• 9th-12th Grade Curriculum

     
     
     
     
     
     
    Social Studies Course Title: US History: 19th Century   Department: Social Studies 
     
    Grade Level: 9 
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes a day, 5 days a week    Length of Course: Year 
     
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: The Era of Monroe "The Era of Good Feelings" 
    Unit 2: The Age of Jackson & The Age of Reform 
    Unit 3: Westward Expansion 
    Unit 4: Prelude to Civil War 
    Unit 5: Civil War 
    Unit 6: Reconstruction and Settling the West 
    Unit 7: Industrialization, Immigration, Urbanization
    Unit 8: US Imperialism and the Progressive Era
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Chapter based quizzes and unit exams, along with hands-on projects that accompany some units. 
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    The aim of this course is to provide students with a better understanding of basic American freedoms, general good citizenship and the development of America as a world power in the social, political and economic arena. The timeframe we will be covering will start around 1816 and end during the early 1900s. An additional purpose of the course is to stimulate an appreciation of American heritage and to foster a sense of patriotism by the study of the development and growth of the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1815 to 1900. This course equips students with the skills needed to succeed in college and the habits of mind necessary to foster a higher level of learning. The units of study include The Era of Good Feelings, the Jacksonian Era, The Reform Era, Manifest Destiny, Division, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Into the West and New Horizons. This course integrates the study of history, government, geography, and economics.
     
    Course Title: Honors Prep 19th Century U.S. History  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 9  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes / 5 days per week  Length of Course: Year
     
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: The Monroe Era
    Unit 2: The Age of Jackson
    Unit 3: Westward Expansion
    Unit 4: Prelude to the Civil War
    Unit 5: The Civil War
    Unit 6: Reconstruction
    Unit 7: Industrialization, Immigration & Urbanization
    Unit 8: U.S. Imperialism
    Unit 9: The Progressive Era

    Curriculum Based Assessments: Chapter quizzes, unit tests, and research papers
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A

    Description of Course: 
    In this class, while studying United States History, students participate in authentic historical work. Class time is spent reading primary documents, formulating historical questions, proposing critical arguments, discussing controversial issues, researching original inquiries, and writing scholarly papers. Learning the process of historical analysis is emphasized in class. This course integrates the study of history, government, geography, and economics and is designed to be academically challenging to students.
     
     
    Course Title: Themes in World History   Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 10  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/5 days  Length of Course: year
     
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Principles of Geography and Culture
    Unit 2: Political Systems and Structure
    Unit 3: Principles of World Religions
    Unit 4: Global Conflict and Cooperation
    Unit 5: Modernization and its Impact
    Unit 6: Global Economies and Resources
     
    Curriculum Based Assessments: Quizzes, Unit Tests, Unit Projects, Document Based Assessments, Document Based Essays, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam/Project
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A

    Description of Course: 
    This course is designed to introduce students to a thematic approach to the study of world history. Unlike many world history survey-level courses, the depth and scope of the course are both thematic and chronological. This thematic approach is designed to help students understand and analyze the interconnectedness of historical events, people, places, and ideas. Each of the major themes covered in the course will include an analysis of significant contributors and their impact on various regions and the world as a whole. Major themes included in the course will be Principles of Geography and Culture, Principles of World Religions, Political Systems and Structure, Global Conflict and Cooperation, Modernization and its Impact, and Global Economies and Resources. The concepts from these themes will then be applied in various ways to allow students to interpret and evaluate their use throughout history. Students will be able to synthesize this information with their own worldviews. The course integrates the study of history, government, geography, and economics and may require a project-based culminating assessment.
     

