Humanities II

Humanities II  (Sophomores)  

2 SEMESTERS (One Credit)

Prerequisites: successful completion of Humanities I or recommendation from a teacher and/or guidance counselor based on PSAT and NWEA scores.

Humanities is a two-year course that integrates English Language Arts, Social Studies and Visual Arts. In the social studies section of  Humanities II students explore the impacts of power consolidation and power loss in an increasingly interconnected and technologically advanced world over 275 years from 1750 C.E. to the present. Through the investigation and analysis of primary and secondary sources, students have the opportunity to think critically, and to read, write, and speak like historians, while simultaneously honing the literacy and critical thinking skills necessary for post-secondary coursework and knowledge needed to be responsible 21st-century citizens. To teach students about concepts that recur throughout human history, a list of enduring issues which are the basis for the enduring questions in the curriculum. Students address the questions throughout the course through unit introductions, enduring question check-ins, unit closers, end of unit assessments, and the end of year project. 

Eras

4. 1450 to 1750:  Political, social, economic and global interactions led to revolutions.

5. 1750 to 1900:  Industrialization and global integration.

6. 1900 to present:  Accelerating global change and realignments.

Assessments: Pre-test, Enduring Issue Check-ins, Document Based Enduring Issue Essays, Thematic Essays, Short Answer Essays, Deliberations, Multiple Choice tests and GRASP Performance Tasks.

Instructional Methods: The course is Inquiry-based and begins with vocabulary, then continues with content background lessons, multiple-choice formative check-ins, close-reads, a unit synthesis task, the end of the unit summative assessment and GRASP Performance Task.