Middle School Social Studies: Seventh & Eighth Grade EcoSocial Justice Emphasis

Class
Beth Foster | Humanities Educator
Star Educator
Average rating:4.9Number of reviews:(325)
Middle School Social Studies is taught to National Council for the Social Studies (U.S.) standards, covering systems of government, U.S. government and history, world geography, and economics with an ecosocial justice emphasis.

Class experience

US Grade 7 - 8
The goals of this course begins with students gaining broader knowledge and deeper understandings of systems of government, U.S. history and government, world geography, and issues of economic, environmental, and social justice. As students grapple with the content, they will analyze history and current events using critical thinking skills to arrive at their own conclusions while more deeply exploring their own cultures and identities and growing appreciation, knowledge, understanding, and empathy with people of different groups and cultures around the world. Students will learn to analyze and contextualize primary and secondary sources, and will practice critical thinking, analytical, writing, and communication skills. Students will also learn and practice research paper writing skills. 
I have a master of arts degree in American history, and bachelor of arts degrees in political science, English, and communications with a journalism emphasis. I am lead teacher at The Foster Woods Folk School, which focuses on humanities education within an ecosocial justice framework aimed at celebrating and improving our connections as a global community of humans and non-humans living on Planet Earth. In this role, I work with learners of all ages with a primary focus of working with learners in grades three through 12. I was the director of a social justice center for three years during which time I routinely taught about and facilitated conversations about historical and current political events for both teen and adults participants. Before that, I was a newspaper editor and reporter for 15 years. I have been teaching history, social studies, and English Language Arts classes for several years. 
Homework Offered
Learners will have reading assignments following each class as well as two journal writing assignments per week that will be used to assess their comprehension and analysis of lecture and reading content. There are scaffold research writing assignments each week, and individual, partner, and small group projects assigned throughout the course.
2 - 4 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
Learners will be assessed on weekly homework, participation in live classes, journal entries, projects, and the research paper. Unit 1, 2, and 4 weekly grades are calculated on the following rubric: Journals: 60 Points Speaking/Listening-Participation: 20 Points Research Paper Scaffold: 20 Points Unit 3 week grades are calculated on the following rubric: Journals: 30 Points Projects: 30 Points Speaking/Listening-Participation: 20 Points Research Paper Scaffold: 20 Points The final grade is calculated on the following: Weekly Grades: 60 Points Research Paper: 30 Points Research Paper Presentation: 10 Points Students receiving a final grade of C (70 percent) or greater will be issued a letter of completion reflecting the final grade.
Grades Offered
All student workbooks are graded throughout the course.
ย 1 file available upon enrollment
Paper of electronic copy of George Orwell's ๐‘จ๐’๐’Š๐’Ž๐’‚๐’ ๐‘ญ๐’‚๐’“๐’Ž, paper or electronic copy of Bruce Watson's ๐‘ญ๐’“๐’†๐’†๐’…๐’๐’Ž ๐‘บ๐’–๐’Ž๐’Ž๐’†๐’“ ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’€๐’๐’–๐’๐’ˆ ๐‘ท๐’†๐’๐’‘๐’๐’† adapted by Rebecca Stefoff. All other materials will be provided in the student workbook.
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
As we study governments, history, and economic, environmental, and social justice issues, students will engage with content about different cultures, religions, and times. Some of this content will contain depictions of colonization, violence, slavery, genocide, war, disease, death, racism, poverty, sexism, heterosexism, and oppression. The historical realities we will study are disturbing to almost all students, but may be especially difficult for some learners. Please consider whether your learner is ready to grapple with this content before enrolling. In addition, this class will address a diversity of  experiences. Students will learn about the experiences of people of different religions, races, genders, sexes, and sexual orientations. Some of the reading assignments may contain depictions of smoking, alcohol usage, and sexuality. All of the content used in this course is recommended for middle school readers and will be discussed in as age-appropriate manner as possible while also allowing learners to make their own connections. These connections will lead to conversations about current political debates and modern controversies. My objective when this happens is to facilitate a civil, thoughtful, leaner-led conversation in which students arrive at connections through their own analysis. 
NewsELA, Zinn Education Project, Learning for Justice, BlackPast.org, Amnesty International: Climate Change and Human Rights: A Global Crisis" course, PeaceLearner.org, George Orwell's "Animal Farm," Bruce Watson's "Freedom Summer for Young People" adapted by Rebecca Stefoff, History.com, "To Have Power Over Others" by Francis Duggan, "I Dream a World" by Langston Hughes, FacingHistory.org, Stanford University's "Climate Change Education" Curriculum, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Bill of Rights, "The Lorax" 1972 film, World Music Network, Learning to Give, "A People's Curriculum for the Earth" by Bill Bigelow and Tim Swinehart, UNICEF's "World's Largest Lesson," Teaching Tolerance, "Teen Vogue," "Chicago Tribune," RespectAbility, PBS NewsHour, โ€“ A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, An Indigenous Peopleโ€™s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, A Queer History of the United States by Michael Bronski, A Disability History of the United States by Kim E. Nielsen, An African American and Latinix History of the United States by Paul Ortiz, A Black Women's History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross, A True History of the United States by Daniel A. Sjursen, We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History by Phillip Hoose
Star Educator
Average rating:4.9Number of reviews:(325)
Profile
From ancient times, humans have used stories to better understand themselves and their place in the universe. Stories explain our past and how we can create a better time and world for ourselves and those who will come after us. This is the heart...ย 
Group Class

$700

for 64 classes
2x per week, 32 weeks
45 min

Completed by 9 learners
Live video meetings
Ages 11-15
2-15 learners per class

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