Anonymous wrote:What are the novels students will read in this track this upcoming school year?

The novels don't change. They are always the same, so ready from threads above. The problem in my view is that these are not actually advanced novels -- they are below grade level, not even at grade level. Given that this is how kids who did ELC/CES are supposed to receive enrichment outside of math, the HIGH class is really inadequate. Who selected the books, and how can we get them to add more challenge?

What are the novels students will read in this track this upcoming school year?

When do they decide what novels to read for next school year? Kids read same novels even though they were years apart.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is taking this in 6th right now. He read "A Long Walk to Water" in the first semester and is currently reading "The Red Scarf Girl." At the end of the year, the class will participate in a Model UN program (in school, not as an after-school activity). At our school you need to be selected for the class, so the biggest benefit is that it's a leveled class.

Same books at my kid's middle school, though he did the Model UN simulation at the end of the first semester.

I read both books after he did because he really liked them, and I enjoyed them too (I particularly learned a lot from "Red Scarf Girl). HIGH is my child's favorite class, and it seems to be a good substitute for an actual rigorous English class, since the curriculum in English is super slow and repetitive, particularly for kids who come from ELC and are used to more depth. HIGH includes a good deal of analyzing texts and doing writing assignments that involve citing evidence.

Anonymous wrote:It's a wonderful class with in-depth analysis of very interesting and worldly topics. I am learning so much alongside my 6th grader. Not like the SS we had in school. This class is really remarkable!

You didn't know the stuff they teach in this class before your kid took it?? Wow. Really?

It's a wonderful class with in-depth analysis of very interesting and worldly topics. I am learning so much alongside my 6th grader. Not like the SS we had in school. This class is really remarkable!

What exactly are they being enriched with???? Our read the same book this year that was read in 4th/5th grade Center for Enriched Studies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your kid's Global Humanities class doing now? Isn't this class supposed to be an accelerated course?

"Accelerated" here doesn't necessarily mean "faster," as far as I can tell, more like "deeper." Teachers on here could say better than I can, but I haven't noticed DC having to work quickly so much as I have noticed them doing a variety of different things.

They call it enriched rather than accelerated.

Anonymous wrote:What is your kid's Global Humanities class doing now? Isn't this class supposed to be an accelerated course?

"Accelerated" here doesn't necessarily mean "faster," as far as I can tell, more like "deeper." Teachers on here could say better than I can, but I haven't noticed DC having to work quickly so much as I have noticed them doing a variety of different things.

What is your kid's Global Humanities class doing now? Isn't this class supposed to be an accelerated course?

Anonymous wrote:^to PP, those are the same two books our read years ago. Do they rotate the books or is it always the same?

I don’t think they rotate books because kids only take the class once, and I imagine it is easier for teachers to be able to repeat prior lessons.

^to PP, those are the same two books our read years ago. Do they rotate the books or is it always the same?

My kid is taking this in 6th right now. He read "A Long Walk to Water" in the first semester and is currently reading "The Red Scarf Girl." At the end of the year, the class will participate in a Model UN program (in school, not as an after-school activity). At our school you need to be selected for the class, so the biggest benefit is that it's a leveled class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In 8th grade
Political Change: Resistance and Revolution, 1754-1785.
Creating a National Political System and Culture, 1785-1823.
Geographic and Economic Change Shape the Nation, 1820-1853.
A Nation Divided and Rebuilt, 1850-1890.

8th read a novel study of Ona Judge. Forgot the title.

Will the MS Social Studies curriculum change next year?

Out of 150 years of American history - that was the person to focus on?

If you knew anything about Ona Judge, you would understand that her story illustrates a lot about the experiences of enslaved people during the early history of the US AND tells us some things about George Washington’s character that have long not been discussed in public schools.

I teach APUSH. This is a silly choice. Sorry.

I’ve also taught APUSH and think it’s a good choice.

What do you dislike about it?

I'm tired of the exclusive focus on social history. Slavery was important and sad, but despite the assertions of NHJ, slavery does not define the United States.

I would use the book choices to focus on aspects of US history that are routinely shortchanged, including showing kids that historical events/trends do not have single causes.

Thousands of pages of textbook ad someone always get upset that some of them discuss slavery. Or union labor. Of woman's sufferage. Or the immigration acts. Or whatever. It all happened. Telling students that it happened is not the same as telling students how to think about it.

I think that you have missed the thread. I teach APUSH. I am much more aware of you of the balance between topics. All of this happened, AND MORE, but we only focus on social history. And the fact that you think there are textbooks (and especially textbooks with "other" topics) just shows your ignorance on the subject. Trust me, no one, even in red states, is being shortchanged on learning about colonialism, reform movements, slavery, labor movements, womens' rights, imperialism, the progressive reforms, the civil rights movement, etc. Given that they read very few books in school, it becomes even more important that there be a variety.