Suggested Scope and Sequence for
a High School Psychology Course
A one-semester course does not provide sufficient time to teach units (standard areas) that enable students to achieve all of the standards. A year-long course ordinarily provides enough time to teach units in all of the standard areas only if the instructor chooses breadth over depth. This section provides some sample course outlines for 5-unit to 10-unit courses of study. A teacher might choose one or another outline on the basis of any of several factors.
For example, instructors may choose outlines that put the areas with which they are most comfortable earlier than other areas. Alternatively, the choice may be made to time content areas to correspond with related current events (e.g., aligning the Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior unit to occur near an important election or the Lifespan Development lessons to occur shortly before graduation). An instructor whose students participate in a science fair may choose to emphasize units that seem most likely to generate ideas for research projects. A 5-unit semester course may be desirable when the teacher chooses depth over breadth, whereas a 10-unit semester course may be preferable if the teacher wants students to recognize the wide diversity of the field. Each of the outlines meets the recommendations outlined. Whatever choice the instructor makes, these outlines provide structure for a course that covers psychology at an appropriate level and with appropriate breadth.
Sample Outlines for a 5-Unit Semester
| Unit | Domain |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders or Social | Sociocultural |
|---|
Sample Outlines for a 7-Unit Semester
| Unit | Domain |
|---|
| Plan 1 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Therapy | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Plan 2 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Sensation and Perception | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Therapy | Sociocultural |
|---|
Sample Outlines for an 8-Unit Semester
| Unit | Domain |
|---|
| Plan 1 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Learning | Cognitive |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Motivation and Emotion | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Social and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Plan 2 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Sensation and Perception | Biopsychological |
|---|
| States of Consciousness | Cognitive |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Personality and Assessment | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Stress, Coping, and Health | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Plan 3 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Learning | Cognitive |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Individual Differences | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Treatment of Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
Sample Outlines for a 10-Unit Course
| Unit | Domain |
|---|
| Plan 1 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Learning | Cognitive |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Individual Differences | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Motivation and Emotion | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Psychology | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Stress, Coping, and Health | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
Plan 2 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Sensation and Perception | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Learning | Cognitive |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Personality and Assessment | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Individual Differences | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Treatment of Psychological Disorders | Sociocultural |
|---|
Plan 3 |
|---|
| Introduction and Research Methods | Methods |
|---|
| Social | Sociocultural |
|---|
| Learning | Cognitive |
|---|
| Memory | Cognitive |
|---|
| Biological Bases of Behavior | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Thinking and Language | Cognitive |
|---|
| States of Consciousness | Cognitive |
|---|
| Lifespan Development | Developmental |
|---|
| Motivation and Emotion | Biopsychological |
|---|
| Stress, Coping, and Health | Biopsychological |
|---|
