Year Long Essential Questions:
What does it mean to belong in the United States? What does a government owe its people?
To what extent have groups been truly included in the United States?
Office hours: Fridays during 6th period (Lunch/Recess)!
In this course we will use an analytical lens to engage with key moments in United States History from 1865 until the present.
Using various sources, perspectives, and questions, we will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the historical actors and events that have created the nation we are today. Through our historical analysis we will gain a deep understanding of our nation’s past so that we can engage with and transform its future. Students will have the opportunity to sit for the U.S. History Regents in June.
Textbooks/Texts/Resources:
We are proudly a Facing History Partnership School and use the curriculum created by the organization Facing History and Ourselves. We will occasionally supplement with sources from The National Archives, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Women and the American Story, and The Stanford History Education Group.
We also base our curriculum on IB History of the Americas and align to the U.S. History Regents. Students will be practicing skills and content that will prepare them for the rigors of high school. Students will also take a mock U.S. History Regents in June in order to practice Regents style exams before entering high school.
Class Structure and Student Responsibilities
In 8th Grade Humanities, students will engage in rigorous thinking, writing, and discussing. Students will often face larger questions about human behavior and its impact- both in the past and present. In order to be successful at this task, students must take ownership and responsibility of their work both inside and outside of the classroom.
Grading Policies
Student grades will be structured in a way that fosters student growth. Our grading system values the qualitative feedback from teachers on formative assessments and uses summative assessments to calculate final grades. The application of feedback from formative assessments is directly linked to a students’ performance on summative assessments. Office hours are Fridays during 6th period (Lunch/Recess) and students are always welcome.
smunn@prospectschools.org
I have been teaching for 6 years! I was an IB student at The Brooklyn Latin School and played soccer at the University of Delaware!
mlloyd@prospectschools.org
I have been teaching 16 years! I live in Bed-Stuy and enjoy reading, cooking, and hanging out with my dog!