The 8th grade Humanities curriculum encompasses both English Language Arts and Social Studies. We will be learning and improving on skills from both of these subject areas, but we will do so by combining these skills.
The Social Studies arena covers European and World events beginning with the European renaissance and moving up to the United States and French Revolutions.. The course is a thematically based exploration of the big ideas represented in history and geography and is aligned to the AERO Social Studies standards, which have been specifically designed for independent international schools. The overall theme for the class is Connections, and it is focused on the following units of study: the European Renaissance, The Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution and the Age of Exploration, and Revolutions. During each of these historical units, we will also be looking at modern events that are similar to better understand the world we live in, There will be an ongoing Service Learning project throughout the year, and we will be trying new ideas and skills such as Virtual and Augmented Reality (think Pokemon Go!), as well as improving our skills in critically analyzing historical sources, composing written pieces, and think critically about the past, the present, and the future.
For the English component, we cover literature through literature circles, presentations, creating a character journey, reading, writing, and improving our oral communication skills. Hopefully we can add some drama and music to this over the year, and I encourage everyone to read at least 20 minutes a night (any book you want - check our library for some great titles to get started).
The Social Studies arena covers European and World events beginning with the European renaissance and moving up to the United States and French Revolutions.. The course is a thematically based exploration of the big ideas represented in history and geography and is aligned to the AERO Social Studies standards, which have been specifically designed for independent international schools. The overall theme for the class is Connections, and it is focused on the following units of study: the European Renaissance, The Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution and the Age of Exploration, and Revolutions. During each of these historical units, we will also be looking at modern events that are similar to better understand the world we live in, There will be an ongoing Service Learning project throughout the year, and we will be trying new ideas and skills such as Virtual and Augmented Reality (think Pokemon Go!), as well as improving our skills in critically analyzing historical sources, composing written pieces, and think critically about the past, the present, and the future.
For the English component, we cover literature through literature circles, presentations, creating a character journey, reading, writing, and improving our oral communication skills. Hopefully we can add some drama and music to this over the year, and I encourage everyone to read at least 20 minutes a night (any book you want - check our library for some great titles to get started).