Psychology: A Powerful Choice Among Homeschool Electives

Planning a powerful transcript for your homeschool high schooler? Choose powerful homeschool electives.

Homeschool Electives: Psychology

Do you have a good, working definition of Social Sciences? Social sciences are academic courses that scientifically study human relationships and society. With that in mind, Social Sciences are an important electives to include on the homeschool transcript.

Any of the social sciences would be one of your homeschool electives in high school. Courses like Sociology and Psychology do not take the place of traditional sciences with labs like Chemistry and Biology, but they do add power to the high school learning experience and sparkle to the transcript. For instance, college admissions officers are looking for homeschool electives in the Social Sciences.

How to build a powerful Social Sciences elective for the homeschool transcript

I have often advised homeschool high schoolers to consider Psychology as a social studies or social science credit for their transcript. For many years, I served as an advisor to our local homeschool upperclassmen. Not only that, but I also work as a counselor at a Christian practice. Therefore, I have frequent opportunities to share this advice.

Based on my experience, there are good reasons to suggest that our teens study Psychology as their Social Science:

• A number of colleges are looking for .5 credit in social science on the transcript.  (This may include Psychology or Sociology.)
• Even non-college bound homeschoolers can benefit from learning more about the ways their brain and body work together, communication, and learning skills.
• It’s fun! (I like psych.)

Years ago, when I wrote the first edition of  Introduction to Psychology from a Christian Perspective, it was the only non-secular high school Psychology (as a Social Science) text. I wanted a Psychology text for my teens that would be (as opposed to AP or other rigorous levels). It was my dream that my high schoolers would find the course so accessible that they’d LIKE PSYCH!

That’s why I included enough hands-on activities and enrichment reading that my kids could log hours they they could extend the .5 credit course to a full (or level up the .5 credit to honors) psychology/social science credit.

Here are a few things the text covers:

• Perception 
  • Optical illusions are tricks our eyes and brains play on us. Our perception of things is affected by what we expect to see.

• Learning
  • How we learn and what we learn is controlled by the brain, among other things.
    Communication
  • Understanding effective ways to speak and listen is an important part of Psychology as a Social Science.
• Genetics
  • Why does our body affect our moods and our moods affect our body?
• Needs and Motivation
  • What do we need to thrive emotionally and why do we want what we want?
• Personality
  • Who are you and what are you like? What do you like?
• Sleep and Dreams
  • Alpha waves and REM are part of the brain’s work in sleeping.
• Helping Others
  • This is my job. I love to be used by God to ease another person’s pain. This is Psychology as a Social Science.

Help your teen discover God’s handiwork in creating human brains and souls while earning a Psychology/Social Science credit.  That is the purpose of our 7Sisters Psychology from a Christian Worldview.

Like all 7Sisters’ etexts, you can adapt it to the level you want for your teen:

• ½ credit average high school level,
•  1 full credit average high school level,
• or ½ credit college prep, advanced or honors levels

The 7Sisters’ ebookstore also offers Lesson Plans to accompany this text. Plans are designed to aid in offering the course for a group of students in a class or co-op. They follow a traditional format, offering objective, lesson and supplemental activity suggestions for each week.

Now homeschool high schoolers can like psych even more! 7Sisters has created a self-paced, online course to accompany the textbook. It includes video lessons for each chapter, a chapter checklist for each chapter, as well as enrichment videos and activities. Read about the online course for Introduction to Psychology from a Christian Perspective here.

I created this short video to give you a feel for what a good Introduction to Psychology high school course should include.

For more high school Electives from 7Sisters, visit the ebookstore HERE. Also, remember that all 7Sisters curriculum is levelable, so you can adapt it easily as an elective for teens with special needs.

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Homeschool Electives