In the sixth grade, students develop understandings of humans’ past and present relationship to water and the various conflicts, opportunities, and power that water provides. Moving from the basic understanding that a civilization’s existence depends upon its ability to access and manage water, students expand their definition of community. The year begins with an examination of the Ganges River and its role in nurturing culture while probing students to engage metaphorically in the relationship between personal contribution and a sense of belonging. As historians, students explore the American whaling industry and its impact on the growth of local and global communities while questioning the role of perspective and source reliability. Using library resources, mythology, and artifacts to further their inquiry, students uncover hidden stories of familiar and unfamiliar landscapes and discuss the process of understanding history. Throughout the year, students develop and apply news literacy skills while engaging with current events about water scarcity, pollution, sanitation, and the economics of water in today’s world. In order to complete these investigations effectively, students engage in interdisciplinary learning, alternately—and often concurrently—taking on the roles of historians, writers, artists, and musicians. Literary experiences are extensive, with an emphasis on reading comprehension and composition skills. Writing is taught via a workshop method. The course culminates with a long-term project challenging students to raise awareness in their own communities about a global water crisis of their choosing.

Global Citizenship is an interdisciplinary course in which students develop an understanding of cultural competence and explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in current topics of global relevance, such as migration, environmental sustainability, and conflict resolution. Early in the year, students will deepen their understanding of individual and collective identities as well as what it means to belong. At the midpoint of the year, students will develop an awareness of what happens when cultures meet and interact with one another. The remainder of the year focuses on various ways cultures sustain themselves: through environmental sustainability, the power of stories, and conflict resolution. Students will understand how knowledge of culture and its intersection with geography and history allows people to participate cooperatively in a diverse, interconnected world and problem-solve across differences. Students’ critical thinking skills, such as developing generative questions, identifying multiple perspectives, wrestling with complexity, reasoning with evidence, and making connections are fostered in all aspects of the learning experience from class discussions and projects to students’ development as readers and writers. Literature selections expose students to a variety of genres and story models, such as novels and short stories. Students also examine primary and secondary sources as they develop their historical reasoning skills. The writing component of the course provides extensive opportunities for students to gain experience in narrative and analytical writing and emphasizes the process of revision in building their communication skills.

In the eighth grade, students explore the American experience and Constitution through both history and literature. Integrating the approaches of English and social studies, this class focuses on how structures of the United States government have shaped—and been shaped by—pivotal moments in American history in the continual efforts toward forming “a more perfect Union.” The course examines individual and collective experiences over the course of American history through lenses such as race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Selections of literature, both novels and poetry, inform the discussion of identity throughout the year, with the students engaging in various writing exercises to reflect on their own identities and experiences. Additionally, emphasis is placed on understanding how individuals, groups, and systems intersect to create social change by examining events such as the civil rights movement and the development of LGBTQ+ rights. In the spring, students use their understanding of systems of justice in the United States to pursue an interdisciplinary project investigating an issue of social and constitutional relevance. Through months of research, they identify and interpret the systems and perspectives involved with their topic and design a potential real-world solution. The English component of the course is designed to teach students to be active and empathetic readers of both literature and their world. They study grammar and vocabulary and develop analytical as well as narrative writing skills, all practiced and honed within the context of the course’s themes. Grounded in the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mission statement, this course aims to foster students’ abilities to navigate differences of experience and opinion and seek solutions to complex issues.