History

List of 4 items.

• Grade 5: Creating America

  Students utilize historical thinking skills to explore questions of settlement and displacement, patriotism, and access to citizenship over the course of early American history. Students begin the year by learning foundational historical thinking skills that enable them to “think like a historian” and identify, analyze and evaluate key ideas, events and people in our nation's past. Students go on to examine how Indigenous Americans adapted to their environment, explore early settlement in the Colonial Period, and delve into the events and ideas that led to the American Revolution, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Through these topics, students explore how America’s ideas about democracy, equality, and freedom developed as the nation matured.

• Grade 6: Ancient World

  How did the Earth form? When do humans come in? When, why, and how did the first civilizations develop? History 6 begins with examining how early humans adapted to their physical environment to survive and thrive, paving the way for the rise of renowned ancient civilizations like those in Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. To engage our budding historians, they will practice skills in analytical writing, primary source analysis, art criticism, and group presentations. In class, students will explore the role of archaeologists and historians as they utilize artifacts to investigate complex societies and conduct research on other ancient civilizations around the world.

• Grade 7: The Medieval World

  What was the impact of Mansa Musa’s Hajj on the Islamic world? What opportunities and limitations did women have in the Middle Ages? How have the values of the Samurai evolved over time in Japanese history? Grade 7 history addresses these questions by focusing on the culture and history of four different areas of the Postclassical world: Japan, Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa. The course investigates the role of religion, economics, politics, and gender roles through research projects, argumentative essay writing, primary source analysis, and art history. Students develop the academic skills of critical reading, writing, and note-taking through the use of historical thinking skills in order to grow their competence as budding historians.

• Grade 8: Early Modern World

  The period from the 15th to the 18th centuries marked a profound transformation in how power was organized, justified, and challenged. In History 8, students explore this era through the lens of justice, asking how individuals and societies defined fairness, authority, rights, belief, and responsibility in moments of rapid global change. Through sustained work with primary and secondary sources they investigate the expansion of empires, cross cultural encounters, religious reform movements, scientific inquiry, and the emergence of new political ideas. In each unit, we focus on central questions: Who held power? How was that power justified? When was it resisted? What did justice mean in different cultural contexts? Whenever possible, students draw connections between these historical developments and the evolution of the United States justice system, considering how debates about rights, law, and equity continue today. Building on the foundations of History 7 and preparing students for Global History I in Grade 9, History 8 strengthens research, writing, discussion, and critical thinking skills while inviting students to engage enduring questions about justice that remain deeply relevant.