History

Course Description: 
The focus of this course is the study of the world history and relevant themes to today’s America. Course themes include early civilization development (cultural hearths), belief systems, government ([Mis]management of Nations), revolution (ideas & technological), social justice and civil disobedience, and economics (Wealth & Power). An emphasis is placed on seeing the United States as a product of historic conditions and decisions. Current events are used to relate course material to today’s student. The development of academic skills is also a central focus to the course. (Two semesters, 6th Grade)

Academic Goals: 

1. World History studies the relationships between people, cultures, nations, and historical events.  The historically informed person knows and understands:
   1. How to use historical representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from relationships, human interactions, and historical events.
   2. How to process and analyze information about people, cultures, nations, and historical events of past and present relationships and human interactions.
   3. How to analyze the relationship and human interactions between people, cultures, nations, and historical events throughout human history.
2. The identities and lives of individuals and peoples are rooted in particular places and in those human constructs called regions. The historically informed person knows and understands:
   1. The physical and human characteristics of places.
   2. That people create regions to interpret cultural and international conflicts.
   3. How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of world history.
3. People are central to world history in that human activities shape history, human settlements, structures, and institutions, and the political boundaries of the world. The historically informed person knows and understands:
   1. The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations.
   2. The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of cultural groups.
   3. The patterns and networks of economic interdependence between cultures and nations.
   4. The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement.
   5. How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of wealth and power between nations.
4. The physical environment is modified by human activities, largely as a consequence of the ways in which human societies value and use the world's natural resources, and human activities are also influenced by Earth's physical features and processes. The historically informed person knows and understands:
   1. How human actions modify the physical environment.
   2. How physical systems affect human systems.
   3. The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.
5. Knowledge of geography enables people to develop an understanding of the relationships between people, places, and environments over time--that is, of the world as it was, is, and might be. The historically informed person knows and understands:
   1. How to apply geography to interpret the past.
   2. How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
6. As the world shrinks in size because of high-speed communication and transportation, it becomes increasingly important for students to see peoples different from themselves as interesting neighbors who have different ideas, customs, and languages, but who also share many of the same values. It is therefore necessary for the student of world history to:
   1. Develop a balanced, broad view of the interaction of people with their physical and cultural environments, both historically and present-day.
   2. Learn to appreciate groups of people who have been misrepresented or omitted in the past.
   3. Garner more positive attitudes toward different cultural, racial, ethnic, religious, and gender groups.

Instructional Methods: 

1. Classroom discussions and lectures over historical information, facts, data, and themes.
2. Simulations of historical events in which students assume roles and debate relevant issues.
3. Resource persons willing to share their experiences as well as their slides and pictures of the places they have visited.
4. Map and atlas activities which require students to focus on the physical and political aspects of continents, regions, and countries.
5. Critical thinking tasks that challenge students to apply what they have learned in problem-solving situations.
6. Cooperative learning situations which offer students directions for working together in a variety of ways.
7. Historical case studies that provide regionally based situations of cultural importance for student research and activity.

Evaluation: 

1. Students evaluated through teacher observation during class discussions and activities, primary focus being engagement.
2. Students are evaluated frequently through notes quizzes and traditional quizzes.
3. Students periodically are evaluated for organization through course notebook checks.
4. Upon the completion of each area of study (historical themes), students are evaluated through traditional testing. Traditional meaning true/false, multiple choice, matching, listing, identification, and short answer type questions. Also, each test may include a paragraph essay question.
5. Once or twice each semester, students are evaluated upon the completion of specific projects that follow the Big Six research model.
6. Writing assignments that are geared toward the Five Paragraph Essay allow the teacher to evaluate students for fundamental and creative writing skills.
7. Students evaluated through current event article assignments, where each student completes a web that is designed to develop critical thinking skills (e.g. geographical location ~ historical development).
8. Rubrics for projects, performances, and papers will be designed to address higher order thinking skills.
9. Sixth grade students are evaluated through a spring semester exam.  It is weighted as a normal test grade. This exam is designed to introduce sixth grade students to the process of evaluating information over an entire semester.

