7th Grade:
This year in 7th grade Social Studies we will cover as much as we can of early 20th century U.S. and world history, as well as some basic physical and human geography. The 7th grade curriculum spans from The Gilded Age in the U.S. (late 1800s) to the end of WW2 (1945). We will start off the year by reading the book The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle; this piece of historic fiction is a book written entirely in free verse poems, about the Cuban Independence Movement (from Spanish colonial rule), told from the perspectives of a traditional Cuban nurse, her husband, the Spanish General Weyler ("The Butcher"), and his son. We will use this novel as a pivot around which we will discuss the decline of European colonialism, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, Yellow Journalism, the Panama Canal, and American Imperialism/Expansionism (take your pick). Roughly the second half of First Quarter we'll be covering WW1; along with this we'll read some excerpts from All Quiet on the Western Front, and we may even watch a movie or documentary about the Christmas Truce; we'll also be learning about the Russian Revolution (which took place during WW1), and that's always a good time to go over the basics of capitalism, communism, and socialism.
Second Quarter we'll be learning about the Roaring 1920s! There's a lot to this era, including the Women's Suffrage Movement in the U.S., Prohibition, the Labor Movement, and the Harlem Renaissance. The more years I teach this decade, the more I love teaching it. It is such a rich subject area. (Last year's 7th graders enjoyed learning to dance The Charleston!) We'll be reading the book The Truth About Sparrows, which will transition us into learning about the 1930s.
Third Quarter we'll be focusing on the 1930s, including the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal. Along with this unit we'll be reading the book Out of the Dust, as well as some excerpts from On Hitler's Mountain, a memoir by Irmgard Hunt. We'll listen to FDR's Fireside Chats and watch the original movie version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Depending on our pace at this point in the year, we may or may not begin studying WW2 toward the end of Third Quarter...
Fourth Quarter we'll delve pretty deeply into WW2, learning about the infamous conflict from the perspectives of the U.S. Homefront, the European theater, and the Asian/Pacific theaters. Students will have the choice between three books about WW2: The Diary of Anne Frank, When My Name Was Keoko, and A Farewell to Manzanar.
8th Grade:
We'll begin 8th grade by learning about the history and processes of U.S. democracy and government. We'll study the First Continental Congress and Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the three branches of U.S. government, and some landmark Supreme Court decisions; this will take us to about midterm. After we wrap up our unit on U.S. government, the 8th grade curriculum picks up right where we left off at the end of 7th grade (the end of WW2). We'll start off right away reading the book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes; this historic fiction novel set in Korea does a great job of transitioning us from the end of WW2 to the (simultaneous) beginning of the Cold War. While we read through the book we'll be learning about the decline of European colonialism, which was occurring at the same time as the early Cold War. We'll learn about Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian Independence Movement, Partition, Nelson Mandela and Apartheid in South Africa. (The kids always enjoy watching the film, Gandhi, with Ben Kingsley!)
Second Quarter we'll be learning about the Communist Revolution, the Soviet Union and its early leaders (Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin); we'll also learn about Mao's China and McCarthyism in the United States. Along with this unit we'll read the allegorical classic, Animal Farm (always one of my favorites!). These subjects will definitely take up the whole quarter!
Third Quarter we'll learn about the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in the U.S., but working in some world history wherever possible. We'll cover the Korean War, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, Environmentalism, JFK's presidency and all that came with it, the counterculture... this unit continues to resonate strongly with students of all ages and is always a favorite! There are lots of famous speeches and songs from this time period, which we will examine.
Fourth Quarter we'll study the Vietnam War, Watergate, the Carter and Reagan presidencies, and work as far up to the present day as time allows! We'll read excerpts of The Things They Carried and read the classic American play, A Raisin in the Sun, readers' theater-style.
In both 7th & 8th grades we'll take regular map quizzes, work on geography skills, discuss current events issues, write to pen-pals in Thailand, China, and Honduras, and work on a year-long research project that is centered around a country (students can choose the country from a pre-determined list). More information about these activities to come...
Whew! And that's just the outline version! We're going to be really smart by the end of this year... :)
