Social Studies Grade 7

October 8, 2024

Dear 7C parents,

Since fall conferences begin on Friday, I’d like to share an update about what your seventh graders have been learning in social studies class.

Our mission thus far has been to dissect and “de-center” American culture as we examine hidden biases in how we view the world and as we prepare to study histories of cultural exchange, migration, invasion, rebellion, and cooperation.

We began with maps, specifically the compromises cartographers must make as they adapt 3D for 2D and the socio-political consequences of placing North at the top and an oversized Europe at the center. We then used the classic “Nacirema” anthropology article as our mentor text for a fieldwork project about familiar American routines, as seen through the eyes of a curious visitor. Since every parent’s dream is for their child to become a published anthropologist, I am thrilled to share with you this compilation of their creative, hilarious work: Rituals of the Nacirema!

After a tutorial on the distinctions between generalizations and stereotypes, we began looking at beliefs and values that are less universal than many Americans presume them to be. A fun examination of expectations for greetings around the world led to a debate about whether visitors to a new culture should be expected to adapt or be encouraged to retain their own culture’s habits. We are now embarking on an interview project through which each student will educate the class about perceptions of America as viewed from elsewhere in the world.

Our assignments have focused on important social science skills, most notably generating questions and theories from sources, identifying and paraphrasing the main message of a text, and supporting ideas with evidence while addressing counterarguments. Likewise, our “Me-ology” project introduced social science as a discipline by inviting students to share about themselves through the lenses of history, geography, economics, philosophy, anthropology, genealogy, and/or identity studies. The Me-ology presentations were spirited and helped each class bond on both a personal and an intellectual level.

I always welcome questions, feedback, and ideas, and I look forward to chatting with many of you, along with your child if possible, this Friday or Monday. See you at conferences!

Sincerely,
Mike Fishback

November 20, 2024

Dear 7C parents,

As we close the first trimester, here's a new update about what your children have been up to in social studies class.

In mid-October, we began examining American culture through contrasting approaches to time, family, communication, social status, and evaluation, with much of the content adapted from The Culture Map by INSEAD scholar Erin Meyer. The activities and examples demonstrated that mindsets we often assume to be universal are actually specific to our culture. The students kept digital journals of their reactions over the course of a full week, often making connections to their own observations and experiences. Each student also interviewed someone about their experience living in another country, from which they created “quiz questions” for the class that proved incredibly engaging.

Upon their return from Catalina, the class resumed their training as junior anthropologists, using the concepts of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism to help them decide when (if ever) it’s justified to view another culture’s approach as a difference to be respected or as a deficiency to be judged or “fixed.” After responding in small groups to scenarios intended to challenge their thinking, each student drafted their personal philosophy, with many of them employing the concept of “Devil’s advocate” to articulate the nuance within their opinions.

More recently, we viewed a series of videos documenting coming-of-age ceremonies in various cultures worldwide, using evidence from the videos to discern what each culture appears to value, especially as it relates to children their age. For their final projects, students employed creative formats and original research to express what they have come to appreciate about American or Western culture, what they have become skeptical or critical of regarding this culture, and/or how they might incorporate an aspect of a different culture into their own daily lives.

We also took some time in early November to preview and then process the U.S. election. Students analyzed piles of campaign mailers supporting and opposing various California propositions, and they received an energetic crash course in the Electoral College. Post-election, we engaged in a wide-ranging conversation about the larger societal forces that influence an election result, beyond the campaign strategies or the candidates themselves. Many teachers in my orbit were forbidden by their schools to even mention the election in class; I feel fortunate to teach in a community that trusts us to handle the topic responsibly.

For the second and third trimesters, our focus will shift to histories of cross-cultural interaction: exchange, migration, invasion, colonization, rebellion, and cooperation. In addition to history, we’ll encounter economics, identity studies, political science, and international relations. It is thrilling to work with students who care so deeply about the world around them, and I can't wait to see how they choose to apply their learning in the months ahead. As always, you may stay up to date using my website, and I always welcome your feedback and questions. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Sincerely,
Mike Fishback

January 23, 2025

Dear 7C parents,

We are now halfway through Trimester 2 (and the school year!), so here’s a new update about what your seventh grader has been doing in social studies class.

In December, we looked at how different cultures began to “discover” and interact with one another. First, our class joined up with Mrs. Burstein’s in a series of simulations for which students deployed math and game strategy to reenact the financial perils of the Silk Road. Later, small groups researched early maritime explorers from Europe, culminating in an “explorer convention” in which each student, role-playing a crew member from a different voyage, delivered a dramatic eulogy for their boss encompassing both the good and the bad aspects of their expeditions and conquests. We also examined primary-source documents revealing the contrasting perspectives of explorers and the indigenous people with whom they made contact.

Returning to school in January, our focus turned to the consequences of these new contacts. In an activity that involved some high-quality doodling, we investigated the origin and journey of the potato and other crops native to the Americas that transformed the rest of the world during the Columbian Exchange. And we learned about the science and history of smallpox, the invisible killer of a large percentage of indigenous populations globally.

After taking notes on primary sources documenting a deliberate smallpox attack by British soldiers on a supposedly inferior "race," our class examined the concept of race. Each student attempted to define the term, and as a group we tested whether we could in fact measure race through appearance, geography, or ancestry. (Spoiler: We could not!) This exercise, in addition to clips from an astonishing genealogy documentary, established race as simultaneously a made-up idea and an incredibly significant factor in how people have treated one another over the last 400 years. From there, we took on the difficult task of learning about slavery, with textbook maps of the triangular trade leading us to excerpts from the memoir of Olaudah Equiano, recounting the human experience of being captured, chained, transported, and sold, as well as of being employed on a slave ship.

