Social Studies

This course focuses on civilizations in the ancient world, including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nubia, the Indus Valley, and China. In order to understand the concept of time and humankind’s relatively short existence on Earth, the course begins with an examination of the geological clock. Students strengthen their knowledge of geography through exploration of the supercontinent of Pangaea and factors that contributed to the current configuration of the world’s geography. Human migration out of Africa and the role that evolution and technology played in this migration are explored. A study of archaeology helps students answer the essential questions: How do we know what we know prior to the invention of writing? Throughout the course, each unit involves relevant literature, primary sources, and opportunities for field trips, cross-disciplinary projects, and experiential learning. Students develop critical-thinking, organization, and interpretation skills through written work and preparing and giving oral presentations. Considerable time is devoted to learning how to effectively: 1) annotate expository texts for improved reading comprehension, and 2) present researched topics utilizing technology (Keynote, Green Screen, Pages, etc.) to inform and excite audience members. The curriculum also emphasizes the skills of listening, questioning, visualizing, making connections and inferences, synthesizing and comparing and contrasting.

The sixth-grade Social Studies program focuses on three sequential topics to create a foundation for understanding life in the United States. Students begin the year with an inquiry into the story of Native Americans of North America; their arrival during the Ice Age and their lives before and after contact with the Europeans. During the second trimester, sixth graders explore the settlement patterns in North America by the European immigrants. While examining European attitudes toward Native Americans, students discuss the reasons for European settlement and the creation of European colonies in North America. They also investigate the creation of an American identity before studying the concept of revolution during the third trimester: What did the word “revolution” mean in the 18^th century, and how did the colonists move toward revolution? Each unit in this course involves relevant literature, primary sources, and opportunities for field trips and cross-disciplinary projects. When the students leave sixth grade, they do so with an understanding of America’s original inhabitants, the results of European contact, and a sense of the America to come.

In this course, we explore history using the stories, laws, art, music, and speeches of the time. In the fall, topics include a study of the Constitution, the compromises and demands of creating a new government, and the structure of the government. Topics for the winter trimester cover westward expansion and its effects on all populations, both marginalized groups and those with power. Additionally, students explore the economic, political, and personal realities of slavery, the abolitionist movement, and the Civil War. In the spring, studies focus on the dawn of the 20^th Century and the birth of modern America. Conversations about the post-Reconstruction struggle for Civil Rights prepare students for a more global consideration of the struggle for human rights in the eighth grade.

Students begin the year by examining aspects of individuality and society using the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum. The history of Germany, Nazi ideology, and the actions of victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and resisters are explored. In the second trimester, students learn about colonialism through an examination of South Africa and apartheid. During the third trimester, students study the religions of Hinduism and Islam and explore the role of religion in communities. The course concludes with an evaluation of the methods that have historically been used to achieve basic human rights and a major research capstone project on an upstander – a person who has made a positive change in the world. Research is demonstrated in a five-minute speech. In each unit throughout the year, geography is related to the context, and students use primary sources for study and research.