Humanities7CourseOutline

Humanities 7 Course Outline

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General Course Info.

This Humanities course will explore selected themes from the first half of American History from pre-history to the Civil War. During our study, students will develop an appreciation of the connections between the past and the present. They will become familiar with different approaches to history such as political history, social history and economic history, as well as the ways physical environments shaped human action. Over the course of the year, students will explore contemporary social issues as they relate to changing interpretations of the U.S. Constitution. In addition to the history and geography content of the course, students will work to understand the tasks and approaches of historians. By reading and discussing primary documents and the works of selected historians, students will learn to identify point-of-view, evaluate sources, and develop their own interpretations.

Unit 1: What is History ?

AztecCalendar

Essential Question: How do we know what happened in the past?

Area of Interaction: Approaches to Learning

Content: In this unit, we start by identifying what a historical source is and then examining the value of various sources in piecing together the past. We first apply our understanding of the value of historical sources and of what history is by researching and writing about the first day of school. We proceed by examining various theories about who discovered the Western Hemisphere. With each theory, we identify what the available evidence is and from there determine the strength and evidence of each theory.

Skills:Writing journal entries and reflective writing, reading strategies, using graphic organizers to keep track of information.

Timeframe: 4 Weeks

Culminating Activity: Essays describing various theories of who discovered the Western Hemisphere.

Unit 2: Should We Celebrate Columbus Day?

Columbus

Spanish Cruelty

Essential Question: Should we celebrate Columbus Day?

Guiding Questions: Why do people explore and travel to new places?

What were the consequences of Columbus' voyages?

Area of Interaction: Homo Faber

Content: Christopher Columbus is among the most important figures in history and even though he lived 500 years ago his legacy is still debated today. This debate is the centerpiece for the unit on Christopher Columbus. How should we judge a man whose accomplishments changed the course of history yet whose acts of greed and brutality were second to few in history? In this unit we examine the historical background of the voyage, specifically, why did Europeans set out to explore? Why did Columbus want to undertake his voyage? Also, we examine the results of this voyage and how both the Eastern and Western Hemisphere were changed. We use primary (the journals of Columbus, Bartolome de las Casas) and secondary sources, artwork, and textbook readings to help us address our essential question. The culminating activity is an essay answering the essential question using the sources from class as evidence.n this unit, we start by identifying what a historical source is and then examining the value of various sources in piecing together the past. We first apply our understanding of the value of historical sources and of what history is by researching and writing about the first day of school. We proceed by examining various theories about who discovered the Western Hemisphere. With each theory, we identify what the available evidence is and from there determine the strength and evidence of each theory.

Skills:Writing journal entries and reflective writing, reading strategies, using graphic organizers to keep track of information, writing process, analyzing images.

Timeframe: 3 Weeks

Culminating Activity: Essay answering the Essential Question.

Unit 3: English Settlement in America

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