School Administrative District #4

Unity of purpose

CORE CURRICULUM: SUPPLEMENTAL PAGES

Department: Social-Studies Department

PSYCHOLOGY: A PROGRAM MODIFICATION

Psychology is a high-school course intended to provide students who are interested in the study of human behavior and mental processes an opportunity to explore topics related to such a study.

CONTENT STANDARD: PSYCHOLOGY

 

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Grade 12

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Demonstrate an understanding of the broad issues related to the study of psychology

á         Explain the goals of psychology

á         To describe

á         To explain

á         To predict

á         To control

á         Cite the questions psychologists ask and describe how psychologists use the scientific method to conduct research

á         Explain trends within psychology

á         Structuralism

á         Functionalism

á         Psychoanalysis

á         Behaviorism

á         Humanism

á         Discuss psychology as a profession

á         Differentiate between psychologists and psychiatrists in terms of what they do

á         Identify specialty fields within psychology (e.g., clinical, social, educational, developmental, etc.)

3.        Demonstrate an understanding of learning and cognitive processes

á         Demonstrate an understanding of learning, its principles and applications

á         Describe the principles and techniques of classical conditioning

á       Describe Ivan Pavlov's experimentation with dogs

á       Define the terms neutral stimulus, unconditioned stimulus (UCS) and unconditioned response (UCR)

á       Explain the principles of generalization, discrimination, and extinction

á         Describe the principles, techniques, and applications of operant conditioning

á       Define the terms operant and reinforcement

á       Explain the impact of timing and frequency of reinforcement on behavior

á          Fixed-ratio schedule

á          Variable-ratio schedule

á          Fixed-interval schedule

á          Variable-interval schedule

á       Differentiate between primary reinforcers and secondary reinforcers

á       Differentiate between positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement

á         Cite the factors involved in the process of learning (e.g., feedback, transfer, and practice)

á         Apply the principles of learning to human and animal behavior

á         Demonstrate an understanding of memory and thought

á         Describe the concept of information processing

á       Explain the processes called selective attention and feature extraction

á         Identify the different types of memory systems

á       Short-term

á       Long-term

á       Semantic

á       Episodic

á       Declarative (explicit)

á       Procedural (implicit)

á         Explain the different theories that account for memory

á       Discuss the roles of recognition, recall, relearning, and forgetting in determining short- and long-term memory

á       Discuss ways in which human memory can be improved

á         Describe the psychological perspective on thought, the units of thought, and the basic types of thought

á       Demonstrate an understanding that the processes of thought depend on images, symbols, concepts, and rules

á       Differentiate among kinds of thinking (i.e., directed thinking, nondirected thinking, and metacognition)

á         Define problem solving and discuss the development of problem-solving strategies

4.        Demonstrate an understanding of how the human body and mind work

á         Demonstrate an understanding of the body and its effects on behavior

á         Name the parts and functions of the nervous system

á         Identify the structure and functions of the human brain

á         Discuss the different ways psychologists study the brain

á         Describe the endocrine system

á         Summarize research on the effects of heredity and environment

á         Demonstrate an understanding of sensation and perception

á         Describe the field of study known as psychophysics

á         Discuss the principles involved in sensation

á       Differentiate between absolute and difference thresholds

á       Explain Weber's law

á       Explain sensory adaption

á       Explain motivation and the signal-detection theory

á         Describe the nature and functioning of the sense organs

á         Discuss the principles involved in perception

á         Define the term Gestalt and explain the Gestalt principles of organization

á       Figure-ground perception

á       Perceptual interference

á       Depth perception

á       Constancy

á       Illusions

á         Explain what is meant by extrasensory perception

á         Demonstrate an understanding of motivation and emotion

á         Explain the psychological basis of motivation

á         Discuss drive reduction theory and the criticism of it

á         Summarize the study of social motives

á       Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

á       Explain Maslow's hierarchy of needs

á         Provide examples of the physiological theories of emotion, e.g., James-Lange Theory and the Cannon-Bard Theory

á         Explain the cognitive theorists' approach to the study of emotions, e.g., the Schachter-Singer Experiment and the Opponent-Process Theory

á         Demonstrate an understanding of altered states of consciousness

á         Describe the research related to sleep and dreaming

á         Define altered states of consciousness, including hypnosis and hallucination

á         Discuss the effects of drug states and such substances as marijuana and alcohol

