IB History HL

IB History does not only focus on the Americas and it is not a repeat of AP Studies. IB History makes you delve into the why, the causes, and the intentions of the people in the past. The class has a lot less note-taking, but a lot more writing and thinking about history. There is no memorization of dates, and times, it's not a multiple-choice test either. It's a writing on comparing effects, causes, explaining the intentions, and the different perspectives. It allows people to see, for example, the American Revolution-the British view, the American view, and also the effect of the American Revolution on Brazil, Haiti, Mexico, and South America as a whole. If you decide to take this class, you will have so much fun!

          -- Samantha Miller, DCHS 2022

Academically, IB prepares you for the college experience -- especially when it comes to humanities coursework. In college history and english courses, you read, take notes, and do research all at home. In class, you help each other's learning go deeper by discussing the material together.  Taking IB history changed the trajectory of my life as it was first class where I could envision myself being a social studies teacher. Now I am in my fourth year teaching US history, and I try to bring IB values into my own classroom. IB classes are a fun challenge, which allow you to be a community and prepare you better for life after high school, and I can’t recommend them enough. 

          --Tiffany Kula,  DCHS class of 2013

I initially chose this course because of the pace of the class.  This class has a slower pace, so that more information is explored for a given topic.  Furthermore, the tests for the class do not have any multiple choice questions, so you get to show what you learned and not just what you memorized.  I also enjoy the frequent class discussions; they provide the perfect way to ask questions and to gain more insight into the current topic.  Also, with the pace of the class being slower, you get to see multiple perspectives from historians about our current topic of discussion; this provides an interesting look into how the history regarding the subject has changed over the years, as well as why it may have changed.

          -- Nick Orzo, DCHS 2021