Social Studies

Through the study of Civics and Economics, students will examine the responsibilities, rights, and duties of citizenship and its function within the political and economic system of the United States. Students will explore the structure and operation of local, state, and national governments through an inquiry-based approach. Students will utilize their knowledge and skills to understand and analyze the relationship between the government and the economy. Students will apply their learning to develop an understanding of what it means to be an informed and responsible citizen.

Students will:

• Use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, cartoons, and tables.
• Demonstrate skills for historical, civic, and geographic analysis.
• Understand the foundations of American constitutional government.
• Understand citizenship and the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens.
• Demonstrate personal character traits that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life.
• Understand the political process at the local, state, and national levels of government.
• Understand the American constitutional government at the national, state, and local levels.
• Understand the judicial systems established by the Constitution of Virginia and the Constitution of the United States.
• Understand how public policy is made at the local, state, and national levels of government.
• Understand the United States economy, how decisions are made in the marketplace, and the role of government in the economy.
• Understand personal finance and career opportunities.

The Civics and Economics Standards of Learning assessment will be administered at the end of Grade 7.

In Civics and Economics, Intensified students will engage in extended application and analysis of the structure and operation of local, state, and national governments as well as the relationship between the government and the economy through an inquiry-based approach. Students will develop critical thinking approaches and apply their knowledge as they grapple with the responsibilities, rights, and duties of citizenship and its function within the political and economic system of the United States.

Students will apply their learning to develop an understanding of what it means to be an informed and responsible citizen. Students will:

• Use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, cartoons, and tables.
• Demonstrate skills for historical, civic, and geographic analysis.
• Understand the foundations of American constitutional government.
• Understand citizenship and the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens.
• Demonstrate personal character traits that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life. Understand the political process at the local, state, and national levels of government.
• Understand the American constitutional government at the national, state, and local levels.
• Understand the judicial systems established by the Constitution of Virginia and the Constitution of the United States.
• Understand how public policy is made at the local, state, and national levels of government.
• Understand the United States economy, how decisions are made in the marketplace, and the role of government in the economy.
• Understand personal finance and career opportunities.

The Civics and Economics Standards of Learning assessment will be administered at the end of Grade 7.

This is an introductory college-level course in comparative government and politics. The course uses a comparative approach to examine the political structures; policies; and political, economic, and social challenges of six selected countries: China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Students cultivate their understanding of comparative government and politics through analysis of data and text-based sources as they explore topics like power and authority, legitimacy and stability, democratization, internal and external forces, and methods of political analysis.

This course is part of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board which makes demands on students equivalent to those of an introductory college course. Students who complete this course will take the associated Advanced Placement examination and may earn college credit if a qualifying score is achieved.

The course is an elective and does not fulfill a Virginia & US Government graduation requirement.

This course teaches concepts and methods of comparative politics. Includes empirical analyses of domestic governmental, political, and societal institutions and norms of countries around the world. The assignments in the course require college-level reading fluency and coherent communication through written reports.

This course is based on the content of U.S. History to Present (12354), Civics and Economics (12355), and World Geography (12210). The course supports  English learners (ELs) at English Language Proficiency (ELP) Level 1 in building foundational content knowledge while continuing to develop their academic language. Please see the descriptions of the three courses ELD Social Studies is based on for additional information about the content. This course is for sixth and seventh grade ELs.

Students need a strong, interdisciplinary foundation in economics and personal finance to function effectively as consumers, workers, savers, investors, entrepreneurs, and active citizens. The Standards of Learning for Economics and Personal Finance present economic concepts that help students interpret the daily news, understand the interdependence of the world’s economies, and anticipate how events will impact their lives. The understanding of how economies and markets operate and how the United States’ economy is interconnected with the global economy prepares students to be more productive participants in the workplace. On a personal level, students learn that their own human capital (knowledge and skills) is their most valuable resource and that investing in education and training improves the likelihood of their future economic success.

The course is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for Economics and Personal Finance.

This course meets face to face. Segments of the course will be taught online, thereby satisfying the graduation requirement for a virtual course.