á         Describe research into such techniques as biofeedback and meditation

5.        Demonstrate an understanding of the stages of human development

á         Demonstrate an understanding of infancy and childhood as stages of human development

á         Define developmental psychology and explain its importance

á         Describe the processes of intellectual development and Piaget's theory

á       Demonstrate an understanding of the terms scheme, assimilation, and accommodation

á       Explain representational thought and the principle of conservation

á         Discuss how children acquire language

á         Compare theories of social development, e.g., Sigmund Freud's theory of psychosexual development and Erik Erikson's theory of psychosexual development

á       Explain the roles of conditioning and imitation in a child's social development

á         Summarize the cognitive-developmental theory and Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning

á         Demonstrate an understanding of adolescence as a stage of human development

á         Define adolescence from the perspectives of adults, adolescents, and theorists

á         Describe the physical, cognitive, and ideological changes that characterize adolescence

á         Describe research related to the sexual attitudes and roles of adolescents

á         Discuss the social development of the adolescent and the role of peers and family

á         Demonstrate an understanding of adulthood and old age

á         Describe the physical, sexual, cognitive, and social changes that occur during adulthood

á         Discuss recent research related to older adults

á         Identify, describe, and critique the stages of dying

6.        Demonstrate an understanding of personality and individuality

á         Identify the nature and aims of personality theory

á         Discuss the id, the ego, and the superego and their interactions

á         Describe defense mechanisms (e.g., repression, projection, reaction formation, regression, displacement) and their role in psychoanalytic theory

á         Discuss behaviorism as a personality theory, and compare B.F. Skinner's work with that of Albert Bandura

á         Discuss the cognitive theory of George Kelly

á         Discuss humanistic psychology and the work of Abram Maslow and Carl Rogers

á         Discuss trait theories and the work of Gordon Allport and Hans Eysenck

á       Differentiate among extraversion, introversion, and psychoticism as dimensions of personality

á         Demonstrate an understanding of psychological testing

á         Discuss the importance of reliability and validity in testing and explain how establishing norms makes test results more usable

á         Describe the concept of IQ and name several IQ tests [e.g., Stanford-Binet, Wechsler (WISC-R and WPPSI)]

á         Differentiate among aptitude tests, achievement tests, and interest tests

á         Identify and describe the use of personality tests, e.g., objective and projective

á         Discuss the purposes of situational testing, e.g., licensing procedures, job-placement testing, etc.

7.        Demonstrate an understanding of adjustment and breakdown

á         Demonstrate an understanding of stress and its impact on health

á         Identify various sources of stress (e.g., conflict, life changes, work, environment)

á         Identify the various types of conflict

á       Approach-approach

á       Avoidance-avoidance

á       Approach-avoidance

á       Double approach-avoidance

á         Provide examples of short- and long-term psychological, physical, and behavioral reactions to stress

á         Explain different strategies for coping/dealing with stress

á         Demonstrate an understanding of adjustment in society

á         Define the term adjustment

á         Discuss aspects of living together/marriage/divorce that require adjustment

á         Describe the nature of parental-child interactions and conflicts

á         Identify some of the issues related to adjustment to college life

á         Explain work-related situations that require adjustment, e.g., first job, work satisfaction/dissatisfaction, changing careers, etc.

á         Demonstrate an understanding of abnormal behavior

á         Distinguish between the concepts of normality and abnormality

á         Identify the behavioral patterns psychologists label anxiety disorders

á       Phobic disorder

á       Panic disorder

á       Obsessive-compulsive disorder

á       Post-traumatic stress disorder

á         Explain somatoform disorders, e.g., conversion disorder, hypochondriasis

á         Explain dissociative disorders, e.g., psychogenic amnesia, psychogenic fugue, multiple personality

á         Identify the behavioral patterns psychologists label mood disorders

á       Major depressive disorder

á       Bipolar disorder

á       Suicide and depression

á         Describe schizophrenia and explain its possible origin

á         Explain how a personality disorder differs from an anxiety disorder, a mood disorder, or schizophrenia

á         Demonstrate an understanding of therapy and change

á         Explain the nature of psychotherapy and trace its historical development

á         Describe psychoanalysis and its aims

á         Describe the processes and goals of behavior therapy, cognitive therapies, and humanist/existential therapies

á         Provide examples of group therapy, e.g., family therapy, self-help groups, encounter groups

