History

Seventh grade History explores the social, political, cultural, and economic forces that shape society. Students learn parallels and differences between societies through key concepts, including cultural reciprocity, geographic limitations and opportunities, religion, and economic relationships. Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and Native American cultures are studied.

Students express key concepts through student-made movies, mosaics, 3-D timelines, PowerPoint presentations, and in a traditional research paper that requires them to use note taking, brainstorming, and analytical synthesizing skills.

Increasing students’ enthusiasm and curiosity in learning history is a major goal in the eighth grade, which focuses on the history of the United States. History is made to come alive through experiential exercises—such as a classroom reenactment of WWI trench warfare—and lively discussion and debate. Students discover how past ideas and events shape the present and are required to keep abreast of current events.

In the eighth grade, students gain a greater understanding of United States government and culture and learn about the role of the Constitution in protecting individual rights. They continue to build skills as critical thinkers and learn to express themselves persuasively both orally and in writing.