History
Building Reasoning and Argument Skills
From explorations of self, community, local history, and modern conflicts during the early grades to world and U.S. history surveys revisited in greater depth during middle and high school, our history sequence encourages inquiry and investigation. Students develop versatile critical-thinking skills, including analyzing primary sources, understanding chronology, and practicing evidence-based writing. They also gain an expansive, nuanced perspective of the world and broadened cultural awareness by studying diverse cultures and historical perspectives.
Early Learning
Self-Discovery and Community Through Contextual Learning
In Early Learning, students explore reading, writing, and social studies together, examining their community in the context of place and time through the lenses of self, others, and geography. Engaged by hands-on, age-appropriate activities, they begin developing an understanding of civic ideals and practices.
Building Language and Historical Foundations
Students develop investigative skills and conduct basic research as they learn more about their community. They practice writing and oral communication by presenting to their classmates, and begin to understand their place within the past, present, and future.
Primary Program
Connecting the Past to Our World
In grades 1–3, students study the development and key ideas of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome; different structures of government; and the culture and conflicts of the United States. In grade 4, they delve into state history and a classics course exploring the impact of ancient civilizations on our lives.
Mapping and Spatial Thinking Through Geography
Students’ geography and map skills ramp up throughout the Primary Program, especially in Physical Geography, alongside their writing and historical-thinking skills. Students analyze sources, study cause-and-effect relationships, connect different places and times, write about current and past events using text evidence, and present their findings.
Middle School
Viewing History Through Many Lenses
Our curriculum introduces advanced historical content and develops critical reasoning, argumentation, and analytical skills. Students explore how historical understanding is shaped by contexts and perspectives. Grades 6 and 7 follow a World History and Geography sequence from prehistory to the present; grade 8 provides a survey of U.S. History.
Learning to Write Across Formats
Students strengthen their writing through AP-style formats, including document-based questions, short-answer questions, and long essay questions. Across formats, students compare the ideas and impacts of individuals and events throughout history, and develop arguments supported by clear, evidence-based claims.
High School
Understanding Our Globalized World
Our spiraled history curriculum prepares students to understand an increasingly globalized world. Students deepen their study through AP® U.S. Government & Politics in grade 9 and AP U.S. History in grade 10, followed by World History (typically AP) in grade 11.
Analysis Skills for School and Life
Students hone historical reasoning skills, including contextualization, comparison, and analysis of continuity and change over time, while strengthening their ability to research, analyze, and synthesize ideas. Students also take an economics course; most choose AP® Micro- or Macroeconomics. Together, these social sciences are essential to strengthening reading, writing, and thinking.