8.        Demonstrate an understanding of human relations

á         Demonstrate an understanding of human interaction

á         Explain the basic human need for interaction with others

á         Discuss the ways that individuals form impressions of one another

á         Explain why groups form and how they are held together

á         Describe the interactive patterns within groups

á         Demonstrate an understanding of attitudes and social influence

á         Trace the origin (e.g., from culture, parents, peers) and composition of attitudes

á         Explain how attitudes are formed (e.g., compliance, identification, and internalization)

á         Describe prejudice and its relationship to stereotypes and roles

á         Describe the relationship between attitude and behavior

á       Self-justification

á       Self-fulfilling prophecy

á         Cites sources of attitude change

á       Persuasion

á       Brainwashing

á       Group pressure to conform

á       Obedience to authority

9.      Demonstrate an understanding of careers and statistics related to psychology

á         Demonstrate an understanding of the present and future of psychology as a career

á         Identify and describe the contributions of psychology to

á       Mental illness

á       Testing

á       Workplace

á       Everyday living

á         Identify careers related to the study of psychology

á         Demonstrate an understanding of psychological research and statistics

á         Name the different types of psychological research and some of the methodological hazards of doing research

á         Discuss how psychological researchers gather data

á       Sampling

á       Experimenting

á       Observing (naturalistic)

á       Preparing case studies

á       Surveys

á       Longitudinal studies

á       Cross-sectional studies

á         Differentiate between descriptive and inferential statistics

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School Administrative District #4

Unity of purpose

CORE CURRICULUM: SUPPLEMENTAL PAGES

Department: Social-Studies Department

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES: A PROGRAM MODIFICATION

Contemporary Issues is a semester elective intended to provide students who are interested in the study of current issues and events an opportunity to explore such issues and events in depth. The course requires a level of maturity and sophistication of thinking generally found among juniors and seniors who have had extensive background in social studies, K-10. The course is especially well suited for the student planning to pursue post-secondary education in the social sciences or in political science.

CONTENT STANDARD: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Grades 11- 12

1.      Review and extend prior learning

2.      Demonstrate an understanding of various themes related to the study of contemporary issues

á       Historical

á       Governmental

á       Cultural

á       Economic

á       Psychological

3.      Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary historical issues

á      Topics related to racism and sexism, including but not limited to

á         Police brutality, e.g., the beating of Rodney King

á         The role of the media, e.g., the O.J. Simpson trial

á         Apartheid

á         The Feminist Movement, e.g., ERA

á         Sexual harassment , e.g., Clarence Thomas versus Anita Hill

á      Topics related to urban issues, including but not limited to

á         Homelessness

á         Gang violence

á         Cultural diversity

4.      Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary governmental issues

á         Topics related to law, public policy, and court decisions, including but not limited to

á         Abortion, e.g., Roe versus Wade

á         Defense policy (e.g., SALT II, SDI)

á         Criminal/civil law (e.g., O.J. Simpson, the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bombing)

á         Political corruption (e.g., Iran Contra Affair, Whitewater)

á         Immigration policy

á         The war on drugs

á         Topics related to environmental policy, including but not limited to

á         Meltdowns (e.g., Three Mile Island, Chernobyl)

á         Global warming

á         Acid rain

á         Overpopulation

5.      Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary cultural issues

á         Topics related to religion, including but not limited to

á         "Born again" Christianity, e.g., the Promise Keepers

á         Growth of Islam

á         The role of religion in

á       Middle-East relations

á       Civil unrest (e.g., the former Yugoslavia, Somalia)

á       Terrorism and hate crimes

á       Politics, e.g., the Moral Majority

á         Topics related to science, including but not limited to

á         Space programs, e.g., NASA

á         Health care (e.g., euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide, prolonging life, organ transplants)

á         Genetic engineering, e.g., cloning

á         Telecommunications

á         Topics related to the arts, including but not limited to

á         Censorship

á         Support for the arts, e.g., National Endowment for the Arts

á         Trends in art, e.g., graffiti

6.      Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary economic issues

á       Topics related to fiscal policy, including but not limited to

á         National economic policies, e.g., supply-side economics

á         Federal Reserve policy as it affects interest rates

á       Inflation

á       Stagflation

á       Recession

á         Consumer spending and savings habits, e.g., Yuppies

á         Protectionism

á         Savings and Loan crisis

7.      Demonstrate an understanding of contemporary psychological issues

á       Topics related to social issues, including but not limited to

á         Teen suicide

á         School violence

á         Domestic violence

á         Substance abuse

á         Gulf-War syndrome

8.      Demonstrate an understanding of how the history of an issue or an event impacts the present and the future

á       Write position papers/research papers that

á         Identify a major contemporary issue or event

á         Discuss the causes and effects of that issue or event

á         Analyze the current status of that issue or event

á         Predict the future outcome(s) of that issue or event

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School Administrative District #4

Unity of purpose

CORE CURRICULUM: SUPPLEMENTAL PAGES

Department: Social-Studies Department

GLOBAL ECONOMICS: A PROGRAM MODIFICATION

Global economics is a semester elective intended to provide students who are interested in the study of economics an opportunity to explore economic concepts in depth. The course is especially well suited for the student planning to pursue post-secondary education in business or business management.

