MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSES
Listed below are the HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES READINESS CONCEPTS integrated in the Middle School Social Studies courses.
- Social studies passages are selected from published works of nonfiction and represent diverse points of view.
Develop literal-level of reading skills
Develop ability to make inferences
Draw generalizations and conclusions about a situation presented in a text
Recognize clear cause-effect relationships within a passage
Learn to reason logically
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS & MODERN WORLD
SST 630
Level:6
Textbook Level: 7
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description:Ancient Civilizations & the Modern World is a course that will introduce sixth grade students to social studies skills though the medium of ancient cultures. Lessons throughout the year will engage students in essential social studies concepts: critical thinking, literal-level reading skills, map reading and inference skills, and identifying cause – effect relationships. In conjunction with the English curriculum, students will learn to support their own conclusions with evidence from primary and secondary sources. In terms of content, students will examine the historical and social contributions of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Israelites, Greece, Rome, China, and Mesoamerica, so that they can draw conclusions about the connection between the ancient civilizations and the contemporary world.
ADVANCED STUDIES IN GEOGRAPHY
SST 730
Level:7
Textbook Level: 8
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description:This course is designed to help students build skills and knowledge essential to understand the world and the way it affects their lives. Students will draw generalizations and conclusions about situations presented in class. Students will recognize clear cause-effect relationships within passages. Students will learn to reason logically and will focus on and examine the five histories of geography (political, economic, military, social, intellectual). An appreciation for cultural diversity and gender issues is a focus for this course along with research, writing, and public speaking.
TOPICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
SST 830
Level:8
Textbook Level: 9
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description:This course has been designed to show how and why particular events occurred in our society. Rather than follow the traditional chronology of American history, this course will focus on those topics which have shaped our history and continue to impact our lives today. The issues to be studied include politics and government, economics, immigration, the military, diplomacy, cultural diversity, gender issues, agriculture, religions, and regional differences. This course will develop critical and literal levels of reading skills, as well as the ability to make inferences into the material. The students will learn to draw conclusions and generalizations about situations presented in the reading materials. Furthermore, they will recognize cause-effect relationships in addition to the development of logical reasoning pertaining to historical information.
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HIGH SCHOOL COURSES
ACT COLLEGE READINESS CONCEPTS integrated in the High School Social Studies courses:
- Critical Thinking
Reasoning
Problem-Analysis
Writing
WORLD HISTORY TO 1800
SST 130
Level:9
Duration: Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description: The first semester of this course offers a history of ancient times and man's earliest civilizations. This includes not only the history of the Middle Eastern civilizations, but also the history o fEgypt,Greece,Rome,Africa and a brief overview of the ancient Indian and Chinese civilizations. The second semester offering summarizes almost 1,400 years of human experience, from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire to the eve of the French Revolution. Cultural diversity and gender issues are discussed. Research, writing, and oral presentations are emphasized throughout the year.
HONORS WORLD HISTORY TO 1800
SST 150
Level:9
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Prerequisites:Eighth grade teacher recommendation and approval; 93% or higher in Social Studies and 93% or higher in English
Description:This course is designed for freshmen students suited for an accelerated curriculum. Students who take this course will be fully prepared to take AP European History, AP U.S. Government/Comparative Government, AP U.S. History and/or AP World History in subsequent years. The course begins with an in depth study of the world’s first civilizations and continues with detailed analysis of Asian, African, European, and South American civilizations from their founding through approximately 1800a.d. An effort will be made to show changes and continuities in these ancient and medieval societies and how cultural diffusion played a major role in their development. Reading, writing, research, study, presentation and critical thinking skills will be emphasized.
MODERN WORLD HISTORY AND CIVICS
SST 230
Level:10
Duration: Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description:The history component of this class will involve a detailed analysis of modern world history from the Scientific Revolution to the present day. The foundations of modern Western society will be identified and evaluated. Students will assess the impact the Western world and the non-Western world have had upon each other over the last 500 years. A special effort will be made to assess the manner in which the past has shaped present world society and will shape the future of world society.
HONORS MODERN WORLD HISTORY AND CIVICS
SST 250
Level:10
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Prerequisites:Teacher recommendation and Department Chair approval
Description: This course is designed for sophomore students suited for an accelerated curriculum. Students who take this course will be fully prepared to take AP European History, AP US Government/Comparative Government, AP U.S. History, and AP World History in subsequent years. Several outside sources will be used to supplement the textbook and students will be involved in a concerted effort to develop analytical writing skills. The history component of this course will involve a detailed analysis of modern world history from the Scientific Revolution to the present day. The foundations of modern Western society will be identified and evaluated. Students will assess the impact the Western world and the non-Western world have had upon each other over the last five hundred years. A special effort will be made to assess the manner in which the past has shaped present world society and will shape the future of world society.
AP WORLD HISTORY
SST 270
Level: 11,12
AP: Advanced Placement College Board
Duration: Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Prerequisites: Teacher recommendation; Department chair approval; 90% or better GPA; top 25% class ranking; 60 verbal or better on PSAT for incoming juniors & seniors, 53 for incoming sophomores.
