Mr. Beauchamp's Website
7200 Social Studies - Ancient History
Hello, and welcome to my website!
In keeping with the Massachusetts Department of Education State Frameworks for Social Studies, the seventh grade curriculum at the Freetown-Lakeville Middle School covers Ancient History to the fall of the Roman Empire. This will inaugurate a wonderful three-year World History program for your child that continues in grade eight and culminates in grade nine at Apponequet Regional High School.
Your son or daughter will begin the year by studying early man and the transition from hunting-gathering to a farming way of life. This development made possible the growth of the civilizations that we will be studying for the rest of the year. They include the Fertile Crescent, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome. In addition, we will be investigating the birth, growth, and basic beliefs and practices of the five major world religions: Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.
Throughout the year, we will be using Prentice-Hall's The Ancient World as our main text. Daily readings, regular homework, review sheets, and section quizzes will become a regular part of your child's experience in my class. It will not take long before he or she learns to anticipate what is coming and can prepare for it independently. A major test will be the culmination of each unit, roughly two per marking term. In addition, there will be a project each term, ranging from a relatively simple travel brochure in Term 1, to the construction of his or her own Egyptian tomb in Term 2, to a PowerPoint presentation on a Greek historical figure in Term 3, to the creation of his or her unique news magazine on Ancient Rome in Term 4. These projects are designed to allow your child's imagination and creativity come to the fore.
I also believe that familiarity with current events is crucial for those who will soon be entrusted with the rights and responsibilities of adulthood. As a result, each student will be required to purchase a subscription to Time for Kids magazine. For more information on this outstanding resource, click here.
Your child will be required to bring his or her book, a notebook, his or her agenda, and a pen or pencil to class every day. In addition, it would be nice if he or she could bring excitement and enthusiasm into my classroom, but I will settle for a smattering of interest in the material we will be covering!
I hope we can have some fun this year as we work our way through the required material. Hopefully, your child and I will learn a lot together and emerge at the end of the year better for the experience.
If you have any questions at any time this year, please do not hesitate to contact me at the email address below or by phone at 508-923-3518, x2212.
Mr. Beauchamp