SOCIAL STUDIES
Civics 9 Intended Audience : Grade 9 Credit : One trimester = 0.5 credit Major Outcomes :
• Provide students with a practical knowledge and understanding of American government
• Connect with the democratic process as citizens of the United States
• Apply knowledge of early founding documents including the US Constitution
• Demonstrate an understanding of how the American system of government functions
• Demonstrate an understanding that US citizens have both rights and responsibilities in order for government to maintain order in society .
• Understand the election process in the United States
• Differentiate views on the political spectrum
Honors Civics Prerequisite / Selection Process : Middle school social studies grades may be considered Intended Audience : Grade 9 Credit : One trimester = 0.5 credit Major Outcomes :
• Purpose and principles of government
• Creation of U . S . government institutions and processes
• Rights and responsibilities of citizens
• Principles of the U . S . Constitution Instructional Focus : This honors course requires students to apply higher-order thinking and communication skills , study primary source documents and complete independent and / or group research projects
Geography 9 Intended Audience : Grade 9 Credit : One Trimester = 0.5 credits Major Outcomes :
• Review locations of physical features , climatic regions and cultural icons
• Practice reading maps and charts .
• Types of maps , when to use and how to analyze
• Effects of migration and population countries and cultures
• Types of boundaries and governments
• Global climate changes
• Human effects on the environment Projects , Activities , etc .: Creating Maps , develop the where the next should be located [ e . g . determine where the next supermarket should be located in your city ] Instructional Focus : Use of maps , charts , Geographic Information Systems , population pyramids
AP Human Geography [ AP exam is in May each year ] Prerequisite / Selection Process : Previous social studies grades may be considered or recommendation of counselor or teacher Intended Audience : Grade 9 Credit : Two trimesters = 1.0 credit Major Outcomes :
• Introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding , use , and alteration of Earth ’ s surface
• Employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences
• Learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications
• Interpret maps and analyze geospatial data
• Understand and explain the implications of associations and networks among phenomena in places .
• Recognize and interpret the relationships among patterns and processes at different scales of analysis .
• Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process .
• Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places .
• Approach the AP exam with confidence . Instructional Focus : College-level concepts through small and large group lecture and activities ; college text is used . College credit may be earned based on AP test score and institution .
US History 10 Prerequisite / Selection Process : Civics or Honors Civics and Human Geography or AP Human Geography Intended Audience : Grade 10 Credit : Two Trimesters = 1.0 credit Major Outcomes :
• Use historical skills and methods of inquiry which includes students asking questions about context , identifying diverse points of view
• Investigating evidence from multiple historical sources
• Using historical methods of inquiry , students will explore the history of the United States from early indigenous history through today .
Projects , Activities , etc .: Historical Inquiry Instructional Focus : Students will engage diverse perspectives through primary and secondary sources , identify absent voices and create and support reasoned historical arguments . Teachers will support students in developing their historical skills with the end goal of creating an actionable plan .
AP US History [ AP exam is in May each year ] Prerequisite / Selection Process : Civics or Honors Civics and Geography Intended Audience : Grades 10 , 11 , and 12 Credit : Two trimesters = 1.0 credit Prerequisite / Selection Process : Previous social studies grades may be considered or recommendation of counselor or teacher Major Outcomes :
• Students investigate significant events , individuals , developments , and processes in nine historical periods from approximately 1491 to the present .
• Students develop and use the same skills , practices , and methods employed by historians : analyzing primary and secondary sources ; making historical comparisons ; utilizing reasoning about contextualization , causation , and continuity and change over time ; and developing historical arguments .
• The course also provides seven themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places : American and national identity ; migration and settlement ; politics and power ; work , exchange , and technology ; America in the world ; geography and the environment ; and culture and society .
• Approach the AP exam with confidence . Instructional Focus : College-level concepts through small and large group lecture and activities ; college text is used . College credit may be earned based on AP test score and institution .
US History Seminar Prerequisite / Selection Process : AP US History Intended Audience : Grades 10 , 11 , and 12 Credit : One trimester = 0.5 credit Major Outcomes :
• The study of major events in U . S . history
• Knowledge necessary to analyze problems , concepts and primary documents in U . S . History
Instructional Focus : Preparation to take National Advanced Placement exam
World History 11 Prerequisite / Selection Process : US History or AP US History Intended Audience : Grade 11 Credit : Two trimesters = 1.0 credit Major Outcomes :
• World History 11 is an investigation of global history from the beginning of humanity to the present and includes significant events , people , and traditions from various regions of Africa , Asia , Europe , and the Americas .
• This course equips students with a broad un-
88 High School Registration Guide