Description: The purpose of this course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of 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. Focused primarily on the past thousand years of the global experience, the course builds an understanding of cultural, institutional and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage prior to 1000 A.D. Per iodization, explicitly discussed, forms the organizing principle for dealing with change and continuity from that point to the present. 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. Students will take the AP exam at the end of this course.
SURVEY OF U.S. HISTORY
SST 330
ACC: University of Missouri-St. Louis
Level:11
Duration: Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description: This course is a traditional survey of American history. The first semester begins with the Age of Discovery and ends with Reconstruction. The second semester begins with the Gilded Age and progresses through modern times. The student is made more aware of himself, his community, his society, and his nation's history, as he learns to think as an individual. Students are encouraged to discuss the problems of their society so that they will develop an appreciation of it. They will also gain knowledge of the traditions of our nation. A global awareness is always a major emphasis in this course, along with an appreciation of cultural diversity and gender issues. Public speaking, research and writing are emphasized along with critical thinking. Students will also study and demonstrate proficient knowledge of the Missouri and United States Constitutions.
AP/ACC U.S. HISTORY
SST 370
AP: Advanced Placement College Board
ACC: St. Louis University 1818
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Level:10, 11, 12
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Prerequisites:Teacher recommendation; Department chair approval; 90% or better GPA; top 25% class ranking; 60 verbal or better on PSAT for incoming juniors & seniors, 53 for incoming sophomores.
Description:The Advanced Placement Program in U.S. history is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in American History. This program prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent to those of full-year introductory college courses. Students will learn to assess historical materials--their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and their importance--and to weigh the evidence and 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 essay format. The first semester will begin with the Age of Discovery and end with the Civil War. The second semester will cover the period between the Civil War and the 1990's. Cultural diversity and gender issues are a constant theme throughout the year. Important African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and women are studied as well. At the conclusion of the course the student will take the Advanced Placement exam in American History. Students will also study and demonstrate proficient knowledge of the Missouri and United States Constitutions.
ACC PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 470
ACC: Advanced Placement College Board (optional)
St. Louis University 1818
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Level:11, 12
Duration:One Semester - ½ Credit
Description:Psychology offers the student a college level course opportunity to understand the basic methods, concepts, and principles of the whole field of psychology and their relevance to his world and school culture. The student aided by the possibility to think critically, experiences psychology and practices psychology as an advanced learning experience. Using many methods, the student is given a rare exposure to the richness of the field of psychology. Cultural diversity and gender issues are a constant part of the course as well as research, writing and public speaking. The AP Exam is optional.
ACC CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL ISSUES
SST 430
ACC: University of Missouri – St. Louis
Level:12
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Description:This course is a required for seniors, and only those who are accepted and choose to participate in an Advanced Placement Course will be exempt from this requirement. This course is the culmination of the Social Studies program, and relies heavily on knowledge acquired in our previous social studies curriculum. The main goal of the course is to prepare our seniors for leadership roles in tomorrow's global world. The entire year centers on global issues that relate to the world in which our seniors will live. Emphasis is placed on World History from 1945 until the present. From this the student will learn about global issues, and he will be made aware of history's influence on him, his environment, and his society. Along with the use of global topics and issues, the student will use outside resources to build on his information base, and he will begin to appreciate his role in the world of tomorrow. Research, writing and public speaking are emphasized.
AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
SST 470
AP:Advanced Placement College Board
Level:10, 11, 12
Duration:Two Semesters - 1 Credit
Prerequisites:Teacher recommendation; Department chair approval; 90% or better GPA; top 25% class ranking; 60 verbal or better on PSAT for incoming juniors & seniors, 53 for incoming sophomores.
Description:Students will be involved in a detailed analysis of European history from medieval times to the present day. The foundations of Western society will be identified and evaluated. Students will assess the impact the Western World and the non-Western World have had upon each other over the last 600 years. A special effort will be made to assess the manner in which the past has shaped present Western society and will shape the future of Western society. A special effort will also be made to prepare students for the AP Exam. Advanced College Credit (ACC) through St. Louis University and the University of St. Louis-Missouri, is available to juniors and seniors only.
AP US GOVERNMENT/AP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT
SST 471
AP: Advanced Placement College Board
Level:10, 11, 12
Duration:Two Semesters - One Credit
Prerequisites:Sophomore standing or higher; Teacher recommendation, Department chairperson approval; 87% or higher grade point average; Top 35% class rank, 60 verbal or higher on PSAT for juniors and seniors, 53 verbal or higher for sophomores
Description: This course fills the requirements for twoAP Exams: U.S. Government and Comparative Government and the content will be taught simultaneously. The course is designed to provide students with an analytical perspective on governmental systems and politics not only in the United States, but in the world as a whole. While using the United States as a case study, the course aims to illustrate the rich diversity of political life, to show available institutional alternatives, to explain differences in processes and policy outcomes, and to communicate to students the importance of global, political and economic changes. The course will focus a great deal on the government of the United States, but will use the governments of six additional countries to study political phenomena and relationships: China, Great Britain, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria and Russia. Special emphasis will be placed on preparing the student for the AP Exams in U.S. Government and Comparative.