Have you ever wondered why prices fluctuate for online retailers depending on the time and day? Or why people say, “time is money”? In AP Microeconomics, you’ll explore the answers to these questions as you learn the principles of economics that govern the actions of individuals and businesses. You’ll also explore concepts such as supply and demand, elasticity, and market structures to gain a deeper understanding of how economic decisions shape our world.

Have you ever wondered why the national debt is so large or why interest rates are considered to be so important? You’ll explore the answers to these questions as you learn how the economy works as a whole in AP Macroeconomics. As part of your studies, you’ll use graphs, charts, and data to analyze, describe, and explain economic concepts.  

This course is part of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board which makes demands on students equivalent to those of an introductory college course.  Students who complete this course will also be enrolled in AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics and will take two associated Advanced Placement examinations and may earn college credit if a qualifying score is achieved.

This course meets face to face.  Segments of the course, especially a financial literacy module, will be taught online, thereby satisfying the graduation requirement for a virtual course.   

This course meets face to face. Segments of the course, especially a financial literacy module, will be taught online, thereby satisfying the graduation requirement for a virtual course.

Completion of this course fulfills the graduation requirement for one credit for Economics and Personal Finance.

The IB Diploma Programme Global Politics is a course for students who want to understand more about how the world they live in works, and what makes it change (or prevents it from changing). The course draws on a variety of disciplinary traditions in the study of politics and international relations, and more broadly in the social sciences and humanities. Students build their knowledge and understanding of the local, national, international, and global dimensions of political activity and processes by critically engaging with contemporary political issues and challenges. This course prepares students for the required standard level IB examination in IB Global Politics SL at the end of the course study. Students not completing the Internal Assessment and/or not taking the exam will not earn the additional quality point (2XXXX). This IB course is weighted by applying an additional 1.0 quality point value assigned to the final grade upon completion of the course.

Students engage in remedial work in the academic areas in which they have passed the class but failed the SOL assessment, using instructional software and/or on-line programs. Although study will be teacher assisted, the majority of student work will be completed on an independent study basis. Courses offered for remediation include English (writing), English (reading/literature and research), Algebra I, geometry, biology, earth science, world geography, world history and Virginia & US history.

Students engage in remedial work in the academic areas in which they have passed the class but failed the SOL assessment, using instructional software and/or on-line programs. Although study will be teacher assisted, the majority of student work will be completed on an independent study basis. Courses offered for remediation include English (writing), English (reading/literature and research), Algebra I, geometry, biology, earth science, world geography, world history and Virginia & US history.

Students engage in remedial work in the academic areas in which they have passed the class but failed the SOL assessment, using instructional software and/or on-line programs. Although study will be teacher assisted, the majority of student work will be completed on an independent study basis. Courses offered for remediation include English (writing), English (reading/literature and research), Algebra I, geometry, biology, earth science, world geography, world history and Virginia & US history.

Students will examine United States history through a thematic lens across time and place. Students will utilize historical thinking skills to examine primary and secondary accounts to formulate an understanding of the past. The course content will focus on United States geography over time, as well as a thematic approach to exploration and expansion, revolution and reform, economic interactions, and ideological conflict and progress. Key events and people will be studied through their interactions with these themes. This will provide students with both an understanding of chronology as well as how decisions can impact events moving forward.

The following are major objectives which students are expected to learn:

Students will

• Develop skills for historical and geographical analysis.
• Use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, cartoons, and tables.
• Examine how early cultures developed in North America.
• Describe European exploration in North America and West Africa.
• Identify factors that shaped colonial America.
• Analyze causes and results of the American Revolution.
• Examine westward expansion and reform in America from 1801 to 1861.
• Understand the causes, major events, and effects of the Civil War.
• Describe how life changed after the Civil War as a result of Reconstruction.
• Explain the changing role of the United States from the late nineteenth century through World War II.
• Examine the social, economic, and technological changes of the twentieth century.
• Identify the major causes and effects of American involvement in World War II.
• Examine the key domestic issues during the second half of the twentieth century, including the Civil Rights Movement.

