List of 4 items.

• Fifth Grade Humanities

  Fifth Grade Humanities students will engage in reading and writing through the lens of history to better understand the human experience, leading them to be honorable, responsible citizens. One of the many goals of the humanities curriculum is to create independent thinkers who have a true love of reading and writing. In fifth grade, an emphasis is placed on creating strong written responses to reading. Students will use citations to support their answers to text based questions. Students will have opportunities to write narratives, expository essays and persuasive essays. 
  
  

  Students will read a diversity of texts that span a variety of genres - from realistic fiction to historical fiction to poetry, myths and legends.  Fifth graders study American history from the time that humans first inhabited North America until the revolutionary war.  Protagonists and authors reflect the cultures that we study during this time in American history: American Indian, European and African. As we learn about specific people, cultures and historic events, we will also read a variety of nonfiction texts.  Students will explore similar themes across texts in different genres.  An emphasis will be placed on how experiences and geography influence the development of humans and the development of our shared American culture. We aim to leverage opportunities to make history come alive by exploring artifacts and our unique location. Our riverside campus allows students to experience how American Indians and colonists lived and shaped the river (and how the river shaped them!). Partnerships with Sultana Foundation and Modern Stone Age Kitchen are in the works!

  
  
  

• Sixth Grade Humanities

• Seventh Grade Humanities

  Course Description
  Humanities are the stories, thoughts, and language that help us make sense of our reality and our world. This class will blend literature, history, writing, and the arts in order to explore and learn about the human experience in a diverse world. Through thematic units and the use of technology, students will become objective readers, writers, and thinkers.

   

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  Course Objectives

  • Evaluate content from multiple sources and use reading and writing to develop and defend arguments.
  • Read and understand literary nonfiction, plays, and literature, demonstrating increasing sophistication in writing.
  • Describe historical events from the perspectives of those living at the time and understand that history is interpreted.

  A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadhata-  Write arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.Practice Listening and Speaking standards through presentations, collaborative work, and various oral formats.
  READING LIST

  Short Stories, Articles, Poems-

  -What is Normal

  two excerpts from Jonathan Mooney’s book Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive Outside the Lines

  -Poem- Same Song By: Pat Mora

  -Short Story: “Popularity” by Adam Bagdasarian 

  - Poem- Harlem By Langston Hughes

  -Mini unit on Bram Stoker Dracula

  
  

  Novels:

  
  

  • A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

  • A Place to Belong by Cynthia Kadhata

  • The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

  • The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

   

• Eighth Grade Humanities

  Course Description

  Humanities is a comprehensive exploration of human culture that includes fields such as history, literature, and philosophy. Throughout this course, students will immerse themselves in reading and writing a variety of novels to gain deeper insights into the human experience, with the objective of nurturing ethical and accountable citizens. A central aim of the humanities curriculum is to foster independent thinkers who cultivate a genuine passion for reading and writing.

  
  Course Objectives

  • Critical Thinking
  • Empathy
  • Informative Gathering
  • Understanding Oneself
    Global knowledge
    Interpreting Relationships
    
    
    

  
  

  Eighth Grade Reading Requirements

  Animal Farm

  
  

  I am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World
  
  

  Twelve Angry Men 

  The Diary of Anne Frank

  
  

  Great Expectations