Welcome to Humanities 5!
In this class, students will demonstrate skills for
solving problems, understanding different communities, processing
different points-of-view, learning from mistakes, and communicating
through listening, speaking and writing. Themes in Language Arts
and Social Studies focus on how and why students engage their
communities, and how and why communities engage each other. While
the course is called Humanities, it integrates fine arts
(particularly drama), social sciences, mathematics, and natural
sciences to support these goals.
LANGUAGE ARTS
The Language Arts program asks students to consider themselves in
relation to their immediate communities—family, friends and
the people at school. Essential questions include, “How does
making choices affect me?” and “What does
‘family’ mean to me?” and “What
responsibilities do I have to my communities?” Such questions
frame reading selections, writing assignments, classroom
activities, projects and even skill assessment. Dramatic activities
enhance the curriculum by giving students an opportunity to engage
each other and the written word in unexpected contexts.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The Social Studies program asks students to consider the function
of human communities and roles within them, as well as how and why
communities interact with each other. Essential questions include,
“Why do humans live together?” and “What is
culture?” and “How do individuals change
communities?” Such questions also frame reading selections,
writing assignments, classroom activities, projects and even skill
assessment. Dramatic activities enhance the curriculum by giving
students an opportunity to “experience” such concepts
as migration, geographic determinism, and cultural diffusion. We
examine our own Lakeside community throughout the year, but draw
comparisons by using historical “case studies” of
Native American communities in Washington State, Mayan civilization
in Central America, and experiences of people who migrate from one
place to another. This study of the eastern Pacific Rim supplements
the sixth grade study of the western Pacific Rim.
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