SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT
 
Richard Sutton- Department Chairperson
 
  HELIX HIGH SCHOOL  

NAVIGATION

ABOUT SOCIAL STUDIES

TEACHERS

COURSES
Course Description
Summer Courses/Assignments
Advanced Placement
Departmental Homepages
Other Programs/Links


ABOUT SOCIAL STUDIES

"In the past, the role of social studies in schools was unquestioned, but today more and more schools are reducing the emphasis on social studies. The fostering of civic virtue is a crucial part of our children's education, and sadly it is often a neglected component of the school curriculum. Civic virtue is about a commitment to valuing and understanding democratic principles that manifest themselves in the everyday lives of citizens. By teaching social studies we are giving children the chance to develop civic feelings and values, and foster 'habits of the heart.' The social studies are essential to character development and to providing the background to what we learn. Education is about providing young people with the skills and values to become engaged and effective citizens."
-Jeff Passe, president of the National Council for the Social Studies

Above is a great quote about the effectiveness of social studies. Helix has been supportive of a full complement of social studies courses!

 

TEACHERS

Ms. Anderson Mr. Asimos Mr. Berg Ms. Caryl Ms. Damschen
Mr. Geary Ms. Kahler Mr. McKinney Mr. Patterson Mrs. Phelps
Ms. Rivera Mr. Sabin Mr. Stone Mr. Sutton Mr. Weber
         
         

Course Description
Courses for 2006/2007
SS 4 Year Template

Summer Courses/Assignments

Below are the summer enrichment courses offered as well as links to those courses which require summer assignments.

Honors Geography Summer Prep Course - This summer prep course focuses on improving students reading and writing of expository text. This course is highly recommended for students who plan on enrolling in Honors Geography. This course meets during summer school daily, however, the sessions for this course are generally only two hours in length. (There is no required summer assignment to enroll in Honors Geography).

AP European History Summer Prep Course - This summer prep course focuses on assisting students to prepare for Advanced Placement courses. Specifically, students will complete the summer assignment and have intensive instruction on time management, note-taking, and the writing of DBQs (Data Based Questions). This course meets during summer school (8-noon), however, students only attend for one week. There is a REQUIRED summer assignment for this course.
AP European History Required Summer Assignment

AP US History Summer Prep Course - This summer prep course focuses on assisting students to prepare for Advanced Placement US History. Traditionally, of the 36 AP courses offered, AP US History has been the most difficult to pass in the nation. However, colleges and universities look highly upon students who have passed this course. The summer prep course is designed to review materials which are important to the course but which are not covered in the course due to time constraints. This course meets during summer school (8-10), however, students only attend for one week. There is a REQUIRED summer assignment for this course.
AP US History Required Summer Assignment

AP Government/Economics Summer Prep Course -(Due to budget constraints pass down from the State, we must cancel this enrichment course for the 2005/2006 school year.) This summer prep course focuses on assisting students in preparing for the four Advanced Placement government/economics exams. The summer prep spends five days on government and five days on economics. This course meets during summer school (8-noon), however, students only attend for two weeks. There is a REQUIRED summer assignment for AP American/Comparative government only.
AP American Government/Comparative Government Required Summer Assignment

All summer prep courses are intended to assist student in being successful on the AP exam.

Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) courses allow students to earn college credit while attending high school. These rigorous courses are specifically designed to challenge students academically. Students who are successful on the Advanced Placement Exam administered in the Spring of every year may earn college credit. Please examine the success of these programs at Helix!


AP Economics - Macro
AP Economics - Micro
AP European History
AP Government - Comparative
AP Government - US
AP Human Geography
AP Psychology
AP US History

Social Studies Departmental Comparisons

Departmental Homepages
US History

AP US History

Psychology

AP Psychology

Honors Geography

Other Programs/Links
Oral History Program

California Department of Education Standards

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


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