History

Over the next three years students will study:

  • 6th Grade: World History and Geography, Ancient Civilizations, Early Humans to Rome

  • 7th Grade: World History and Geography, Medieval Period and Early Modern Times

  • 8th Grade: United States History and Geography, Growth and Conflict - beginnings to early 1900s

Students will develop their sense of community as they document community service hours as defined in the History Department's Guidance.


6th Grade History: World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations 

This course covers the California History/ Social Science standards for grade 6. The student experience begins with the study of early man and concludes with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Civilizations and peoples from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Kush, India, China, Greece and the Hebrews will also be explored. Students will be asked to consider why civilizations developed where they did, how they became powerful and why they declined. Additional emphasis will be placed on the everyday lives, problems, and accomplishments of people, as well as their role in developing political, social, economic, and religious structures. Students will analyze interactions between these cultures and the spread of ideas, goods and culture through vast trade networks. Emphasis will be placed on geography, and its special significance in the development of the human story. Throughout their studies, students will engage in the historical thinking practices of sourcing, corroborating, & contextualizing. This course will include multiple formative & summative assessments, document based questions, essays, inquiry based research projects, as well as collaborative group activities.

7th Grade History: World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times 

Students in grade seven at San Elijo Middle School will study the social, cultural, and technological changes that occurred in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia in the years A.D. 500–1789. After reviewing the ancient world and the ways in which archeologists and historians uncover the past, students study the history and geography of great civilizations that were developing concurrently throughout the world during medieval and early modern times. They examine the growing economic interaction among these civilizations, as well as the exchange of ideas, beliefs, technologies, and commodities. They learn about the resulting growth of Enlightenment philosophy and the new examination of the concepts of reason and authority, the natural rights of human beings and the divine right of kings, experimentalism in science and the beliefs of multiple religions. Finally, students assess the political forces let loose by the Enlightenment, particularly the rise of democratic ideas, as they learn about the continuing influence of these ideas in the world today. Students will master the standards through an analysis of primary and secondary documents, collaborative and academic discussions, use of technology, and engaging inquiry based activities.

8th Grade History: United States History 

This course covers the California History/Social Science standards for grade eight. Students will study the ideas, issues, and events from the Colonial and Revolutionary periods in the 17th and 18th centuries to the turn of the 20th century, just prior to World War I. After a careful study of the formation of our government, the Constitution and other founding documents, students will trace the development of American politics, society, culture, and economy and relate them to the emergence of major regional differences that developed in the Northeast, South, and West during the 19th century. They will also learn about the challenges facing the new nation and the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War. Finally, they will make connections between the rise of industrialization and contemporary social & economic conditions. This course will allow students to read, write, and think in collaborative groups as they analyze many and varied historical sources in order to compose well-researched academic responses to central historical questions. Multiple formative and summative assessments will be given throughout the year to determine students’ mastery of content and literacy standards. These assessments will include performance tasks or Document Based Questions (DBQ’s), research projects, Google Classroom assignments, digital map & media activities, key terms & people, and quizzes & examinations. 



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