Rocklin High School

Grade Level: 9 (one semester course in combination with Health)

Prerequisite: None

 

Students will spend three weeks of the first quarter on a Freshmen Success unit of study. The Freshmen Success program will cover the academic, social and cultural aspects of a high school environment that are required factors in a student’s continued success at the high school level. This introductory course is designed to explore the physical and cultural aspects of our world. The course focuses on the interdependence of the world with emphasis on development, population, and environment. Study is divided among the major regions of the earth.  Career and computer applications will be incorporated to enhance the understanding of the RHS technology.

Grade Level: 10

Prerequisite: None

The purpose of the Advanced Placement Modern World History course is to develop a greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, 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. It emphasizes relevant factual knowledge used 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 consistent attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as a field of study. Students who pass the AP exam may receive college credit, advanced placement or both depending on the policies at the specific institution. Students should anticipate nightly reading/assignments. Throughout the year, students will develop skills in SAQs, DBQ and LEQ Essays, stimulus based MCQs, and high level class discussions. AP classes are comparable to college level courses and utilize college level content. These classes are taught in an accelerated format and require extensive out-of-class work (approximately two hours per course per night).

Grade Level: 11

Prerequisite: None 

Video Description: US History

 

Studies in this course will provide students with a broad look at the history of the United States from the Foundations to present day. Understanding US history and how it applies to today’s society will provide students with the skills and knowledge to become actively involved in their own community.. Students will be developing and building skills in order to  demonstrate their mastery of the material in a variety of ways: SAQs, DBQ Essays, MCQs, Socratic Seminars, and research presentations. During the first semester, the following units of study will be covered: Beginnings of America to Reconstruction, Industrialization, Progressive Era, US as a World Power, From War to Peace (1920’s), the Great Depression and the New Deal, and an examination of the US role in WWII. Second semester continues with The Cold War and the 1950s, Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s through today. US history will be a continuation in the development of organization and literacy skills that were started in 10th grade world history in preparation for 12th grade Government/Economics and beyond.  

In AP U.S. History, students investigate significant events, individuals, developments, and processes in nine historical periods from approximately 1491 to the present. Students develop and use the same skills and methods employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical arguments; making historical connections; and utilizing reasoning about comparison, causation, and continuity and change. The course also provides eight themes that students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical developments in different times and places: American and national identity; work, exchange, and technology; geography and the environment; migration and settlement; politics and power; America in the world; American and regional culture; and social structures.  AP U.S. History is equivalent to a two-semester introductory college course in U.S. history.  Students who pass the AP exam may receive college credit, advanced placement or both depending on the policies at the specific institution. Students can anticipate nightly reading from a college-level textbook. Students should have proficient skills in SAQs, DBQ Essays, LEQ essays, stimulus based MCQs, and high level class discussions. AP classes are comparable to college level courses and utilize college level content. These classes are taught in an accelerated format and require extensive out-of-class work (approximately two hours per course per night).

Grade Level: 11

Prerequisite: None

Recommended: Strong literacy skills or a desire to improve reading and writing skills in preparation for college level reading and writing. Highly suggested a grade “B” or better in LA II and/or World History.

Dual Enrollment Course: Sierra College/HIST 0017A/HIST 0017B

Video Description: DE US History

This course is a college level class taught as a dual enrollment course with Sierra College. Students who successfully complete the year-long course receive 6 college units on their Sierra transcript. In the first semester, this course covers the history of the United States from its origins to 1877. Emphasis on evolution of colonial societies, the American Revolution and the establishment of the Republic, Constitution and constitutional developments, and emergence of a national political tradition; ethnic and racial pluralism of settlement, growth and development; the market revolution and emergence of democracy; institution of slavery, territorial expansion, and events, issues, and developments culminating in the Civil War and the Reconstruction of the South. (C-ID HIST 130) (CSU, UC) The second semester of the course covers the history of the United States from 1865 to the present. Emphasis on national political, economic, intellectual, and social trends and their impact on constitutional law; industrialization and urbanization; evolution of American ethnic, cultural and racial pluralism; and the role of the United States in world affairs. Also addresses California state and local issues in a broad, national context. (C-ID HIST 140) (CSU, UC). Students read 50-100 pages a week from college level resources, including textbooks, peer-reviewed journals and other resources. The course includes three major writing assignments that are based on research and rely on student writing.  Sierra Community College uses Canvas as a learning platform and students will be required to meet deadlines, upload assignments, and manage their grades through this platform. Students will experience the benefits and challenges of being a junior college student. Students should have proficient skills in SAQs, LEQ essays, MCQs, and high level class discussions and will develop academic research skills. For more information regarding this course, please contact Mrs. Jones at cjones@rocklinusd.org. Dual Enrollment classes are college level courses and utilize college level content. These classes are taught in an accelerated format and require extensive out-of-class work (approximately two hours per course per night).

