Humanities – 6: Foundations of Western Civilization: From Ideas to Realities

Students engage themes of emergence, identity, actualization, and legacy in a study of ancient civilizations.

Social Studies–6

(250 minutes per week)
Units of Study: Ancient Greece, The Roman Empire, Europe in the Middle Ages, Native Americans before the age of Columbus

Process: Five social studies disciplines – history, geography, economics, political science, and socio-anthropology – are combined to examine underlying components of early civilizations and how they relate to our western world today.  Students serve as archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists as they work to uncover the experiences of and lessons from ancient western civilizations through an integrated study of the foundations of our modern codes of living.

Texts: World Studies: The Ancient World, Prentice Hall; The World in Ancient Times(selected volumes), Oxford University Press; History Begins, Coupe and Scanlan (selected chapters); Enjoying Global History, Abraham & Pfeffer (selected chapters);Perspectives on the Past, Krieger, et al., D.C. Heath (selected chapters); Atlas of World Geography, Rand McNally.

Humanities – 7: Global Perspectives:

Students explore global perspectives and the significance of communication, literature and the social sciences in understanding the human condition.

Social Studies – 7

250 minutes per week

Topics: Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, China, Modern World Issues

Process: Seventh grade social science students explore cultures and societies around the globe, focusing on contemporary conflicts and the reasons and efforts to resolve those conflicts. Each unit utilizes five social science disciplines to guide examination – history, geography, economics, political science, and a combined anthro-sociology.  Student knowledge and skill development is reinforced through coordinated and interdisciplinary lessons and projects in both social science and English/language arts courses (see below).  Student experience includes negotiation role-play, team teaching of peers, debate, and service-learning activities.

Texts: World Cultures: A Global Mosaic, Ahmad & others; Global Geography, Finkelstein, Flanagan and Lunger; Atlas of World Geography, Rand McNally.

Humanities – 8: Conflict & Change: Recognizing Conflict as a Catalyst for Growth

Students engage themes of conflict and change in United States history.

Social Studies – 8

250 minutes per week

Topics: Social studies-8 is a chronological study from early settlement to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution including studies of presidents, rebels, slaves, abolitionists, revolutionaries, suffragists, immigrants, and others who shaped the nation.

Process: Students incorporate social science disciplines into skills, including writing a formal research paper, multi-media presentations, policy development, and comprehending a “more perfect union.”  Student experience includes an integrated study of the history, art, science, industry, and development of the Deer Creek and Chesapeake Bay Watersheds and its influence on Harford County, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Nation.

Texts: TBD; Atlas of World Geography, Rand McNally.