This course is organized around the theme of power. The objectives focus on the sources from which American governmental institutions derive their authority to function, and the applications of this authority to critical processes, procedures, and systems. The influence of various groups and the patterns of other world governments are also studied. The key concepts for study are the foundations of government, rights, responsibilities, liberties, institutions, political processes, public programs, policy making, and comparative political and economic systems.

Have you ever wondered how the government and politics are connected? Or how you can actively participate in the political process? In AP United States Government and Politics, you’ll examine the relationships between the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court, and explore how different political ideologies and opinions shape American politics.

This course is part of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board which makes demands on students equivalent to those of an introductory college course. Students who complete this course will take the associated Advanced Placement examination and may earn college credit if a qualifying score is achieved.

Completion of this course fulfills the graduation requirement for one credit in Government.

The objectives of this course focus on the sources from which American governmental institutions derive their authority to function, and the applications of this authority to critical processes, procedures, and systems. The influence of various groups and the patterns of their world governments are also studied. The key concepts for students are the foundation of government, rights, responsibilities, liberty, institutions political processes, public programs policy making, and comparative political and economic systems. In addition, this course provides an in-depth analysis of American Government and Politics with emphasis on critical thinking and writing skills.

This course is organized around the theme of perspectives. The course objectives focus on the significant people, places, and events in American and Virginia history whose influence, position, and point of view have affected geography and environment, the democratization process, the development of enterprise, the evolution of global interaction, the impact of scientific and technological developments, and the meaning of the American Dream.

How did the United States become THE United States? What happened to the American economy when factories went from being powered by water to powered by coal? Or how have definitions of who is, and who is not, a U.S. citizen changed over time? In AP United States History, you’ll explore and try to answer questions like these, while discussing the ways in which Americans have debated their values, practices, and traditions since even before the country’s founding.

This course is part of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board which makes demands on students equivalent to those of an introductory college course. Students who complete this course will take the associated Advanced Placement examination and may earn college credit if a qualifying score is achieved.

Completion of this course fulfills the graduation requirement for one credit in VA/US History.

Students in need of a verified social studies credit will also sit for the SOL exam. 

Students need a strong, interdisciplinary foundation in economics and personal finance to function effectively as consumers, workers, savers, investors, entrepreneurs, and active citizens. The Standards of Learning for Economics and Personal Finance present economic concepts that help students interpret the daily news, understand the interdependence of the world’s economies, and anticipate how events will impact their lives. The understanding of how economies and markets operate and how the United States’ economy is interconnected with the global economy prepares students to be more productive participants in the workplace. On a personal level, students learn that their own human capital (knowledge and skills) is their most valuable resource and that investing in education and training improves the likelihood of their future economic success.

The course is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for Economics and Personal Finance.

This course is delivered in a fully virtual format. It satisfies the graduation requirement for a virtual course.

Students examine both the structure and function of American government at the international, national, state, and local levels. The course focuses on political decision-making, comparative political and economic systems, and the student's role as a citizen. Critical thinking, writing, research, and group-process skills are refined. Additionally, students will apply social science skills -historical thinking, geographic analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship – to course content.

The course is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for Virginia and United States Government.

The course will be taught in a virtual format thereby satisfying the online graduation requirement for a virtual course.

Students examine the political, economic, social, and cultural changes of the United States, including the role of Virginia. Students study major historical developments and their impact on contemporary society and on the individual. Geography skills, critical thinking, writing, research, and group-process skills are refined. Additionally, students will apply social science skills -historical thinking, geographic analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship – to course content.

The course is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for Virginia and United States History. There is an end-of-course SOL Examination. Only students who need a verified credit in Social Studies are eligible to take the SOL exam.

The course will be taught in a virtual format thereyby satisfying the online graduation requirement for a virtual course.

The focus of World Geography is the study of the world’s peoples, places, and environments, with an emphasis on world regions. The knowledge, skills, and perspectives of the course are centered on the world’s peoples and their cultural characteristics, landforms and climates, economic development, and migration and settlement patterns. Spatial concepts of geography will be used as a framework for studying interactions between humans and their environments. Using geographic resources, students will employ inquiry, research, and technology skills to ask and answer geographic questions. Particular emphasis will be placed on students understanding and applying geographic concepts and skills to their daily lives.

