History and Geography

Students acquire a good understanding of the geographical features of the United States and the general geographical features of the world. They become capable of identifying oceans, major rivers, mountain ranges, deserts and other features of the planet. They learn to read different types of maps: political maps, relief maps, road maps and resource maps. Through a series of seminars, students learn how trade routes in combination with geography have affected how civilizations have developed, both through the spread of goods and of ideas.

Students learn about American history: European settlement of America, the American Revolution and the Constitution, the Industrial Revolution, slavery and the Civil War, the expansion out west, inventions and industrialization, immigration, unions and labor, the trend toward equal rights and the U.S. in the 1900s and 2000s.

After this, students study about ancient civilizations starting with the ancient Middle East, and then progress through Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages and modern European, Asian and American history.