    Course Title: Honors Themes in World History  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 10  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 Minutes/5 Times Per Week  Length of Course: Year
     
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Principles of Geography and Culture
    Unit 2: Political Systems and Structure
    Unit 3: Principles of World Religions
    Unit 4: Global Conflict and Cooperation
    Unit 5: Modernization and its Impact
    Unit 6: Global Economies and Resources
     
    Curriculum Based Assessments: Unit Quizzes, Unit Exams, Common Course Assessments, Document Assessments, Group Projects
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    This course is designed to introduce students to a thematic approach to the study of world history. Unlike many world history survey level courses, the depth and scope of the course are both thematic and chronological. This thematic approach is designed to help students understand and analyze the interconnectedness of historical events, people, places and ideas. To this end, we will employ extensive use of primary and secondary source materials, implement numerous objective and written assessments, and complete some project-based and authentic/simulated learning experiences. Each of the major themes covered in the course will include regional analysis, significant contributors and the impact on regions and the world as a whole. Major themes included in the course will be Principles of Geography and Culture, Principles of World Religions, Political Systems and Structure, Global Conflict and Cooperation, Modernization and its Impact, and Global Economies and Resources. The variety of core themes, historical time periods, and regions of the world should provide the students with a broader understanding of the world around them and the impact that it has had on our society.

    Course Title: AP European History  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies

    Grade Level: 10  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/everyday   Length of Course: Year
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Renaissance and Reformation
    Unit 2: Exploration and Absolutism
    Unit 3: French Revolution and a New Europe
    Unit 4: Imperialism and WWI
    Unit 5: WWII and the Cold War
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: 
    • Chapter reading quizzes
    • Graded discussions
    • Short-Answer Questions
    • Document-Based Question essays 
    • Long Essay Questions essays 
    • Mid-Term Exam
    • Practice AP Exam (multiple choice)

    Standardized Assessments: AP Modern European History Exam

    Description of Course: 
    This course will use the teaching and application of various critical thinking skills in line with a college-level curriculum to prepare students for the AP Modern European History examination. The thematic learning objectives used will follow those listed by The College Board and the syllabus created by Jackson Spielvogel and approved by TCB. The College Board uses four specific historical reasoning skills in its exam, and these will represent the lenses through which the class views European History from 1450 through the present:  Contextualization, Comparison, Causation, and Continuity and Change over Time. These four reasoning skills will be taught through 6 thematic learning objectives: 1. Interaction of Europe and the World, 2. Poverty and Prosperity, 3. Objective Knowledge and Subjective Visions, 4. States and Other Institutions of Power, 5. Individual and Society, 6. National and European Identity. There is a focus on primary source documents, analysis of decision-making, and visual artwork in order to develop a full understanding of societies and interactions. The development of historical arguments and evidence will be paramount for this course and the AP exam. In conjunction with the AP examination, the curriculum and skills within this course will prepare students for future AP courses in addition to any other higher education.
     
     
     

    Course Title: AP US History  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 10-12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/5X a week  Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, Volume 1; McGraw-Hill
     
    Units of Study: 
    Units are separated by AP Central into 9 periods:
    Period 1: 1491-1607 Columbian Exchange, impact
    Period 2: 1607-1754 Colonial economy and institutions
    Period 3: 1754-1800 Revolution, new government
    Period 4: 1800-1848 Economic/demographic changes
    Period 5: 1844-77 Civil War and Reconstruction
    Period 6: 1865-1900 Gilded Age economics, politics
    Period 7: 1890-1945 Foreign Policy Imperialism through WWII
    Period 8: 1945-1980 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    Period 9: 1980-2000 movements, politics, economics
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Unit assessments in the style of AP Exam, Quarter DBQs, short answer essay, long essay, Problem based simulations
     
