2024-2025 Course Flipbook v2 - Flipbook - Page 37
HISTORY 8: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS
In this course, students explore the history of the United States over a 40-year period of
the 20th century, beginning with the end of World War II and closing with the beginning
of the 1990s. The approach throughout the year is a thematic one; students examine
two or three major trends from each
decade, from the 1950s-1980s, through
the lens of everyday people. Employing a
diverse range of secondary and primary
sources, students develop nuanced
answers to the driving questions: What
causes a movement to emerge and
affect change? How do we, as everyday
people, bring about change? Examples of
student projects include a collaborative
presentation on a company of the 1950s
that transformed both the industry and
American society, a persuasive speech
addressing a current social issue using
the famous civil rights movement activism and speeches, and a comparative study of
the 1970s environmental movement and today’s climate change activism. The capstone
middle school history project is to write a historically-defensible paper. Students work
individually and collaboratively to research, evaluate sources, develop a thesis, and
defend their arguments with solid evidence.
HISTORY 9: WORLD HISTORY
HISTORY
When does “history” begin, and what is our role in shaping that history? What
made our ancient ancestors leave Africa and spread out across the world,
setting down roots in different parts of the globe and developing the diverse and
fascinating cultures we 昀椀nd today? In 9th Grade World History, students examine
ancient, medieval, and early modern cultures from across every continent as
we explore what makes us human. By focusing on shared aspects of human
civilization such as migrations, myths, governments, trade, art, empires, resistance,
and revolution, students answer important, driving questions such as “does where I
live determine how I live?” and “what do governments do for societies?” To answer
these questions, we consider case studies from across human history, including
Mesopotamia; Egypt; China; the Roman, Ottoman, and Inca Empires; Great
Zimbabwe; the Silk Road; and the French, Haitian, and Russian Revolutions. To aid
our inquiry, we read selections from The Fifth Beginning by Robert L. Kelly, Guns,
Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber
and David Wengrow, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Analects of Confucius, Cassius
Dio’s Roman History and others. In addition, History 9 students evaluate primary
and secondary sources, interpret maps and timelines, and build evidence-based
arguments. The school year culminates in our annual 9th Grade World History
Symposium, an opportunity for students to dive into an aspect of world history that
interests them – and teach their classmates what they’ve learned.
