SOCIAL STUDIES AP PROGRAM (9TH GRADE – 12TH)
LEAP
AND PRE-AP
World Geography (9th Grade)
Pre-AP World
Geography Studies is a course designed to develop a greater understanding of
the people, places and environments at local, national, and international
scales from the spatial and ecological perspectives of geography. The student’s geographical understanding will
be advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and
appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights how events of the past and
present are influenced by this physical processes that shape patterns in the
physical environment; the political, economic, and social processes that shape
cultural patterns of a region; and how components of culture shape the
characteristics of regions and the impact of technology and human modifications
on the physical environment.
To quote from
Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994, " ...a geographically
informed person (1) sees meaning in the arrangement of things in space; (2)
sees relations between people, places, and environments; (3) uses geographic
skills; and (4) applies spatial and ecological perspectives to life
situations."
LEAP
AND AP World
History (10th Grade)
AP World
History is a college-level survey course designed to develop greater
understanding of the historical development of global processes and contacts,
in interaction with different types of human societies. If
a student chooses not to take the AP exam
in May, the course still fulfills the graduation requirement for World History
in
This
historical 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 focus is
primarily on the last thousand years of global experience. Knowledge of year-to-year political events is
not required. Generally, all work will be assigned with a view to helping the
student develop the knowledge and skills to prepare for college level work.
Students will
focus on six major themes (i.e.: the impact of technology, trade, and systems
of social structure on society) while developing skills necessary to success in
higher levels of learning (i.e.: constructing and evaluating arguments,
developing the ability to analyze diverse interpretations of events and global
patterns over time).
BOTH,
I repeat, BOTH--LEAP AND AP
READING
LIST: The summer reading for this class
is Devil in the White City by Erik
Larson, and A History of
The goals of
this course are identical to those above.
The AP program is designed as a spiral curriculum. This means that the Pre-AP and AP classes at
the 9th and 10th grade levels prepare the students for this course. Although they are not required pre-requisites
they are highly recommended. Some
students who have never taken AP, but really love history can do well. The goal is not for everyone to get A’s;
rather—it is for everyone to learn the dynamics and interplay of history
BETTER. Having said this, I also want to
warn you that it is a difficult course, and that the average drop rate for this
class is around 30%. There is a
culminating test for this course that can earn the student college credit. Over the last 10 years, 80% of my students
have passed the AP College Board exam.
Please go to http://www.historybytes.net to
see my webnotes in order to get a clearer idea of the
level of analysis needed. The summer
reading for this class is Devil in the
White, and A History of
ADVANCED
PLACEMENT
AP government and politics is an intensive study of the
formal and informal structures of government and the processes of the
AP
Economics (12th)
This is a
course that allows a senior student to study Macroeconomics at a more advanced
level than the regular Macroeconomic class.
The material in the course covers challenging material and is designed
to academically encourage students to learn and succeed at a high level. Topics covered in the class include such
things as the economy, employment, monetary policy, banking, and international
economics. Students are also given the
opportunity to take the national AP test for potential college credit. Students should understand that this is a
rigorous but rewarding course and requires academic motivation and independence
to succeed. While there is no summer
reading material for the class, students are encouraged to begin examining
major concepts in supplementary resources prior to the beginning of the course.
AP
European History (11th-12th)
This course
is an advanced elective history course that students may take for credit toward
their GPA. The material in the course
covers the history of
AP European
History studies the modern period of
Students
should be motivated to succeed and be interested in history. They will be given the opportunity to take
the national AP European exam for potential college credit.
AP
Psychology (11th-12th)
AP
Psychology provides an overview of current psychological research methods
and theories, and prepares the student for the AP Psychology exam in May.
Discussions, experiments, activities and lectures will help students to develop
an understanding of human behavior: how people learn and think,
the process of human development and human aggression, altruism, intimacy,
and self-reflection. They will study core psychological concepts, such as
the brain and sense functions, and learn to gauge human reactions, gather
information, and form meaningful syntheses. Along the way, students will also
investigate relevant concepts like study skills and information retention. Students should understand that this course
involves a great deal of reading and requires academic motivation to succeed.