    Standardized Assessments: AP US History Exam
     
    Description of Course: 
    AP US History is a year-long high school course that is designed to be equivalent to a freshman college survey course in American History. Students are asked to analyze historical developments within specific frameworks such as continuity and change, causation, and periodization. Topics of study range from pre-Columbian American societies to the role of the US in the post 9/11 world. Class time is spent examining the evidence, through various methods, essential questions and the frameworks in the study of American History. All seven themes of history including Identity, Work/Exchange/Technology, Peopling, Politics and Power, Americans in the World, Environment, and Geography, and Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture are addressed throughout the course. Students are expected to read the course textbook, interpret primary source readings, and examine the interpretations of scholars on specific events and trends. College-level writing is considered a high priority in this class. Writing at this level includes detailed note-taking, position papers, and research papers. Assessing student learning is accomplished through College board-style multiple-choice tests, Document Based Questions (DBQs) and Long and short essay Response Questions along with in-class discussions and homework assignments used to measure success in the interpretation of primary and secondary sources. The goal of the course is to foster a broad knowledge of American History within a critical, evidence-based framework, increase interest in further study of history, and prepare students for the College Board Exam.
     

    Course Title: United States History Twentieth Century to the Present  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 11  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/5 days of week  Length of Course: Year
     
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: World War I 1914-1918 From the U.S. Perspective
    Unit 2: The Roaring Twenties & The Great Depression & New Deal 1920-1941
    Unit 3: World War II 1941-1945, The Cold War 1945-1989
    Unit 4: Civil Rights to Watergate 1950-1975
    Unit 5: The Reagan Era to 9/11 1980-2001
    Unit 6: The Post 9/11 World 2001-Present

    Curriculum Based Assessments: Quizzes, Papers, Projects, Unit Tests, Midterm, Final

    Standardized Assessments: N/A

    Description of Course: 
    This course is intended to provide the student with the information and skills that are essential for a better understanding of 20th Century American History. US History: Twentieth Century to the Present is a comprehensive history course that provides students with an appreciation of American cultural, economic, political, and social history. This course equips students with the skills needed to succeed in college and the habits of mind necessary to foster a higher level of learning. Strategies include reading comprehension, analysis of historical artwork, improving student writing, and using primary and secondary supplemental source materials for critical analysis. Some of the major themes and units of study include: World War I, The Arrival of Reform, The Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, and New Deal, Isolation to World War, Reshaping the Post War World, The Vietnam and Watergate Era, and The Reagan & Clinton Revolutions up through the present day. This course integrates the study of history, government, geography, and economics.
     

    Course Title: Honors U.S. History: Twentieth Century to Present  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 11  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/5 days a week  Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources:  American History: Connecting with the Past: A Survey, AP Edition; McGraw Hill
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: World War I 1914-1918 From the U.S. Perspective
    Unit 2: The Roaring Twenties & The Depression & New Deal 1920-1941
    Unit 3: World War II 1941-1945; 
    Unit 4: The Cold War 1945-1989
    Unit 5: Civil Rights to Watergate 1950-1975
    Unit 6: The Reagan Era To 9/11 1980-2001
    Unit 7: The Post 9/11 World 2001-Present

    Curriculum Based Assessments: Quizzes, Papers, Projects, Unit Tests, Midterm/Final

    Standardized Assessments:  N/A

    Description of Course: 
    This course is intended to provide the student with the information and skills that are essential for a better understanding of 20th Century American History. US History: Twentieth Century to the Present is a comprehensive history course that provides students with an appreciation of American cultural, economic, political, and social history. This course equips students with the skills needed to succeed in college and the habits of mind necessary to foster a higher level of learning. Strategies include reading comprehension, analysis of historical artwork, improving student writing, and using primary and secondary supplemental source materials for critical analysis. Some of the major themes and units of study include: World War I, The Arrival of Reform, The Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, and New Deal, Isolation to World War, Reshaping the Post War World, The Vietnam and Watergate Era, and The Reagan & Clinton Revolutions up through the present day. This course integrates the study of history, government, geography, and economics

    Course website (with examples of course materials):  https://sites.google.com/pinerichland.org/bdevinneyhush/home


    Course Title: Asian Studies  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 11,12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 Minutes/ 5 Days  Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resources: A History of Asia; Pearson
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations to c. 600 B.C.E.
    Unit 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies, c. 600 B.C.E. to C. 600 C.E.
    Unit 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450
    Unit 4: Global Interactions
    Unit 5: Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 to c. 1900
    Unit 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c.1900 to Present
     
    Curriculum Based Assessments: Chapter Quizzes, Unit Tests, Project & Problem Based Assessments.
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A

    Description of Course: 
    This course examines the cultures of Asia through a sociological lens. The course focuses on Southwest, South, and East Asia. Analysis and evaluation of primary and secondary source documents, including scholarly research and publications for mass media, are an integral part of this course. Students are required to complete a research project demonstrating a deep understanding of a given culture within the region. Students are expected to complete a variety of readings and conduct individual and group research projects.
     

