Social Studies

This course provides students with essential understandings of the various social, economic, religious, and political forces interwoven in the formation and early development of the United States and its government. Students should expect engaging, bell-to-bell instruction, purposeful and focused activities, and authentic skills-based formative and summative assessments. Much of the workload for U.S. History I is focused in the classroom where the expectation for students is to come prepared to meet the goals of the days' lessons through active engagement and participation. Students will receive homework based upon the need to further demonstrate the understanding of concepts or skills as indicated through the curricular learning objectives. Both primary and secondary texts and documents are used to foster academic reading skills and strategies. Students study historical issues of major significance, including interpretations of the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, women's rights, slavery, immigration, and the emergence of an industrial America poised to continue expansion after a destructive civil war. It is highly recommended that students who enroll in U.S. History I General also enroll in English II General.

Amistad Commission Mandate

The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

This course provides students with more in-depth understandings of the various social, economic, religious, and political forces interwoven in the formation and early development of the United States and its government.    Much of the workload for U.S. History I CP is focused in the classroom where the expectation for students is to come prepared to meet the goals of the days' lessons through active engagement, participation, and independent-thinking activities/assessments.  Both primary and secondary texts and documents of greater rigor and challenge are used, including many documents found/retrieved by students independently in class via multiple forms of technology.  Students need to embrace more individual responsibilities in the classroom, as well as at home when homework is assigned to further assess student progress.  Students study historical issues of major significance, including interpretations of the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, women's rights, slavery, immigration, and the emergence of an industrial America poised to continue expansion after a destructive civil war.  It is highly recommended that students who enroll in U.S. History I CP also enroll in English II CP.

Amistad Commission Mandate
The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

This course provides students with the most in-depth understanding of the various social, economic, religious, and political forces interwoven in the formation and early development of the United States and its government.  Both primary and secondary texts and documents of greater rigor and challenge are used, including many documents found/retrieved by students independently in class via multiple forms of technology.  Honors students must meet the highest demands in academic responsibility, class discussion, computer/technology proficiency, research skills, evidence-based argumentation, creative note taking, and dedication to reading assigned texts.  The environment of the Honors course is largely student-led and student-centered.  Successful Honors students are inquisitive, self-motivated, and possess a strong, consistent work ethic.  Students study historical issues of major significance, including interpretations of the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, women's rights, slavery, immigration, and the emergence of an industrial America poised to continue expansion after a destructive civil war.  It is strongly recommended that students enrolled in U.S. History Honors are also enrolled in English II Honors.

Amistad Commission Mandate

The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

The US and The World History (a.k.a. US History II) course provides students with essential understandings of the various social, economic, religious, and political forces interwoven in the expansion of the United States and its evolution from hemispheric influence to a global superpower in the Twentieth Century, all resulting in significant changes to the global landscape, political stage, and world economy. Students should expect engaging, bell-to-bell instruction, purposeful and focused activities, and authentic skills-based formative and summative assessments. Much of the workload for U.S. History II is focused in the classroom where the expectation for students is to come prepared to meet the goals of the days' lessons through active engagement and participation. Students will receive homework based upon the need to further demonstrate the understanding of concepts or skills as indicated through the curricular learning objectives. Both primary and secondary texts and documents of appropriate rigor and challenge are used, including many documents found/retrieved by students independently in class via multiple forms of technology. Students study historical issues of major significance, including Progressivism, women's rights, segregation and discrimination, immigration, world wars, economic collapse, social reform, and the domestic turbulence of civil disobedience, assassinations, drugs, unpopular war, economic strength, and the importance of an educated electorate to democracy.

