Sample Academic Calendars for High School Psychology Courses

Eric Castro and Yosup Joo
St. Ignatius College Preparatory
San Francisco

Advanced Placement, full year, block scheduleopens in new window (PDF, 34KB)

Nancy Diehl, PhD
Hong Kong International School
Tai Tam, Hong Kong

AP PSYCHOLOGY, Every Other Day 80 min Blocks, Myers 10th edition Text

Annette Nielsenopens in new window (PDF, 115KB)
Woods Cross High School
Woods Cross, Utah

Laura Brandt
Adlai E. Stevenson High School

Course Schedule (time) (National Standards key)

First Semester

Social Psychology (3 weeks)

Standard Area: Social interactions
Domain: Sociocultural context

• Personal perception (3 days) — Content standard: 3.1-3.
• Attribution (2 days) — Content Standard: 1.1-1.3.
• Obedience/conformity (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1-2.3.
• Group processes (3 days) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Attitudes (2 days) — Content standard: 1.1-1.3.
• Interpersonal attraction (2 days) — Content standard: 3.4.
• Cooperation versus competition (1 day) — Content standard: 1.1-1.3.

History/Careers/Theories (2 weeks)

Standard Area: Perspectives in psychological science
Domain: Scientific inquiry

• Relation to other social sciences (1 day) — Content standard: 1.1.
• Foundations of psychology (2 days) — Content standard: 1.2; 1.4.
• Historical theories of psychology (3 days) — Content standard: 1.1-1.2.
• Evolution of modern day psychology (2 days) — Content standard: 1.4.
• Fields within psychology (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1-2.3.

Research and Statistics (2 weeks)

Standard Area: Research methods, measurements and statistics
Domain: Scientific inquiry

• The scientific method (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Experimental research (2 days) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Descriptive/correlational research (2 days) — Content standard: 1.1-1.4.
• Descriptive and inferential statistics (2 days) — Content standard: 1.3; 3.1.
• Reliability and validity (1 day) — Content standard: 1.3.
• Ethical guidelines to conducting good research (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1-2.2.

Biological Bases of Behavior (3 weeks)

Standard Area: Biological bases of behavior
Domain: Biopsychology

• Division of the nervous system (1 day) — Content standard: 1.1.
• Structures and communication in the nervous system (3 days) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Endocrine system (1 day) — Content standard: 2.1.
• Midbrain/hindbrain/forebrain (4 days) — Content standard: 1.1; 1.3.
• Functions of the brain (3 days) — Content standard: 1.1-1.5.
• Methods of scanning the Brain (1 day) — Content standard: 4.1.
• Plasticity/lateralization (2 days) — Content standard: 1.5.

Sensation/Perception (3 weeks)

Standard Area: Sensation and perception
Domain: Biopsychology

• Structure of the eye (3 days) — Content standard: 2.2.
• Theories of color vision (2 days) — Content standard: 2.2.
• Structure of the ear (2 days) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Olfaction and gustation (1 day) — Content standard: 2.4.
• Absolute and difference thresholds (2 days) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Gestalt principles (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1.
• Depth perception (1 day) — Content standard: 3.2.
• Bottom-up versus top-down processing (2 days) — Content standard: 3.1-3.4.
• Attention (1 day) — Content standard: 3.5.

Consciousness (1 week)

Standard Area: Consciousness
Domain: Biopsychology

• Stages of sleep (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1-2.2.
• Sleep disorders/meditation and hypnosis (1 day) — Content standard: 2.4.
• Classification of drugs (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1-3.4.
• Long- and short-term effects of drugs (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1-3.4.

Learning (1.5 weeks)

Standard Area: Learning
Domain: Development and learning

• Classical conditioning (3 days) — Content standard: 1.1.
• Operant conditioning (3 days) — Content standard: 2.2.
• Cognitive learning (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1-3.2.
• Observational learning (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1-3.2.

Memory (1.5 weeks)

Standard Area: Memory
Domain: Cognition

• Encoding/storage/retrieval (3 days) — Content standard: 1.1; 2.1; 3.3.
• Recall versus recognition (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1-3.3.
• Forgetting/interference (1 day) — Content standard: 3.5.
• Memory systems and types of memory (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1.
• Retrieval cues (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1.

