http://www.calhoun.org/page.cfm?p=88
The Calhoun School is a K-12 school situated on the Upper West side of Manhattan, New York City, and was founded in 1896 by Laura Jacobi (a German immigrant to the US) as ‘The Jacobi School’. Originally a small ‘brother-sister’ school, and then an all-girls school, it became a ‘co-educational, progressive school’ in 1969. Calhoun’s mission statement is: ‘to inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement.’
The Calhoun website provides a lot of information as to what curriculum is taught in its Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, with ‘Social Studies’ covering the subject of history and, in turn, immigration. While the website states that pupils in grades 2-4 of the Lower School study Social Studies, the real study of American History and immigration doesn’t appear to begin until the 8th grade:
‘Eighth Grade
AMERICAN HISTORY: The study of American History is the study of an ongoing experiment in democracy, the goals of which are freedom, equality, and justice for all citizens. American history is filled with the struggle toward these goals. The 8th grade curriculum places special emphasis on evaluating this American experiment. Students examine various periods of American history including the colonial and Revolutionary War eras, the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, the Gilded Age and Immigration, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam era. Students are immersed in these topics through literature, films, music, field trips, and primary source material. A three-day trip to Boston in the spring complements the study of colonial America, the Revolutionary War and abolitionism. Other field trips include a walking tour of the city and a visit to the Schomburg Center for Black Culture.
Interdisciplinary projects
• Course work on the Bill of Rights is complemented with an art project in which students exercise their freedom of expression to comment on a political issue.
• Students participate in a “trial” of abolitionist John Brown during the Civil War unit. Students prepare testimonies, cross-examinations, and opening and and closing arguments.
• The unit on 1960s protests culminates in mixed-media projects. In the past, students have written music, plays and speeches.’
Although the description provided doesn’t specifically state what is taught, we can see that the subject of ‘American History’ examines a number of different historical periods and events, including that of immigration. The fact that it is taught alongside topics such as the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement suggests that it is considered an important part of American history.
The Social Studies subject is also featured on the course list for the Calhoun Upper School, with required modules including ‘US History’, which is summarised as:
‘SOCIAL STUDIES 11: UNITED STATES HISTORY: 3 Mods
The Unfinished Journey toward Liberty and Justice for All
Why has liberty for some Americans typically coexisted with its absence for others? How have ideals of liberty changed over the course of U.S. history? Given the important role of compromise in our nation’s history, which of its leaders have accomplished most in terms of fulfilling America’s promise? In this required 3-mod sequence we will explore selected significant political, social, economic and cultural turning points in U.S. history, noting in particular our efforts to fashion a polity that can sustain the delicate balancing act between individual freedoms and national needs. Throughout our inquiries, students will explore the variety of narratives that constitute the American historical record, author critical reflections based on primary and secondary sources, conduct scholarly research, and engage in frequent debates and simulations in an effort to reconstruct the past that is so inextricably linked to our present. We will use Eric Foner’s Give Me Liberty! An American History as our text.’
Although it doesn’t provide specific information as to whether immigration will be studied on the course, it does state that students ‘will explore selected significant political, social, economic and cultural turning points in U.S. history’, of which immigration is an important part.
The details given on the Calhoun website are useful in understanding what attitude the school has towards such subjects as American history, and what topics within those it finds important to teach its students. The fact that they consider and understand immigration to be an important aspect of American history suggests that this is what they convey to their students. However, it seems that the topic of immigration is being presented as simply a part of American history and not an on-going process.
The Calhoun School is a K-12 school situated on the Upper West side of Manhattan, New York City, and was founded in 1896 by Laura Jacobi (a German immigrant to the US) as ‘The Jacobi School’. Originally a small ‘brother-sister’ school, and then an all-girls school, it became a ‘co-educational, progressive school’ in 1969. Calhoun’s mission statement is: ‘to inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement.’
The Calhoun website provides a lot of information as to what curriculum is taught in its Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, with ‘Social Studies’ covering the subject of history and, in turn, immigration. While the website states that pupils in grades 2-4 of the Lower School study Social Studies, the real study of American History and immigration doesn’t appear to begin until the 8th grade:
‘Eighth Grade
AMERICAN HISTORY: The study of American History is the study of an ongoing experiment in democracy, the goals of which are freedom, equality, and justice for all citizens. American history is filled with the struggle toward these goals. The 8th grade curriculum places special emphasis on evaluating this American experiment. Students examine various periods of American history including the colonial and Revolutionary War eras, the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, the Gilded Age and Immigration, the Great Depression, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam era. Students are immersed in these topics through literature, films, music, field trips, and primary source material. A three-day trip to Boston in the spring complements the study of colonial America, the Revolutionary War and abolitionism. Other field trips include a walking tour of the city and a visit to the Schomburg Center for Black Culture.
Interdisciplinary projects
• Course work on the Bill of Rights is complemented with an art project in which students exercise their freedom of expression to comment on a political issue.
• Students participate in a “trial” of abolitionist John Brown during the Civil War unit. Students prepare testimonies, cross-examinations, and opening and and closing arguments.
• The unit on 1960s protests culminates in mixed-media projects. In the past, students have written music, plays and speeches.’
Although the description provided doesn’t specifically state what is taught, we can see that the subject of ‘American History’ examines a number of different historical periods and events, including that of immigration. The fact that it is taught alongside topics such as the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement suggests that it is considered an important part of American history.
The Social Studies subject is also featured on the course list for the Calhoun Upper School, with required modules including ‘US History’, which is summarised as:
‘SOCIAL STUDIES 11: UNITED STATES HISTORY: 3 Mods
The Unfinished Journey toward Liberty and Justice for All
Why has liberty for some Americans typically coexisted with its absence for others? How have ideals of liberty changed over the course of U.S. history? Given the important role of compromise in our nation’s history, which of its leaders have accomplished most in terms of fulfilling America’s promise? In this required 3-mod sequence we will explore selected significant political, social, economic and cultural turning points in U.S. history, noting in particular our efforts to fashion a polity that can sustain the delicate balancing act between individual freedoms and national needs. Throughout our inquiries, students will explore the variety of narratives that constitute the American historical record, author critical reflections based on primary and secondary sources, conduct scholarly research, and engage in frequent debates and simulations in an effort to reconstruct the past that is so inextricably linked to our present. We will use Eric Foner’s Give Me Liberty! An American History as our text.’
Although it doesn’t provide specific information as to whether immigration will be studied on the course, it does state that students ‘will explore selected significant political, social, economic and cultural turning points in U.S. history’, of which immigration is an important part.
The details given on the Calhoun website are useful in understanding what attitude the school has towards such subjects as American history, and what topics within those it finds important to teach its students. The fact that they consider and understand immigration to be an important aspect of American history suggests that this is what they convey to their students. However, it seems that the topic of immigration is being presented as simply a part of American history and not an on-going process.
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