Rita YoKell

Individuals & Societies (Social Studies)

The Individuals and Societies (formally Humanities) program at Mesa Middle School encourages learners to respect and understand the world around them and equips them with the necessary skills to inquire into historical, contemporary, geographical, political, social, economic, and cultural factors that have an impact on individuals, societies, and environments. It encourages learners, both students and teachers, to consider local and global contexts with the aim of providing students with the skills of lifelong learners to participate in a democratic, as well as global, society.  Students will develop intercultural awareness, as well as respect and understanding of the world around them.  Students will be given opportunities to fully realize their potential as an IB learner; thus expanding on the qualities described by the IB Learner Profile.  

Course Description

The seventh grade Individuals and Societies curriculum lends itself to engaging students intellectually, personally, emotionally, and socially.  The inquiry approach to learning is used to help students understand both current events and issues facing their local, national, and global communities.  International mindedness, a concept emphasized during 7th grade, is embraced by the Individuals and Societies curriculum.  The IB Middle Years Program focuses on the fundamental concepts of holistic learning, communication, and intercultural awareness that are central to the 7th grade Individuals and Societies classroom.  Topics of study include: regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, Geography terminology and skills, Economics, history, and Civics.

Colorado Content Standards

History

• Investigate and evaluate primary and secondary sources from multiple diverse perspectives about United States history from the American Revolution through Reconstruction to formulate and defend claims with textual evidence and logical reasoning.
• Develop a contextual understanding of the historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas and themes from the origins of the American Revolution through Reconstruction.

Geography

• Use geographic tools to research and analyze patterns in human and physical systems in the United States.
• Recognize the impact of the competition for control of land and resources in early American history.
   

Economics

• Investigate how economic freedom, including free trade, was important for economic growth in early American history.

Civics

• Construct an understanding of the changing definition of citizenship and the expansion of rights of citizens in the United States.
• Investigate and evaluate the purpose and place of the rule of law in a constitutional system.

Personal Financial Literacy

• Examine the role of consumer decisions and taxes within the market economies of early American history.

Disciplinary Skills

• Analyze and evaluate primary and secondary sources
• Develop topic-specific literacy skills
• Refine content-area research skills
• Make inferences and defend an argument with evidence
• Understand future roles and responsibilities of civic duty

Essential Questions to be Explored

• What are the intellectual habits and skills of a good historian?
• Can and should historians be completely impartial and objective?
• How do different factors influence the relationships and identities of a community?
• What circumstances encourage people to challenge power and authority?
• Why do governments use trade and exchange to control its citizenry? What are the benefits and challenges of trade?
• Is propaganda an ethical way of influencing people?
• How have the basic values and principles of democracy changed over time? In what ways have they been preserved? 
• How do we explain the connection between choices and perspectives?
• How are different cultures valued?

Units of Study

• Unit 1 - Welcome to Our World focuses on the geographical tools used by geographers.
  • Reading, interpreting, and analyzing maps and atlases
  • All skills learned in Unit 1 will be utilized and applied in all subsequent units.
• Unit 2 - Out of Africa focuses on the geographical, historical, political, economic, and civic changes of the continent
• Unit 3 - Investigating Asia focuses on the geographical, historical, political, economic, and civic changes of the continent
• ​​​​​​​Unit 4 - Exploring Europe focuses on the geographical, historical, political, economic, and civic changes of the continent

Content Knowledge grades will be entered once every two weeks. There are four IB criteria for Individuals and Societies. Each strand under the criterion will be assessed twice a year.

Work Habits grades will be entered weekly.

Key/Code when looking at Infinite Campus Grades

T for Turned in (within 24 hours of being submitted)

M (Missing)- with comment A if Absent (get one day per absence) and include due by date

M - Until turned in or 0 when assignment is no longer being accepted (end of unit/ no longer relevant/ end of grading period)

All work (including late work) that is submitted will be graded within a 1-week window.