Second Semester

Cognition (1.5 weeks)

Standard Area: Thinking
Domain: Cognition

• Heuristics versus algorithms (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Schemas/prototypes (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Problem-solving (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2-1.3.

Standard Area: Intelligence
Domain: Cognition

• History of intelligence testing (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1.
• Good test construction (1 day) — Content standard: 2.1-2.2.
• Theories of intelligence (1 day) — Content standard: 2.1-2.2.
• Advantages and disadvantages of IQ testing (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1.

Development and Language (3 weeks) 

Standard Area: Language development
Domain: Development and learning

• Components of language (1 day) — Content standard: 1.1.
• Acquisition of language (1 day) — Content standard: 2.2.

Standard Area: Life span development
Domain: Development and learning

• Prenatal development (1 day) — Content standard: 3.1.
• Motor development (1 day) — Content standard 4.1.
• Attachment (1 day) — Content standard: 4.3.
• Piaget's cognitive development (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1-2.3.
• Kohlberg's moral development (2 day) — Content standard: 2.1-2.3.
• Erikson's psychosocial development (2 days) — Content standard 2.1-2.3.
• Adolescence (2 days) — Content standard 6.1-6.4.
• Gender roles (1 day) — Content standard: 6.2-6.4.
• Adulthood and aging (1 day) — Content standard: 7.1-7.3.

Motivation/Emotion/Stress (3 weeks)

Standard Areas: Motivation and emotion
Domain: Individual variation

• Hunger motivation (1 day) — Content standard: 1.1; 2.1 (Motivation).
• Maslow's hierarchy (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2; 1.3 (Motivation).
• Theories of motivation (2 days) — Content standard: 1.1-1.3 (Motivation).
• Achievement motivation (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3 (Motivation).
• Theories of Emotion (2 days) — Content standard: 1.3 (Emotion).
• Cultural standards of emotion (1 day) — Content standard: 2.2 (Emotion).
• Physical attributes of emotion (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3; 3.1-3.2 (Emotion).

Standard Area: Health
Domain: Applications of psychological science

• Physiological stressors (1 day) — Content standard: 1, 2.
• Measuring stress (1 day) — Content standard: 1.3.
• Coping with stress (2 days) — Content standard: 1.4.

Personality (2 weeks)

Standard Area: Personality
Domain: Individual variation

• Psychodynamic theory/defense mechanisms (3 days) — Content standard: 1.1.
• Trait theory (2 days) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Social-cognitive theory (1 day) — Content standard: 1.4.
• Humanistic theory (1 day) — Content standard: 1.3.
• Personality testing (2 days) — Content standard: 2.1-2.2.

Disorders and Treatment (3 weeks)

Standard Area: Psychological disorders
Domain: Individual variations

• Identifying illness/DSM (2 days) — Content standard: 1.1-1.5.
• Anxiety disorders (2 days) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Somatoform disorders (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Mood disorders (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Personality disorders (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Dissociative disorders (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3.
• Psychotic disorders (2 days) — Content standard: 2.3.

Standard Area: Treatment of psychological disorders
Domain: Applications for psychological science domain

• Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic therapy (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2, 2.2.
• Behavioral therapy (1 day) — Content standard: 1.2.
• Humanistic theory (1 day) — Content Standard: 1.2.
• Group therapy (1 day) — Content standard: 2.3, 2.4.
• Cognitive therapy (1 day) — Content standard: 2.2.
• Biological treatments (1 day) — Content standard: 2.1.

Jessica Flitteropens in new window (PDF, 50KB)
West Bend East High School
West Bend, Wisconsin

Eric Castro and Yosup Joo
St. Ignatius College Preparatory
San Francisco

Advanced Placement, one semester, block scheduleopens in new window (PDF, 27KB)

Amy Ramponi
Kimberly High School
Kimberly, Wisconsin

Text: The review book “Barron's AP Psychology, 6th Edition” by Allyson J. Weseley, EdD, and Robert McEntarffer, PhD.

This pacing calendar is for the spring semester, starting late January. The class meets daily on a 90 minute block. Reading quizzes are given at intervals of every two to three days, in general. Exams are 50 questions, with 1 FRQ.

