamirano y Velasco, From Spaniard and Black, Mulatto, Shawl, , Valley of Oaxaca, La Calavera Catrina, The Flower Carrier, Frieda and Diego Rivera, and Figure in Illuminated Doorway

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, including general topics in macro- and microeconomics, international trade, global economic development, and Mexican economic history

Language and Literature

The featured novel was Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. Also featured were six short works: Sonnets 27 and 28 by Sor Juana de la Cruz, The Ruby, La Extranjera, United Fruit Co., The Switchman, and Painting To Survive.

Math

General math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and differential calculus.

Music

There were fourteen featured selections: Copal Offering to the Four Directions, Kyrie, Sol-fa de Pedro, , Sinfonia India, Sensemayá, Las Mañanitas, Jocotan - Small Marimba, Aria, Scherzo, Verano Porteno, Samba Urbano, Los Jilacatas, Brand New Cha Cha Cha

Social Science

History of Mexico, from the Olmecs to modern day.

Super Quiz

Evolutionary Biology

2009–2010

Theme

Subject

Topic

The French Revolution

Art

The 17 featured selections included: Mezzetin, Soap Bubbles, Wine Cooler, Broken Eggs, Shepherd's Idyll, Modern Rome, The Death of Socrates, The Triumph of Aemilius Paulus, Minerva Protecting the Young King of Rome, Evening: Landscape with an Aqueduct, The Start of the Race of the Riderless Horses, Stormy Coast Scene after a Shipwreck, Royal Tiger, Young Jewish Woman of Algeria, Seated, Portrait of a Young Man, Self-portrait with Two Pupils: Mademoiselle Marie Gabrielle Capet and Mademoiselle Carreaux de Rosemond, Bust of Voltaire, and Princesse de Broglie

Economics

Fundamentals of economics, including general topics in macro- and microeconomics, international trade, global economic development, and the economic history of France during the French Revolution

Language and Literature

The novel was A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Also featured were six shorter works:

Math

General math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and differential calculus.

Music

18th and 19th century French music. The fourteen selected works were:

Science

Introduction to Chemistry, history of chemistry with a focus on Antoine Lavoisier.

Super Quiz

History of the French Revolution

Footnotes

1 The two Standing Females are two different sculptures, but are in the same picture.