trevordayschool

To better align the Middle School curriculum with that of the High School, and to ensure intensive reading, writing, and research at every grade level, Trevor is concluding a three-year update of the Middle School history curriculum. e previous progression—modern political geography in 6th grade, ancient river valley civilizations in 7th grade, and ancient Greece and Rome in 8th grade—has been replaced by ancient river valley civilizations in 6th, ancient Greece and Rome in 7th, and the medieval world in 8th. is new progression will allow the 9th-grade world history course to go into greater depth about a more selective set of topics. In addition, students will get more practice with key skills such as note-taking, research, and historical writing. e 6th-grade curriculum now begins with ancient river valley civilizations and empires— Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. Taught by Jackie Monteleone, students in this course explore the relationship between humans and their natural environment, and learn how geography influenced the development of these distinct civilizations. e course introduces students to the habits of mind necessary for high-level historical inquiry—specifically how to interrogate texts and artifacts; pose questions that foster informed discussion and reasoned debate; appreciate the diversity of cultures and variety of historical contexts; and distinguish elements of our shared humanity. Study is built around point of view and empowering students to determine if they are getting the real and full story. e bulk of the year's content centers on Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India. e class uses a textbook and additional supplements, and practices reading for information and Cornell note-taking. Students improve their summarizing and paragraph-writing skills, in preparation for a research paper. In the spring, each student picks a topic for a research paper about China. Over the course of the year, students exercise increasing levels of independence in their work. According to Ms. Monteleone, there is both freedom and support to move students through the curriculum creatively and collaboratively. Ms. Monteleone built her course through a professional development grant the summer before her new course was instituted. e summers that followed saw the same curriculum- building process for the 7th- and 8th- grade teachers. Seventh-grade students delve into questions of social identity and group identity in ancient Greece and Rome—concepts that 7th graders actively grapple with daily. For example, they might ponder, "What did group identity look like in Greece as opposed to here and now?" e course examines international relationships, including the Peloponnesian War. Inquiry and debate are driven by the simple, yet profound, question, "Why do wars begin?" Brian Sullivan teaches this course with the aim of developing students' discussion skills. Socratic circles are employed, through which half the class has a discussion and the other half provides feedback, after which the groups switch roles. e teacher guides the circle with strategic questions and helps students focus their feedback. In learning about ancient Rome during the second half of the course, students make presentations, 0 8 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6 T R E V O R T R A N S L AT E S : evolution of the middle school history curriculum

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