• Jan. 25-28: Research Methods (4 blocks)
• Jan. 29: Research Methods Exam (1 block)
• Feb. 1-5: Biopsychology (5 blocks)
• Feb. 8: Nature vs. Nurture, Evolutionary Psychology (1 block)
• Feb. 9-11: Sensation/Perception (3 block)
• Feb. 15: Biology/NN/Sensation/Perception Exam (1 block)
• Feb. 16-19: Developmental Psychology (4 blocks)
• Feb. 22-25: Personality (4 blocks)
• Feb. 26: Developmental Psychology/Personality Exam (1 block)
• Feb. 29-March 8: Learning (7 blocks, 2 days state testing)
• March 9-10: States of Consciousness (2 blocks)
• March 11: Learning and States of Consciousness Exam (1 block)
• March 12-16: Memory (3 blocks)
• March 17-21: Cognition (3 blocks)
• March 22-23: Intelligence (2 blocks)
• March 24: Motivation, Emotion, and Stress and Health Highlights (1 block)
• March 31: Mid-term Cognition Exam (1 block)
• April 1-8: Abnormal Psychology and Therapy (5 block)
• April 9: Abnormal & Therapy Exam (1 block)
• April 11-15: Social Psychology (5 blocks)
• April 18-19: History of Psychology, Perspectives of Psychology (2 Blocks)
• April 20: Social Psychology and History/Perspectives Exam (1 block)
• April 21-29: AP Psychology Exam Review (7 blocks, 2 days of state testing)
• May 2 : AP Psychology Exam

Mike McLaneopens in new window (PDF, 240KB)
Sterling Heights High School
Sterling Heights, Michigan

Marissa Sarabando
Memorial High School
McAllen, Texas

My IB classes meet on an A/B alternating block schedule. I meet with students for 90 minutes either two or three times per week. Here is my syllabus for the students in the second year of psychology (Psychology HL):

First six weeks: Scientific Inquiry Domain; Standard Area: Research methods, measurement, and statistics

Week 1

Internal Assessment Details
Research Methods Review Content standard: 1.2
Surveys and Interviews Content standard: 1.2
Types, Strengths and Limitations Content standard: 1.2-1.3
Creating, Conducting, Analyzing a Survey Content standard: 1.2

Week 2

Evaluating the Survey experience Presenting results — graphing data Content standard: 3.1-3.6
Naturalistic Observation Content standard: 1.2-1.3
Types, Strengths and Limitations Content standard: 1.2-1.3
Planning a group observation Content standard: 1-3

Week 3

Discussion of Observation Project
Evaluation of the observation experience Content standard: 1.2-1.3
Case Studies Content standard: 1-3
Types, Strengths and Limitations Content standard: 1.2-1.3
Correlations and non-experimental research Content standard: 3.1-3.6
Quasi-experiments Content standard: 1.2

Week 4

The Experiment revisited Content standard: 1.3
Exam: Research Methods

Week 5

Internal Assessment Topics chosen
Components of Internal Assessment
Introduction and Consent Forms Content standard: 2.1
Psychological Perspective Refresher Content standard: 1.1
Research and methodology by perspectives Content standard: 1.2

Week 6

Internal Assessment Group Planning
Methods Section Review
Finalizing experiment procedure

Second six weeks: Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Personality

Week 1

Practice Experiment run throughs
Final preparations for experiment
Origins of the Humanistic Perspective Content standard: 1.3
Carl Rogers and the Self Content standard: 1.3, 3.4

Week 2

Experiment Week
Abraham Maslow and Hierarchy of Needs Content standard: 1.1-1.4

Week 3

Frankl's Logotherapy Content standard: 2.1-2.2
Existentialism
Internal Assessment Data Collection — group work
Review Results and Discussion sections

Week 4

Results sheet for complete debriefing
Exam: Humanism and Existentialism

Week 5

Humanism and Positive Psychology Content standard: 1.3
Origins of Positive Psychology
Positive Subjective Well-being
Happiness and Faith