 

Grade Level: 12

Prerequisite: None

 

Government is a one semester course taken in conjunction with Economics dedicated to the study of principles, structures, and functions of the United States Government. The course will emphasize perspectives on political issues, the legislative process, and the U.S. Constitution and voting. Students will gain a personal awareness of individual rights and responsibilities as members of the community.

Grade Level: 11 – 12

Prerequisite: Grade of an “A” in  World  History, US History or successful completion of either AP US History or AP World History.  

Fee: College Board testing fee ($TBA)

 

This course will give students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States. It will include both the study of general concepts used to interpret U.S. politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the variety of theoretical perspectives and explanations for various behaviors and outcomes. The course will also provide students with the conceptual tools necessary to develop an understanding of some of the world’s diverse political structures and practices. The course will encompass the study of both specific countries and their governments and general concepts used to interpret the political relationships and institutions found in virtually all national politics. Students will also study the core principles of the senior course in economics, therefore earning a semester of economics credit. College level reading, writing, and discussion will characterize the course. Students who pass the AP exam may receive college credit, advanced placement or both depending on the policies at the specific institution. AP classes are comparable to college level courses and utilize college level content. These classes are taught in an accelerated format and require extensive out-of-class work (approximately two hours per course per night).

Grade Level: 12

Prerequisite: None

Economics is a one semester course taken in conjunction with Government dedicated to the study of basic principles of both micro and macroeconomics. Through an emphasis on current events and practical applications, the course introduces students to basic economic principles, such as supply and demand, government taxation and spending, interest rates, and inflation. In addition, the course will instruct students in issues of personal finance, such as budgeting, credit cards, taxes, saving and investing.

Grade Level: 12

Prerequisite: Grade of an “A” in US History OR Successful completion of either AP US History or AP World History.

Fee: College Board testing fee ($TBA)

 

This course is designed to give students a thorough understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. It places primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, the study of factor markets and the role of government in promoting greater efficiency and equity in the economy. In addition, students will study the core principles of both senior government class and macroeconomics, therefore earning a semester of government credit. College level reading, writing, and discussion will characterize the course. Students who pass the AP exam may receive college credit, advanced placement or both depending on the policies at the specific institution. AP classes are comparable to college level courses and utilize college level content. These classes are taught in an accelerated format and require extensive out-of-class work (approximately two hours per course per night).

Grade Level: 10 – 12

Prerequisite: None

 

Positive psychology encompasses the study of positive experiences, positive character strengths, positive relationships, and the traditions and practices that facilitate their development. The distinction among the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life will be drawn. This course also reviews the history of positive psychology and the contributions this new field has made to several traditional research areas in psychology. Throughout the course we will also engage in experiential learning and practical exercises to increase well-being, which will inform our understanding of important questions in positive psychology.

This course is an introduction to the essentials of Psychology and Sociology.  Psychology will focus on the study of individual human behavior and thought.  Topics to be covered:  psychological approaches (Freud, Erikson, Skinner, Pavlov, etc.), human development, memory, thought, dreams, hypnosis, and mental illness.  The study of sociology includes the study of the development and functioning of human society and social interaction.  Topics to be covered:  social groups, generations, race relations, religion, social class, gender, and other phenomena in society.  In both disciplines, students will explore theory and experimentation, with an emphasis on applying new knowledge to real-life situations.

Grade Level: 11 – 12

Prerequisite: Grade of “A” in Psychology OR a “B+” or higher in both semesters of Language Arts or Social Studies. 

Fee:  College Board testing fee ($TBA)

Advanced Placement Psychology will engage the student in the systematic study of human behavior and mental processes.  Some of psychology’s important issues include the role of genetics and experience in influencing human behavior; the concept that our experiences, choices, and environments interact with our genetic inheritance to form our brains and shape our personalities; questions regarding stability versus change in personality; human rationality versus irrationality; the ability to think critically about research in human behavior; our ability to connect our behavior and experiences to our own futures and the future of humanity.  Students take the AP exam in the spring. Students who pass the test may receive college credit, advanced placement or both depending on the policies at the specific institution. AP classes are comparable to college level courses and utilize college level content. These classes are taught in an accelerated format and require extensive out-of-class work (approximately two hours per course per night). For an AP Psychology textbook overview, click HERE.