MS Humanities

Click on a course name for a complete description.

Humanities 6: United States Studies
Humanities 7: Modern Cultures
Humanities 8: Human Rights
English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

The Humanities program combines the traditional disciplines of history and English language arts, while embracing other disciplines including economics, philosophy, ethics, and art history. The planning structure for Humanities is around skills and content; the department continually improves its scope and sequence of skills, which are aligned in grades 6-12 and benchmarked against the Common Core and 21st century capacities. The school decided to develop a humanities program to explore these disciplines in an interdisciplinary fashion and to support longer, in-depth inquiry. Over the six-day cycle, students receive a double block for instruction nearly every day, rather than two separate history and English language arts classes.

EFL

As Barrie strives to create a global campus, we actively recruit international students for our robust English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program. The International Student Program is supported by the admissions process, homestay organizations, EFL classes, and cultural outings.

Humanities 6: United States Studies

Essential questions: How does the environment impact history? How does history impact the environment?

Grade 6 Theme: Respect for Environment

United States Studies takes a chronological approach to American history from pre-contact America to the present day. This class integrates the study of American history from the Colonial period through the present day while enriching grammar, vocabulary, reading, and creative writing skills. Special emphasis is given to the role of the environment in shaping American history. The course helps students improve analytical writing skills and incorporates geography and historical literature. Students develop in-depth knowledge on topics that interest them through curriculum-related projects; they also learn research skills and proper attribution for print sources and the Internet. Creating poetry and personal memoirs, students exercise the specific steps involved in the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and perfecting for publication. Students improve their reading skills using a variety of individual, small, and large group formats. The course provides natural cross-curricular links to Science 6. Project-based learning opportunities change yearly, and have included Soil, the Space Race, a Lewis and Clark Expedition Project, and an Inventions Project.

Sample Book List:

Children of the Long House by Joseph Bruchac
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Tuck Everlasting by Katherine Applegate
Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriet Gillem Robinet
Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Humanities 7: Modern Cultures

Essential questions: Who am I, and how do I connect with the world? How do my experiences compare and contrast with those of adolescents in different times and places?

Grade 7 Theme: Respect for Self

Modern Cultures students “travel the world” through literature to explore the universality of adolescent experience. This course studies questions regarding how preteens fit into the cultural and geopolitical realities into which they are born, and how preteens could change those realities. Units include 13th century China, ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, 19th century Eastern Europe, Mexico circa 900 CE, slave narratives of western Africa and the Caribbean, and present-day New Zealand. Building on writing skills introduced in Humanities 6, students in grade 7 practice writing strong paragraphs with specific topic sentences and vivid supporting details to articulate how they have connected with the themes, characters, and conflicts illuminated in the literature. Students are also introduced to the five-part essay model. Through hands-on projects and significant writing assignments, students continue to develop skills in grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and literary analysis. Project-based learning opportunities have included Creating a Mesopotamian City-State, a persuasive speech contest on relevant cultural issues, and participation in National History Day.

Sample Book List:

Wonder by RJ Palacio
The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley
The Kidnapped by Prince Ann Cameron
The Well of Sacrifice by Chris Eboch
Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky
The Examination by Malcolm Bosse

Humanities 8: Human Rights

Essential questions: What are human rights, and why are they difficult to protect? What are the different frameworks for understanding rights, and which is best?

Grade 8 Theme: Respect for Others

The Grade 8 theme of Respect for Others is integrated in Humanities 8, which broadens the students' global perspective and emphasizes the importance of showing respect for others. Students are introduced to the concept of human rights and the need for justice around the world, building their respect for and appreciation of different points of view. To this end, students study geography, history, culture, and religion in modern Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Students read memoirs, history texts, fiction and non-fiction, while continuing to improve comprehension, teamwork, and critical thinking. In addition, students master structuring of the five-part essay, writing short essays, and perfecting paragraphs; they also begin to use evocative language, increasingly sophisticated sentence structure, and consistently correct grammar. Students learn basic research methods and citation requirements. Finally, students practice the conventions of poetry, culminating in the year-end Poetry Slam. Project-based learning opportunities have included explorations of local civil rights movements, interviews of Thai Buddhist monks and musicians, and documenting research with Holocaust survivors who live in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Sample Book List:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Night by Elie Wiesel