Social Studies

Grade 9
Required 0.5 Credit
Levels: CP, Honors 

Geography is a 1/2 credit, 9th-grade course focusing on the diverse ways of life found around the world. Through the study of major geographic themes, students will recognize and evaluate the relationships between people, places, regions, and environments. Students will develop a global perspective and further explore how physical environments affect human events. The major focus is the Delaware Geography Standards: maps, environments, places, and regions with a supporting focus on related concepts found in the state’s Civics, Economics, and History standards.

Grade 9
Required 0.5 Credit
Levels: CP, Honors 

This course will study the democratic foundations of our federal government. Emphasis will be placed on the structures of government as established in the Constitution and citizen responsibilities and involvement. Students will be expected to do research projects, work in cooperative groups, present orally, participate in simulations, and maintain a class notebook. All units are aligned to the Delaware State Social Studies Standards.

Grade 10
Required 1 Credit
Levels: CP, Honors 

This course will cover micro-macro economic concepts and how they apply to our free enterprise system and the world. Applications of knowledge learned to present-day situations will be required. Students will be expected to do research projects, work in cooperative groups, present orally, participate in simulations and adapt concepts to personal economics and maintain a class notebook. All units are aligned to the Delaware State Social Studies Standards.

Grade 11
Required 1 Credit
Levels: CP, Honors 

This is a survey course in American History taught to eleventh-grade students who study America’s past to learn about their nation’s history and to appreciate their responsibilities as free individuals faced with the challenge of shaping the future of their society. Students will study the political, cultural, social, economic, and religious developments in the U.S. from 1865 to the present. This course utilizes instructional techniques and learning methods that will help students acquire an in-depth knowledge of our history. Research papers, presentations, oral and written reports, and class participation along with higher-order thinking will be required. This course is aligned with the Delaware State Social Studies Standards and is required for graduation.

Grade 12
Levels: Honors, CP 
Prerequisites: Civics, World Geography, Economics, American History 

World History is a course designed for those students planning to attend a four-year college/university. The course offers students the opportunity to develop historical knowledge by studying major historical world events from around 1400 CE to the present. The course will focus on major world events and movements that took place during that time period. Determining the cause and effect relationship of those events will further expand the student’s understanding of the ways in which individuals and societies have changed over time. Development of chronological concepts and historical knowledge, as well as analyzing historical phenomena by gathering and interpreting historical dates, are all an integral part of this course.

Grades 10-12
0.5 Credit Elective Course

This course will introduce students to the social science of Psychology. Throughout the semester, the students will discuss the history of the study of the mind, learning principles, memory, motivation, emotion, and the evolution of the mind through the life span. Students will be expected to complete writing activities and engage in classroom discussion. This course is aligned with the Delaware Social Studies Standards and the National Standards for high school psychology curricula.

Grades 10-12
0.5 Credit Elective Course

This course is a study of the fundamental concepts and methods used in the scientific study of group behavior looking at social interactions and processes. This is an introductory level course into essential sociological theories, research, concepts, and everyday realities. Background information on social psychology, socialization, personal development, culture, and personality will also be presented. This course is aligned with the Delaware Social Studies Standards and the National Standards for high school sociology curricula.

Grades 10-12
0.5 Credit Elective Course

The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a background and history of the Holocaust in order to encourage a determination never to repeat the past. Students will study anti-Semitism, the rise of Nazi Germany, the annihilation of millions of Europeans, and the aftermath. In studying the Holocaust, the victims, perpetrators, bystanders, rescuers, resistance groups, the world response, and the roles of neutral nations will be covered. Various perspectives of each of these groups will be studied and interpreted. The course goal is to teach an understanding of individual differences universally and to learn tolerance for others. Students are required to do research projects, presentations, and victim posters, participate in simulations and maintain a notebook. The course’s resources include films, diaries, photographs, witness videos, and other primary and secondary sources. All units are aligned to the Delaware State Social Studies Standards.

Grades 10-12
0.5 Credit Elective Course