Social Studies @ The Summit

Student Council:
Student Council is off and running with two meetings per week. Our executive branch has worked hard to implement Robert’s Rules of Order and find some balance in meetings to accomplish what’s on our agenda. We have decided upon committees and are looking forward to planning our first service project and social event to help make an even more positive school experience.
ExecutiveBranch
(Our Executive Branch)
VotingDay
(Voting Day)
6th Grade: World Culture
Sixth graders have kept busy this semester in a project-based course on world cultures. So far, we have studied the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, and Persia and learned of Jewish and Phoenician culture. We even got to try our hand at making our own cuneiform one morning, which proved more difficult than we anticipated. These sixth graders are quickly improving their research and presentation skills with diligent practice, and as usual, it’s exciting to see what they will be able to accomplish during their time at The Summit.
Cuneiform

(making cuneiform with Play-doh)

Geography6th

(Plotting the perfect geography for their civilization)

6thHalloween

(Halloween)
7th Grade: World Culture & Geography

Seventh grade students are also working on bettering their understanding of ancient cultures, doing projects, research, and presentations. We started the year by reading several creation stories and talking about the importance of oral history, along with the dangers of these stories being changed with each retelling. One of our favorite books this semester is A Little History of the World, and we spent some time sharing the wonderful stories of The Odyssey, as well. I so enjoy their curious minds, vibrant conversations, and engaging questions. Right now, 7th graders are writing their first research paper of the semester and preparing presentations to coincide with their research. They have broken into three groups and each group is teaching the rest of the class about their empire and its effect on history.

7thPresentation
(presentation on engineering in an ancient culture)
7thHalloween
(Halloween)
8th Grade: World Culture, Geography, and Religion
My eighth grade class is full of vibrant minds ready to research and learn, despite the 8:45 starting time for our class. We began the year with each student writing his or her own origin story, and tit was so much fun to read their creative accounts of how the world was made and cultures came to be. Currently, the 8th grade is researching world empires to learn about the diverse histories around the world, see the implications for modern societies, and learn about empires’ rise and fall. They will write a research paper on this subject and then present to their classmates what they have learned about empire.
BeardedBoyz
High School: Political Science & Current Events
Although all social studies classes at The Summit take time each day to discuss current events and their implications, the high school class has developed the skill into a sort of art. These students have quickly enabled themselves to tackle divisive subjects as a class, communicating with respect their ideas and opinions on what is happening in the world, the nation, and the community.
We spent the first section of the Political Science class on the philosophical foundations of democracy and just had our first test this last week. Students were tested on enlightenment thinkers and their effects upon the American Revolution. They were also asked to think critically about the American Constitution, and about the compromises that were made to ratify the document. We worked through Federalist #10 and Brutus #1, and we talked through the Bill of Rights. The next topic we will broach is civil liberties in the United States, which will flesh out our understanding of the Bill of Rights and their application to American citizens.
I’m incredibly proud of all students as they make progress in the practice of doing and understanding history.

The Summit Preparatory School is a fully accredited, non-religious, private school offering a full-time seated independent education for students in Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, and the greater Southwest Missouri area. Our preparatory school setting offers an enriching early childhood, elementary, middle school, and high school curriculum in a supportive environment. We have state of the art facilities, highly-qualified teachers and staff, and a large range of educational programming. Interested in enrolling your child? Learn more about our admissions process.

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