Course Description: 
This course offers the seventh grade student an introduction to major events and people in American History from the European Age of Exploration to the American Civil War. Our survey of major American History events and people will also serve as an introduction to important World History events and the people who shaped the world we live in today. The class will highlight themes throughout American and World History, compare and contrast time periods and evaluate strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments and failures of the past. The historical content of the course will also provide each student with a framework for understanding how events of the past relate to the present. The seventh grade history curriculum is designed to also teach fundamental study skills necessary for academic success. In addition to American and World historical study from 1600 to 1865, students will gain practice in the ten important skills of reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, recalling information, applying information, listening, organization, research, cooperative learning and presentation. (Two semesters, 7th Grade)
 

Academic Goals:

1. Knowledge: Students will gain a basic knowledge of American History and World History through identifying and describing major events, people, and trends from the following themes:
   1. Exploration, Adventure and Heroes
   2. Revolutions and Rebellion
   3. Leadership
   4. Oppression, Slavery and Mistreatment
   5. Governments and Rule
   6. Civil Wars and Conflicts
2. Skills: Students will:
   1. Retain and recall information from the content areas of the course.
   2. Recognize certain themes throughout early American and World History.
   3. Make connections with the past through comparing and contrasting events and time periods.
   4. Actively and respectfully listen to the teacher and students during class presentations and lectures.
   5. Develop and improve note-taking skills.
   6. Increase reading comprehension.
   7. Improve organizational skills through keeping a history notebook.
   8. Learn study strategies for quizzes and tests covering large amounts of material.
   9. Work cooperatively and collaboratively on common tasks and class projects.
   10. Read primary sources to better understand historical time periods.
   11. Discover and apply research strategies and skills for class projects.
   12. Constructively discuss and debate controversial topics of the past and present.
   13. Practice oral presentation and creative thinking skills through class and project presentations.
   14. Write introductory paragraphs to essay topics and prepare 3-point short essays.
   15. Critique peers’ paragraph and essay writing.
3. Attitudes: Students will:
   1. Begin to appreciate the discipline of history.
   2. Develop academic self-reliance and intellectual risk-taking.
   3. Acquire a disciplined work ethic.
   4. Appreciate and embrace the importance of organization.
   5. Become responsible for learning outside of class.
   6. Exhibit a willingness to express personal opinions, beliefs, and ideas.
   7. Demonstrate the acceptance of different opinions, beliefs, and ideas.
   8. Acknowledge and accept constructive criticism.
   9. Value working with other students on team projects.
   10. Embrace the importance of historical research.

Instructional Methods:

1. Students will participate in classroom discussions and lectures over historical information, facts, data, and themes by listening and taking notes.
2. Students will work together in small groups to determine responses to questions of meaning, thematic connections, and contemporary application.
3. Students will learn how to research information in the library.
4. Students will prepare and present three projects in the first semester. Each project will follow a modified version of the National History Day contest guidelines. In the second semester each student will enter a project into a school wide history fair. Students will also be challenged and encouraged to enter the local National History Day Contest at the Chattanooga Regional History Museum.
5. Students will write five 3-point position/persuasion essays following a rubric adapted from the Educational Records Bureau Writing Assessment Program (ERB - WrAP).
6. Students will peer edit paragraphs and 3-point essays.
7. Students will be exposed to model writing samples from the overhead projector.
8. Students will complete out-of-class assignments that will involve reading from the textbook, primary sources, or teacher-prepared handouts.
9. Important information will be recorded on the board as an aid in note taking.
10. Students will view selected historical videos for class reinforcement and additional information.

