South Korea Middle School Grade 7 Curriculum - Social Studies (including History)
The South Korean national curriculum for middle school includes Social Studies (including History) as a core subject. Grade 7 falls within the middle school level, which encompasses Grades 7-9.
Curriculum Overview:
- Core Subjects: Middle school students study core subjects including Korean Language, Social Studies (including History)/Moral Education, Mathematics, Science/Technology/Home Economics/Informatics, Physical Education, Arts (Music/Art), English, and Elective Subjects.
- Elective Subjects: Options include Classical Chinese, Environmental Education, various foreign languages (German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, and Vietnamese), Health Education, and Career & Occupations.
- Creative Experiential Activities: These activities include discretionary activities, club activities, community services, and career-related activities.
- Exam-Free Semester: Middle schools implement a semester with alternative activities to promote self-directed learning and exploration of aptitudes and career plans.
- School Sports Club Activities: These are part of Creative Experiential Activities, promoting physical activity and social-emotional development.
Curriculum Implementation (2015-2020):
The 2015 national curriculum framework was implemented on a rolling basis:
- March 1, 2018: Implementation for Grade 7.
Instructional Time:
- Instructional Hour: Equivalent to 45 minutes. This can be adjusted based on various factors.
- Total Instructional Hours (Grades 7-9): Minimum of 3,366 hours over three years, based on 34 weeks of teaching per year.
- Social Studies (including History)/Moral Education: 510 hours over three years.
- Flexibility: Schools have autonomy in scheduling courses and adjusting instructional hours within 20% for each subject (or subject cluster), except for Physical Education and Arts, which cannot be reduced.
Curriculum Organization:
- Schools determine the specific organization of subjects within each grade and semester.
- A maximum of eight subjects (excluding Physical Education and Arts) can be taken per semester to manage student workload.
- Schools must offer at least two elective subjects concurrently to ensure student choice.
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