Holocaust Commission Mandate

The curricula address issues of bias, prejudice and bigotry, including bullying through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide for all children in grades K to 12. The implementation of this mandate will be found in the district’s K to 12 social studies curriculum,specifically in standard 6.3 (K to 4 and 5 to 8) and during the appropriate time periods in grades 9‐12 (standard 6.1, Era 11 and 6.2, Era 4)

Amistad Commission Mandate

The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

LGBT+ A board of education shall include instruction on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

The US and The World History (a.k.a. US History II) course provides students with essential understandings of the various social, economic, religious, and political forces interwoven in the expansion of the United States and its evolution from hemispheric influence to a global superpower in the Twentieth Century, all resulting in significant changes to the global landscape, political stage, and world economy.  Students should expect engaging, bell-to-bell instruction, purposeful and focused activities, and authentic skills-based formative and summative assessments.  Much of the workload for U.S. History II is focused in the classroom where the expectation for students is to come prepared to meet the goals of the days' lessons through active engagement and participation.  Students will receive homework based upon the need to further demonstrate the understanding of concepts or skills as indicated through the curricular learning objectives.  Both primary and secondary texts and documents of appropriate rigor and challenge are used, including many documents found/retrieved by students independently in class via multiple forms of technology.  Students study historical issues of major significance, including Progressivism, women's rights, segregation and discrimination, immigration, world wars, economic collapse, social reform, and the domestic turbulence of civil disobedience, assassinations, drugs, unpopular war, economic strength, and the importance of an educated electorate to democracy.  It is highly recommended that students who enroll in U.S. History II Honors also enroll in English II Honors.

Holocaust Commission Mandate

The curricula address issues of bias, prejudice and bigotry, including bullying through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide for all children in grades K to 12. The implementation of this mandate will be found in the district’s K to 12 social studies curriculum,specifically in standard 6.3 (K to 4 and 5 to 8) and during the appropriate time periods in grades 9‐12 (standard 6.1, Era 11 and 6.2, Era 4)

Amistad Commission Mandate

The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

LGBT+ A board of education shall include instruction on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle school and high school students as part of the district’s implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Social Studies.

In this course, students will explore US history since the end of the Age of Imperialism to the Modern Era. Students will learn about broad themes in the history of modern America, including immigration, race and ethnicity, social and political reform, mobility and population growth, contested meanings of freedom, industrialization, cycles of prosperity and recession, popular culture, modernity, and rights movements. Students will also develop ways of thinking historically through critical analysis of primary and secondary sources; setting events, documents and people in their historical contexts; and crafting interpretations and historical narratives from the “raw material” of the past. In this course, students should expect to do much more than memorize facts or dates – they will be busy actively doing history, not passively learning about history.

Holocaust Commission Mandate

The curricula address issues of bias, prejudice and bigotry, including bullying through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide for all children in grades K to 12. The implementation of this mandate will be found in the district’s K to 12 social studies curriculum,specifically in standard 6.3 (K to 4 and 5 to 8) and during the appropriate time periods in grades 9‐12 (standard 6.1, Era 11 and 6.2, Era 4)

Amistad Commission Mandate

The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

LGBT+ A board of education shall include instruction on the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle school and high school students as part of the district’s implementation of the Core Curriculum Content Standards in Social Studies.

The AP Program in United States History is designed to provide students with the analytical skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with problems and materials in United States history.  The program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those made by full-year introductory college courses.  Students should learn to assess historical materials – their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance – and to weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in historical scholarship.  An AP United States History course will thus assist students to develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in an essay format.

The themes of study in the AP United States History course are American diversity, American identity, culture, demographic changes, economic transformations environment, globalization, politics and citizenship, reform, religion, slavery and its legacies in North America, and war and diplomacy.  These themes provide broad parameters for the course and may be expanded or modified for instruction.  Teachers and students should also feel free to develop their own course themes as they look at the American past through a variety of lenses and examine U.S. History from multiple perspectives.

Students will be expected to complete a summer assignment as part of course requirements.  This assignment will be due at the first class meeting in September.  More information can be found about this course at www.collegeboard.com.  Students must also meet the Honors Policy Criteria.

This course may be used as a substitution for U.S. History II.

This 9th grade, entry-level course provides students with an understanding of human development in a global context. A thematic, conceptual approach follows a chronological sequence from 1450 to the current globalization of science, technology, and culture. Students should expect engaging, bell-to-bell instruction, purposeful and focused activities, and authentic skills-based formative and summative assessments. Much of the workload for World 9 is focused in the classroom where the expectation for students is to come prepared to meet the goals of the days' lessons through active engagement and participation. Both primary and secondary texts and documents are introduced and used to foster academic reading skills and strategies. Students study historical issues of major significance, including the fall of European feudalism, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment, major empires, mercantilism and the slave trade, political revolutions and independence movements, western dominance and world wars, environmentalism, and the impact of communication and technological progress. This course is recommended for students who are also taking English I.

