Humanities - Grade Level Descriptions
Course Description
Sixth-Grade Humanities is designed to open the minds of students to the diverse voices of the world and to encourage students to make connections across human experience. This course integrates language arts with the social sciences, allowing students to become world travelers as they study geography, history, cultures, and current events related to each of the seven continents and read literature that highlights physical and personal journeys. Through writing, reading, listening, and speaking, students learn to appreciate other perspectives in order to develop a thoughtful understanding of the world and the diverse voices within it. Field trips are woven into the curriculum as valuable opportunities for students to connect their learning to the world outside the classroom.
Units of Study:
Unit One: A Garden of Voices - Seedfolks
- Novel: Seedfolks by Paul Fleischmann
- Focus: World geography and themes of geography, cultural identity, in-depth literature study
- Key Project(s)
- Neighborhood Writing and Map Project
Unit Two: Legendary Voices - Varied Cultures of Asia
- Texts: Folktales of Asia
- Focus: Storytelling, culture, and ceremonies of the peoples of Asia
- Key Project(s):
- Folktale Storytelling: Students use storytelling techniques to share Asian folktales from memory with their classmates.
- Journey to Asia Box: In groups, students explore the art, culture, people, and history of Asia by completing an in-depth study of one Asian country and collaborating to create a box filled with a variety of mini-projects. Students share knowledge of countries with their classmates during Journey to Asia celebration.
Unit Three: Voices of the Amazon – the Yanomami Culture
- Novel: Amazon Diary: Property of Alex Winters by Hudson Talbott and Mark Greenberg
- Focus: The culture of the Yanomami people of the Amazon rainforest
- Key Project(s):
- Literary Shapono: Students participate in a literary circle for Amazon Diary, exploring the literature through research, literary analysis, and discussion.
Unit Four: Voices of Discovery – Shackleton's Expedition
- Novel: Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong
- Focus: Historical study of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic exploration aboard the Endurance.
- Key Project(s):
- The Endurance Journal: Students descriptively document the expedition experience by writing in the voice of a crew member.
Unit Five: Ancient Voices – Mythology and History of Ancient Greece
- Texts: The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff; Excerpts from The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles
- Focus: History, culture, and mythology of Ancient Greece
- Key Project(s):
- The Odyssey Plays: In groups, students write their own scripts and act out mini-plays based on the adventures of Odysseus.
Unit Six: Voices of New Zealand – the Maori Culture
- Films: Whale Rider
- Focus: The history and culture of the Maori people
- Key Project(s):
- Maori Jigsaw: In groups, students become experts on a specific aspect of Maori culture by creating an informational handout and designing a lesson. Then students reconnect to form new groups in which each student will teach a new group about what she has learned.
Unit Seven: A Voice from Africa – the Story of a Maasai Warrior
- Novel: Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton
- Focus: Literary and cultural study of Maasai culture, defining cultural identity
- Key Project(s):
- Triple Entry Journal: Students complete a reader response journal for Facing the Lion and meet with peers to share and discuss the novel.
Unit Eight: Poetic Voices – Poetry and Parts of Speech
- Texts: Poetry selections
- Focus: An introduction to the reading, writing, and analysis of poetry
- Key Project(s):
- Poetry Portfolio: Students publish a collection of their original poetry and perform a selection of their writing at a class Poetry Café.
Course Description
Seventh Grade Humanities is an interdisciplinary course that combines social sciences and language arts. By exploring key literary works and historical texts, students will gain a meaningful understanding of the diverse voices that have contributed to the creation of our nation’s history. The course places special emphasis on the concepts of natural and legal rights, the connections among issues such as religion, race, gender, and class, and the development of a shared national identity. Through critical reading, active discussion, and frequent writing, students will gain a broader understanding of themselves, their nation, and the world.
Units of Study:
Unit 1: Founding our Nation - the Fundamentals of an American Identity
- Why does a country need laws?
- What are natural rights and why does a nation need to protect them?
- How is a national identity formed?
- How does one read and interpret primary source documents?
- How does one express and support ideas through writing an assertion essay?
Unit 2: Growing our Nation - the Tension Between Manifest Destiny and Native American Cultures
- How did different cultures interact as people in the country began to move westward?
- How did the concept of Manifest Destiny impact the westward shift?
- How does one balance his or her own personal identity with the rapidly developing national identity?
- How can data, maps, art, and photographs inform our study of history?
Unit 3: The American Woman
- How did the belief of the cult of domesticity influence the role of women in society during the 19th century?
- How did women begin to effect change and reform society?
- How do these changes impact the life of girls and women today?
Unit 4: Voices of African Americans
- What was the effect of slavery on African Americans, and how did it shape their identity in the nation?
- What rights were afforded to African Americans?
- With limited freedoms, how did African Americans express themselves?
Unit 5: Immigration and a Shifting American Identity
- What factors influenced the wave of immigration to the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries?
- What attracted immigrants to the U.S.?
- What was the immigrant experience like upon arriving in the new nation?
- How has immigration affected our society today?
Unit 6: More Voices in the Nation - Women's Suffrage
- How did women in the early 20th century gain a political voice?
- What were women’s strategies for being heard?
-
What were the results of the women’s suffrage movement?
Unit 7: Onward to our Nation's Capital!
- How does visiting our nation’s capital inform our study of diverse groups and perspectives in U.S. history?
- How do research and preparation create a meaningful experience?
Unit 8: To Kill a Mockingbird - a Study of Voices
- How does literature influence our study of history?
- How does this work explore the moral nature of human beings?
- How does this work reflect the differing socioeconomic status of Americans during the 1920s and 1930s?
Unit 9: Sharing Stories - Exploring the Decades
- How much can a society change throughout history?
- How did different groups respond to the rapid cultural and social changes during the late 20th century?
Course Description
Eighth Grade Humanities builds upon the knowledge students have acquired in their sixth and seventh grade Humanities courses, seeking to integrate U.S. and world history through an examination of contemporary life and literature. The focus of study is on globalization, which will in turn be explored via the themes of movement and change. Student will read a wide range of texts, with a strong emphasis on works published since 1973. The course is writing intensive: students can expect to write on a near-daily basis in a multitude of forms and modes, from poetry and journaling to longer essays, blogs, and responses to literature.
Units of Study:
Unit One: Immigration
- Major Texts: Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
- Big Questions: Why would individuals choose to immigrate? What reasons did your family choose to immigrate?
- Writing Tools: Descriptive writing, annotation, introduction of year-long Portfolio Project
- Key Project(s):
- Portfolio
- Immigration Project
Unit Two: Labor
- Major Texts: Various short stories and poetry
- Big Questions: How is labor essential to understanding globalization? How does the quality of working conditions impact local and larger communities?
- Writing Tools: Styles of poetry, short story elements, character descriptions
- Key Project(s):
- Short story / Poetry anthology
Unit Three: Human / Children's Rights
- Major Text: Sold by Patricia McCormick
- Big Questions: How do the concerns and choices of the individual, community and society work together or against each other to realize the values and principles of a civil society?
- Writing Tools: Vignette writing
- Key Project(s):
- Oral History
Unit Four: Shakespeare (Environmental)
- Major Texts: The Tempest by William Shakespeare
- Big Questions: How does our environment impact us and what is our individual responsibility to the environment?
- Writing Tools: Shakespearean English
- Key Project(s):
- Performance
Unit Five: Political / Religious Rights
- Major Texts: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Big Questions: How do citizens protect their own political and religious rights by actively protecting the rights of others?
- Writing Tools: ComicLife
- Key Project(s):
- Graphic Novel
