Global Themes

Change: Cycles and Transformations - Sixth Grade

What are cycles and where do they appear in our world?

Students will understand...

• Where cycles exist in culture
• Where cycles exist in the environment
• Where cycles exist within themselves

What are the costs and benefits of change?

Students will understand...

• How to predict and evaluate the outcomes of changes
• That with any change comes gains and losses
• That perspective influences perception of change

How do I create change?

Students will understand...

• How to identify and use available resources
• How to create personal goals for change
• That to create change, a commitment to a process is necessary

Character & Identity - Eighth Grade

Who am I and who am I becoming?

Students will understand...

• How various influences affect their identity and character
• How personal choices shape identity and character
• How identity is expressed

What is character?

Students will understand...

• How character is formed
• How character is expressed
• How character is judged

What is group identity?

Students will understand...

• How group identity is created
• How group membership affects point of view
• How one maintains individual identity as a group member

Communities and Individuals - Fourth Grade

What makes a community?

Students will understand...

• How communities develop and evolve
• That there are similarities and differences within and among communities
• That diversity enhances a community
• How needs are met within a community
• The interdependence of communities

What is my role as a community member?

Students will understand...

• The privileges, rights, and responsibilities of community membership
• How people shape and are shaped by groups
• The need for balance between individuality and group identity
• How to work effectively in groups

Communication - Fifth Grade

How does communication occur?

Students will understand.....

• That there are many different ways, forms, means to communicate
• Factors that influence communication
• How to communicate effectively

What are the purposes of communication?

Students will understand.....

• That communication is used for a variety of purposes
• The importance of communicating ideas clearly

Conflict and Harmony - Seventh Grade

What is conflict?

Students will understand...

• How to recognize different types of conflict
• That conflict often leads to change

What is harmony?

Students will understand...

• Where harmony exists in the world
• How harmony can be achieved and sustained

What is my role in creating both conflict and harmony?

Students will understand...

• How to resolve conflicts
• How to recognize the importance of mutual respect and sensitivity in creating harmony

Time and Space

How am I an inheritor of the past and a shaper of the future?

Students will understand...

• How one’s time and place influence one’s perception
• How to make responsible decisions today that respect our past and protect our future

What are the effects of technology on time and space?

Students will understand...

• How technology has changed our lifestyles
• That technology has bridged some distances and created others

How do time and space vary among cultures?

Students will understand...

• That different cultures perceive time and space in different ways

Work and Wellness

What defines work?

Students will understand:

• how producers and consumers contribute to work
• that there are many kinds of work
• that energy is needed for work

What does it mean to be healthy?

Students will understand:

• that choices affect wellness
• that there are many types of health
• that there are obstacles to wellness

How are work and wellness connected?

Students will understand:

• that a healthy world requires work
• how work influences well being
• that perspective shapes work