The course is aligned with and goes beyond the Virginia Standards of Learning for World Geography.

Students in need of a verified credit in social studies will engage in a local process to include performance assessments in lieu of the end-of-course SOL exam. In specific cases, the student may be eligible to take the end-of-course SOL exam in addition to the local process.Students in need of a verified credit in social studies will engage in a local process to include performance assessments in lieu of the end-of-course SOL exam. In specific cases, the student may be eligible to take the end-of-course SOL exam in addition to the local process.

This course will focus on the interactions of people and their environment in such regions of the world as Africa, Asia, Australia, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, and areas of the former Soviet Union. The five themes of geography, location, place, human and environmental relationships, movement, and regions will be used to study physical, cultural, political, economic, and other types of geography.

This is a chronologically and thematically organized study of world history and geography. Students study the world from 1500 CE through the present. The course weaves together the skills and content of both history and geography so that students may learn how both affect the world around them. Regions of study include North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Students continue to refine and expand critical thinking skills, practice decision making and problem solving, and formulate questions to guide research. Additionally, students will apply social science skills -historical thinking, geographic analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship – to course content.

The course is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. to the Present.

Students in need of a verified credit in social studies will engage in a local process to include performance assessments in lieu of the end-of-course SOL exam. In specific cases, the student may be eligible to take the end-of-course SOL exam in addition to the local process.

This is a chronologically and thematically organized study of world history and geography from ancient times to 1500 CE. The course highlights relationships between the geography and history of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Students will read literature, compare, and contrast philosophies and religions, investigate archaeological findings, research the beginnings of written language, analyze works of art, music, and dance, examine patterns of human and environmental interaction, and investigate historical and legal documents that describe cultures of this time period.

The course is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning for World History and Geography to 1500 A.D.

Students in need of a verified credit in social studies will engage in a local process to include performance assessments in lieu of the end-of-course SOL exam. In specific cases, the student may be eligible to take the end-of-course SOL exam in addition to the local process.

This course, designed for advanced students, is a rigorous study of ancient world history from the dawn of humanity to about 1500 AD. An emphasis on integrating the humanities-literature, art, drama, and philosophy-will provide students a broad perspective of human development in the western and non- western worlds. From the earliest human settlements to the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world, students will learn the origins and growth of “community,” the focus of the course. As a result, this course will provide students with an excellent foundation for the understanding of the nature of our modern global community in terms of security, institutions, values and beliefs, culture, and the interaction with other communities. Specifically, students will study the Stone Age, early river valley civilizations, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Christianity and Islam, the early Middle Ages, and the development of civilization in East Asia, India, Africa, and Mesoamerica.

In AP World History: Modern, you’ll learn about the rise and fall of empires, the evolution of technology, and the cultural and social changes that have shaped our world. The course isn’t just about memorizing dates and battles—it’s about exploring civilizations and cultures from a global perspective to better understand the complex relationships that exist today.

This course is part of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board which makes demands on students equivalent to those of an introductory college course. Students who complete this course will take the associated Advanced Placement examination and may earn college credit if a qualifying score is achieved.

Completion of this course fulfills the graduation requirement for one credit in VA/US History.

At Yorktown, this course is only available to students in grades 10-12.

This is a chronologically and thematically organized study of world history and geography. Students study the world from 1500 CE through the present. The course weaves together the skills and content of both history and geography so that students may learn how both affect the world around them. Regions of study include North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Students continue to refine and expand critical thinking skills, practice decision making and problem solving, and formulate questions to guide research. Additionally, students will apply social science skills -historical thinking, geographic analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship – to course content.

The course is aligned with and goes beyond the Virginia Standards of Learning for World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. to the Present.

Students in need of a verified credit in social studies will engage in a local process to include performance assessments in lieu of the end-of-course SOL exam. In specific cases, the student may be eligible to take the end-of-course SOL exam in addition to the local process.