Social Studies
Middle School Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations of North America
This course is part of a full-year curriculum designed to include neurodivergent learners. In this unit, we will be studying the ancient civilizations of North America while integrating art history, informational text, and study skills.
There are no upcoming classes.
10-13
year olds
3-6
learners per class
$120
Charged upfront
$15 per class
Meets 2x per week
Over 4 weeks
45 minutes per class
There are no open spots for this class.
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Description
Class Experience
This year-long social studies curriculum is designed to be inclusive to neurodiverse students including twice-exceptional students by providing appropriately leveled text, support for AAC users, embedded graphics, dyslexia-friendly font, and executive functioning supports including explicit instruction on notetaking and study skills. This class meets two days a week and homework materials are provided for learners for two additional days. This allows them to complete the full social studies...
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. . .
Students will have two independent learning days a week with materials (including short video clips, readings, and activities) provided by teacher.
Notebook Pencil We will use the nearpod platform.
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
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.
This unit includes content relating to the treatment of Indigenous peoples by colonizers within North America. In week 1, we also discuss the “Myth of the Moundbuilders” and how it enabled genocidal actions throughout North and Central America. In Week 3, we discuss how these civilizations and people were othered and their knowledge systems were ignored to propagate sensationalized mysteries. In week 4, we will have a current events discussion to remind students that these cultures and societies continue to exist today, this will include a discussion of residential boarding schools and a brief mention of atrocities committed by Christopher Columbus to provide context on the advocacy and leadership work of communities organizing the first Indigenous People's Day in California in 1992.
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.
Teacher
Malikai BassEducation as Unique as Your Learner
🇺🇸
Lives in the
United States222 total reviews
146 completed classes
About Me
I am an autistic adult with a masters degree in museum and museum evaluation focusing on applying science to museums and museums as a place of informal learning for neurodiverse learners. In my undergraduate education, I elementary education,...