St. Charles North High School

The World Languages at St. Charles North and East High Schools have recently adopted new texts. In addition, the first year of the sequence for Spanish, French, and German is now offered at the middle schools as part of the school day. Students who successfully complete first year language at the middle school are encouraged to enroll in the second year language courses in high school.

The first year language courses are designed to introduce students to the language and cultures. Students begin to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in the target language.

The second year language courses are designed to build on the skills learned in the first year. Students continue to increase their abilities to communicate and understand the target language. Classes are conducted primarily in the target language.

The third year language courses area designed to engage students in increasingly advanced skill development through the use of authentic materials. Students learn, think critically, and express themselves about a variety of topics in the target language. The class is conducted in the target language. The third year Latin curriculum loops every other year with the fourth year Latin curriculum, alternating between prose and poetry.

Following the third year of language study the student may choose between enrolling in fourth year language or AP Language. The fourth year courses are designed to immerse students in the language through literature, media, and continued study of language structures. AP Language is intended for highly motivated students who are interested in completing studies comparable in content and in difficulty to courses in composition and conversation at a third-year college level. Students who complete AP Spanish Language are eligible to enroll in AP Spanish Literature. The AP examination is required for all AP courses.

It is recommended that Spanish-speaking students enroll in "Spanish for Spanish Speakers I, II, and III," followed by AP Spanish Literature. Completion of this sequence is comparable to completing a third-year college/university introduction to Hispanic literature course. The "Spanish for Spanish Speakers" sequence is designed to enhance students' knowledge of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. Students improve literacy skills with an emphasis on reading and writing.

The curriculum and requirements in the Social Studies areas also have a new look as the school board recently approved the adoption of new textbooks. Special thanks go out to the committee, other Global Studies teachers and administrators whose hard work made it all happen. The changes are as follows:

The 9th graders who in the past were not required to take a Social Studies course will be taking a new class entitled Global Issues. There are two strands of this course. Global Issues students will be studying non-western cultures in the 20th and 21st centuries. The class will focus on the social, political, economic and geographic development. Students will utilize specific social studies skills such as analyzing and interpreting primary source and other non-fiction documents with an emphasis on understanding geography and its influence on societies. The second class is the Pre-AP Global Issues course. This course will also study 20th and 21st non-western cultures focusing on the economic, political, social and geographic development. It will differ from the other as it will in addition to enforcing specific social studies skills focus on developing a methodology for approaching the AP examination such as free-response, document based and multiple choice questions. This class will also emphasize that students work more independently on the reading, analyzing evaluating, and assessing of primary source documents and nonfiction readings.

The 10th graders will be required to take a year-long course which is a combination of Modern World History and International Studies. This course will focus on the development of modern nations and thought through the study of both western and non-western history. Students will focus on world history from the Renaissance to the present with a special emphasis on social, political, economic, and geographic developments. Students will analyze and interpret original documents and other non-fiction materials.

The 11th grade curriculum had no major changes. The students have the option of taking either American Studies, AP United States History or United States History. The American Studies course is a team-taught two period course that combines the study of the history of our country from colonization to the present and the study and interpretation of American Literature over those same time periods. The emphasis in this class will be on the study and analysis of primary and secondary source readings and the development of the students’ writing skills. United States history focuses on the social, political, economic and geographic developments of the United States from colonization to the present. Likewise, AP United States History will study the same time frame and developments, but is compared to a freshmen level college survey course. In this course students will master a broad body of historical knowledge and the analysis and interpretation of historical documents. Students will also be required to do summer reading in preparation of this course and take the AP examination as well. Junior and senior students may also elect to take Criminal Justice which examines the American justice system at the state and federal levels. In this course, they will examine the role of law enforcement agencies, the pre-trial and trial procedures in criminal cases.

The 12th grade students are required to take either the American Government or AP American Government courses. The American Government course will focus on the federal, state and local governments and politics. A study and interpretation of the United States and Illinois Constitutions is also emphasized. Alternatively, the AP American Government course is comparable to a college level survey course and is designed to give students and analytical perspective on the federal, state and local governments and politics as well as the United States and Illinois Constitutions. Students will interpret and analyze U.S. politics and government through various theoretical perspectives and major institutions. In addition, the students will be required to take the AP Government exam. The students also have the option of taking the AP Macroeconomics course which fulfills the economics requirement for graduation. In this course students will gain an understanding of the principles of economics that apply to the economic system as a whole and is comparable to a freshmen level college course. The AP exam is also required for the students as well. Senior students may also enroll in the one-semester Criminal Justice elective course.

See the Course Offering Book for a list of Global Studies Courses

Contact List for the Global Studies Staff

Instructional Coordinator - Kurt Spilker