This department at Earl of March includes courses in Geography, History, the Social Sciences, Family Studies, and several Business courses. Students obtain 2.5 compulsory courses from our department. These include grade 9 Canadian Geography, grade 10 Canadian History and grade 10 Civics. Due to the excellence of our program and the dedication of our teachers, the vast majority of EOM students choose to take optional courses with us in grades 10, 11, and 12. Thus we provide the most extensive senior Canadian & World Studies, and Humanities & Social Sciences programs in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. In addition, EOM is the only high school in Ontario that successfully offers two Advanced Placement history courses in European and American history. These enriched courses allow our students to obtain university credits while in high school. Lastly, the World - Social Sciences Department offers five French Immersion courses leading to the French Immersion Certificate.
The quality of our program is reflected in the educational trips that our teachers offer on an ongoing basis. Field trips to local sites include visits to the Parliament Buildings, the Supreme Court, the Bank of Canada, the Courthouse, the Museum of Civilization, and to firms in the fashion design industry. International destinations have recently included Boston, Washington D.C., Italy, and Central America.
To further the goals of our program, EOM's history teachers have developed a partnership with Carleton University's Department of History. Professors have provided their expertise in lectures to our students both at our school and at Carleton. Assistance also has been provided to our students as they produced historical documentaries and many learning materials have been donated to our department.
A key characteristic of our department is our team's teaching of an extensive skills continuum from grades nine to twelve. Over the last decade, we have developed a unique approach to the process of researching and writing essays in the independent study unit. Beginning in grade nine, students write a short geography report and by grade 12 they produce a sophisticated, analytical essay. Incorporated into the grade 12 process is a visit to Carleton University which exposes students to the organization and resources of a university library. Our firm belief in developing transferable skills such as time mangement, research techniques, essay writing skills, and critical thinking provides our graduates with clear advantages in their post-secondary studies.
Our skills program has two tracks. The details are presented in chart form.
"Firstly I wanted to extend my thanks to you and the social science staff for the excellent teaching. The skills I learned from the ISU papers put me so far ahead of the other kids it was almost unfair. (When everyone else is asking what to cite and how to form a thesis... it fosters confidence.)"
Earl of March, Class of 2006
Carleton University - Class of 2010
"I think that the most important aspect was the emphasis that the World-Social Sciences Department placed on reading and writing. Especially with AP, I found the amount and difficulty of the reading in university was no different than high school. I found most other students overwhelmed with the amount of readings, especially when you have to take the initiative to do it yourself.
In terms of essays, most people did not even know where to start. My Sociology TA actually had to spend a class explaining the difference between a scholarly article and a popular magazine article. I found the library sessions at Carleton to be particularly useful because I had no problem finding the research I required. However, many people in my classes did not even know how to use a library catalogue.
I was talking to Matt S. at U of T the other day and he felt much the same way. He said that in terms of constructing a thesis and arguments, he felt way ahead of the majority of the people in his classes.
Also, in my Canadian history seminar, I had to lead a seminar each semester.... All the other students simply paraphrased their articles and were unable to lead discussion...
Overall, yours was the most extensive preparation I received throughout high school in reading, preparing seminars, and writing essays that was most helpful."
Earl of March, Class of 2006
Queens University - Class of 2010
"The Earl of March World - Social Sciences Department prepared me for university in several very positive ways. The method of handling essays taught me the values of time management and the need to respect deadlines. The department's teachers also taught me the importance of keeping up with class readings as well as how to write a well structured and effective essay - a key component of university success. Finally, you made the course material interesting and exciting, thus, bringing me to where I am today."
Earl of March - Class of 2004
"I have decided to do a double major in History and English and become a high school teacher. I just wanted to say thank you to each of you for being such wonderful teachers.... You prepared me so well for university (I am receiving As and A+s on all of my papers so far) and I feel very confident in my writing skills because of the preparation I received when I wrote essays for you. Thank you so much for introducing me to my love of these subjects which are now leading me towards a new career path."
Earl of March - Class of 2003
"During my time at the Earl, I gained a variety of skills from the World-Social Sciences Department. The most important has been the ability to craft a quality research paper. The steps that students go through teaches them to be efficient and organized. As a second year student, I can honestly say that had it not been for this particular skill learned from the teachers of this department, I would not have survived first year and I do have the confidence to write strong papers."
Earl of March - Class of 2003
"I've had to write many essays in first year and compared to other students from different high school backgrounds, I've done pretty well on all that I've written. I'm doing better than others because of the World - Social Sciences teachers at the Earl. The department's independent study process really prepared me for what university professors expect. I feel that because of your teaching methods, I have a great advantage over many other students who are frustrated with their marks.... I just wanted to say thank you and keep up the good work - it does not go unnoticed!"
Earl of March - Class of 2003
"As a university history student, much of my time over the last four years has been spent writing term papers. The World-Social Science Department essay process was definitely the most important thing I took away from high school. It showed me how to organize my research and how to come up with a solid thesis statement. Furthermore, without the essay guide I would have been completely lost trying to make footnotes and endnotes. Learning this process in high school made all the difference for me. I have completed four years of university and I definitely would not have been able to achieve the same level of success without my experience at the Earl."
Earl of March - Class of 2002
University of Ottawa - Class of 2006
"My studies at Queen's in History and Geography required excellent writing and research skills. At Earl of March my teachers worked diligently to ensure that I left high school with the ability to write analytically and to use a variety of sources during the research process. They carefully oversaw every step of the process and spent a considerable amount of time to address any concerns/problems. This process that was developed at EOM was applied throughout my university studies. Without the training and methods that my high school teachers taught me, I would not have been prepared to meet the challenges of my university program."
Earl of March - Class of 2001
Queen's University - Class of 2005