Week 6

Optimism
Quiz on well-being, happiness, faith
Flow and microflow experiences

Third six weeks

Week 1

Hope and Health Applications of Psychological Science Domain; Standard area: Health; Content standard: 2.1-2.3
Ingredients of Hope
Friendship Sociocultural Context Domain; Standard area: Social interactions Domain: Content standard: 3.4
Function and features of friendship Sociocultural Context Domain; Standard area: Social interactions: Content standard: 3.4
Exam: Humanism

Week 2; Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Personality

Perspectives Revisited Content standard: 1.1-1.4
Origins, Assumptions, Philosophy, Methods, Researchers
Internal Assessment — final consultation

Week 3 Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Personality

The Psychodynamic Perspective Content standard: 1.1
Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud Content standard: 1.1
Thanksgiving Holidays

Week 4

Freud and Personality Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Personality: Content standard: 1.1
Psychosexual Stages of Development Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Personality: Content standard: 1.1
Defense Mechanisms

Week 5

Projective Tests Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Personality: Content standard: 2.1
Finding the Unconscious Biopsychology Domain; Standard area: Consciousness: Content Standards: 1.2
Evaluating Freud and Psychoanalysis
The Neo-Freudians: Adler, Jung, Horney, Erikson
Exam — Psychodynamic perspective

Week 6

Final Exams Week
Review for Final Exams

Fourth six weeks: Abnormal psychology — Option #2; Individual Variations Domain; Standard area: Psychological disorders

Week 1

What is abnormal? Content standard: 1.1
Classification Systems and criticisms Content standard: 2.1
Early views on abnormal behavior
Culture Bound Syndromes
Sociocultural issues and mental illness Content standard: 1.2, 1.5
Etiology of Disorders — overview Content standard: 2.1-2.4

Week 2

Anxiety Disorders 2.3
Generalized Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Phobic Disorder, PTSD, OCD 2.3
Etiology of Anxiety Disorders 2.3
Mood Disorders 2.3
Depression, Dysthymia, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Post-partum Depression 2.3 Etiology of Mood Disorders VA-2.3

Week 3

Schizophrenia 2.3
Types of Schizophrenia
Etiology of Schizophrenia 2.3-2.4

Week 4

Dissociative Disorders 2.3
Somatoform Disorders 2.3
Personality Disorders 2.3

Week 5

Exam on Abnormal Psychology
Planning for the Psychology Fair
Evaluation and preparation

Week 6; Applications of Psychological Science Domain; Standard area: Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Treatment of Mental Illness Content standard: 1.1-1.2
Early Treatment of the Mentally Ill
Treatment in other parts of the world 1.1

Fifth six weeks: Applications of Psychological Science Domain; Standard area: Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Week 1: Content standard: 1.2, 2.1

Biomedical Treatments
Psychopharmacology, psychosurgery, shock treatment
Evaluation of biomedical treatments

Week 2: Content standard: 1.2, 2.2

Behavioral Treatments
Connection with conditioning and social learning
Evaluation of Behavioral treatments

Week 3

Preparations for the Psychology Fair
Psychology Fair debriefing and suggestions for next year

Week 4: Content standard: 1.2

Cognitive Treatments
Evaluation of Cognitive Treatments

Week 5: Content standard: 1.2

Humanistic Treatments
Client-centered therapy
Group and Family therapy
Evaluation of Humanistic Treatments

Week 6: Content standard: 1.2

Evaluation of Psychoanalytic Treatment
Therapy skits — overview
Group work and development

Sixth six weeks

Week 1: Applications of Psychological Science Domain; Standard area: Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Therapy Skits
What is the best type of therapy? 1.1-3.1
Evaluation of therapy
Treatment of Minority Groups
Levels of treatment 1.1-3.2
Use of folk remedies 1.1
Cultural Competency and treatment 1.1

Week 2

Exam — Treatment and Mental Illness
Review: The Biological Perspective

Week 3

Review: The Behavioral Perspective
Review: The Cognitive Perspective
Review: The Humanistic Perspective

Week 4

Review: The Psychodynamic Perspective
Review: Social Psychology

Week 5

IB Exams
Review for Exams in class

Week 6

Final Exams Week
Review for Final Exams

Eric Castro and Yosup Joo
St. Ignatius College Preparatory
San Francisco

Introductory Psychology, one semester, block scheduleopens in new window (PDF, 25KB)