Humanities

History guides the English classes at Santa Rosa Middle School. The literature connects to the history, making the classes more of a Humanities style experience. The class uses the California Standards for both English/ Language Arts and Social Studies to guide student learning. Students are asked to explain how we can learn from the past and make the connections to the present using specific evidence and support. Students will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge in in a variety of ways such as writing narratives, argumentative essays, research papers, google slide shows, videos, etc.

7th Grade

In seventh grade history, the students learn about the Medieval World, travelling the globe to explore the common features of each of the civilizations, taking on the roles of historians. In seventh grade, students look at the belief systems, government, geography, and cultural advances of different civilizations and compare them to each other and what they already know about the world. The goal is to make the students more aware of the world and the role they play in it. In Seventh Grade English, the students also explore the world, using novels that complement the study of history, consistently making connections between fictional accounts and what actually happened.

8th Grade

In Eighth Grade History and English, the students build on skills from the prior year, but learn about the founding of the United States though post- Civil War/ Industrialization. Students will analyze documents about the founding of America and put themselves in different scenarios to determine how various choices led to the current nation. This also lends itself to the study of citizenship and what it means to be a citizen of the United States and how to impact a change. All the while students read historical fiction and novels that thematically connect to the historical unit of study.