Middle School Social Studies

Overview of Grade Level Content

Grade 6 Social Studies- World Civilizations

Students will study World Civilizations to uncover trends from prehistory to present day. Students will learn what defines civilizations and how geography played a factor in the exchanges, expansion, and formation among and between them. Students will inquire about the various social hierarchies of world civilizations and the changes and continuities of social systems. Students will learn about ancient and classical civilizations and explore their enduring cultural, intellectual, and technological influences. Students will learn about how increased global interactions led to transformations among and between world civilizations. Students will inquire into the development of world civilizations past and present and the connections between Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Students will continue to explore how these global interactions and exchanges led to cultural, intellectual, and technological advances that have continued to increase societies’ global interconnectedness with one another.
Instruction should utilize the historical thinking skills and themes developed for grade six. The progression of developmentally appropriate historical thinking skills begins in kindergarten and builds with each year of history instruction. These historical thinking skills are aligned with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate of world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career characteristics. The indicators of standard one represent the skills utilized by students in each grade level to further explore the content. These skills have been deconstructed to aid in the scaffolding of student thinking and are not to be taught in isolation.

Grade 7 Social Studies- Geography of World Regions

Seventh grade students will study Earth from a regional perspective, focusing on the continents. Students will study contemporary places and regions to identify how the experiences of people are rooted in places and organized into geographic regions. Students will learn about Earth’s physical conditions (e.g., climate, soils, vegetation) and how these features interact with Earth’s other living features. This course also focuses on human systems and the sum of human activities and characteristics (e.g., culture, ethnicity, gender, language, population, religion) that vary across the Earth’s surface. These systems also include the spatial distribution of population and the movement, settlement patterns, economic systems, and political systems. Students will explore the interactions between environment and society to learn how human activities modify Earth, how resources are used, and how physical systems, such as climate, present risks to humans. These regional conditions, both physical and cultural, create unique landscapes, an understanding of which lays the foundation for learning about connections to other peoples and places on Earth.
Instruction should utilize the geographical thinking skills and themes developed for grade seven. The progression of developmentally appropriate geographical thinking skills begins in kindergarten and builds with each year of geography instruction. These skills are aligned with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate to include the characteristics of world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career. Geographic literacy and geographic skills help students to understand past and current Earth conditions and better plan for the future. Skills used for geographic inquiry include: map use and construction, model development and other data visualization, and gathering evidence and communicating findings to better understand the conditions at and among places. Emphasis is placed on identifying, analyzing, and explaining spatial distributions and patterns related to the cultural, economic, environmental, political, and population geographies of contemporary world regions.

Grade 8 Social Studies- South Carolina and the United States

Students will study the history of South Carolina, within context of United States history in grade eight. This study begins with South Carolina’s colonial development and settlement as a British colony. South Carolinians played pivotal roles throughout the American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention, which established the foundations for the new nation. Sectional division came as a result of the growing institution of slavery, interpretations of the role of government, and expansion of the nation. South Carolina led the secession of Southern states, culminating in the Civil War. As the nation attempted to heal the wounds of the war, Reconstruction policies brought about political change while sectional division remained. The end of the 19th century ushered in industrialization to South Carolina and the nation, providing new opportunities for many people. Throughout the 20th century, South Carolina emerged as a national leader for defense production, agriculture, and tourism. As the state grew economically, social change was also brought on by the Civil Rights Movement. During the turn of the 21st century, South Carolina continues to attract businesses and people, while continuing to find solutions to new challenges.
Instruction should utilize the historical thinking skills and themes developed for grade eight. The progression of developmentally appropriate historical thinking skills begins in kindergarten and builds with each year of history instruction. These historical thinking skills are aligned with the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate, with a focus on world-class knowledge, world-class skills, and life and career characteristics. The indicators of standard one represent the skills utilized by students in each grade level to further explore the content. These skills have been deconstructed to aid in the scaffolding of student thinking and are not to be taught in isolation.

South Carolina Social Studies College and Career Ready Standards