Humanities Core

The middle school humanities program is an integrated sequence of studies that incorporate English language and literature and history and social studies in explorations of a single overarching theme each year. In the sixth grade, the year-long focus is on world cultures and the big ideas they gave rise to; the seventh grade studies the American political and legal system and its antecedents in other democracies; eighth graders spend the year examining American society and its ethnic and racial groupings.

The English program is designed to extend students’ reading and writing skills, focusing increasingly on skills of close reading, interpretation, and analysis and on the clarity and power of their written expression. Students’ literary tastes are broadened and deepened through their reading of novels, including both classics and contemporary adolescent literature; short stories, plays, poetry, fairy tales and myths, and essays.

In the history and social studies program, students grappling with abstract concepts that emerge from their study of such issues as the individual and society; multiculturalism; causality in history vs. the role of the hero; and rights and responsibilities. Extended research and preparations for dramatic simulations of complex historical events root their newly acquired abstractions in reality.

Sixth Grade

 The theme of the sixth grade humanities core curriculum is “Big Ideas that Shaped Civilization.” The year begins with a study of democracy which focuses mainly on Ancient Greece. Prior to situating the study in the ancient world, however, the students briefly explore elements of contemporary American democracy to contextualize their study in a more familiar setting. The study of Ancient Greece is both literary and historical, with particular emphasis on Athens as a center of direct democracy and on Greek culture and mythology. Exploring both primary documents and secondary sources, the students culminate the trimester with a research project which synthesizes information from multiple sources on a topic of their choice relating to the emergence of Greece as a cradle of democracy.

 The second big idea which students explore is narrative, and the context within which it is examined is African cultures. Students begin this unit by examining the role of stories and narratives in Jewish life as a means of uncovering the importance of narrative to human culture. They then encounter African narratives and glean from them some of the key stories and information about African life, culture, and beliefs. The wealth of aesthetic forms that African narrative takes is presented, including oral storytelling, song, written stories, and museum artifacts. Authentic examples of these are studied by the class as a whole, and students learn to identify the common features that all narrative forms share, as well as features unique to each of the forms. Complementing the main focus on narrative are cultural and geographical studies of several ancient African civilizations. For the concluding project, each student selects one African civilization of his or her choice and creates a visual presentation using a range of different analytical tools, such as timeline, mindmap, pictorial collage, and essay.

In the spring, the focus shifts to a third big idea, religion. After briefly examining several contemporary world religions to gain an appreciation of similarities and differences among established faith systems, students undertake a more in-depth study of Europe in the Middle Ages, which is one of the prime examples in human history of a society in which religion served as a central organizing principle. Reconstructing the daily life experience of different social groups in medieval Europe , they explore the role of the individual in the community. Through reading, museum visits, and artistic study, students come to appreciate the pervasive role of Christianity in the feudal society of medieval Europe .

Much of the reading and writing students do is connected with the main themes, for example, Greek mythology, an extended African narrative entitled A Girl Named Desire, and historical fictions set in medieval Europe , Catherine, Called Birdy and Adam of the Road. These readings and associated writing are complemented by many additional experiences with literature and language. Throughout the year, each student continues the habit of independent reading. In addition, the class as a whole reads poetry, short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, and a play (“The Miracle Worker,” by William Gibson), and students regularly respond in writing to their reading. All of these reading experiences take place within a supportive setting in which students and the teacher talk about, share, and learn from their own and each other’s reading experiences. As well as gaining practice in formal academic writing of varying lengths, students continue to write using the writing process and write personal narratives. The curriculum also incorporates regular, continuous, direct instruction in grammar, spelling, and vocabulary building.

 Seventh Grade

 “A Political and Legal Study of American Democracy” is the theme of the humanities core curriculum in seventh grade. Beginning with today’s events, students look at how democratic values and structures are reflected in the upcoming November elections. The branches of government most prominently represented in the current elections are examined, and students investigate the main issues in the election by identifying and comparing the positions taken by the major candidates. In some years, the students conclude the first unit by organizing and conducting mock elections and draw inferences from this experience about some of the enduring benefits and problems of democracy.

 The focus of study next shifts to the eighteenth century. The Revolutionary War period is studied as a backdrop to the Declaration of Independence, which the students read and analyze closely. Students explore why the war was fought, compare what it was intended to achieve and actually achieved, and identify problems and potential conflicts that remained unresolved at the end of the war. Next, students read the Articles of Confederation, selected Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, and the Constitution. In connection with their study of these documents, they practice writing persuasive essays of their own. They then select a particular issue that was debated by the Federalists and Anti-Federalists and undertake independent research on the issue, its background, its resolution in the Constitution, and its legacy in subsequent American political and legal history. They discuss their analysis and conclusions about their chosen issue in an extended research paper, present their findings in the form of a scripted debate before members of the wider school community, and defend their presentation in response to “warm” and “cool” questioning.

The curriculum incorporates other experiences with literature, as well: the students’ first exposure to a Shakespearean play; an American novel; each student’s independent reading; literature circles; a unit on short stories; newspaper and magazine articles; and additional essays. The students’ writing experiences, both in connection with the theme and independent of it, take the form of a writing workshop, in which students write using the writing process, share their writing, and complete multiple drafts of each assignment. Grammar, spelling, and varied word choice are taught directly and reinforced continuously.

Eighth Grade

In the eighth grade, the humanities core curriculum addresses “The American Dream and the American Reality: Political Ideals and Social Realities.” At the outset, students review the foundational documents that they studied in depth the previous year: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These documents are analyzed from a new perspective, with an eye to deriving from them the ideals they set forth. Throughout the year, these ideals are revisited as criteria by which one may assess the social realities of American history and contemporary life: to what extent are the ideals realized? Where are there gaps between the ideals and the realities? What might be needed to achieve a closer fit between realities and ideals?

The focus shifts next to the African American experience. By reading and responding to primary documents, historical fiction, and film, students reconstruct the events that have shaped the experiences of African Americans, with special emphasis on slavery, emancipation, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement. In connection with their study, they write original slave narratives and research papers. This exploration culminates in an exhibition project in which they compare and contrast the African American experience with that of a different ethnic group of their choice. In addition to readings on these topics, the students interview representatives of each group to gain an in-depth appreciation of their personal histories and their self-understandings of the relationship between their experiences and the ideals of the American Dream. Students produce a written paper, a creative product, an oral presentation, and responses to “warm” and “cool” questions; these reflect their growing ability to relate the realities of American society to the ideals enshrined in ’s foundational documents.

Other experiences with literature complement the thematic organization of the curriculum: an extended poetry unit, non-fiction, an American novel, biography and autobiography, each student’s own independent reading, literature circles, newspaper and magazine articles, and book projects. The students’ writing experiences, both in connection with the theme and independent of it, take the form of a writing workshop, in which students write using the writing process, share their writing, and complete multiple drafts of each assignment. Grammar, spelling, and varied word choice are taught directly and reinforced continuously in writing workshop. Among the research skills that students refine throughout the year are notetaking, paraphrasing, and MLA citation.

Jewish Studies Core   Sciences Core   Spanish   Advisory   

Physical Education   Music and Art