Sara Olds

BA - Humanities

MA - American Fine & Decorative Arts

Sara Olds received her Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Brigham Young University, and her Masters of Arts in American Fine and Decorative Arts from The Sotheby's Institute in New York. Sara also completed training in Arts Integration at The Crystal Bridges Museum....

Along with her focused study in business, her academic and work careers have given her unique insight into the practical application of the arts within various academic disciplines. Her interest in education blossomed during her master's program, when she recognized the failings of the traditional school system to encourage and teach individuals to learn to learn, and love to learn. She also became keenly aware of the Humanities' unique ability to unite information from various fields and solidify understanding of new material. The Humanities also indirectly teach skills for life, including critical analysis, empathy, and tolerance to name a few.

In addition to her love of the arts, Sara loves to teach. She has taught everything from swim lessons, to voice & piano lessons, to operating her own summer camp. Inspired by her second grade teacher, Sara believes learning is, and should be fun!

High School US Government & Economics A-G

Ages: 14+

Location:

In Person in Valencia and Live Online

Teacher: Sara Olds

Homework:

Required - Approximately 2 hours per week. Students will show a mastery of the subject matter through essays, presentations, projects and more. Students that do not have time to read selections and prepare homework projects should not enroll in this class.

Participation is required and part of the student's grade.

Government
In this class, students will pursue a deeper understanding of American government.
They will compare, analyze, and assess the philosophies and systems of government
that inspired the structures instituted by the Founding Fathers. Starting with the
influence of ancient Greek, Roman, and English thought, we will examine the impact of
leading European political thinkers such as John Locke, Charles-Louis Montesquieu,
Niccolò Machiavelli, and William Blackstone on the development of the American
government. Students will also learn about the Iroquois Confederacy and how their
legacy profoundly impacted the American government structure. Emphasis will be
placed on analyzing the relationship between federal, state, and local governments to
prepare students to vote, participate in community activities, and assume the
responsibilities of citizenship.
The following primary sources will be the foundational texts for this class:
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Constitution of the United States of America
- The Bill of Rights
- The Federalist Papers
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine
- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
- Two Treatises of Government by John Locke
- The Prince by Machiavelli
- Supreme Court Cases: Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona

Economics
Economics is the science behind how people and societies allocate scarce resources to
produce, distribute, and consume goods and services, focusing on choices and their
consequences. Economics studies the material welfare of humankind. In this class,
students will study basic economic principles in a historical context.

- Why have societies organized their economies in different ways?

- Why do some people struggle to survive, while others live in luxury?

- Is a free-market economy better than a command economy? And why do you prefer each?
- What makes certain items more valuable than others?

Through studying micro- and macroeconomics, international economics, comparative economic systems, measurement, and methods, students will master fundamental economic concepts and
gain the skills to apply tools (graphs, statistics, equations) from other subject areas to understand the operations and institutions of economic systems. After completing this course, students should be able to:

- Understand common economic terms and concepts and economic reasoning.
- Understand various economic structures.
- Analyze the elements of America’s market economy in a global setting.
- Analyze the influence of the federal government on an economy.
- Analyze the elements of the U.S. labor market.
- Analyze the aggregate economic behavior of the U.S. economy
- Explain how the U.S. economy affects, and is affected by, economic forces beyond the borders of the United States.

Note: This class is designed to incorporate a-g outlines from Blue Ridge Academy. Students and parents are responsible to ensure all of the requirements of their charter school are being met by the student.

Grading - Grades are posted on our Google Classroom, where parents are invited and included.

Participation: 30%
Unit Key Assignments / Quizzes- 50%
End of Course Portfolio - 20%

Contact

Sara Olds:

saralynn.olds@gmail.com