Holocaust Commission Mandate

 The curricula address issues of bias, prejudice and bigotry, including bullying through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide for all children in grades K to 12. o The implementation of this mandate will be found in the district’s K to 12 social studies curriculum,specifically in standard 6.3 (K to 4 and 5 to 8) and during the appropriate time periods in grades 9‐12 (standard 6.1, Era 11 and 6.2, Era 4)

Amistad Commission Mandate

 The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. o Evidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

This course provides students with a greater understanding of human development in a global context. A thematic, conceptual approach follows a chronological sequence from 1450 to the current globalization of science, technology, and culture. Both primary and secondary texts and documents are used, including many documents found/retrieved by students independently in class via multiple forms of technology. Students need to embrace more individual responsibilities in the classroom, as well as at home when homework is assigned to further assess student progress. Students will study historical issues of major significance in relation to modern politics, cultural influences, and a world economy. Topics may include: the fall of European feudalism, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, major empires, mercantilism and the slave trade, political revolutions and independence movements, western dominance, and the impact of communication and technological progress. This course is recommended for students who are also taking English I CP.

Holocaust Commission Mandate

 The curricula address issues of bias, prejudice and bigotry, including bullying through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide for all children in grades K to 12.  The implementation of this mandate will be found in the district’s K to 12 social studies curriculum,specifically in standard 6.3 (K to 4 and 5 to 8) and during the appropriate time periods in grades 9‐12 (standard 6.1, Era 11 and 6.2, Era 4)

Amistad Commission Mandate

 The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. oEvidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

This course accommodates students ready for an accelerated program of study, and an in-depth, detailed understanding of human development in a global context. A thematic, conceptual approach follows a chronological sequence from 1450 to the current globalization of science, technology, and culture. Both primary and secondary texts and documents are used, as well as Document-Based Questions. Students will study historical issues of major significance in relation to modern politics, cultural influences, and a world economy. Topics may include: the fall of European feudalism, the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, major empires, mercantilism and the slave trade, political revolutions and independence movements, western dominance, and the impact of communication and technological progress.

Honors students must meet increased academic responsibility in homework, class discussion, computer/technology proficiency, research skills, evidence-based argumentation, creative note taking, and reading hours. Successful Honors students are inquisitive, self-motivated, and possess a strong, consistent work ethic. It is strongly recommended that students enrolled in World History Honors are also enrolled in English I Honors.

Holocaust Commission Mandate

The curricula address issues of bias, prejudice and bigotry, including bullying through the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide for all children in grades K to 12.  The implementation of this mandate will be found in the district’s K to 12 social studies curriculum,specifically in standard 6.3 (K to 4 and 5 to 8) and during the appropriate time periods in grades 9‐12 (standard 6.1, Era 11 and 6.2, Era 4)

Amistad Commission Mandate

The mandate requires the teaching of the African slave trade, slavery in America,the vestiges of slavery in this country and the contributions of African‐Americans to our society. oEvidence is found in all grade bands in the district’s K to 12 social studies curricula, [e.g., units about slavery, civil rights, Contemporary United States History (Era 14)].

The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contracts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge deployed in conjunction with leading interpretive issues and types of historical evidence. The course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage. Periodization, explicitly discussed, forms an organizing principle for dealing with change and continuity throughout the course. Specific themes provide further organization to the course, along with the consistent attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as a field of study.

The themes of study in the AP World History course are dynamics of change and continuity, patterns and effects of interactions: trade, war, diplomacy, and international organizations; the effects of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment; systems of social structure and gender structure, cultural, intellectual, and religious developments; and changes in political cultures and political organizations. These themes provide broad parameters for the course and may be expanded or modified for instruction. Teachers and students should also feel free to develop their own course themes as they look at the human past through a variety of lenses and examine World History from multiple perspectives.

Students will be expected to complete a summer assignment as part of course requirements. This assignment will be due at the first class meeting in September. More information can be found about this course at www.collegeboard.com.