|
7th and 8th grade History!
Here are some general outlines of what 7th and 8th grade History
classes will study this May 2008.
Critical thought and its application to our present day realities
are a main focus of all classes. A wide-ranging variety of
teaching strategies will be employed with regard to learner
differences.
Our 8A Religion class will focus on issues revolving
around the history and traditions of the Catholic Church. We will
have mastered recitation of the Nicene Creed. We will
be exploring moral development as appropriate to the Catholic way of
life. We will be using our text, the Bible, and other
miscellaneous activities approved by the Catholic Church. We shall
complete reading and discussing the book of Genesis in the Catholic Church's New American Bible. A variety of activities and many discussions will
provide each of us with more insight into who we are and how we
individually and communally relate with our Church. We will
complete our comparisons and contrasts in divergent discussion of the
1945 film version of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn that was one our
summer reading books. This instructor has been very impressed
with the many in depth readings that students did. It is obvious
that the majority of students spent a lot of time and energy on this
decently long, and extremely detailed book.
Our 7th Grade History classes study world cultures
and religions. We have examined such great civilizations as the Roman
Empire, the Empire of Islam, empires of Africa (Mali, Ghana, Congo,
Zimbabwe, etc.), and the empires
of Asia (China, Japan, Mongol, India). America (Incan, Aztec, Mayan,
etc.) and Europe will end the year with heavy focus on the
Enlightenment for transition to US History. This May we
shall study The European Renaissance, the Reformation
of Christianity, the Scientific Revolution, and the Age of
Discovery. Throughout the year we will investigate the phenomena that cause empires to rise and
fall, and observe how common themes regarding cultural exchange,
economics, conflict, religion, technology, environment, and etc.
effect the empires that we study and the resulting impact upon
history in general. Also, we shall conduct a long term genealogy
project this year that will have students investigate their own
history and lineage.
Our 8th Grade US History classes will investigate
reasons for conflict and an ever-changing society through a variety of
classroom discussions, lectures, worksheets, readings of the textbook,
poems, maps, political cartoons, and video documentaries.
This May we shall investigate the Great Depression, World War II,
The Korean War, the Vietnam War, and U.S. culture, society, and
politics from the 1940's to present day. Students will be assigned most textbook
readings and tests as homework from this point out to support what
we would like to achieve in class. Students will also
critically engage commonly with political cartoons from this point
on (some in class/others homework), so parents should see the
History text home a little more often until the end of the year.
Common themes and concepts explored throughout the last year shall be pulled together,
particularly those regarding eliminating prejudice and
increasing tolerance.
I would appreciate an email at
nadams@saintpats.org from any 7th and
8th grade parents that I do not have an email address from, so that
I may save it to my contact list and mail you occasional updates on
what is currently underway in class.
|
