Middle School Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations of North America

This class is taught in English.

Identify ancient civilizations in North America. 
Create a timeline of civilizations in North America. 
Understand the continued lineage of ancient peoples in North America. 
Identify and dispute common myths surrounding pre-colonization North America. 

MA-HSS.6. P2: Develop focused questions or problem statements and conduct inquiries.
MA-HSS.6. P3: Organize information and data from multiple primary and secondary sources. 
MA-HSS.6. P4: Analyze the purpose and point of view of each source; distinguish opinion from fact.
MA-HSS.6. P6: Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence. 
MA-HSS.6. P7: Determine next steps and take informed action, as appropriate.
 
Common Core: Literacy 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7: Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.8: Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3: Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.9: Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1. B: Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting. 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources. 
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

I have a lifelong interest in ancient civilizations and history especially when it comes to myths surrounding the first people and celebrating their accomplishments. I have visited many of these sites we'll discuss myself and done extensive research (over a 100 hours preparing for this course alone), including collaboration with scholars from these communities. During my teaching degree, I learned with and from Indigenous scholars working on decolonizing social studies for K-8 including curriculum development. I also completed optional coursework on social studies for diverse learners and worked with the natural history museums to study and preserve local resources. 
Currently, I am completing a master's in Museum Education and Disability Studies at the University of Washington which is recognized internationally for it's focus on decolonization and working with local tribes. I have been interning at their Burke Museum Education department as well with this approach. 
I have been teaching social studies online for over two years to groups of global learners including students currently residing in Africa, Norway, Europe, and India. The curriculum for this course is inspired by the work of Dr. Christopher Martell author of " Social Studies Teacher Education: Critical Issues and Current Perspectives" and" Teaching History for Justice: Centering Activism in Student's Study of the Past" and the Washington State "Time Immemorial" curriculum and research base,   It is used with explicit permission of all involved authors. .
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Students will have two independent learning days a week with materials (including short video clips, readings, and activities) provided by teacher. 

Learners will be completing a final project and will receive written feedback on that project and their performance in the course overall. Learners will have daily paragraph writes as an informal assessment and two creative projects during the unit. A letter grade can be provided upon parent request.

1 hour 30 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.

Sources include Teaching Tolerance, Social Studies for Social Justice, Ted-ED, The Jackson School of International Studies at University of Washington, National Geographic, Ancient Civilizations by Clarendon Learning, Exhibits developed by the MET, Facing History and Ourselves, Southwest Archeology Organization, the National Park Service, National Indian Educational Association, The National Archives,  The Burke Museum,  primary source materials including art, writing, maps, and other artifacts, and a variety of news pieces.