Social Studies

Mr. Santos

Contact: fsantos@bfccps.org

"I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves."

-Harriet Tubman

Welcome to 7th Grade Social Studies: World Geography & Ancient Civilizations II. This year we will focus on understanding how and why “systems of power” developed. We’ll discover how civilizations and empires function throughout the world. We will accomplish this by studying “systems of power” by themes in history: Political, Economic, Environmental, Thought/Intellectual/Media, Technological. We will use these lenses to guide us as we study the ancient peoples of Central, South, and East Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The emphasis of this course will be to help students understand who, what, when, where, and why of the systems of power and how they have evolved through history and lastly how those systems of power affect our lives today. This course is designed to develop students’ ability to think critically and express their ideas using historical evidence. We will do this through discussion, writing, historical research, and analyzing primary sources.

-Mr. Santos


"You have a choice between serving justice and truth or power and privilege...

-Julian Benda

Grading Weights

Grading:

  • PROJECT: 20%

  • ESSAY: 20%

  • TEST: 20%

  • QUIZ: 20%

  • VIRTUE: 20%

All assignments are expected to be completed on-time in order to be prepared for class and to benefit most from them.

What to have for Class

Everyday, please make sure you have:

  • your Chromebook

  • your History notebook (including notes from previous days)

  • a writing utensil

  • any handouts we might be working on

  • your ideas and questions

These items should be "within reach" when you come to class!


Why do we study History?

“History is important. If you don't know history it is as if you were born yesterday. And if you were born yesterday, anybody up there in a position of power can tell you anything, and you have no way of checking up on it.”

-Howard Zinn