Middle School:

Middle school students have done a great job learning the history of ancient civilizations, microsocieties, and territorial states. Seventh and eighth grade students took time Friday to practice a think-pair-share scenario and walk the track while discussing their question of the day: what is an empire? 

From here, we discussed as a class some of the possible benefits and downsides of empires. How do they best operate? What conditions need to be met? Today, we began to dig into the first two empires for our perusal: the Neo-Assyrians and the Persians. Students did a wonderful job participating in discussion and breaking this lesson down. It’s been a joy to see their thought processes and critical thinking at work!

Sixth grade students have had a wonderful opportunity to practice their skills as historians and observers by examining a historical artifact and conducting research to understand its significance. As part of this process, they will be crafting their first formal research paper, footnotes and all. 🙂 It’s exciting to see them learn these skills and put them into practice, especially as it builds their authority by utilizing evidence to back their arguments. 

High School: 

High school students have made fantastic progress in their world history class. Students have practiced note-taking and critical thinking over the past few weeks, and they will combine those with their retention skills on Thursday in their first exam. Assessments are a great opportunity for students to practice one aspect of being a historian – weaving together primary sources into cohesive arguments about the past.