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| Social Studies | |||
The Cultural Studies class gives students the chance to discover and explore their abilities, talents and strengths, a chance to learn about themselves and the world, and to connect with the past, various cultures and other people. Through this, they will hopefully discover areas of interest which they will pursue in the future. Reading, writing, public speaking and computer literacy are the main areas which the curriculum addresses. Students are exposed to a variety of assigned books and readings from different sources. With practice, they will improve their reading skills, speed, vocabulary, comprehension and critical thinking. Through various types of writing, students learn to express their ideas and feelings, develop their thoughts and evaluate works of literature. They also improve their skills by paying attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation and other mechanics. Use of a computer to edit and correct work is part of the process. By participating in class discussions as well as by giving oral reports and presentations, students learn to express their ideas clearly, and to be comfortable speaking in front of a group. Listening skills are also stressed in this process. Finally, students learn to present their research and creative work using programs such as Pages or Keynote (similar to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint), so that they will be ready for presentations in high school, college, and the work place. Different places in the world, from ancient times to the present, famous people, gods and heroes of mythology, philosophies and religions of the world are introduced to the students, studied, discussed, written about and used creatively. Long-term projects allow in-depth study of a specific topic. The emphasis in sixth grade is on myths, cultures and religions of the world, and on writing an extensive piece of work on oneself (autobiography), a joint English and Cultural Studies project. The emphasis in seventh grade is on Greek mythology and culture, the most influential one for our western world. Cultural Studies 6 & 7 | Social Studies 6 & 7 |
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