    Social Studies Course Title: AP Microeconomics  Department: Social Studies

    Grade Level: 11-12 
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/5 Days  Length of Course: Year

    Primary Resources: Principles of Economics;  Cengage Learning
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: Thinking Like an Economist
    Unit 2: Interdependence and the Gains from Trade
    Unit 3: The Market Forces of Supply and Demand
    Unit 4: Elasticity and Its Application
    Unit 5: Supply, Demand, and Government Policies
    Unit 6: Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets
    Unit 7: Application: The Costs of Taxation
    Unit 8: Externalities
    Unit 9: Public Goods and Common Resources
    Unit 10: The Costs of Production
    Unit 11: Firms in Competitive Markets
    Unit 12: Monopoly
    Unit 13: Monopolistic Competition
    Unit 14: Oligopoly
    Unit 15: The Markets for the Factors of Production
    Unit 16: Earnings and Discrimination
     
    Curriculum Based Assessments: Quizzes, Unit Tests, Unit Projects, Mid-Term Exam, Final Exam

    Standardized Assessments: College Board AP Exam

    Description of Course: 
    Microeconomics is the study of individuals, households and firms' behavior in decision making and allocation of scarce resources. It generally applies to markets of goods and services and deals with individual and economic issues.
     

    Course Title: Advanced Placement American Government & Politics  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 Minutes/ 5 Days a Week  Length of Course: Year
     
    Primary Resource(s): 
    N/A
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Foundations of Government
    Unit 2: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
    Unit 3: Political Beliefs and Political Participation 
    Unit 4: Branches of Government, Policymaking, Social Welfare, Economic Policy,*Foreign and Environmental Policy

    Curriculum-Based Assessments:
    -Chapter Based on Quizzes and Exams
    -College Board Required Documents Readings
    -FRQ and Quantitative Based Analysis 
    -Project-based and Problem Based Assessments
    -Quarterly Unit Based Exams (based on released College Board Exam questioning)
     
    Standardized Assessments: College Board Advanced Placement Exam
     
    Description of Course: 
    AP Government is a one-year political science course that prepares students for the College Board Advanced Placement U.S. Government & Politics exam given in May each year. This course is designed to give students a critical perspective on government and politics in the United States. This course involves the study of general concepts used to interpret American politics and the analysis of specific case studies. It requires familiarity with the interaction among institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that make up the American political reality. Although no single approach to this study is used, the general units of study include Constitutional Underpinnings of American Government, Political Beliefs and Behaviors, Political Parties and Interest Groups, Institutions and Policy Processes of National Government, and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Students in this course should be highly motivated and expect weekly readings as well as frequent writing assignments, debates, and discussions.
     
    Social Studies Course Title: Psychology  Department: Social Studies
     
    Grade Level: 12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/ 5 days per week  Length of Course: Semester
     
    Primary Resources: Essentials of Psychology;  Psychology: Themes and Variations; Thinking about Psychology
     
    Units of Study: 
    Unit 1: History and Science of Psychology
    Unit 2: Neuroscience and Behavior
    Unit 3: Learning
    Unit 4: Memory
    Unit 5: Personality
    Unit 6: Disorders
    Unit 7: Treatment
    Unit 8: Stress
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: N/A
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    A rigorous and fast-paced introduction to the scientific study of behavior, this course helps students understand the foundations of psychological theories. Typical topics surveyed include current and past psychological theories, the study of the brain, learning, thinking, memory, emotion, motivation, stress, psychological disorders, and psychotherapy. Additionally, this course will enhance critical thinking skills through the study of research techniques and the interpretation and evaluation of current research. Students are required to conduct research projects, computer lab projects, demonstrations, and simple experiments to help reinforce concepts covered in the text. These classroom activities enhance the meaning of the concepts contained in the psychology curriculum.  
     
