n conjunction with the current standards prescribed by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Brunswick history/social studies department has developed a curriculum rooted in the postulate that, since history and humankind are shaped by the past, the critical examination of this past is paramount in preparing one for the future.
At Brunswick Middle School students develop a core of basic knowledge and various ways of thinking, learn how to analyze their own and other's opinions on important issues, thus becoming motivated to participate in civic and community life as active, informed, and worldly citizens. The gaining of critical reading, writing, and verbal skills is rigorously promoted throughout the program. Starting in the eighth grade, laptop computers are used to allow the students to pursue through simulations, presentations and web research, a more active approach to the study of history and the social sciences.
In keeping with the departmental philosophy of "making the world larger" as the student grows older, the Middle School history/social studies program strives to provide the student with further opportunities to observe and learn about the world around him. Fifth graders will continue with U.S. history covering the Civil War while learning about the distinctive culture of the South; they will look at the failures of the Reconstruction and consider the possible ramifications this failure has had on life for both blacks and whites in our country. In sixth and the first half of seventh grade, students will be introduced to ancient cultures-both Western and Non-Western, in an attempt to better understand the basis of American civilization today. The second half of seventh and all of eighth grade refocuses the students on American history providing a more in depth study of The Constitution, Civil War, Imperialistic Era, WWI, Great Depression, WWII, Cold War, and Civil Rights. Skill-wise, all middle schoolers are expected to outline significant textbook readings, do in-class presentations including "hands-on" activities, and complete a research paper during the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade years. Houghton Mifflin and Glencoe texts are used to supplement the teachers' teaching materials. Beginning in the spring of seventh grade, laptops are used to further enhance the learning experience.
Faculty: