Staff:

Stu Abrams
Tim Curtis
John Czepiel
Mike Infantino, Coordinator (email)
Kyle Kramek
Jamaal Lee
Juliana McCormick
Colin McDermott
John McLaughlin
Louis Pellegrino
Elizabeth Sanborn
Michelle Zajac

Mission:

The mission of the Avon High School Social Studies Department is to prepare students to become thoughtful, responsible and productive citizens, capable of making informed and reasoned decisions.  Our goal is to help them become contributing members to the common good in a democratic society and in an increasingly interdependent world.  

To support this mission, the department provides a rigorous and relevant curriculum which includes responsibility, challenge, and opportunity. 

The curriculum promotes 21^st Century learning and skills and leads students to a deep understanding of American and world history, geography, cultures, and economic, legal, and political systems.  We also strive to strengthen students’ ability to read, think, and write critically and to effectively research and evaluate information.

Goal:

All students will improve their understanding of American and world history, geography, cultures, and economic, legal, and political systems, and their ability to read, write and think critically and to effectively research and evaluate information. 

Characteristics of a successful Social Studies/History student:

• Independently developing a position and supporting it with content-based evidence
• Identifying and evaluating different perspectives/points of view
• Detecting bias in visual and/or print materials
• Critiquing alternative interpretations of history/social studies issues so as to weigh the credibility/reliability of different sources
• Reading critically in order to recognize the difference between fact and opinion and between evidence and assertion
• Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information
• Analyzing primary sources to draw conclusions
• Drawing and defending independent conclusions regarding historical/current events based on an analysis of different resources 
• Utilizing creativity in defending critical stance using multiple forms of  presentation
• Identifying one’s own social responsibility on a local, state, national, & international levels
• Applying technology in research & presentation of ideas
• Understanding & implementing elements of quality writing