Exploring this year’s Civ TOPICS
From the Stone Age to the Space Age: A Spiraling Journey Through History
We're excited to share our Civ curriculum, an engaging, spiraling approach to history that helps learners connect themes across time periods. In Civ, we journey through major historical epochs, unpacking significant events, cultures, and innovations. A Civ “challenge” is an engaging, learner-centered activity designed to foster critical thinking, empathy, and cultural competence. Civ challenges allow heroes to explore historical events through the perspectives of various historical figures and decision-makers. Heroes participate in activities that encourage collaboration, creativity, and analytical skills across different historical themes. Civ takes a unique form in each Studio:
Spark's Montessori History Program: Heroes explore the evolution of life, human achievements, and cultural changes through discussions, research, and reading activities.
Elementary School: Civ sessions are ~45 minutes twice weekly, focusing on region-based discussions, hands-on projects, maker challenges, and reflections.
Middle School: Civ sessions last ~1.5 hours, twice a week, following a chronological order with in-depth discussions, research, maker challenges, connections to modern issues, and group feedback.
High School: Civ sessions are ~1 hour and 25 minutes weekly, with a focus on connecting historical themes to current issues through open-ended research, provocative dialogue, and Socratic discussions.
Year 1 of our Civ curriculum covers pre-history and ancient history. Year 2, the middle ages. Year 3, the early modern period and the modern period:
Here’s a sneak peek into what we’ll cover in Sessions 1-7 for the 2024-2025 school year.
Sessions 1-3: Prehistory (3.3 million years ago - 3,300 BCE)
Major Time Periods:
Stone Age (3.3 million years ago - 3,300 BCE)
Bronze Age (3,300 BCE - 1,200 BCE)
Iron Age (1,200 BCE - 600 BCE)
During Prehistory, we cover the time before written records and focus on key human advancements. Students learn about:
Invention of Tools (~3.3 million years ago): The first step in shaping the world around us.
Discovery of Fire (~1 million years ago): A groundbreaking moment for survival and community.
Beginning of Farming (~10,000 BCE, Neolithic Revolution): Shifting from hunting-gathering to settled farming communities.
Domestication of Animals (~9,000 BCE): Our ancestors' partnership with animals for work and companionship.
Invention of Pottery (~6,000 BCE): An early step in creativity and storage.
Start of Metallurgy (~4,500 BCE): Learning to work with metals led to more advanced tools.
Sessions 4-7: Ancient History (3,300 BCE - 476 CE)
Major Civilizations:
Mesopotamia: Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians.
Ancient Egypt: Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.
Ancient India: Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic Period.
Ancient China: Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties.
Ancient Greece: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic Periods.
Roman Republic and Roman Empire.
Significant Events:
Inventions of Writing: Independent inventions of writing systems across Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and Central America.
Invention of the Chariot (~2000 BCE): Enabled faster expansion and conquest.
Invention of the Outrigger (~1500 BCE): Improved travel and cultural exchange.
Development of Major Religions: Daoism, Christianity, and early forms of Hinduism through the Vedas.
Guiding Themes for Understanding History
Throughout each historical period, we explore themes that make history come alive, such as:
Empire and Power: How empires rose, ruled, and ultimately declined.
Cultural Exchanges: How trade, conquest, and migration connected different societies.
Social Systems and Rights: From feudal hierarchies to the fight for equality.
Technological Progress: The role of innovation, from the wheel to the internet.
Environmental Interactions: How societies responded to natural resources and challenges.
We also present these themes in elementary-friendly language, making it easier for young learners to grasp complex ideas.