Middle School Curriculum Guide

The fifth-grade Humanities course examines ancient history from the emergence of communities and civilizations through the Roman Empire. In pursuing knowledge about this area of history, we keep guiding questions in mind. These questions provide us with a framework for our classroom inquiry and remind us that the humanities are just as much about the pursuit of knowledge through the asking of questions as the learning of certain facts and concepts. These questions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• How do cultures differ and what makes them different from one another?
• How does geography affect where people live and the way people live?
• How do we know what we know about the ancient world?
• How does the ancient world affect the world in which we live today?
• How was the ancient world similar to ours?

The skills we work on during this exploration of ancient societies include:

• managing and completing daily homework assignments
• managing and completing long-term projects and reports
• organizing and managing daily materials necessary for class
• mastering concepts, facts, and historical techniques
• understanding and implementing study skills in preparation for in-class assessments
• developing the expository paragraph, including the concepts of a topic sentence, body, and conclusion
• developing the concept of a thesis and building oneʼs argument using relevant materials
• comprehending chronological sequencing using historical dates and events
• developing the skill of facilitating discussion, as well as participation and listening
• utilizing the tools of the textbook and outside resources for further inquiry and understanding
• comprehending primary sources, such as excerpts from ancient writings, artwork, graphs, charts, and geographical information
• learning geography and the use of maps
• developing research skills through the completion of a significant research project

Interdisciplinary activities have included reading historical novels in conjunction with Language Arts and completing a unit on ancient Greece that cuts across the fifth-grade curriculum.

The sixth-grade Humanities course combines the study of history, geography, current events, and study skills. In the first part of the year, in conjunction with Language Arts classes, students complete a unit on understanding and applying basic geography and map skills, such as time zones, latitude, longitude, land and water forms, the use of scale, and map keys. This study forms the basis of a semester-long project in which the students create their own country.

Students then examine the medieval period in three geographic areas: the Islamic world, Europe, and Japan. We study Islam both as an empire and as a faith, while also looking at the geography of the Middle East in detail. Often, to conclude the Islam unit, we explore Islamic contributions to and influence on our culture in a three-day study of Islam across the curriculum coordinated with other disciplines. The program then turns to an analysis of the environment, people, culture, and economy of medieval Europe. We emphasize the feudal system, the rise of towns, knights, castles, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, the Crusades, and the contributions of the arts and sciences during the Middle Ages. Finally, we look at the similarities as well as the differences in historical patterns between medieval Europe and medieval Japan, particularly feudal political organizations, bonds between warriors, and the role of religion in both societies.

Extensive projects for reinforcement of these concepts may include independent research, organizational charts, oral reports, plays, speeches, videos, podcasts, digital slide shows, and the creation of a newspaper or book. Formal current events discussions take place once a rotation, and we look for ways to continue these conversations with a larger audience outside the classroom. These discussions are based on articles found in The New York Times and other sources.

The skills we work on throughout the year include the following:

• prompt and accurate completion of daily work
• prompt and accurate completion of long-term projects
• ability to demonstrate accurate comprehension of text content
• ability to compare and contrast information in a single paragraph and in a multi-
• paragraph essay
• ability to develop and write clear, multi-paragraph essays
• ability to take clear and accurate notes from a text
• ability to prepare for all types of tests and quizzes
• ability to write thorough yet concise summaries
• ability to research information from several sources
• ability to master geographic terms and maps and comprehend
• primary sources, such as legal documents, artwork, and graphs

The seventh-grade Humanities course is titled World History. Its goal is to continue developing the reading, writing, critical thinking, and study skills necessary to thinking historically. Students delve into various cultures and time periods, as well as the geography of several continents, including Africa and Asia. At the end of the year, an in-depth unit on the Holocaust based on Facing History and Ourselves asks students not only to know and understand events leading up to and during the Holocaust but also to question and examine the human behaviors that set those events in motion. Throughout the year, opportunities to explore world current events are integrated into the curriculum. As seventh grade is the first year in which the laptop is a fully integrated part of the students' curriculum, we look at many ways in which technology can assist the study of history.

Specific skills that are developed throughout the year include:

• completing homework in a thorough and timely manner
• contributing to class in a positive and constructive way
• coming to class prepared
• maintaining an organized and up-to-date binder
• developing critical thinking skills
• learning to construct and support a thesis statement
• learning different types of content essay formats such as Compare and Contrast, Cause and Effect, Time Ordered, and Comprehension
• learning how to create and present a digital slideshow
• developing a system for taking meaningful class and homework notes
• writing a five-page research paper
• analyzing current events
• learning how to listen to and teach others
• preparing for and taking a cumulative final exam
• mastering geographic terms and maps

The eighth-grade Humanities course is titled United States History. Its main goal is to give students an appreciation for and an understanding of the significance of people, places and events that relate to the unique history of the United States and what is considered "American." We investigate selected periods from the colonial era to the present. The culminating exercise of the course is a research paper, which allows students to look deeply into a topic of interest from the 20th century. Current events are also integrated into class discussions to help students see the relevance of the country's past in today's news and society. Students continue to explore new ways to utilize the laptop as an instrument in their learning, particularly with regard to thoughtful Internet research. Building on the seventh-grade experience, students will continue to read and take notes from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including a core text. They participate in cooperative exercises, research and synthesize information, write descriptively and analytically, and articulate thoughts through formal public speech and debate. Interdisciplinary connections and learning are encouraged and practiced.

By the end of the year, eighth-grade students are expected to be proficient in the following skills that they need for the World Civilizations course in the Upper School:

• managing and completing daily homework assignments
• managing and completing long-term projects and reports
• seeking assistance when necessary
• actively participating in class discussions
• contributing to group projects
• writing a well-organized expository essay
• developing a main idea supported with primary and secondary
• sources
• developing a thesis to begin a three-to-five-page research paper with
• proper documentation of resources
• becoming literate in finding and assessing information
• preparing for cumulative exams