This course traces the nation’s history from the pre-colonial period to the end of the American Civil War. It emphasizes the colonial period and the creation of a new nation and examines the beliefs and philosophies that informed the American Revolution and the subsequent formation of the government and political system.

Students first explore the earliest points of contact between individuals from Europe, Africa, and North America. They then probe the economic, cultural, and social motives for the nation’s expansion, as well as the conflicting notions of liberty that eventually resulted in the Civil War. Woven throughout this narrative history is a strong focus on the changing conditions of women, African Americans, and other minority groups. The ways in which Americans lived, ate, dressed, and interacted are also highlighted.

The course emphasizes the development of historical analysis skills such as comparing and contrasting, differentiating between facts and interpretations, considering multiple perspectives, and analyzing cause-and-effect relationships. These skills are applied to text interpretation and in written assignments that guide learners step-by-step through problem-solving activities.

This course is built to state standards and informed by the National Council for History Education, the National Center for History in the Schools, and the National Council for Social Studies.

1 semester, 0.5 credit

This course traces the nation’s history from the pre-colonial period to the end of the American Civil War. It emphasizes the colonial period and the creation of a new nation and examines the beliefs and philosophies that informed the American Revolution and the subsequent formation of the government and political system.

Students first explore the earliest points of contact between individuals from Europe, Africa, and North America. They then probe the economic, cultural, and social motives for the nation’s expansion, as well as the conflicting notions of liberty that eventually resulted in the Civil War. Woven throughout this narrative history is a strong focus on the changing conditions of women, African Americans, and other minority groups. The ways in which Americans lived, ate, dressed, and interacted are also highlighted.

The course emphasizes the development of historical analysis skills such as comparing and contrasting, differentiating between facts and interpretations, considering multiple perspectives, and analyzing cause-and-effect relationships. These skills are applied to text interpretation and in written assignments that guide learners step-by-step through problem-solving activities.

Students perfect their ability to use logic and evidence to create persuasive written arguments in five-paragraph essays and in shorter exercises such as document-based questions and analytic discussions.

This course is built to state standards and standards from the National Council for History Education (1997), the National Center for History in the Schools (1996), and the National Council for Social Studies (1994).

1 semester, 0.50 credit

U.S. and Global Economics is a wide-ranging course that provides an introduction to key economic principles. Students gain an understanding of choices they must make as producers, consumers, investors, and taxpayers. They have ample opportunity to develop their points of view and apply what they learn to the promotion of civic action. Topics include an examination of markets from both historical and current perspectives; the basics of supply and demand; the theories of early economic philosophers such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo; theories of value; the concept of money and how it evolved; the role of banks, investment houses, and the Federal Reserve; Keynesian economics; the productivity, wages, investment, and growth involved in capitalism; unemployment, inflations, and the national debt; and a survey of markets in areas such as China, Europe, and the Middle East.

U.S. and Global Economics is designed to fall in the fourth year of social studies instruction. Students perfect their analytic writing through a series of analytic assignments and written lesson tests. They also apply basic mathematics to economic concepts. Students read extensive selections from crucial primary documents and apply those readings to the course content.

The content is based on standards from the National Council for History Education (1997), the National Center for History in the Schools (1996), and the National Council for Social Studies (1994) and is aligned to state standards.

1 semester, 0.50 credit

Middle School Civics delivers instruction, practice, and review designed to build middle school students’ understanding of the political and governmental systems of the United States and the roles played by citizens. By honing their ability to analyze civic life, political practices, and government structures, students build the depth of knowledge and higher-order thinking skills required to demonstrate their mastery when put to the test.

The two-semester course is arranged in themed units, each with three to five lessons. In each unit, activities make complex ideas about civics accessible through focused content, guided analysis, multi-modal representations, and personalized feedback. Each lesson includes a variety of activities such as direct instruction, application of skills, performance tasks, and formative and summative assessments. as they progress through standards-aligned content and demonstrate their learning through computer- and teacher-scored assignments.

Middle School Civics is built to state standards and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

2 semesters

World History to the Renaissance traces the development of civilizations around the world from prehistory to the Renaissance.

The course covers major themes in world history, including the development and influence of human-geographic relationships, political and social structures, economic systems, major religions and belief systems, science and technology, and the arts.

Topics covered in this course include the birth of civilizations; the classical civilizations of India, China, Greece, and Rome; the rise of new empires such as the Byzantine; and an examination of civilizations in  Africa and North and South America. From there, students journey to the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance.

Primary source documents, which appear frequently, encourage students to make connections to evidence from the past. Writing skills are honed through a spiraled sequence of short analytic pieces.

This course is built to state standards and further informed by standards from the National Council for History Education, the National Center for History in the Schools, and the National Council for Social Studies.

2 semesters, 1 credit