    Course Title: AP Psychology     Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 minutes/ 5 days per week      Length of Course: Year
     
     
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: The Science of Psychology 
    Unit 2: Biopsychology 
    Unit 3: Learning, Memory, & Cognition 
    Unit 4: Personal Development 
    Unit 5: Social and Organizational Psychology 
    Unit 6: Disorders and Therapy 
      
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Chapter Quizzes, Unit Tests, Midterm Project, Final Project
     
    Standardized Assessments: AP Exam
     
    Description of Course: 
    The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. Course work includes lecture, class discussion, debate, research and position papers, chapter quizzes and unit tests.

    Course Title: Principles of Economics  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 1 Time/Day 5 Times/Week  Length of Course: Semester
     
    Primary Resources: Economics Today & Tomorrow; Glencoe McGraw-Hill
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: What is economics? Economic subjects include; scarcity, factors of production, wants v. needs, and choices. (Chapter 1)
    Unit 2: Comparative Economic Systems. Includes the study of the traditional system, command system, market system, and the mixed economy. (Chapter 2)
    Unit 3: Supply and demand. Includes the study of the PPC (production possibilities curve), opportunity cost, and an analysis of the causal effect between supply and demand. (Chapter 7)
    Unit 4: Investments. The stock market. Securities, bonds, stocks, and the market. (Outside Sources)
    Unit 5: Types of Competition. Includes the study of perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, and government policies towards competition. (Chapter 9)
    Unit 6: Marketing and Distribution. Includes the changing role of marketing, the marketing mix, areas, and types of distribution. (Chapter 11)

    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Chapter and Unit-based Exams, Project-Based Assessments, Participatory Activities, and Simulations.
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    This course involves a study of the American economy. The course content includes an introduction to the study of economics, comparative analysis of world economies, in-depth study of the operation of a market economy, and microeconomics (business organizations, supply/demand, financial investments, monetary policy). This course equips students with the skills needed to succeed in college and the habits of mind necessary to foster a higher level of learning. An investment research project is conducted in which students hypothetically invest in stock and follow their investments for a period of 8 weeks. Two formal writing assignments are required; a stock market portfolio report and a field study.
     

    Course Title: Principles of Law  Department: Social StudiesSocial Studies
     
    Grade Level: 12  
     
    Time Per Day/Week: 42 Minutes per Day/5 Times per Week  Length of Course: Semester
     
    Primary Resource(s): Street Law: A Course in Practical Law; McGraw-Hill
     
    Units of Study:
    Unit 1: Jurisprudence: How Law Reflect’s Societal Values
    Unit 2: Adversary System of Justice of the United States
    Unit 3: Trial Process of the Adversarial System
    Unit 4: Crimes and Juvenile Law
    Unit 5: Tort Law and Negligence
     
    Curriculum-Based Assessments: Chapter Based Quizzes, Unit Exams, Project/Student-Centered Assessments
     
    Standardized Assessments: N/A
     
    Description of Course: 
    This course focuses on the study of those principles considered necessary for the responsible citizen. Course content includes the history of written law, criminal law, and TORT law. The course includes out of class field trips and guest speakers from the legal profession. The course is geared to serve the everyday needs of students in dealing with legal responsibilities. Students gain an understanding of the “spirit” of the law as well as the “letter” of the law. A great deal of reading is necessary in the use of case studies as tools to analyze the use of the law. Students are required to conduct research projects, computer lab projects, demonstrations, and simulations to help reinforce concepts covered in the text.