Civics

Overview: In this course, students become familiar with the rights and responsibilities of United States citizenship. They explore the structure of the federal government as outlined in the U.S. Constitution, and the organization of state and local governments. They also learn the basics of the American free enterprise system and United States foreign policy. Each of the five units--Citizenship, National Government, State and Local Government, Economics of Free Enterprise, and Foreign Policy--contains an in-depth section where the student investigates a specific incident or issue tied to the unit theme

Learn to…

• Recognize the influences of political parties and other special interest groups on public policy
• Outline the division of powers and the rights of citizens as outlined in the U.S. Constitution
• Describe the division of federal and states' rights
• Analyze the role of the United States in world policy making
• Explain the basic elements of the American economic system

Activities: 5 unit evaluations, 10 short assignments, 1 final project

Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

Introduction to Psychology:
Making Sense of Your World 

Overview: In this course, students explore concepts of psychology through lifelike scenarios focusing on aggression, addictive behavior, memory, interpersonal relations, and self-care. Students also explore scientific methods of research and the major schools of psychology.

Students will learn…

• The scientific method and its use in psychology, the importance of ethics and scientific study, and the relevance of psychology as a tool for self-understanding and its applications to daily life
• The influence of cultural background on a person's perceptions of the world, the importance of valuing others' perceptions of the world, and the need to appreciate differences
• The legitimacy of self-esteem

Activities: 5 unit evaluations, 10 short assignments

Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

American History 1A 

Overview: Students follow events and trends in the history of the United States from the arrival of the indigenous peoples through the end of the Civil War. American history is presented from multiple perspectives as recorded by various groups. Students read and hear the words of Native Americans, Europeans, Euro-Americans, Africans, African Americans, Mexicans, and Mexican Americans as they describe events and conditions that reshaped life in the Western Hemisphere.

Learn to…

• Compare the influences of the indigenous peoples of North America with those of the European explorers and settlers that led to the conflicts among the various nations
• Examine the establishment of the United States of America under the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution
• Examine the events leading up to the Civil War that created the irreconcilable split between the North and South
• Investigate the personal costs of the Civil War, including its casualties and long-term effects

Activities: 12 mini-project activities, 1 final project

Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

American History 1B 

Overview: Students learn about American history from the Civil War's end through the 1970s. The course is divided into four historical eras, and each era is divided into different types of history: political history, popular history, the history of multicultural peoples, and economic history.

Learn to…

• Look at history from a variety of viewpoints
• Understand pivotal events in post-Civil War America, including the Reconstruction and its effects, the expansion and conquest of the West, the Industrial Revolution, World War I and II, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Cold War

Activities: 20 quizzes, 4 mini-project activities, 4 unit projects, 1 final project

Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

American Government: Inside Washington

Overview: In this exploratory course, students join six teenagers (called the "Insiders") as they travel to five U.S. cities to collect information about the Constitution, the federal bureaucracy, and the three branches of government. While exploring the country, the "Insiders" also present information on a variety of public policy issues, interview ordinary Americans about their opinions, and offer related Web sites.

Learn to…

• Make the same kinds of decisions expected of voting-age Americans
• Define civic life, politics, and government, and clarify your values on these topics
• Describe the foundations of the American political system and compare them with contemporary laws and principles of American democracy
• Discuss America's relationship with other nations and its role in world affairs
• Define the roles of citizens in American democracy

Activities: 5 projects, 5 evaluations
Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

Anthropology: Roots of Culture 

Overview: In this course, students become familiar with their own culture and are introduced to cultures from other places and other time periods. The course discusses five roots of culture (family, land, death, identity, and power) to explore the similarities and differences in cultural roles in various times and places.

Learn to…

• Use key cultural concepts to explain and analyze aspects of your own culture
• Compare and contrast your culture with others
• Classify types of family relationships, sources of power, meanings of place, aspects of identity, and death rituals
• Develop sensitivity and respect for cultural differences

Activities: 5 unit evaluations, 5 writing projects, 1 final project
Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

World Civilizations 1A

Overview: Students will explore the many aspects of the various world civilizations, from the earliest civilizations that originated before 2300 B.C. to those that ruled the world in A.D. 1500. A broad range of cultural elements, including art, architecture, religion, and education, family life, and roles of women in each civilization are addressed. Additionally, at various points in the course, "Highlights in History" pages showcase events or achievements from certain civilizations.

Learn to…

• Explore the geography, political structure, religion, language, culture, trade practices, and technology of civilizations around the globe from 2500 B.C. to 1500 A.D
• Build an understanding of the basic governmental systems, politics, and expansion of the
  ancient world.
• Gain a sense of connection between the belief systems, political systems, religion, language and other cultural aspects of various civilizations over time and space
• Develop an awareness, sensitivity and appreciation for the growth, development, accomplishments, and cultural gifts of people of ancient civilizations and the foundations that they laid for the building of our modern world

Activities: 5 unit evaluations, 5 notebook assignments, 2 written course projects
 

Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

World Civilizations 1B

Overview: In this course, students will learn about the global history from 1500 to the 1990s, which covers events from the conquest of the "New World" to the end of the Cold War. As with World Civilizations 1B, the course's scale will necessitate superficial examination of many events. Although globe-altering events such as the Protestant Reformation and World War I will receive in-depth study, emphasis will be placed on the universality of certain qualities of civilization and establishment and consequences of interconnected regions, economies, and cultures.

Learn to…

• Explain how the transoceanic voyages of the early 1500s affected international economic/political relations, making sure to describe the impact on the peoples of Africa, Asia, and the Americas
• Describe the developing economic, political, and cultural interrelations among the peoples of Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americans between 1500-1750
• Detail the changes in Eurasia in response to the rise of European power from 1750-1870
• Explain the causes, course, and consequences of World War I, making sure to describe both the Russian Revolution and the Treaty of Versailles
• Analyze the global economic and political developments of the 1920s, highlighted by the Great Depression.
• Explain the causes, course, and consequences of World War II, making sure to examine the use of atomic weapons by the United States and the Holocaust, as well as the post-war trials of both Nazi and Japanese war criminals
• Explain the origins of the Cold War and describe international relations during this time, making sure to examine the level and implications of nuclear weapon proliferation

Activities: 6 unit evaluations, 5 notebook assignments, 2 written course projects

Download a detailed course description and course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top

Geography Sem. 1 and Sem. 2

Overview: In this course, students will learn about the people, places, and environments that make up the world we live in. We will be exploring the jungles of the Amazon, the streets of London, the mountains of Nepal, the tundra of Alaska, and the islands of the Pacific in our joint quest to become global citizens. This course is aligned to the national Geography standards.

Learn to:

• Explain how globes and maps help us to describe the earth.
• Tell what the earth's most important land forms are and how they are shaped.
• Explain how earth's movement through space affects the climate, and how the climate affects the ways that people live.
• Tell how the land forms of the region affect the climate.
• Discuss renewable and nonrenewable resources, where they come from and why they are important to humans.
• Tell how political and economic systems around the world differ from one another.
• List the factors that combine to make up the culture of a group.
• Explain how technological changes have altered the lives of people around the world.

Download a detailed course outline in PDF Format

Back to the top