Evaluation:

1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of content through periodic tests, quizzes, and daily reading grades. The tests and quizzes will include both objective and subjective questioning (multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks, short answer, and paragraph answer). Specific attention will be given to sentence structure, grammar and form on short answer and paragraph questions.
2. Students will receive classroom participation, speaking and listening grades.
3. Students will receive project grades based on a modified rubric from the National History Day Contest.
4. Each semester cumulative assessment will be a traditional exam consisting of multiple-choice questions, fill-in questions, short answer questions and a 3-point essay question covering the semester themes.
5. Writing Benchmark: Student essays will be evaluated by a rubric adapted from the Educational Records Bureau Writing Assessment Program (ERB WrAP).

Academic Goals:

1. Skills: Students will:
   1. Retain and recall information from the content areas of the course.
   2. Make connections with the past through comparing and contrasting events and time periods.
   3. Actively and respectfully listen to the teacher and fellow students during class presentations and lectures.
   4. Develop and improve note-taking skills.
   5. Increase reading comprehension aptitude.
   6. Improve organizational skills through keeping a history notebook.
   7. Learn study strategies for quizzes and tests covering large amounts of material.
   8. Work cooperatively and collaboratively on common tasks and class projects.
   9. Read historical fiction and primary sources to better understand historical time periods.
   10. Discover and apply research strategies and skills for class projects.
   11. Constructively discuss and debate controversial topics of the past and present.
   12. Role-play historical figures to gain a better historical perspective.
   13. Practice oral presentation and creative thinking skills through simulation and role-playing.
   14. Write a number of five-paragraph essays and continue to improve mastery of this form.
   15. Critique peers’ paragraph and essay writing.
   16. Utilize technology effectively for presentations, written projects, and research.
   17. Make connections with topics studied in their other classes, especially English.
2. Attitudes: Students will:
   1. Begin to appreciate the value and fun of studying history.
   2. Develop academic independence and personal responsibility.
   3. Acquire a disciplined work ethic.
   4. Exhibit a willingness to express personal opinions, beliefs, and ideas.
   5. Demonstrate the acceptance of different opinions, beliefs, and ideas.
   6. Acknowledge and accept constructive criticism.
   7. Value working with other students on team projects.
   8. Embrace intellectual curiosity.

Instructional Methods:

1. Students will participate in classroom discussions over historical information, facts, data, and themes.
2. Students will work together in small groups to determine responses to questions of meaning, thematic connections, and contemporary application.
3. Students will learn how to research information in the library.
4. Students will present individual and group projects to the class.
5. Students will research and present the perspective of one part of society participating in the Reconstruction process.
6. Students will research a building designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright and present their findings in a brochure.
7. Students will research a topic of their choosing from the twentieth century and write a research paper.
8. Students will study current political issues and campaigns.
9. Students will continue to improve their mastery of the five-paragraph essay.
10. Students will peer edit paragraphs and a five-paragraph essay.
11. Students will be exposed to model writing samples on the computer.
12. Students will complete out-of-class assignments that will involve reading from the textbook, primary sources, or teacher-prepared handouts.
13. Important information will be recorded on the board as an aid to note taking.
14. Students will view selected historical videos for class reinforcement and additional information.
15. Students will begin to be responsible for creating their own test reviews.

Evaluation:

1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of content through periodic tests, quizzes, and daily reading grades. The tests and quizzes will include both objective and subjective questioning (multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blanks, short answer, and paragraph answer). Specific attention will be given to students’ sentence structure, grammar and form on short answer and paragraph questions.
2. Students will turn in notebooks for periodic evaluations. Organizational and note-taking skills will be the focus of these evaluations.
3. Students will be required to turn in chapter test corrections after the teacher evaluates each test.
4. All writing assignments, presentations, and projects discussed above will be evaluated using rubrics which clearly outline expectations and standards.
5. A holistic assessment of class participation will be factored into grades.
6. Students will have two semester exams. Both will contain small objective portions but will mainly reflect an emphasis on higher order thinking. Through the use of paragraphs and essays, students will be required to understand, compare, contrast and synthesize ideas and concepts discussed during the year.