ELA 2: Units at a GlanceGrade 7 Course WorkDuring the year students in the 7th grade ELA 2 course will study the following historical events paired with a real-world current issue.Unit 1: Early American ConflictStudents will study Indigenous Tribes of America and Spanish Exploration while solving the issue of the NFL Washington Redskins name controversy. Should Dan Snyder listen to the Native American groups and change the culturally insensitive name of the Washington Redskins? Towards the end of the unit students will explore the Russia & Ukraine conflict as they relate colonization of a minority group by a majority and justifications for and against.Unit 2: ColonizationStudents will study the early colonization of America and the formation of the 13 colonies to the development of the slave trade. Concurrently, students will explore the gentrification of downtown Brooklyn to make the Barclays Center. Can economic growth be justified at the expense of human treatment?Unit 3: The American RevolutionStudents will study early oppression of the British on the Colonists through the ending of the war and beginning formation of our government. Students will focus on perspective and argument in this unit choosing whom to defend in the Boston Massacre-- the colonists or the British. Students will participate in a mock trial of the guilty defending the sides with which they are aligned. Students will explore polarizing trials that shake a nation focusing on the Trayvon Martin vs. Ethan Zuckerman case.Unit 4: Forming a GovernmentStudents will study the formation of nation's government along with the 3 branches-- their jobs and duties. Students will study the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. During this unit, students will choose a social issue they wish to research and offer a "call to action" through a video PSA. Some social issues they may consider are -- gay marriage, animal rights, climate change, environmental issues, and gentrification.Unit 5: Westward Expansion & the Civil WarStudents will study the westward expansion of our nation beginning in the 1800s, the causes of the Civil War and through the Civil War. During this unit, students will study the political, social and economic implications of growth and how it led to conflict. Concurrently, students will study the political, social and economic implications of mining (particularly diamond and coal mining) in Africa. Students will create a proposal to end the inhumane treatment of miners in Africa while still maintaining the economic benefits it offers Africa.

Grade 8 Course WorkDuring the year students in the 8th grade ELA 2 course will study the following historical events paired with a real-world current issue.Unit 1:Westward Expansion & the Civil WarStudents will study the westward expansion of our nation beginning in the 1800s, the causes of the Civil War and through the Civil War. During this unit, students will study the political, social and economic implications of growth and how it led to conflict. Concurrently, students will study the political, social and economic implications of mining (particularly diamond and coal mining) in Africa. Students will create a proposal to end the inhumane treatment of miners in Africa while still maintaining the economic benefits it offers Africa.Unit 2: Industrial Revolution & ImmigrationStudents will study the Industrial Revolution in America and how it led to big business as well as an influx of Eastern European immigrants that formed the foundation of New York City. While studying trends of the past, students will explore our current immigration issue and make a proposal for President Obama on how to handle our modern Immigration issue.Unit 3: Progressive MovementStudents will study leaders of the Progressive Movement such as Jacob Riis, Jane Addams, Web DuBois, and Elizabeth Stanton. Concurrently, students will consider the power of an individual in a social issue and how does a person become the face of a movement? Unit 4: World War IStudents will study the first world war focusing on how it transformed America and the world through the use of propaganda and the development of new warfare. As students understand how new technology improved warfare during the Great War, students will consider the positive and negative impacts of drone use in wars today. Students will answer-- should drones be used in warfare today or does it dehumanize the effects of war?Unit 5: Between the WarsStudents will conduct a short expose on the Harlem Renaissance, the jazz era and the Great Depression focusing on the impacts of each on New York City. Students will consider how a nation responds to economic change. Students will conduct a mini research project on how hip hop evolved from jazz. Unit 6: World War IIWhile studying the different forms of government that contributed to the tension that caused World War II through the atrocities of WWII such as the Holocaust and Atomic Bombs. Students will study is human cruelty justified during times of war? Students will explore this time period through historical fiction in book clubs.Unit 7: Post World War IIStudents will study how America has reacted to the challenges of a social word post World War II through historical events/leaders such as the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Rosa Parks and the Vietnam War. Students will explore past racial profiling and apply it to the modern world. Students will create a PSA on how to end racial inequality.

BioFor many of you, we have already had the pleasure of teaching you last year as 6th graders, making this year a smooth and easy transition. To the new 8th grade students, we are ever eager to get to know you and your families.Ms. CoyneMs. Coyne, a native New Yorker, joined the CGSI staff during the 2012-2013 school year and is excited for another successful year. Prior to teaching, she spent six years in corporate business sales. Ms. Coyne lives in Long Island City where she spends her enjoys hiking with her dog and planning her wedding.Mr. PerronMr. Perron, hailing from Boston, is returning for his 13th year at CGSI and is excited to return to teaching ELA. Mr. Perron lives locally in Carroll Gardens. He enjoys spending his weekends writing, playing music, practicing taekwondo, watching old movies and spending time with his wife.