As you can see, our content over the past six weeks has ranged from light-hearted to quite emotionally serious. I have been impressed with the students’ thirst for knowledge and openness about their reactions and wonderings. Interested in seeing some of our course materials? You can always visit my website to access the Drive folder where I store our master documents. I always appreciate hearing from families about how the class is going for their students. Thank you for your partnership!

Sincerely,
Mike Fishback

March 24, 2025

Dear 7C parents,

With report cards coming out later this week, I want to update you once again about what your seventh grader has been doing in social studies class.

Our six-week study of colonialism and empire brought us first to the network of Spanish missions built along the California coast. Building on the fourth grade missions unit that many of them remember fondly, we now strived to uncover the narratives of not only the missionaries but also the indigenous persons who often were forced to convert and accept the imposition of European religion and culture. Our students composed imagined dialogues between a mission priest and a native insurgent, aimed at conveying the most generous interpretations of their intent. After a presentation on the American and French revolutions and an exploration of colonial revolutions in the Americas, we turned our attention to the more recent history of imperial colonialism in Africa and Asia.

You may recall your child searching for the brand name on your family’s car tires last month. We used this data to learn about the histories of tire companies and the process by which natural rubber is painstakingly manufactured. This helped clarify the brutal atrocities committed by Belgium's King Leopold in the rubber plantations of Congo around the turn of the last century. Our case study led us to analyze the economics of supply and demand and articulate our own individual values regarding efficiency, profit, human well-being, and environmental protection. Groups of students then revised the wording of an astonishingly Eurocentric history textbook in order to reflect a Congolese perspective.

Toward the end of the trimester, we viewed and discussed portions of a compelling BBC documentary on the British empire, focusing on the complex politics, broken promises, and daring rebellions in India, Egypt, and Palestine and the strategic importance of the Suez Canal. (We did spend a bit of time examining the economic disruptions caused by 2021’s massive canal traffic jam!) The trimester’s final essay offered an opportunity to reflect on difficult questions about the responsibilities of rulers, the ethics of violent resistance, the legacy of racism, and whether to judge people based on their intent or their impact on others.

In recent weeks, we have surveyed the first half of the 20th century: World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, the Holocaust, Japanese aggression in Asia, World War II, internment camps, the Marshall Plan, Gandhi’s civil disobedience, and attempts to partition post-colonial India/Pakistan and (later this week) Israel/Palestine. These class periods have featured some of the richest conversations we’ve had all year. Through small-group activities, real-time digital discussion boards, interactive maps, and verbal debates, the students have worked through complex issues of politics, diplomacy, and morality. They are very excited for the launch of our Model United Nations exercise after spring break!

Interested in looking at our course materials? You can always visit my website to access the Drive folder where I store our master documents. I always appreciate hearing from families about how the class is going for their students. Thank you for your partnership!

Sincerely,

Mike Fishback

June 1, 2025

Dear 7C parents,

What a school year! I have had such a wonderful time discussing the world with your children. Here’s a final social studies update, covering the third trimester.

The first part of our trimester resembled a short survey course of 20th-century world history. We explored World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, the Holocaust, Japanese aggression in Asia, World War II, incarceration camps, the Marshall Plan, Gandhi’s civil disobedience, attempts to partition India/Pakistan and Israel/Palestine, and African decolonization. These class periods featured some of the richest conversations we’ve had all year. The students used small-group activities, interactive digital maps, and verbal debates to work through complex issues of politics, diplomacy, and morality.

Once we returned from spring break, we learned about the workings of the United Nations and then organized ourselves into a Model UN along with students from Mrs. Senteio’s TLC class. Each student selected a country to represent, and the full class chose to tackle the global problems of poverty and warfare. The students spent time researching their country and scripting and delivering two formal addresses discussing their country’s positions on the designated problems based on their country’s circumstances.

Most of our class periods were structured as a UN General Assembly: a presiding Secretary-General (sometimes me, sometimes a student); one ambassador at a time rising to deliver remarks, always closing with “Thank you, and I yield the floor;” and the parliamentary protocol of speaking indirectly to one’s colleagues (“Madam Secretary-General, what the Ambassador from Finland fails to understand is ___”). Alongside these formal sessions, the ambassadors also broke into “recesses” to negotiate and build coalitions informally. The class successfully reached consensus on a complex warfare resolution after intense debate, bargaining, compromising, and wordsmithing. They nearly succeeded at lifting millions of people out of poverty but saw their ambitions dashed at the last minute when a cascading sequence of countries attempted to insert carve-outs for themselves! Such is politics.

The students’ ongoing reflections, both verbal and written, highlighted their emerging personal perspectives on these issues, along with thoughts about their confidence and struggles with research and note-taking and their insights about debating and negotiating. Most of them noted their newfound understanding of what makes seemingly simple problems so difficult to solve, and why the solutions that do get enacted often seem like watered-down versions of what truly needs to happen.

As I conclude my half-decade at ACDS, I couldn’t have asked for a more engaged, creative, and invested group of kids to partner with in trying to make sense of the world. I look forward to hearing from them and from you about how they choose to contribute to their society in the future. In the meantime, my best wishes for a vibrant and meaningful eighth grade year.

Sincerely,
Mike Fishback