Idaho Arts Charter School
Social Studies Department
7th grade Social Studies
8th grade Social Studies
9th-10th grade Global Perspectives
11th-12th grade American Government
10th-11th grade U.S. History
7th Grade Social Studies
The Seventh Grade Social Studies class focuses on the Ancient World from the Hunter-Gatherers through the rise and decline of the Roman Empire. Art and drama from the rich heritage from ancient civilizations are incorporated throughout the year with a focus on what has been handed down to modern society.
The Five Themes of Geography used throughout the year to clarify and unify each unit.
- Location. Question: Where is it? Location can identify a precise spot or tell where one place is in relation to another.
- Place. Question, What is it like? Place includes physical characteristics as well as human ones, like language, religion, and politics
- Region. Question: How are places similar or different? Region compares physical and human characteristics.
- Movement. Question: How do people, goods, and ideas move from one location to another?
- Human - Environment Interaction. Question: How do people relate to the physical world? People learn to use and change what the environment offers them.
8th grade Social Studies description:
This course is designed to be an introductory course into the western and eastern histories of the world. We will, as best we can, place ourselves within their environment and histories so that we can learn and become aware of how other cultures live, interact, and participate within the world around them. Through critical examination, discovery learning, art, geography, and role-play we will uncover the treasures of nations and powers as we study the world and its cultures.
9th-10th grade Global Perspectives description:
This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to be effective students and responsible citizens of the U.S. and the global world. Students will understand the commonalities, differences, and connections between globalization and themselves and the meaning and significance of globalization. Students will learn, through reading and class participation, the global dimensions of several issues; including international security and human rights, the problems of global conflict, and the hopes of global cooperation.
11th-12th grade American Government description:
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to be active and engaged citizens in American democracy. The course will introduce the fundamentals of American government and politics, particularly the major institutions and processes. Further, it aims to develop skills and abilities in analyzing and evaluating issues and public policies in American politics. The course will also stimulate interest in American politics and impart tools that can be of use to all life-long students of politics by giving students an analytical perspective on government and politics in the United States with diverse positions to controversies in American politics and give student opportunity to develop their own ideas.
10th-11th grade U.S. History
This course is designed to survey major themes, patterns, and developments in United States history. We will use a number of conceptual lenses to critically examine the history of the U.S. from European colonization and first contact with Native Americans to the American Revolution to WWI, Depression, World War II, Vietnam, and finally the present. Although our primary focus will be on the establishment and development of the U.S. we will also spend time examining the racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. and the influences and interactions of peoples who have inhabited and provided the U.S. with such an enriched and turbulent history. Through inquires into the past we will learn much about the development, culture, and people of the United States and we will hone our skills as critical thinkers and consumers of knowledge.
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