First (Fall 2025) Trimester Classes
History 11 Civics and Civic Engagement
Duration: 1 Trimester
Honors Option Available
Grade: 11
Required Course
Essential Questions:
Why is Civics important? How does the relationship between Civics and Civic Engagement affect peoples’ lives?
This course provides students with experiences to study individual rights provided to them by the United States Constitution and other related laws. Students will deal with the direct and indirect effects that government has on your everyday lives, what rights you have as an American citizen, and what responsibilities each citizen has to their government on the local, state and national levels.
We will also examine the role of citizenry in a democracy by exploring theories and practices of civic engagement. We will particularly focus on the civic engagement of young adults. This group is of interest because 18-26 year olds often opt out of the political process. However, understanding the implications of young adults’ civic engagement is theoretically challenging. Current research provides conflicting answers to the question “are young people political?” Making the task more difficult are changing definitions of citizenship as a result of the ever-changing relationship between citizens and news media. Taken together, we will try to better understand the ways youth engagement shapes political problems and collective action strategies.
We will concentrate on the following objectives:
How to read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
How to delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning and well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
How to use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and to collaborate with others.
CCSS Addressed:
11-12.RH.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among key details and ideas.
11-12.RH.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or an event, noting discrepancies among sources.
11-12.WHST.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Honors Option:
To truly understand civic engagement you should experience it. First of all, you need to get involved in the civic activity of your choice (make sure to share it with me), and write a 7-10 page paper on your experience. This paper consists of 3 parts: Part 1 asks about your expectations and the activity you selected (September 22); Part 2 asks about your experience with the activity (due October 20); Part 3 asks you to reflect on your experience and, along with the final versions of Part 1 and 2, is due November 10.
Secondly, Civic Engagement Presentation. Present your civic engagement paper, complete with multimedia elements to the class (PowerPoint, video, etc.) due November 17.
Philosophy...should we even care?
Duration: 1 Trimester
Honors Option Available
Elective
Essential Question:
Quid est veritas, quid est non?
This is an introductory course of Philosophy that deals with issues that are profound, complex, challenging and important for understanding what makes us who we are. More importantly it helps us identify bull…I mean intentional misinformation. A concern with clarity of understanding lies at the core of this philosophy course. This clarity is achieved through critical and systematic thinking, careful analysis of arguments, the study of philosophical themes and a close reading of texts. Through this examination of themes and texts, we will explore fundamental questions that people have asked throughout human history— such as: What does it mean to be “human” and a “person”? What is “wisdom” or “virtue” and can you teach it to others? What is a good life? How ought we to treat others? What is truth?
The emphasis of this philosophy course is very much on “doing” philosophy. Doing philosophy requires a willingness to attempt an understanding of alternative views by applying intellectual rigor and cultivating an open and critical mind. It also invites the examination of perspectives that encompass cultural pluralism and an awareness of the international context within which it unfolds.
The Key Questions
When they are doing philosophy students should first of all identify the issue presented in the exercise.
Then they should ask:
What do I think about the problem presented or the specific question being asked?
Once they have answered this, students should move on to ask themselves a series of questions.
What are the reasons that support my position on this issue?
What possible objections or counter-arguments could be leveled against my position?
How can I overcome these objections?
What examples can support my argument and carry it forward?
What possible and consistent resolution can I offer to this problem?
We will concentrate on the following objectives:
How to read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
How to delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning and well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
How to use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and to collaborate with others.
CCSS Addressed:
11-12.RH.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among key details and ideas.
11-12.RH.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or an event, noting discrepancies among sources.
11-12.WHST.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Advisory is a class that meets weekly, directly after our school wide Community Meeting. Students are assigned to an advisor as they enroll and remain with the same advisory group throughout their time in high school. Activities completed in Advisory help students work toward fulfilling the state's Personalized Education Plan requirement for graduation. Advisory also plays an important role in RHS culture by creating a safe and nurturing space for students to develop relationships in a group of peers and a strong connection with an adult in the school. Advisory time is also used to process senior exhibition preparation, problem-solve school issues that may arise, and to make time in high school for fun.