Welcome to Grade 6-8
Chinese Immersion Program!!!
The Chinese Immersion program at the Putnam Avenue Upper School is open to students continuing from the King School Immersion program who have been learning content-based curriculum in both the Mandarin and English languages since JK/Kindergarten. Chinese Immersion will be continued at PAUS through the offering of a Chinese language course and social studies taught in Mandarin. This balanced course load of classes taught in Chinese and classes taught in English will serve to advance students’ language and cultural development while promoting academic and social interactions with a wide mix of their middle school peers
As the students progress through 7th and 8th grades, they will continue to take a balance of courses in Mandarin and in English. Students from the Ni Hao (non-immersion) program at the King will have the opportunity to continue their Chinese language learning in 6th grade while students new to Cambridge or coming from another elementary school will have the option to select Chinese as their world language in 6th grade.
Continuing a language immersion program at the middle school offers students access to continued development of language skills and cultural knowledge, which can lead to bilingualism, cognitive flexibility, and positive cross-cultural attitudes. It can help to prepare students to enter advanced language courses in the studied language in high school and beyond.
6th Grade
Chinese Language Art
7th Grade
Chinese Language Art
8th Grade
Chinese Language Art
6th Grade Social Studies
Welcome to Immersion Chinese 6th grade Social Studies. My goal this year is to guide students in historical thinking by differentiating between primary and secondary source documents, identifying the type of document, and examining documents for author’s purpose and reasons for creating the document. We will follow the 6th Grade Social Studies curriculum, which covers the rise and life of early humans, the rise of agriculture and geography, culture and economy of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus River civilization, Ancient Israel. I am thrilled to be working together with you.
7th Grade Social Studies
7th graders will explore some of the belief systems that have impacted human societies around the world. Throughout the year, they will consider how different people live and reflect on how groups of people can live together. The course begins with a short exploration of identity and then delves into the tenets of the major monotheistic religions. Students follow the growth of Islam from the Middle East to West Africa and consider the role of cultural diffusion and religious syncretism in this region. Students then examine the religions of Asia, beginning with Hinduism and Buddhism. They follow the expansion of Buddhism into China, and compare and contrast this belief system with Confucianism and Daoism, while exploring the role of syncretism. At the end of the year, students study the ancient civilizations of the Aztecs, Greeks, and Romans with a view to making comparisons between the civilizations, understanding the roots of American government, and imaginatively drawing on history in order to reflect on contemporary issues.
8th Grade Social Studies
In the civics course, 8th graders will develop critical thinking skills, a thorough understanding of the foundations and workings of government in the United States, and capacities for civic agency. Students will continue to develop their research skills, read and analyze primary and secondary sources; participate in interactive and collaborative work; and explore different points of view, motives and biases. Throughout the course, students study the past to better understand the present, so that they are equipped to engage in informed and authentic civic action and to create change.
