Social Studies
     In seventh grade Social Studies at North Whidbey Middle School, we discover the world as it was between Common Era 600 to 1600. This is a huge task, because we seek to study the impact each civilization’s geography, economics, civics, culture, and history had on the daily lives of its people:

• We begin by learning about the birth of Muhammad on the Arabian Peninsula, and how his followers continued the spread of Islam and the rise of the Muslim Empire.

• We move to the study of Europe: the Byzantine Empire, the political and social order of feudalism, the power and influence of the Church, and the magical period called the Renaissance.

• The kingdoms and empires south and west of Africa’s Sahara Desert show us, among other things, the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of history and culture.

• We analyze the rise of a military society in Japan in the late twelfth century, and compare it to the society of dynastic China.

These are the essential questions which focus our learning together in
Ms. Duhrkoph's seventh grade Social Studies class:

 1.  How does physical geography contribute to the political, economic, and
     cultural development of a particular civilization?
2.  What stimulates the movement of goods, people, and ideas?
3.  How and why does the rule of law develop in civilizations?
4.  How do religion and government exercise authority over people?
5.  What legacies have been left by ancient civilizations, in particular, on our
     society?
6.  What significant contributions were made that advanced science,
     technology, and the arts?
7.  How does the movement of ideas, goods, and people affect cultures?
8.  How do different economic systems affect people's daily lives?
9.  How does trade affect culture?

     At the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction web site, it states that this curriculum “provides a guideline for teaching students about world history from 600 to 1600. While each area of the world offers important lessons on how people formed societies, economic systems, governments, and culture, it would be nearly impossible to teach students about every society of the world in a way that promotes in-depth understanding.” Consequently, every year Mr. Laiblin chooses which areas will be explored deeply and which will be used as points of comparison. The goal is for students to have the opportunity to gain important “Enduring Understandings” that these societies teach us about ourselves and our world.

Reading
     In this class we read, talk about what we are reading, write about what we are reading, and then read some more. Like all Voyager Reading classes, we begin each quarter by teaching and reinforcing reading strategies, using selections from the Daybook or the literature anthology. Ms. Duhrkoph will then take you on a journey into world folk lore. From tall tales, to folk tales, to myths, legends, and fables, the stories and characters reach across all cultures and speak common truths. Enjoy!