HISTORY

The following two classes are available for U.S. history credit.  Students should take U.S. history by their junior years at the latest.  It is best to take these sequences in chronological order.

 

 

DESIGNING AMERICA I:  A More Perfect Union              

 

Erin Victoria Egan

 

In the first trimester of this yearlong history course, students will explore the formative period of U.S. History.  Students will examine the events that led to the establishment of our nation and unique American culture. Some of the subjects that we will study this trimester include the clash between native peoples and European explorers and colonists, the use of slavery in the development of the colonies, the cost of rebellion and the birth of our constitutional government. Time will be set aside to discuss current events and how they reflect the origins of our government and the Constitution.   We will also explore the question of how we know what we know by looking at primary documents and accounts. We will watch excerpts from 500 Nations, Africans in America and Liberty. In order to earn credit for this course, students should be prepared to complete reading and written assignments, participate in class discussions and debates and complete the mid-term and final exams. 

 

Students may elect to take this class for Honors credit. Honors candidates will complete specialized exams and must earn a minimum of 85, do additional readings of a more historiographic nature and research and present an oral report on a relevant topic of their choosing. If you are interested, sign up for Designing America Honors when enrolling. You cannot switch into it after the first week of the trimester. Earning honors will improve your evaluations and transcript as well as your knowledge of U.S. history.

 

 

AMERICAN AFFAIRS I: Created Equal?                                  

Alla Chelukhova

Students taking this class will become active historians.  A historian is not one who memorizes irrelevant facts but rather one who researches, questions, debates and analyzes.  The class will address crucial turning points in American history using both first hand accounts by people who were there and later analyses by historians who studied them.  After reading about these events, we will write and debate about them, always considering the forum - executive, legislative or judicial - that made these decisions. A constant focus will be on understanding how our government makes decisions.  This trimester, we'll consider whose land ours was (and should be), the nature of the equality promised in the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War, and the compromises and rights that make up the Constitution, which is the framework of our government.  This trimester will take the story of our nation up to about 1798.   This class will not only help you become an active historian, but it is a great class for those of you concerned about the essay, punctuation, reading comprehension and the U.S. History sections of the competency exam because we'll be working on those skills.  Students will read an article, answer questions, join a class discussion, take careful notes and write and revise an essay (or essays if you or your work are late).  We will watch excerpts from the video series 500 Nations (about Native American history), Africans in America and Liberty.  Careful work and good attendance will lead to credit.  Punctuality of students and assignments will be vital.  In addition to the essay, there will be three quizzes that may liberate students from the final exam, which students must otherwise pass to earn credit.

 

Elective History Credit

 

GREEKS I: The Wine Dark Sea                                                           

 

Cary Honig

 

See description in the English section.  This class may be taken for either English or history elective credit.   The workload is different for history credit, so see the teacher before signing up for details.

 

 

SHAKESPEARE’S HISTORY I                                             

 

Erin Victoria Egan

 

The plays of William Shakespeare are as popular today as they were in the 16^th Century. Shakespeare himself continues to be the subject of heated debate and modern cinematic splendor. Audiences continue to be mesmerized by his wit and compelling stories. This course will explore the Golden Age of Elizabethan England as well as Shakespeare’s life to learn how these plays came together and what they mean for us today.  We will spend the year exploring a history cycle of plays that begins with Richard II. Although it was not the first play that Shakespeare wrote about English history, it is the chronological starting point of a series of plays that deal with the last Plantagenet kings of England.  Through these plays we will not only learn an interpretation of the Wars of The Roses but also what the Elizabethan mind thought of leadership, kingscraft, loyalty and honor.  We will tackle Richard II and Henry IV, part 1 this trimester. We will read these plays aloud and discuss the action and the meaning as it reflects not only the Elizabethan outlook but also our own. Students should be prepared to maintain a notebook for the play and their notes, complete reading and written assignments and actively participate in reading the plays aloud in class and discuss the finer points of the drama if they wish to earn credit for this course.

 

 

HERSTORY I:  Women of the Americas                               

 

Erin Victoria Egan

 

This trimester course is the first of a three trimester series on the history of women in the United States.  We will begin by quickly exploring the place women have held in European history. While women have been present throughout history, their specific role in history often has been overlooked.  This course will try to present a more balanced view by exploring the many roles women have played including the specific roles of women in everyday life.  The course will also look at the roles of Native women and African women both in their own worlds and in the world of colonial America.  In an overview of European traditions that will form the basis of our study, we will look at the role of women in ancient times and in the development of the early Christian Church.  We will also look at the lady of the manor, women in the church, town women and cool female rulers of the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th centuries. We will also spend time looking at the art, writings and papers of famous women through these ages. Students should be prepared to maintain a notebook, complete both reading and writing assignments, including research projects, and be willing to express their thoughts in class discussions if they wish to obtain credit for this course.

 

 

TRIALS I: The Bill of Rights                                                              

 

Cary Honig

 

See description in the English section.  This class may be taken for either English or history elective credit. 

 

 

WORLD WAR                                                                          

 

Erin Victoria Egan

 

This trimester course is the first in a yearlong series that will examine the 20th century’s costly and devastating wars.  How did we as a world come to extinguish the lives of over 70 million people over the course of 35 years?  We will start by examining the personalities, economic factors and diplomatic situations that led to the outbreak of the Great War. We will also look at the development of new weapons and tactics, the effect of the war on the home front and the development of international diplomacy. As the trimester continues, we will look at the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany and the military leadership in Japan. We will look at how these groups worked to expand and inflict their influence and ideals on people inside and outside their countries. As our study of World War II begins, we will concentrate on the European Theatre of Operations and look at the involvement of the United States as this conflict unfolds.  Again, we will look at the home front experience as well as tactics, weaponry and the personalities of this conflict. The trimester will end with a preview of the Pacific Theatre of Operations and a discussion on the development of the Nazi policies for racial purity in preparation for Trimester Two’s course on the Holocaust. We will view documentaries and some films about the beginnings of WWI, the period between the wars and World War II.   Students should be prepared to maintain a notebook, complete both reading and writing assignments, actively participate in group projects and be willing to express their thoughts in class discussions if they wish to obtain credit for this course.

 

 

GEOGRAPHY                                                                      

 

Siobhan Ritchie Cute

  

Geographers are, literally, students of the world. The ‘map’ of their studies has many different regions: physical geography, cultural geography, historical geography and more. In this introductory course, we will take a tour through the discipline, learning basic concepts along the way.  Students should be prepared to become intimately involved with the earth, her features and her peoples. We will examine the geographic decisions people make every day. Through a geographic lens, we will look for an answer to the question: how did our world come to be?

 

We will contemplate life before GPS, and we will ensure that School One students do not find themselves among the “37% of Americans Unable to Locate America on Map of America” (Steven Shehori--comedy writer).

 

Students will earn credit by participating in class discussions, keeping a class journal and demonstrating knowledge and commitment through quizzes and project work.