CONTENT STANDARD: GLOBAL ECONOMICS

Performance Indicators: The learner will·

Grades 9- 12

1.        Review and extend prior learning

2.        Identify important terms associated with the study of economics, including but not limited to

á       Bonds

á       Borrow

á       Buy down

á       Capitalism

á       Collateral

á       Debt

á       Deficit

á       Deflation

á       Equity

á       Exchange rates

á       Free market

á       Gross and net income

á       Gross National Product

á       Income

á       Inflation

á       Interest rates

á       Interest/principal

á       Loss

á       Macro and micro

á       Monopoly

á       Mortgage

á       Profit

á       Socialism

á       Stocks

á       Supply and demand

á       Surplus

á       Tariffs and duties

á       Taxes

á       Unemployment

3.        Use an example to show how incentives affect economic decisions (e.g., tax deferred savings plan, a fast-food restaurant's discount promotion)

á         Identify what an economic incentive is, and describe how an incentive works (e.g., coupons, rebates, tax breaks)

4.        Demonstrate an understanding of the economic concepts of supply, demand, price, the role of money, and profit and loss

á         Connect basic economic concepts to the operation of a real or fictitious company

5.        Analyze how prices act as signals to producers and consumers to answer three basic economic questions: what to produce? how? and for whom?

á         Identify a product, e.g., a car, and show how price affects demand and production

6.        Describe the roles and contributions of the principal contributors to the economy (e.g., laborers, investors, entrepreneurs, managers)

á         Define the roles of laborers, investors, entrepreneurs, and managers by stating how each contributes to a global market economy

7.        Compare how different economies meet basic wants and needs over time

á         Identify four basic needs (health care, food, consumer goods, housing) and show how they are met over time by various governments demonstrating various types of economies (traditional, command, market, and mixed)

8.        Describe how changes in transportation and communication technologies have affected trade over time

á         Document changes in international trade between the United States and another country, demonstrating the increased trade due to improvements in transportation and communication

9.        Evaluate how world-trade issues can affect a nation's economy and how trade can influence and transform societies

á         Analyze a global economy and evaluate its reliance on world trade

10.    Explain why trade allows specialization, and identify specific examples of how nations specialize (e.g., Japan's focus on consumer electronics)

á         Explain product specialization within a national economy and demonstrate the pros and cons of such specialization

á         Identify products harvested or manufactured in a specific region of the world

á         Demonstrate an understanding that a nation has a competitive advantage when it can produce a product at a lower cost than its trading partner

11.    Describe the full costs, including external costs, of producing a product or a service (e.g., the impact of MBNA on the city of Belfast)

12.    Compare how different economies meet basic wants and needs over time

á         Compare how the basic needs of the people of the North and the South were met prior to and after the Civil War

á         Describe the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized society

á         Construct an economic continuum, showing where various countries lie on this continuum

13.    Identify types of businesses and their role in a competitive market

á       Explain the role of the entrepreneur

á       Describe how businesses are organized

á       Develop a cost-benefit analysis of a business decision as it affects competition

14.    Demonstrate the ability to measure economic activity

á       GNP

á       Unemployment

á       Prices

á       Economic cycles

15.    Describe how government policy attempts to control economic problems

á       Inflation

á       Taxation and spending

á       Controlling money supply, e.g., interest rates

16.    Explain the government's role in taxing and spending and its affect on an economic system, e.g., the United States government

á       Where the money comes from

á       Where the money goes

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Once students have completed an assignment, one of the following rubrics (to be modified for grade-level appropriateness) may be used to assess their performance:

 

Ongoing Assessment Checklist

(Student Names)

Performance Evaluation

Directions: Circle the number which best reflects the frequency of the behavior.

0÷not demonstrated 1÷done poorly 2÷needs improvement 3÷average 4÷good 5÷excellent